The Greater Des Moines Partnership’s sixth annual Small Business Success Summit will take place on March 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the FFA Center on the DMACC Ankeny campus. The summit will feature a pitch competition for the first time geared toward business owners or entrepreneurs starting or growing a business in […]

The Greater Des Moines Partnership and local digital news publication Clay & Milk have announced the launch of the Iowa Innovation Dashboard, a tool created to measure entrepreneurial activity across Iowa. The dashboard shows measurements of business density, survival rate, research, investment capital and demographics regarding entrepreneurship in Iowa, according to a news release. Locally, […]

To celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week taking place from Nov. 14-20, the Greater Des Moines Partnership will host several entrepreneurship-focused events. “Small business owners and entrepreneurs drive innovation and build companies that create vibrancy in our community. Entrepreneurship happens here every day as entrepreneurs continuously bet on themselves and take the risk to start and grow their businesses,” […]

A look into the effort to create a vision, plan for entrepreneurship’s future in the region Entrepreneurial ecosystem, innovation ecosystem — terms like these are embedded in everyday conversations happening within the business and technology communities. They help in referring to the broader environment and everything that comes together to fuel entrepreneurship and innovation, but a […]

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is hosting a seminar on April 7 for startup companies seeking guidance on raising capital to take their business to the next level. The discussion will cover a range of topics including the process of raising capital, capitalization tables and resources to help business owners throughout the process. The event […]

Project will enable better storytelling, goal-setting for startups, creators say Diana Wright, startup community builder at the Greater Des Moines Partnership, was picking up on a need last year to better understand and measure Iowa’s startup and entrepreneurship activity. There isn’t a comprehensive data source showcasing startups in Iowa, which meant any local tracking had […]

The Greater Des Moines Partnership and digital publication Clay & Milk announced Monday they are partnering to offer the Iowa Innovation Dashboard, which will launch in spring 2022. The dashboard is designed to be “a comprehensive indicator of entrepreneurial activity in the state of Iowa” and will track several metrics, including startup growth, external funding, success […]

Wednesday morning felt like a celebration of sorts as visitors swept into Gravitate Coworking’s downtown location. 1 Million Cups welcomed back visitors to the first in-person event since March 2020, when organizers shut the doors at the Science Center of Iowa’s theater for the last time. Pi515 founder and director Nancy Mwirotsi brought two summer […]

After Mike Colwell retires at the end of this month as executive director of entrepreneurial initiatives at the Greater Des Moines Partnership, he’ll help lead one more session of the Partnership’s Raising Capital Seminar Series, a twice-yearly power course for entrepreneurs learning how to fund their business. Colwell, himself a private investor, is preparing to enjoy a […]