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 ISU Startup Factory has announced the members of it’s 19th cohort. The startup factory is an 18-week incubator for innovators residing in Iowa. The program focuses on helping founders build business acumen, improve communication skills, and leave with a commercialization plan in place. Teams include several ISU faculty and…
NewBoCo will lead the ecosystem building components for the Iowa Aviation Technology Center, a regional effort to strengthen Iowa’s economy by expanding aerospace and aviation workforce capacity, innovation and entrepreneurship. The nonprofit received philanthropic support from JPMorganChase for the initiative. NewBoCo’s goal is to help position Iowa as a global…
By Hailey Evans The Des Moines Home + Garden Show is coming to the Iowa Events Center Feb. 12-15. Visitors can tour pop-up gardens created by local landscapers, meet project experts, shop the annual plant sale, enjoy educational sessions and peruse the Made in Iowa Market for home goods and…
The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Mel Essex Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Nominations must be submitted by March 2 at 5 p.m. Presented annually at the Athene Beyond Boundaries Business Summit, the Mel Essex Entrepreneur of the Year Award honors the…
The 10th annual Iowa Rural Summit, scheduled for April 9-10 in Dubuque, is now open for registration. The Rural Summit celebrates rural innovation, best practices and case studies. Keynote speakers will include Dr. Jeffrey Stamp, inventor of Baked Lays. He is a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota…
Fareway is preparing to coach its next cohort of food entrepreneurs who dream of placing their retail products on grocery shelves, with plans to launch by late spring or summer, company executives said. The program is a partnership with the Iowa Center for Economic Success, a nonprofit providing small businesses…
Novy, a Midwest-based venture studio focused on building and scaling health care software companies, announced it is opening a third ideation cycle for innovators and entrepreneurs to submit early-stage venture ideas. This new ideation cycle comes as Novy is actively in creation of a company born out of its most…
The Iowa Economic Development Authority board approved assistance for six startups located in Ames, Ankeny, Boone and Des Moines at its meeting on Jan. 16. Ames-based agtech company Hermes Biomaterials develops tools that help researchers create stronger, higher-yielding crops. Its FGB device enables the precise delivery of genetic material into…
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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