In 2013, the Business Record launched innovationIOWA Magazine, an annual publication with a mission to spotlight innovative companies and technological achievements across the state. One year ago this week, our newsroom launched the innovationIOWA e-newsletter, updating our delivery from annually to weekly – right to your inbox. The mission remains the same: we seek out the stories of the people, products or processes changing the way you do business, whether
entrepreneurship
January 31, 2019
Global Insurance Accelerator announces new investment at cohort launch
Global Atlantic Financial Group announced a $100,000 investment in the Global Insurance Accelerator, a Des Moines-based 100 day program aiding up to ten insurtech startups in financing and industry connections. The investment joins Global Atlantic with the GIA’s 12 other existing private company investors, which support the accelerator’s mentor networks and business infrastructure assistance. GIA managing director Brian Hemesath announced Global Atlantic’s investment on Wednesday during the GIA’s welcome reception,
January 14, 2019
Farmland Finder CEO named Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year
Ames entrepreneur Steven Brockshus is the 2019 American Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year, the Iowa Farm Bureau announced on Monday. It is the fourth time in five years that an Iowa-based company has won the Farm Bureau’s Ag Innovation Challenge. As one of the final four contestants, Brockshus presented a live pitch on Sunday at the American Farm Bureau Convention in New Orleans, and will receive a total of
January 10, 2019
Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit seeks 2019 IES Award nominations
The Des Moines-based Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit is accepting early submission forms for the 2019 IES Awards, the IES announced on Twitter Thursday. The IES recognizes individuals in four categories: the Immigrant Entrepreneur Leadership Award, the Outstanding Immigrant Business Award, the Karen L. Evans (Immigrant Champion) Award and the Immigrant Spirit Award. More information and early submission forms can be accessed by contacting Dan Kim.
January 9, 2019
GIA welcomes ten insurtech startups to Des Moines on Tuesday
The Global Insurance Accelerator is welcoming 10 new insurtech companies to Des Moines as part of the 2019 cohort, starting Jan. 15. This year’s GIA cohort is developing and delivering new products and business models for buying insurance, cyber risk protection, underwriting automation, advisor services, digital transformation, claims resolution, pension planning, and employee benefit management. “It has been an incredible journey,” said Brian Hemesath, managing director of the GIA. “Today,
January 7, 2019
Applications open for 2019 Iowa AgriTech Accelerator
The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator is taking applications from early-stage startups seeking to join its third cohort, the accelerator announced on Monday. The 2019 program runs from May 28 to Aug. 29 and accepts up to five startups worldwide. Those selected will receive $40,000 in seed funding, subsidized housing and office space, and will have time with mentors and investors who partner with the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator. This year, the accelerator
December 27, 2018
Creative Economy Entrepreneurs: From Startup to Success
To make a global impact, begin with a creative, local startup. That’s how co-authors Alice Loy and Tom Aageson begin the roadmap in their book “Creative Economy Entrepreneurs: From Startup to Success,” which recounts the lessons Loy and Aageson have learned and imparted through their New Mexico-based accelerator Creative Startups. The creative economy contributes more than $700 billion annually to the U.S economy – but investors, accelerators and states looking to dangle
December 6, 2018
Becoming a Catalyst
Meg Anderson, vice president and chief information officer at Principal Financial Group, speaks at TAI’s Catalysts Live event on Dec. 4. Photo provided by TAI Des Moines met the stories of ten women shaping their industries on Tuesday. At the Technology Association of Iowa’s reception of the Catalysts project’s first year, attendees gathered in the downtown Tea Room to hear honoree’s meditations on technology, female leadership, and a sense of
December 5, 2018
ISU a finalist for Innovation and Economic Prosperity award
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has named Iowa State University as one of six public research institutions that are finalists for its sixth annual Innovation & Economic Prosperity University Awards. This is the third consecutive year that Iowa State has been named a finalist. ISU is a finalist for the IEP Innovation award, recognizing exemplary initiatives spurring innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology-based economic development. The winners will be announced
December 5, 2018
Iowa AgriTech Accelerator awarded by Mid-America Economic Development Council
The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator received first place in the 2018 Entrepreneurial Awards, hosted by the Mid-America Economic Development Council. The accelerator, launched in 2016 by the Greater Des Moines Partnership and Cultivation Corridor, came in first for communities with a population over 50,000 and accepted the award during the Dec. 2-4 Mid-America Competitiveness Conference & Site Selector Forum. The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator is led by director Megan Vollstedt and will
