The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved innovation funding to support five Iowa startups located in Altoona, Le Claire, West Des Moines and Iowa City.  HomePainter, based in Des Moines, has developed an online estimating tool that provides homeowners with an accurate paint estimate in less than five minutes, then subcontracts booked jobs to […]

Nadilia Gomez will join the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator as executive director beginning on Aug. 1, the accelerator announced. Gomez joins the accelerator from  Corteva Agriscience, where she served as a senior research scientist in Predictive Ag, and a digital pillar leader of the Disruptive Business Innovation Portfolio. At Corteva, Gomez was responsible for tactical and […]

Tillable, a Chicago-based startup building a farmland rental marketplace, is launching its Hassle-Free Lease program in Iowa. Under the Hassle-Free Lease, Tillable provides Iowa landowners a one- or three-year rental offer for their land, pays the landowner in full up front, and finds a farmer to operate their land for the duration of the lease […]

FarrPro, an Iowa-based agtech startup, has won the 2019 National Hog Farm New Product Tour “Producer’s Choice” Award with their Haven product, FarrPro announced on Wednesday. The Producer’s Choice Award goes to the product receiving the most votes cast online by the readers of National Hog Farmer magazine and website. FarrPro’s Haven units create a […]

HarvestPort, the San Francisco-based ag equipment lender and marketplace platform, is expanding into Iowa with the hiring of FarmElement founder Tyler Horbach as grower solutions manager in Des Moines.  Horbach graduated from Iowa State University in 2014 and went to work in financial services for a few years before founding the FarmElement in 2017, based […]

Campers in the Be the Boss! Youth Entrepreneurship Camp will descend on Historic Valley Junction businesses Monday, July 8, visiting Big Acai, Bozz Prints, MoMere, Nan’s Nummies, the Theatrical Shop and the Historic Valley Junction Foundation for one afternoon. Students in the camp will experience entrepreneurship through tours of local businesses, said Jim Miller, executive […]

The Family Business Forum program at the University of Northern Iowa will visit Des Moines and four other locations in Iowa to share stories of successes, challenges and opportunities that arise within family enterprises, the program announced this week. Family-owned businesses are invited to join the Family Business Forum Aug. 27 at the Jasper Winery […]

IDx, a Coralville startup that developed the first FDA-authorized artificial intelligence diagnostics system, announced this week that the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel has accepted a new category 1 CPT code for automated point-of-care retinal imaging. This new code, submitted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) with the support […]

After securing $1.5 million in seed-round funding, a startup dedicated to employee retention is now seeking a few more employees to retain.  WorkHound, the Des Moines-based startup that gives “undesked” employees a mobile platform to send anonymous feedback to management, seeks to grow from 12 full-time workers in Des Moines and Chattanooga, Tenn., to a […]

Ag Startup Engine at the Iowa State University Research Park has made an investment in Ames-based VetMeasure, Inc., a producer of technology monitoring dogs in post-surgery recovery. VetMeasure’s MeasureON! harness is designed for dogs and detects key health metrics to continuously monitor critical care patients and those recovering from surgery, according to the Ag Startup […]