Sanjeev Satturu, senior vice president and chief information officer at Casey’s, delivered the keynote presentation at the Technology Association of Iowa’s annual Iowa Technology Summit, held April 7-8 in Des Moines. The following are nine insights about innovation from his talk. Digital is an operating model. “It is your ability…
Kathy Kay, executive vice president and chief information officer at Principal Financial Group has been named to the 2026 CIO Hall of Fame. Induction into the CIO Hall of Fame is one of the profession’s highest distinctions, recognizing leaders who have shaped the practice of IT leadership and supported the…
The NIACC John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center hosted the University of Iowa Venture School Launch Day competition for its spring cohort on March 26. Seven teams pitched their ideas to a panel of judges after attending virtual classes on customer discovery and developing their business model alongside local entrepreneur coaches. Four…
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Iowa District Office has announced two entrepreneurs from Emmetsburg as the Iowa Small Business Persons of the Year. The SBA is recognizing Groom Curriculum’s Sierra Elbert, founder and president, and Patricia Pierce, vice president and managing educational director. Groom Curriculum is the first standardized, college-accredited…
A four-day event designed to spotlight and celebrate entrepreneurship in Iowa is coming to Des Moines Sept. 28 through Oct. 1. Iowa Startup Week is organized by a group of 25 to 30 local volunteers and has a leadership team of Kaylee Williams, Safiya Lee-Evans, Tej Dhawan and Diana Wright….
Rise Energy has been selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative, securing $340,000 in non-dilutive funding to accelerate the commercialization of its autothermal pyrolysis technology developed at Iowa State University. Autothermal pyrolysis is a novel process that converts underutilized or waste materials into refiner-ready feedstocks,…
Seven Iowa-based small businesses received AI implementation service offers valued at $335,000 after completing the AI Services Challenge held Feb. 16–18 at the BioVentures Center in Coralville. The event was a partnership among Iowa JPEC, the Iowa Small Business Development Center, Amazon Web Services, and PREDICTif Solutions. The awards will…
GFiber, formerly Google Fiber, and Stonepeak announced earlier this month an agreement to merge GFiber with Astound Broadband, forming an independent fiber provider. Stonepeak, an investment firm specializing in infrastructure and real assets, will be the majority stakeholder in the new company. Google’s parent Alphabet will remain a significant minority…
Entrepreneurs, students and innovators from across Eastern Iowa are invited to a Startup Sprint, a fast-paced entrepreneurial event hosted by NewBoCo on April 10-11 at Coe College’s Center for Health and Society in Cedar Rapids. Startup Sprint is a collaborative, hands-on experience where participants pitch ideas, form teams and spend…
The Iowa Biotechnology Association recognized Brent Shanks, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and Jean Steffenson Faculty Chair in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University, as the recipient of the 2026 Biotech Leader Award. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership within their organization and…