Center at Sixth incubator seeks to bring small business back to Sixth Avenue corridor

Marquas Ashworth is an entrepreneur who wants to help other entrepreneurs. Ashworth, founder and owner of Ziad Rye whiskey, is also a musician and the co-developer of a building designed to empower other entrepreneurs. “How can I make it easier for the next person behind me?” Ashworth said standing in the…

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City of Des Moines spotlights programs to help new businesses, buildings

Established in 2021, the city of Des Moines’ Neighborhood Commercial Revitalization program has awarded $1.5 million in matching funds to support mid- and large-scale renovations of more than two dozen buildings in key neighborhood corridors across Des Moines. The program has extended the life of buildings in neighborhoods like the…

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Reflections on a decade of the Global Insurance Accelerator

In 2014, the Global Insurance Accelerator was a first for Iowa in many ways, including how it brought together seven local insurance companies to partner and invest in an accelerator dedicated to advancing innovative ideas for the insurance industry. Those founding investors were Principal Financial Group, Delta Dental of Iowa,…

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Remotely Roboflow: Co-founders share how they support a distributed team

Roboflow co-founders Brad Dwyer, left, and Joseph Nelson on a video call with staff. Photo provided by Roboflow The computer visioning startup Roboflow has been built from laptops in Des Moines, Washington, D.C., a Florida Airbnb and the Taiwanese beachfront. As of last year, Roboflow is officially a fully remote company. Co-founders…

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Navigate Wellness Solutions names Jeremy Knipper chief technology officer

Des Moines-based employee engagement company Navigate Wellness Solutions named Jeremy Knipper as chief technology officer, the company announced on Wednesday. Knipper previously served as vice president of technology for the company. In his new role, he will lead the strategic development of health and well-being technology platforms. Navigate serves organizations…

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VolunteerLocal finds niche in current push to open COVID-19 vaccine distribution sites

One year after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down live events, the team behind Des Moines software firm VolunteerLocal is raising their hands to help in the vaccine distribution effort. The staff started reaching out to connections in the medical field after a current customer called operations coordinator Isabel Reed in…

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