Submitted by Jayne Armstrong, district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Iowa District Office America’s strong economy depends on small business innovation. America’s Seed Fund, coordinated by the U.S. Small Business Administration, sparks innovation from the idea stage into commercially viable technologies and products. Established in 1982, America’s Seed Fund…
Mike Upah has been named the director of Ames Seed Capital, an organization that provides seed funding for startup companies in the Story County area. According to a news release from the Ames Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Commission, Upah began his new duties last month. He will oversee…
Applications are open for two Microsoft Community Empowerment Funds targeting Des Moines organizations and nonprofits serving Central Iowa. The two funds will target three priority sectors: digital literacy and participation, environmental sustainability and skill-building, and workforce development in digital and trade skills. Microsoft is offering up to $10,000 in grants…
Financial Plus Credit Union joined Ascentra Credit Union, Collins Community Credit Union and Serve Credit Union in a Series B funding round as Des Moines startup LenderClose is raising $10 million. The LenderClose platform, which recently added remote online notarization for customers, is now used by more than 200 credit…
The Iowa Economic Development Authority board approved awards for four startups in Ames, Iowa City, West Des Moines and West Liberty, the board announced on Friday. IEDA awarded a $25,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance (POCR) loan to Ames-based Skroot Laboratory Inc., a $100,000 loan from the Demonstration Fund to Iowa…
The Global Insurance Accelerator announced changes to the funding structure affecting startups that are accepted to the 2020 cohort, which is now accepting applications. The GIA will increase the seed investment to $75,000 in the form of a post-money Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE), which converts to 5% of the company….
Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative, known as NewBoCo, last week unveiled several new initiatives including the expansion of its Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA) program to Iowa City and a new $30 million venture fund to help propel those companies as they grow, reports the Corridor Business Journal. NewBoCo leaders…
The Des Moines coding education nonprofit Pi515 received more than $62,000 in corporate grants and donations in the last year, the group announced this week. Pi515 received $22,000 from AT&T toward operations, a $30,000 grant from Coca-Cola and $10,000 in student scholarships from Dwolla’s 2019 Monetery Tech Summit. Through the…
After securing $1.5 million in seed-round funding, a startup dedicated to employee retention is now seeking a few more employees to retain. WorkHound, the Des Moines-based startup that gives “undesked” employees a mobile platform to send anonymous feedback to management, seeks to grow from 12 full-time workers in Des Moines…
West Des Moines-based Midwest Growth Partners, a private equity fund funded in 2013, has raised $113.5 million for a second fund, the organization announced on Monday. Twenty-six investors have invested in Midwest Growth Partners II LP, which will bring total private capital managed by the organization to more than $154…