Representatives from Tesla Motors visited with team members of Ruan Transportation Management Systems and several Ruan customers in Des Moines this week for a preview of Tesla’s electric-powered tractor-trailer. Ruan in January reserved five of the new semis for delivery and testing next year. Prototypes of the semi have been traveling the country, making stops […]

A John Deere tractor fitted with Smart Ag’s AutoCart driverless technology trucks through a demonstration field during the 2018 Farm Progress Show. Photo by Kate Hayden Driverless cars may take over most of the national headlines these days, but an Iowa software company is betting that autonomous vehicles can make a much larger impact off […]

Artist’s rendering of the Maple Ventures renovation design, expected to open on Oct. 1. Illustration provided by Ramco Innovations. At Ramco Innovations on Maple Street, the warehouse was not an immediate contender to house up-and-coming startups. In fact, renting space and offering administrative assistance from the 50-year-old Ramco business wasn’t even a formal strategy when the company […]

BLOOMBERG: Months after the Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted Facebook’s daily business, LinkedIn Corp, the Microsoft-owned social networking site for professionals, says it will open its trove of user data to approved academic researchers. Chief data officer Igor Perisic made the announcement in a blog post on Monday, insisting LinkedIn will have controls in place to […]

BirdDogHR CEO Todd Skokan is named as the SaaS Report’s Top 50 SaaS CEOS of 2018, BirdDogHR reported Wednesday. Rankings are based on company growth, work culture, product technology, financial performance and professional experience, according to the SaaS Report. BirdDogHR grew from 12 employees in 2013 to more than 60, earning the company a spot […]

The MERGE Innovation Space in downtown Iowa City is a finalist for the national University Economic Development Association’s (UEDA) 2018 Awards of Excellence, reports the Corridor Business Journal. The co-working space is one of four contenders in the Talent + Innovation category, and will be recognized along with the University of Iowa for encouraging “a […]

Genie the BeamPro robot is ready to deliver private tours at Davenport’s Figge Art Museum, even when the participants are miles away, reports the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Thanks to a partnership between Genesis Health System, the nonprofit Living Proof Exhibit and the Figge, medical patients undergoing long-term infusion/chemotherapy treatments can take a live tour through […]

Iowa Public Television’s (IPTV)  Ready for School early-education STEM initiative will focus in on 13 Iowa communities this year. This is the sixth year Ready for School will implement STEM and literacy-based activities for children ages 2 through six years old, and the program has served more than 100 other Iowa communities. This year’s communities […]

The Iowa Lean Consortium (ILC) formally merged with Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) in July, the center announced in CIRAS News. In a statement, ILC executive director Teresa Hay McMahon said the merger will allow the ILC to grow while receiving administrative support through CIRAS. McMahon will continue to lead […]

The Iowa Economic Development Authority board today approved $4.5 million in funding over three years for creation of the Iowa Bioscience Development Center (IBDC). At last month’s meeting, the board heard an update on the existing Iowa Innovation Corporation, the state’s public-private partnership for economic development that is transitioning to serve as the IBDC. The […]