How do startups navigate the world of venture capital? Next Level Ventures principal partner Scott Hoekman broke it down for the audience at Wednesday’s 1 Million Cups presentation. The whole presentation is available on Facebook @1MillionCupsDSM, but here’s a few takeaways to note if you’re unfamiliar. Next Level Ventures is…
The Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship awarded $2,500 to four student businesses as part of the annual Innovation Pitch Competition this year. More than 25 students pitched their ventures to judges at The Maintenance Shop this year; juniors Konner Koerselman, Brian Fleming and senior Brad Lechton won the…
This week, entrepreneur and Startup Factory cohort member Shelby Smith is caring for 5,000 to 6,000 babies. On Wednesday, they were mostly under 24 hours in age. Jiminy crickets, that’s a lot of babes. Luckily for Smith, the “pinheads” are just young acheta domesticus — house crickets — and fit…
The Technology Association of Iowa and LWBJ have announced the finalists for the 2019 Prometheus Awards presented by LWBJ. The winner in each of the 14 award categories will be announced at a banquet on April 11 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. The awards…
A bill that would have raised insurance coverage requirements on Uber and Lyft in Iowa has been sidelined at the statehouse, reports Radio Iowa. The bill would have shifted insurance requirements from drivers to the ride sharing companies. Representative David Maxwell said he and two other legislators on a House…
Predictive Health Partners, with founder Jim Lewis, is the only local startup represented in the Global Insurance Accelerator’s 10-member cohort for 2019. It’s also one of only three Iowa startups that have participated among 36 since the GIA’s first cohort in 2015. Based now in West Des Moines, Lewis, a serial…
Monetery 2019, Dwolla’s second regional summit dedicated to creating value in the Midwest, is dedicating Day 2 of the summit (scheduled May 21-22 at the Temple for Performing Arts) to One-on-One meetings between selected startups and representatives from at least five national venture capital firms traveling to Des Moines for…
The Innovation & Technology Showcase and opening of coworking space Salem Connection is scheduled for Feb. 26 in two locations, from 2-4 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m. The showcase will spotlight several technologies and faculty-led STEM projects at Simpson College and in the Indianola business community, a statement by Simpson College…
Three years after founding, MākuSafe, a technology wearables company focused on workplace safety, closed on a $2.85 million seed round in December. It launches what staff promises to be a busy year for the wearable safety device company: five pilot testing programs have finished or are underway, with 120 industrial…
N-Sense LLC, a cohort member of the Iowa State University Startup Factory, has been awarded a $225,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to conduct research and development work on development a field mobile soil nitrate sensor for precision fertilizer management, Startup Factory announced…