Steve Shriver, co-owner at SOKO Outfitters of Cedar Rapids (right), climbs during a startup pitch session with founders during the 2019 EntreFEST. Photo contributed/Andrew Ravera, NewBoCo One of the most original pitching opportunities open to participants at EntreFEST 2019 was born over pre-event beers. Steve Shriver, co-owner at SOKO Outfitters of Cedar Rapids, and David […]
Nurx, a San Francisco-based telemedicine startup offering birth control online, plans to launch in Iowa — after a recent report alleging company practices have put patients at risk through the handling of medication ordered in the app. Nurx (pronounced nur-ex) sells prescription drugs online, including birth control, HIV PrEP, HPV home screenings and emergency contraception […]
San Francisco-based HarvestPort, an early-stage agtech company developing a marketplace platform for farmers and supplies, is opening new offices in Des Moines, the company announced. HarvestPort has also hired Tyler Horbach, founder of agtech startup the FarmElement, as Grower Solutions Manager. Horbach previously founded the FarmElement in Jefferson, Iowa in 2017. HarvestPort was founded in […]
The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator is searching for its next executive director, the Board of Directors announced on Monday. The new executive director would work closely with interim director Kerty Levy for the 2019 cohort and take full responsibility after the cohort’s end. A hiring decision is expected to be made in May. Details on the […]
Pinterest’s imminent IPO raises new questions about how big of a role the platform will play in the future of social commerce, reports Digiday. Pinterest positions itself as the ultimate discovery tool, but in order to get people to go from pinning to purchasing, Pinterest will need better commerce tools — and to convince more […]
At the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator’s second annual AgTech Day, nine agritech startups – mostly from Iowa, and two from Nebraska and California – jumped at the chance to meet the experts. Some of the founders have bootstrapped their business off the ground for initial sales. Others were seeking insight on some of their early product […]
Ames entrepreneur Steven Brockshus, founder and CEO of FarmlandFinder, is part of the AgGrad’s inaugural 30 Under 30 class of young professionals in agriculture, the platform announced on Monday. Brockshus was recently named the 2019 Farm Bureau Entrepreneur of the Year for his pitch of FarmlandFinder, an online service tracking and listing agricultural real estate […]
How do startups navigate the world of venture capital? Next Level Ventures principal partner Scott Hoekman broke it down for the audience at Wednesday’s 1 Million Cups presentation. The whole presentation is available on Facebook @1MillionCupsDSM, but here’s a few takeaways to note if you’re unfamiliar. Next Level Ventures is seeking its next eight to […]
The Innovation & Technology Showcase and opening of coworking space Salem Connection is scheduled for Feb. 26 in two locations, from 2-4 p.m. and 4:30-6 p.m. The showcase will spotlight several technologies and faculty-led STEM projects at Simpson College and in the Indianola business community, a statement by Simpson College said. Presentations include the nanotechnology […]
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 […]