The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator is extending the deadline for applications to its annual AgTech Startup Program from March 31 to May 1, the accelerator announced this week. The board also announced a new member, Grant Kimberly, who serves as the senior director of market development for the Iowa Soybean Association and as executive director of […]
Inc. Magazine ranked Rocket Referrals No. 75 out of the 250 Most Successful Companies in the Midwest. The Des Moines-based communications software platform, which is mistakenly listed as being headquartered in Indiana, is the highest ranked of three Iowa companies: McClure Engineering of Clive was ranked No. 120, and Moxie Solar of Iowa City, No. 127.
Applications for the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Venture Competition are now being accepted as the organization prepares to award $100,000 in cash prizes during its 15th year, the organization announced Wednesday. The seed funding consists of a $50,000 contribution from John and Mary Pappajohn, and a $50,000 match from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Applications are […]
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’ […]
Des Moines analytics startup InfraLytiks is participating in the Catalyst Space Accelerator based in Colorado Springs, Colo., one of eight companies to join the accelerator that began Jan. 6. The Air Force Research Lab — Space Vehicles Directorate Catalyst Space Accelerator is a three-month program that dedicated its fifth cohort to data fusion for space […]
Techstars Iowa, a Techstars network accelerator supported by Grinnell College, has hired TJ Salyars as program manager. Salyars joins managing director Kerty Levy (view Levy’s Closer Look profile from Feb. 7); previously, Salyars was the director of business operations at Ames startup Smart Ag, and served in operations management roles at Covera Health and Spreemo […]
Des Moines-based “smart building” startup Igor received the 2020 Sapphire Award for its Nexos Linear Network Node under the category of “Emergency SSL Luminaires, Modules and Drivers,” the company announced today. Igor was the only Iowa company nominated for awards among competitors including Samsung, Dow and Signify (formerly Philips Lighting). Igor was also a finalist […]
Two startup accelerators announced inaugural teams for their 2020 cohorts this week. BrokerTech Ventures of Des Moines and Iowa EdTech Accelerator of Iowa City will both welcome startup founders on March 2 as founders begin the five-week program for BrokerTech and 14-week program for Iowa EdTech. Twelve BrokerTech Ventures startups will operate in Gravitate Coworking […]
Jim Towey, president of Onset, will join the board of directors of the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator, the organization announced this week. Towey most recently served as a mentor for the accelerator, helping past participants develop their business ideas and build their storytelling skills to gain support for innovations. Based in Cape Cod, Mass., Onset is […]
The dashboard of Roboflow Organize. Image provided by roboflow.ai WHO: Roboflow ESTABLISHED: August 2019 by second-time founders Brad Dwyer (previously Hatchlings) and Joseph Nelson (previously Represently) WHAT IT DOES: “Roboflow is a tool that developers use to build computer vision applications faster,” Nelson said. The problem that Brad Dwyer and Joseph Nelson started with didn’t […]