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Middle Bit: Plexpod acquires Think Big Coworking in Kansas City

Middle Bit
December 15, 2017

Plexpod—a coworking company in Kansas City—acquired Think Big Coworking’s 1712 Main Street location, adding 30,000 square feet of space to Plexpod’s footprint in Kansas City, according to a story Thursday on StartlandNews.com. 

The deal, which was not disclosed, will take effect Jan. 1.

According to the story, Think Big Coworking will become Plexpod Crossroads, which will then be part of a remodeling plan. Plexpod will manage more than 220,000 square feet of office space as its three locations in Kansas City and host more than 225 companies.

In addition to the acquisition, Think Big Partners will also be deploying a new incubator program at each Plexpod location. It will be known as “Think Big Labs.”

FCC eliminates net neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission overturned a two-year set of rules Thursday afternoon that prevented Internet service providers from anti-consumer actions.

The new regulations require ISPs to disclose any blocking or prioritization of their own content or from their partners. They were passed—despite millions of real and fake online comments urging the FCC to not vote to repeal— by the Republican-controlled commissions’ 3-2 vote.

The USA Today called the FCC’s action a victory for big telecom and cable companies such as AT&T, Charter, Comcast and Verizon.

Under the new rules—called the Restoring Internet Freedom order—ISPs must disclose any cases in which they prioritize some content, whether its their own or a partner over other content.

According to USA Today, it also eliminates an Internet conduct standard meant to prevent ISPs from unreasonable interference with consumer’s access to destinations on the Internet.

Here’s how much Congress was paid by ISPs

Over $100 million in lifetime contributions has been made to sitting members of Congress and their leadership PACs between 1989 and 2017, according to TheVerge.com.

AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are responsible for $34 million of the contributions.

Iowa Senators and Representatives:

  • Senator Chuch Grassley (R) – $727,219
  • Senator Joni Ernst (R) – $44,500
  • Representative Steve King (R) – $210,910
  • Representative Dave Loebsack (D) – $137,325
  • Representative Rod Blum (R) – $27,650
  • Representative David Young (R) $113,755

The complete list is here.

What else happened…

Colorado

• Alchemy IoT, a Lafayette-based provider of IoT asset intelligence for industrial applications, raised $4 million in seed funding – PRnewswire.com

Collective Retreats, a Denver-based experiential travel firm raises $10 million – bizjournals.com

The Colorado Tech community ponders what’s next after the FCC repealed net neutrality – The Denver Post

Ousted MassRoots CEO reclaims helf of marijuana tech firm – The Denver Post

Iowa

Tireless mentor, volunteer, Suku Radia sets new bar for Des Moines CEOs – The Des Moines Register

Michigan

Toyota AI Ventures hired Jill Ford as principal. Previously, Ford served as head of innovation and entrepreneurship for the City of Detroit.

Missouri

Tech startup Lazser Down scores big with NCAA Championship game – StartlandNews.com

KC Mayor: FCC must preserve net neutrality – StartlandNews.com

Nebraska

Virtual Incision Corporation, a Lincoln.-based medical device company, raised $18 million in Series B funding

Nebraska’s largest solar farm cost $11 million – Omaha World Herald

Middle Bit: Plexpod acquires Think Big Coworking in Kansas City | 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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