The InnoVenture Iowa Fund has opened applications for the second annual InnoVenture Challenge, a $100,000 winner-takes-all pitch competition featuring three Iowa startup companies from the information technology, bioscience and advanced manufacturing industries. The three finalists who will present on stage in Des Moines in front of a panel of judges will be announced on Nov. […]
InnoVenture Iowa’s second-quarter update included the announcement of four new portfolio companies. The $30 million fund now has 12 portfolio companies. The four new companies are: The update also shared that applications for the second annual InnoVenture Challenge, a $100,000 pitch competition, will open Friday. Investment Director Kaylee Williams said in the update that InnoVenture Iowa will be […]
Four Iowa cities were ranked in Midwest Startups’ Startup City Rankings. In Central Iowa, Des Moines ranked No. 27, up one spot from last year, and Ames ranked No. 33, moving up two spots. On the eastern side of the state, Iowa City came in at No. 44, dropping four spots, although several area companies saw […]
The University of Northern Iowa Family Business Center will host a virtual conversation with Mike Wells, retired CEO and family leader of Wells Enterprises, about how Wells Blue Bunny, the second-largest ice cream manufacturer in the country, made the decision to sell to the Italy-based Ferrero Group. The event is on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 8 […]
The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced the launch of two new resources on its online DSM Small Business Hub, which is aimed at supporting local small business owners and entrepreneurs. The Resource Compass is a searchable tool that provides information about organizations that can serve as resource partners for small businesses and startup companies. Business counseling services are […]
Google announced Tuesday it will invest $350 million at its data center campus in Council Bluffs. As one of Google’s largest data centers, the campus helps power services like Google Cloud, Workspace (including Gmail and Google Docs), Search and Maps, according to a news release. The investment also includes a $250,000 grant to Advance Southwest […]
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center is now accepting applications for the fall 2023 cohort of the University of Iowa Venture School program. The program will be held as a hybrid in-person/online class on Thursday evenings, starting Sept. 28. The Venture School curriculum emphasizes real-world entrepreneurship and innovation and exposes participants to the process of customer […]
iotaMotion Inc., an Iowa City-based company developing advanced robotic-assisted systems for cochlear implant surgery, has announced the company has oversubscribed its $12 million Series A capital raise. The company closed the round with support from a select group of venture capital firms, private investors and current shareholders. The lead investor was Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. (RCT) with participation […]
Fund represents new service to angel investors, startup community Angel investor group Plains Angels, working with the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program cohort and Brown Winick Law Firm, has launched the Plains Angels Investment Fund. Tej Dhawan, co-founder of Plains Angels, is managing the fund, which is designed so members can pool funds together to fund […]
Part of the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program is having regions from around the world interact and learn from one another. The program recently hosted a workshop in Western Australia, one of the regions participating in the current cohort along with Central Iowa and other Midwest regions. A few members of the Central Iowa cohort […]