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Here’s a list of Iowa startup accelerators and coworking spaces

January 11, 2017

Community builders and economic developers in Iowa have put a lot of stock in giving entrepreneurs collaborative places to work and build their companies. The state has seen a number of new accelerators, incubators and coworking spots open in recent years.

While some, like StartupCity Des Moines and Veel Hoeden in Pella, have shut down completely, others spaces have emerged in Iowa’s major cities and smaller towns like Baxter.

It can be difficult to find an up-to-date, comprehensive list of these entrepreneurial spaces, though. Seeing that, Clay & Milk attempted to compile one.

The first table includes accelerators or incubators in the state. The second is only coworking spaces.

Some notes:

  • Only spaces with a physical location are included.
  • This does not include proposed spaces, such as new accelerators.
  • We did not include spaces or programs operated by universities or colleges.
Accelerator/Incubator Address Website
Global Insurance Accelerator 321 E. Walnut St., Suite 130, Des Moines, IA http://www.globalinsuranceaccelerator.com/
Iowa Startup Accelerator 415 12th Ave. SE,
Cedar Rapids, IA		 http://iowastartupaccelerator.com/
Square One DSM 321 E. Walnut St., Suite 140, Des Moines, IA http://squareonedsm.com/
West Des Moines Business Incubator 318 5th St., West Des Moines, IA http://wdmbusinessincubator.com/

 

Coworking Space Address Website
Coralville CoLab 2852 Coral Court, Coralville, IA http://iccolab.com/coralville/
CoworkQC 225 E. 2nd St., Suites 203 & 205, Davenport, IA https://www.coworkqc.com/
Fairfield CoLab 107 1/2 S. Main St., Fairfield, IA http://ffcolab.com
GigaCenter – Baxter S. 109 Main St., Baxter, IA http://www.iowagigacenter.com
GigaCenter – State Center 128 Main St., State Center, IA http://www.iowagigacenter.com
Gravitate 206 6th Ave., Third Floor, Des Moines, IA http://www.gravitatedsm.com
IC CoLab 136 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City, IA http://iccolab.com
id8 Workspace 402 E. 4th St., First Floor, Waterloo, IA https://id8workspace.com/
inTandem Workspace 501 Bank St., Webster City, IA http://www.intandemworkspace.com
The Millrace 10 Main St., Cedar Falls, IA http://www.redcedarcv.com/coworking
North Liberty CoLab 215 Highway 965, Suite 1, North Liberty, IA http://iccolab.com/northliberty/
Springboard Coworking 700 4th St., Suite 210, Sioux City, IA http://springboardcoworking.com
StartupCity Spencer 24 West Park St., Suite 4, Spencer, IA http://www.startupcityspencer.com/
Startup Dubuque 900 Jackson St., Suite 110, Dubuque, IA http://www.startupdubuque.org
Studio 12 12 S. 6th St.,Estherville, IA http://esthervillepartnership.org/entrepreneuership
Vault 415 12th Ave. S.E., Cedar Rapids, IA http://crvault.com
Makerspace Address Website
Area 515 1731 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA https://area515.org/
Cedar Valley Makerspace Techworks Campus, Tech1 Building, Third Floor, 360 West Field Ave., Waterloo, IA http://www.cedarvalleymakers.org/
QC Co-Lab 627 W. 2nd St., Davenport, IA https://www.qccolab.com//
Ames Makerspace 328 Main St., Suite 15, Ames, IA amesmakerspace.com
Loess Hills Maker Space 411 Sharp St., Glenwood, Iowa https://www.facebook.com/LoessHillsMakerSpace/

Did we miss one? Leave a note in the comments and we’ll get it added.

2 Comments

  • Tim Weideman
    Posted January 11, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    Here are two incubators in NW Iowa. Both also have coworking space.

    StartupCity Spencer
    24 West Park St., Suite 4
    Spencer, IA 51301
    Website: http://www.startupcityspencer.com/

    The Excel Building / Studio 12
    12 South 6th St.
    Estherville, IA 51334
    Website: http://esthervillepartnership.org/entrepreneuership
    (Studio 12 is the coworking space inside the Excel Building.)

    0Likes
  • Carolyn Herman
    Posted January 28, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    id8 workspace is a coworking space in East Central Iowa.

    402 E 4th St., Waterloo, IA 50703
    id8workspace.com

    0Likes

Comments are closed.

Here's a list of Iowa startup accelerators and coworking spaces | Clay & Milk
A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.
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