MakuSafe

MākuSafe announces partnership to take product global

MākuSafe Corp. announced May 23 a partnership with Wesco International Inc. that will integrate MākuSafe’s wearable device with Wesco’s product offerings and supply chain expertise. Wesco is a Fortune 500 company offering electrical, industrial, and communications products and services for safety solutions to businesses worldwide. The collaboration will aim to deliver benefits such as reduced accident rates, improved operational efficiency and enhanced worker safety, a news release said. “Wesco’s commitment

MakuSafe CEO named top 25 leader by SME Media’s Smart Manufacturing Magazine

Gabriel Glynn, CEO and cofounder of West Des Moines-based MakuSafe, is one of the top 25 leaders in manufacturing as recognized by SME Media’s Smart Manufacturing Magazine, MakuSafe announced this week. Glynn and co-founder/CTO Mark Frederick launched MakuSafe’s wearable armband devices and MakuSmart SaaS platform to the market in early 2020 as a process management and risk assessment tool for manufacturers. Glynn is featured in the April 2021 issue of Smart Manufacturing magazine.

MākuSafe announces commercial launch of wearable safety technology

MākuSafe, the West Des Moines-based wearable technology startup designing for industrial employee safety, will launch its wearable armband device and MākuSmart SaaS platform later this month, the company announced on Tuesday. The company will produce a limited number of hardware devices for 2020, of which approximately a third have been reserved by industrial users and workers’ compensation insurers. MākuSafe will also release the newest version of its safety management software, MākuSmart 2.0. MākuSafe is

New accelerator BrokerTech hires Jackovin as executive director, announces cohort

BrokerTech Ventures, a new broker-led insurance accelerator launched by Holmes Murphy in Des Moines, announced the hiring of John Jackovin as its new executive director this week. Jackovin most recently managed the Growth and Internal Services Product teams at fintech startup Dwolla in Des Moines. Jackovin previously led the Des Moines startup Bawte, which completed the Techstars Boulder accelerator and won investment in the 2014 Rise of the Rest Des

MākuSafe ends decade with new customers, new funding for 2020

The new decade has a promising start for a West Des Moines-based wearable technology safety company – as MākuSafe prepares for a small-scale market launch of its flagship armband and software system for industrial employers. MākuSafe will distribute about 8,000 wearable devices to initial customers in U.S.-based manufacturing facilities, or up to 80 devices per client, during the initial market debut. The company plans to scale releases up in 2021

MakuSafe wins Global InsurTech Innovation Challenge in Boston

MākuSafe CEO Gabriel Glynn (center) accepts the 2019 ACORD InsurTech Innovation Challenge award in October. Photo contributed MākuSafe, a West Des Moines-based wearable technology company, was named the 2019 ACORD InsurTech Innovation Challenge winner in Boston, taking home a $15,000 cash prize, a membership to the Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development (ACORD) and distribution of a white paper through the association.  MākuSafe competed against three regional Insurtech Innovation Challenge

IEDA Board approves innovation funding to five startups

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board approved innovation funding to support five Iowa startups located in Altoona, Le Claire, West Des Moines and Iowa City.  HomePainter, based in Des Moines, has developed an online estimating tool that provides homeowners with an accurate paint estimate in less than five minutes, then subcontracts booked jobs to local vetted and registered painters. The company was awarded a $25,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance

Get to know the Prometheus Awards finalists

In less than a month, Iowa’s technology community will be gathering once again for the annual Prometheus Awards, the Technology Association of Iowa’s yearly celebration of the state’s technology industry, which the association says accounts for 8.8 percent of Iowa’s GDP.  While we haven’t met all five finalists in each of the 14 categories (by the way, finalists: reach us here), we took a gander through our archives to reacquaint ourselves with

MākuSafe closes on $2.85M, prepares to launch devices in 2019

Three years after founding, MākuSafe, a technology wearables company focused on workplace safety, closed on a $2.85 million seed round in December. It launches what staff promises to be a busy year for the wearable safety device company: five pilot testing programs have finished or are underway, with 120 industrial workers currently trying out the armband system, and MākuSafe has arranged with partners to begin another pilot program in the

Angel Capital Association funds nine Midwest startups at Des Moines conference

The Angel Capital Association has announced investment in nine regional startups who recently presented in Des Moines at the annual Best of Midwest Conference, hosted by local investment group Plains Angels. Hosted by the Greater Des Moines Partnership and BrownWinick Law Firm, the event hosted 140 attendees, including 90 accredited investors. Des Moines companies Pitchly and MakuSafe will receive an equal investment along with Alchemie, FourStarzz Media, Metametrix, Recoup, Sense