Applications for the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Venture Competition are now being accepted as the organization prepares to award $100,000 in cash prizes during its 15th year, the organization announced Wednesday. The seed funding consists of a $50,000 contribution from John and Mary Pappajohn, and a $50,000 match from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Applications are […]
Iowa startup Apollo is repurposing its online platform to aid hospitals that need increased health care workers to battle the COVID-19 coronavirus in the midst of a labor shortage — while waiving all fees associated with the platform use for the next four weeks, Apollo co-founder and CEO Jon Lensing announced Tuesday. The platform, www.apollohct.com, […]
The Urbandale Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Shop Where I Live to launch an online platform for small businesses to sell products and services virtually. The marketplace, www.centraliowa.shopwhereilive.com, is free of charge to Urbandale Chamber members, and businesses have begun to add products and services to the site. The public is encouraged to check […]
The broker-led investor and acceleration program BrokerTech Ventures named former interim director Susan Hatten as chief operating officer, the group announced this week. Hatten joins Executive Director John Jackovin as the accelerator’s inaugural cohort began the five-week program last week. BrokerTech Ventures also announced the addition of five new investor partners: Heffernan Insurance Brokers, the Horton Group, […]
MākuSafe, the West Des Moines-based wearable technology startup designing for industrial employee safety, will launch its wearable armband device and MākuSmart SaaS platform later this month, the company announced on Tuesday. The company will produce a limited number of hardware devices for 2020, of which approximately a third have been reserved by industrial users and workers’ […]
The West Des Moines City Council is reviewing a building lease in Valley Junction that houses the West Des Moines Business Incubator and Gravitate Coworking after a council workshop on Monday night. The West Des Moines Business Incubator leases a Valley Junction building from the city for $1 a year, and subleases the building to […]
Des Moines analytics startup InfraLytiks is participating in the Catalyst Space Accelerator based in Colorado Springs, Colo., one of eight companies to join the accelerator that began Jan. 6. The Air Force Research Lab — Space Vehicles Directorate Catalyst Space Accelerator is a three-month program that dedicated its fifth cohort to data fusion for space […]
Techstars Iowa, a Techstars network accelerator supported by Grinnell College, has hired TJ Salyars as program manager. Salyars joins managing director Kerty Levy (view Levy’s Closer Look profile from Feb. 7); previously, Salyars was the director of business operations at Ames startup Smart Ag, and served in operations management roles at Covera Health and Spreemo […]
Gross-Wen Technologies Inc. cofounder and president Martin Gross is the winner of the 2020 Neal Smith Entrepreneur of the Year award, named by America’s SBDC Iowa. The award honors an Iowa entrepreneur who has been in business a minimum of three years and has been significantly assisted by the Iowa Small Business Development Center. Gross […]
Des Moines-based “smart building” startup Igor received the 2020 Sapphire Award for its Nexos Linear Network Node under the category of “Emergency SSL Luminaires, Modules and Drivers,” the company announced today. Igor was the only Iowa company nominated for awards among competitors including Samsung, Dow and Signify (formerly Philips Lighting). Igor was also a finalist […]