Techstars, the Colorado-based national network that manages multiple accelerators and a venture capital arm, is now seeking a managing director and program manager of a yet-unannounced Techstars Iowa program. According to the job listings, Techstars Iowa will be an accelerator based in Des Moines. The company has not released an official statement regarding an expansion […]
Since launching an annual venture capital contest in 2006, Des Moines entrepreneur and venture capitalist John Pappajohn has been “happy to be the giver of money” to support entrepreneurs in the state, Pappajohn told the small crowd on Drake University’s campus over lunch on Thursday. All 12 of the small businesses represented – finalists in […]
Tillable, a Chicago-based startup building a farmland rental marketplace, is launching its Hassle-Free Lease program in Iowa. Under the Hassle-Free Lease, Tillable provides Iowa landowners a one- or three-year rental offer for their land, pays the landowner in full up front, and finds a farmer to operate their land for the duration of the lease […]
FarrPro, an Iowa-based agtech startup, has won the 2019 National Hog Farm New Product Tour “Producer’s Choice” Award with their Haven product, FarrPro announced on Wednesday. The Producer’s Choice Award goes to the product receiving the most votes cast online by the readers of National Hog Farmer magazine and website. FarrPro’s Haven units create a […]
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 […]