The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted the University of Iowa Venture School Launch Day competition for its spring cohort on March 26. Seven teams pitched their ideas to a panel of judges after attending virtual classes on customer discovery and developing their business model alongside local entrepreneur coaches. Four…
Kathy Kay, executive vice president and chief information officer at Principal Financial Group has been named to the 2026 CIO Hall of Fame. Induction into the CIO Hall of Fame is one of the profession’s highest distinctions, recognizing leaders who have shaped the practice of IT leadership and supported the…
Seven Iowa-based small businesses received AI implementation service offers valued at $335,000 after completing the AI Services Challenge held Feb. 16–18 at the BioVentures Center in Coralville. The event was a partnership among Iowa JPEC, the Iowa Small Business Development Center, Amazon Web Services, and PREDICTif Solutions. The awards will…
Rise Energy has been selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative, securing $340,000 in non-dilutive funding to accelerate the commercialization of its autothermal pyrolysis technology developed at Iowa State University. Autothermal pyrolysis is a novel process that converts underutilized or waste materials into refiner-ready feedstocks,…
The Iowa Biotechnology Association recognized Brent Shanks, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and Jean Steffenson Faculty Chair in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University, as the recipient of the 2026 Biotech Leader Award. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership within their organization and…
Entrepreneurs, students and innovators from across Eastern Iowa are invited to a Startup Sprint, a fast-paced entrepreneurial event hosted by NewBoCo on April 10-11 at Coe College’s Center for Health and Society in Cedar Rapids. Startup Sprint is a collaborative, hands-on experience where participants pitch ideas, form teams and spend…
Midwest venture studio Novy has announced the launch of its new startup Syncra, an AI-native scheduling platform designed specifically for independent emergency medicine groups. Syncra was introduced as Novy’s first portfolio company in August 2025. Since then, the company has established its brand informed by direct input from emergency medicine…
Ag Startup Engine, an early-stage venture firm focused on technologies across the agriculture and food value chain, has closed its third fund, a $7 million seed fund. The fund builds on Ag Startup Engine’s mission of bridging the gap between innovation and real-world agricultural adoption, the firm said in a…
The University of Northern Iowa has received a $130,000 grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust to support continued development of the TEACH Studio, a learning environment advancing how future educators are prepared to serve Iowa’s PreK–12 schools. The Carver Trust grant will provide access to five new educational…
The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program announced its 15th cohort in Iowa, with 39 small business owners from across the state participating. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, which is administered by Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa, is offered at no cost to small business owners and…
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