Des Moines-based  “smart buildings” startup Igor won the IoT World COVID-19 Innovation Award for Igor’s Nexos Intelligent Disinfection system, the company announced on Monday. The award recognizes companies that demonstrate innovation to adapt to COVID-19. Nexos Intelligent Disinfection leverages UV-C disinfecting lighting with smart building controls to disinfect spaces safely, Igor reports. The solution kit […]

The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has confirmed it was a customer of a financial services contractor targeted in a massive international ransomware attack earlier this year, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. The council is one of three confirmed Iowa customers of Blackbaud, a cloud-based provider of fundraising and finance services for education and nonprofit entities; […]

Digital soldier model Sophia climbs a ladder while encumbered by personal protective equipment. Sophia and her male digital model counterpart, Santos, are part of a yearslong initiative by University of Iowa researchers to design digital human models who can predict behavior based on human physiology. Image provided by the Iowa Technology Institute.  After 15 years […]

Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education on Friday announced that $26.2 million is now available to districts, nonpublic schools and colleges and universities, primarily to increase internet connectivity for students for the 2020-21 school year. Using the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund authorized under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security […]

Midland GIS Solutions, a large full-service geographic information systems firm serving the Midwest, has been acquired by SAM Cos., an Austin, Texas-based provider of geospatial and construction services, the companies announced. Based in Maryville, Mo., Midland has provided GIS and GPS services to municipalities, counties, utility companies, state agencies and private sector organizations, including a number of […]

A research project led by Iowa State University into broadband delivery for rural communities is one of two finalists for a national grant by the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and 35 wireless companies and associations.  A team of 10 core project researchers led by ISU professor […]

A third-party service provider for at least two Iowa nonprofits experienced a massive ransomware attack, affecting more than 20 universities and nonprofits in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Blackbaud, an international provider of cloud-based fundraising and finance services, notified the Iowa State University Foundation on July 16 that a data breach between Feb. 7 […]

ISU CYstarters held its 2020 Demo Day virtually, live streaming announcements on YouTube and Facebook last week with more than 160 community members tuning in. The event announced three categories of awards, including the first Ted Bair Cystarters Awards in memory of Ted Bair, former Iowa State regional director at America’s Small Business Development Center. […]

BrownWinick Law Firm, LWBJ and the Greater Des Moines Partnership are hosting a free virtual event called the Current State, featuring three panels of experienced investors and entrepreneurs to focus on navigating seed and venture capital during a pandemic. The event will be held Aug. 13 at 1 p.m. Panelists include Mike Colwell, Tej Dhawan, […]

The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office is conducting a series of workshops through this week to help counties prepare for 2020 elections. Incident Response Plan seminars take county auditors and staff, IT administrators and emergency management coordinators through a variety of scenarios that could disrupt elections, including natural disasters, power outages and cyberattacks, the office […]