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 seeking its next eight to […]

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 feature four new categories in […]

Former executive director Megan Vollstedt has left the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator to begin as the Agronomy & Technology Editor at Successful Farming, a Meredith Corp. publication. Vollstedt, who began at Successful Farming last week, was the first director at the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator. The accelerator launched the first cohort in 2017 and selects six international […]

Indianola has a new coworking space available, and it’s right off the town square.   Thirty community members came down the street from the Innovation and Technology Showcase held at Simpson College Tuesday afternoon, to the grand opening of Salem Connection and LaunchPad65 – two new initiatives designed to invite collaboration and coworking among the […]

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 conference, events manager Ryan […]

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 said. Presentations include the nanotechnology […]

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 Wednesday. N-Sense’s system, developed by […]

Two Iowa businesswomen will accept entrepreneurial awards by America’s SBDC Iowa later this month for their leadership as Small Business Development Center clients. Sara Winkleman, founder/owner of S&B Farmstead Distillery, is the 2019 Deb Dalziel Woman Entrepreneur Achievement Award winner, and Staci Ackerson, owner of Shankland Insurance, is the 2019 Neal Smith Entrepreneur of the […]

The Des Moines-based Global Insurance Accelerator has hired Nicole Cook as the next managing director, to take over full time after current director Brian Hemesath steps down from his role on May 1, following the conclusion of the 2019 cohort. Cook begins with the GIA today and will work along with Hemesath and program manager […]