To keep the story short: Today is my last day with the Business Record, and the last edition of the innovationIOWA newsletter with my byline attached. Next week I’ll begin a new (local) opportunity. I joined the Business Record at Business Publications Corp. in 2018 with the task of launching the innovationIOWA newsletter and the […]
The Techstars Iowa Accelerator is welcoming 10 new companies to the 2021 cohort. Nearly all those in this year’s cohort founded their business amid the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns during 2020, said Kerty Levy, managing director of Techstars Iowa. “What that says is that they’re hopeful. They trust that they can create, they can make great […]
Payment fintech Dwolla secured a $21 million venture round led by Foundry Group, Dwolla announced Wednesday. Additional investors include Park West Asset Management LLC, Union Square Ventures, Detroit Venture Partners, Firebrand Ventures and Next Level Ventures. Traeger CEO Jeremy Andrus joined as an individual investor. Global digital payment transactions in 2020 were valued at $5.4 […]
Governance, risk and compliance technology firm ViClarity has named Kurt Sinnett as the new vice president of strategy and business development, ViClarity announced this week. Previously, Sinnett worked as vice president of client relations at Sg2, a health care analytics platform and consulting services provider, and leadership positions at Merck, a global biopharmaceutical company.
Des Moines Area Community College Boone campus student Axl Escarcega, a first-year pre-engineering student originally from Imperial, Calif., has been accepted to join the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program, DMACC announced this week. Escarcega joins three recent DMACC students and graduates with ties to NASA’s student initiatives. Noah Gleason of Granger was admitted […]
Before diving into his advice for organizations during the Technology Association of Iowa’s cyber webinar last Friday, Jim Sherlock wanted to clear the air with attendees. “Of course I’m really a good person who grew up in Iowa with great values. I would never do anything unethical, and I certainly hope that you don’t take […]
SmartScripts, one of the first virtual pharmacies on the market, has an eye toward deeper care services for its patients. Today, SmartScripts customers receive home delivery of their regular maintenance medications through presorted SmartPacks, which organize multiple medications for patients previously struggling to manage their medication schedules. In 2018, the company introduced a pharmacy benefit […]
West Des Moines startup provides start-to-finish digital claims capability for life insurers Nick Gerhart often wonders whether life insurance executives ever attempt to navigate their own company’s claims process. If they did, they would probably want to make some big changes after encountering what is likely a frustrating, time-consuming experience, says Gerhart, chief innovation officer […]
Holmes Murphy a founding co-leader of initiative BrokerTech Ventures is breaking new ground in bringing a more entrepreneurial mindset to the insurance brokerage industry. Conceptualized by Iowa-based insurance brokerage Holmes Murphy in 2019, the technology solutions and innovation initiative rapidly set up its operations and began producing tangible outcomes in 2020 and into 2021 — […]
How the sudden transition to online learning in 2020 pushed four Iowa school districts to arrange internet access for students in need in a matter of months. “Broadband internet should be widely available like any other utility.” Four Iowa school districts from across the state echoed this declaration after reviewing a year where they saw […]