The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Iowa’s Initial Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The NTIA allocated over $415 million to fund the buildout of broadband infrastructure to all unserved and underserved locations throughout Iowa. The approval allows Iowa to…
The Iowa Center for Economic Success has named Katie Byers director of the Iowa Center Women’s Business Center. Byers will provide training and individual counseling to Iowa women looking to launch or grow their businesses. She is an attorney as well as an entrepreneur. She is a fiber and mixed media…
The Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC) has selected four pilot communities to participate in its new Rural Business Initiative, which was created with a $200,000 grant from Wells Fargo. The rural communities are located within 30 miles of a Wells Fargo branch. Each proposed a plan to support existing small business,…
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in Iowa is currently accepting applications for its spring 2025 cohort, which starts in February 2025. The program provides practical business education, access to capital and support services, including a dedicated business adviser. Small businesses located anywhere in Iowa are eligible to apply….
The Mahaska Chamber and Development Group and the Center on Rural Innovation are partnering to host an Idea Lab event to provide aspiring business owners guidance and resources to launch their companies. The free event is part of a broader effort to cultivate entrepreneurship in rural areas and address gaps…
The Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship at Iowa State University is hosting the SheTalks event on Oct. 17, featuring the stories of seven women from the Ames community. Their stories will be presented in a fast-paced format inspired by the Japanese presentation style Pecha Kucha. Each speaker will present 20 slides,…
The annual dsmHack‘s Des Moines Charity Hackathon was held Sept. 20 and 21 bringing together technology professionals from across Iowa to help local nonprofits overcome critical challenges, a news release said. The event aims to foster innovation, community engagement and positive social impact through technology. The four nonprofits teams helped this…
A letter of intent was signed Friday for Iowa-based PowerPollen to provide its pollen technology to VNR Seeds, based in Raipur, India. The agreement was signed during Gov. Kim Reynolds’ India trade mission. “With a mission to feed and fuel the world, PowerPollen is very excited to bring our Iowa-grown…
Iowa Farm Bureau is holding a two-part branding workshop for Farm Bureau members to enhance their direct-to-consumer business. The first workshop on Nov. 13 and 14 will help participants develop their brand to stand out from others in a crowded market, a news release said. The second workshop on Dec….
Iowa State University is participating in an initiative to increase the number of veterinarians working in rural areas, according to a news release. Nine schools, including ISU, are taking part in the Veterinary Workforce Solutions Program from Farm Journal Foundation, backed by support from the Zoetis Foundation. The pilot program…
As part of a refresh of the Business Record’s Innovation Iowa brand, we have created a new landing page on the Business Record website to house all Innovation Iowa coverage and more stories from the Business Record covering innovation and technology.
Visit www.businessrecord.com/innovation-iowa to view all Innovation Iowa stories, including the 2026 Innovation Iowa Magazine, out now.
-Sarah Diehn, Business Record Editor