Business Horizons, a program of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation, concluded on July 17 at Drake University. The program for high school students brought together students from across Iowa develop, refine and pitch original business ventures. Each team invented their own business or product designed to benefit high school…
Get to know 3 organizations supporting entrepreneurs in eastern Iowa “Iowa has pockets of innovation across the state” is a common phrase among leaders and other stakeholders in Iowa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. But what do those pockets look like? Across the eastern Iowa region, it includes a legacy company providing space…
There isn’t just one big dreamer in Corning, a town of 1,491 in Adams County, the smallest county in Iowa. “There’s a whole group of them,” said Raelynne Risser, executive director of the Adams County Economic Development Corp. “It’s more than an individualized thing. It is a culture here. ……
Angel investors are individuals who provide seed capital to new businesses or startups, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity. They are often one of the first sources of funding that founders seek out when starting their companies. The requirements to qualify as an accredited investor, according to…
Founder Geoff Wood recounts Gravitate’s journey, early days of Des Moines startup ecosystem To build a startup ecosystem, young companies and founders need infrastructure that allows them to start building and connects them with resources. Geoff Wood, who describes himself as an implementer, was poised to put structural pieces into…
Before entrepreneurs turn their focus to building a business with economic impact, many start with an idea sparked by a passion for a cause or industry. It’s often a driving factor for the innovation and growth their companies can achieve. With so many different influences inspiring entrepreneurs, it’s important to…
The water being discharged from the city of Slater’s water treatment plant is “crystal clear, some of the cleanest wastewater I’ve seen in Iowa,” said Max Gangestad, chief operating officer for Gross-Wen Technologies. The Slater-based company has developed a system that uses algae to treat wastewater. Its first municipal system…
Go behind the scenes of the process, innovations at the Decorah brewery Clark Lewey says the first and most important step in developing a new beer or brewing innovation at Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. is that “we know who we are and we know who we are not.” Lewey started…
innovationIOWA is sharing profiles of the current members of Maple Studios, a startup studio for early-stage industrial technology companies based on the campus of Ramco Innovations in West Des Moines. Bailey Steinfadt, founder and lead engineer of Stone Path Engineering, shares more about the company below. For recent coverage of…
The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced the 10 graduates of the second cohort of the Scale DSM Minority Business Accelerator. The business owners completed a seven-month program centered around case-based peer learning, management skills and building networks to help them grow their businesses. The program uses curriculum from Boston-based…