Investor interest in the startup’s recent growth spurred its third funding round, says co-founder Charise Flynn Des Moines-based startup Hummingbirds announced Wednesday it has raised $5.4 million in new venture capital funding for a total of $10 million raised since its first fundraising round last year.  Hummingbirds’ platform aims to create authentic word-of-mouth marketing for […]

Plus, meet the fund’s first Iowa portfolio company Wisconsin-based venture capital firm Idea Fund of La Crosse recently made its first investment in an Iowa startup since announcing a new fund in May that would reach more Midwest states. The $31.5 million fund is targeting startups in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin that are pre-revenue or very early-stage […]

5 startups receive more than $1.5 million in loans from SSBCI program The Iowa Economic Development Authority awards funding to startups in the form of low-interest loans through its Innovation Continuum, which includes five funds that are designed to offer companies non-dilutive funding at every stage of business growth. The funds are: Proof of Commercial Relevance […]

A few weeks ago, innovationIOWA shared that local investors Tej Dhawan and JD Geneser are launching a new statewide venture capital fund targeting early-stage startups.  Last summer, Plains Angels created the Plains Angels Investment Fund, which was designed so members of the angel investor could pool funds together to fund startups and diversify their investment portfolios by investing […]

The fund stems from recent efforts to clarify startup funding needs, says managing partner  Two local investors are launching a new statewide venture capital fund designed to bolster Iowa’s early-stage startup funding continuum. Managing Partner Tej Dhawan and General Partner JD Geneser told the Business Record they plan to raise $6 million from Iowa investors […]

The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board recently approved awards to five Iowa startups from Iowa’s State Small Business and Credit Initiative Innovation Fund. Awards approved by the IEDA board on Friday were: Genvax Technologies, an animal vaccine company based in Ames, has developed proprietary next-generation RNA and nanoparticle vaccines. Its first product will be a […]

By Candi Karsjens, director, NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center John Pappajohn (July 31, 1928 – April 22, 2023), a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist from Iowa, had a profound commitment to nurturing entrepreneurship, especially among students. His vision was rooted in the belief that young people possess innovative ideas and the drive to turn them into […]

InnoVenture Iowa, Iowa’s first publicly backed venture capital fund, announced it has invested just over $6 million in 22 companies since launching in 2022. It has made six new investments since December 2023, bringing its total portfolio companies to 21. The new portfolio companies are: To read Investment Director Kaylee Williams’ summer update on InnoVenture’s recent Heartland […]

Fund will support software startups in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota The Idea Fund of La Crosse, a venture capital firm based in La Crosse, Wis., has raised $31.5 million for a second venture capital fund targeting pre- and early-stage revenue startups in the three-state region of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. According to Pitchbook, a resource for data, […]