The inaugural Latina Business Excellence Summit, aiming to celebrate and empower Latina entrepreneurs, will be held on May 9 from 3-7 p.m. at the River Center in Des Moines. The summit’s goal is to increase access to opportunities, representation and resources. The event will include speakers, an expo to connect with other Latina-owned businesses and resource […]

The Iowa Center for Economic Success is starting a new event series called Made in Iowa to celebrate the impact of small businesses on Iowa’s economy and culture. The first event is on April 23 from 9-10:30 a.m. featuring the story of Des Moines farm-to-table restaurant HoQ and its owner and chef Suman Hoque. He will […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development agency is investing $1,213,603 in 13 grants and $43,957,700 in five loans to projects in Iowa that promote rural small businesses, provide technical assistance and support public works infrastructure. Greene County Development Corp. received a $95,703 Rural Business Development Grant to provide technical assistance to emerging businesses in Greene […]

One Voice Des Moines is hosting its annual African Business Fair on Saturday, Feb. 24, to help small businesses in the African diaspora communities network and connect with larger organizations and government programs. One Voice Des Moines is an African-founded nonprofit focused on social impact, youth development, economic progress and collaborative engagement among individuals and communities of […]

The Iowa Center for Economic Success is holding an event on Jan. 26 to share the details of its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), which provides tax preparation services to small businesses and low-income individuals and families. The session will cover background on the program, who is eligible for these services, how to access them and […]

Waukee-based payment processing company VizyPay has announced a strategic partnership with Clear Lake Bank & Trust. Through this relationship, Clear Lake Bank & Trust’s small business customers will be connected directly with VizyPay’s team and technologies that are designed to help “mom-and-pop shops that are often left behind or overcharged by other payment processors reduce payment processing […]

The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced the participants for the second cohort of the Scale DSM Minority Business Accelerator program, which will run from June to December. Participants will complete Interise’s Streetwise MBA (minority business accelerator) curriculum, which centers practical, case-based peer learning for minority-led businesses. The 11 small business owners selected for the program […]

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 invests federal research funds in […]

Meta and Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs are hosting a premiere of a short documentary about an Iowa family-owned business followed by two panels discussing how to support the future of small businesses on Tuesday, April 25 at Fleur Cinema and Cafe. The documentary, “They Came From All Over,” was directed by Academy Award winner […]