D.M. founder awarded $10K Nation of Neighbors grant for Girls Entrepreneurial Summit

Des Moines nonprofit founder Nancy Mwirotsi received a $10,000 Nation of Neighbors grant from Royal Neighbors of America for a new initiative dedicated to building entrepreneurship skills among young women, the Royal Neighbors of America announced. Mwirotsi, founder of tech education Pi515, is developing the Girls Entrepreneurial Summit Program, which…

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John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition announces 2020 winners

Four award-winning businesses and three honorable mentions were awarded between $4,000 and $40,000 in the 15th Annual John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition, held digitally in September, the Iowa State University and University of Iowa JPEC centers announced last week. 3D Health Solutions of Ames received $40,000 and first place,…

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Healthtech company Navigate Wellbeing offering free access to speaker series

Des Moines-based Navigate Wellbeing Solutions is offering access to a 10-part virtual speaker series free to the public and has created Project Care, a suite of resources including virtual care packages and additional client resources for employers seeking to address mental health care of employees, the company announced this week….

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BLK & Bold co-founders named Entrepreneur of the Year by Official Black Wall Street

Co-founders Pernell Cezar and Rod Johnson of Des Moines-based BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages have been named Entrepreneurs of the Year by the Official Black Wall Street App’s Black Entrepreneur of the Year Awards and received $5,000. BLK & Bold pledges 5% of its profits to initiatives aligned with youth…

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Roboflow gives pitch at Y Combinator Demo Day

Roboflow staff on the startup’s house porch. From left, back row: machine learning engineer Jacob Solawetz and co-founder/CTO Brad Dwyer. Middle: software development intern Jim Su, co-founder/CEO Joseph Nelson and sales development representative Amelia Tuel. Front: chief barketing officer Kelo and UX designer Amanda Morrow.  Photo provided  On Aug. 25,…

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Des Moines-based Igor wins IoT World’s COVID-19 Innovation Award

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,…

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Bunker Labs launch D.M. chapter for veteran entrepreneurs

Veterans and their spouses launching a business in Central Iowa have a new resource dedicated to their needs.  A Des Moines chapter of Bunker Labs launched virtually on Tuesday with volunteer city leaders Adam Hass and Bernie Stone. The event will be the national organization’s first virtual launch party since Bunker Labs…

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Iowa AgriTech Accelerator announces four startups in 2020 cohort

The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator announced four startups located in Ames and India as members of the accelerator’s 2020 cohort. The 100-day program is headquartered in Des Moines and typically hosts founders in the East Village, starting with a networking event to introduce founders and community members; this year’s program launched…

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