Hummingbirds raises $3.3M seed round to accelerate national growth

Following its expansion from three to 14 Midwest cities in 2023, Des Moines-based technology company Hummingbirds announced Wednesday that it has raised $3.3 million in seed funding that it plans to use to expand its online platform to more than 30 U.S. cities in 2024. The Des Moines-based technology company…

Continue reading

Applications open for 2024 Iowa Biotech Showcase pitch competition

The Iowa Biotechnology Association has opened applications for the 2024 Iowa Biotech Showcase pitch competition, which awards one biotech startup with $10,000 and a one-year membership to IowaBio. The 2024 showcase will focus on embracing the diversity of biotech industries in the state. The pitch competition will be held during the annual…

Continue reading

Maple Studios member profile: FullConfidence Inc.

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. Brad Hoyt, founder of FullConfidence, shares about the company’s journey below. Read recent coverage of Maple Studios on innovationia.com. Know a startup…

Continue reading

SoilSerdem receives $1M National Science Foundation Phase II SBIR award

SoilSerdem, an Ames-based startup, won a $1 million National Science Foundation Small Business Innovation Research Phase II award through BioConnect Iowa’s America’s Seed Fund Outreach Program. According to a news release, America’s Seed Fund (powered by NSF) awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses transforming scientific discovery into products…

Continue reading

How Grace Technologies became the next home of Maple Studios

Grace CEO Drew Allen shares plans for Quad Cities location A passion for entrepreneurship in Iowa shared by two industrial technology leaders — Drew Allen in Eastern Iowa and Hank Norem in Central Iowa — formed a bond that kindled the idea of a new Maple Studios location. The new branch…

Continue reading

Funding recap: IEDA awards $4.3M to startups, service providers in Q2

Tech takeaway Each quarter, the innovationIOWA newsletter will share a funding recap of the startup companies that received funding from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and a recap of the companies raising money according to Form D filings through the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. If there is other startup…

Continue reading

ISU Startup Factory announces members of 14th cohort

The Iowa State University Pappajohn Center has announced the members selected for the 14th ISU Startup Factory cohort. The cohort includes 19 members running 10 business ventures, either individually or in teams. The Startup Factory is an 18-week program open to technology-based, scalable ventures led by ISU scientific faculty and community members…

Continue reading

BrokerTech Ventures hires managing director

BrokerTech Ventures announced it has hired Emily Schultz as its new managing director. Schultz will be responsible for setting and executing on the strategic direction of BTV to help advance innovation within the broker technology industry. Schultz will also be responsible for leading BTV’s five towers of operation — early-stage investments, innovation,…

Continue reading