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Middle Bit: VolunteerLocal announces Ironman partnership

Des Moines

April 20, 2018

VolunteerLocal, the Des Moines-based volunteer scheduling platform, announced a partnership with Ironman on Monday to use its platform for volunteer scheduling and registration at select events in 2018.

According to a news release, VolunteerLocal will be used at select Ironman and Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series events throughout North America.

Kaylee Williams, President of VolunteerLocal, called the partnership with Ironman a “landmark milestone” for the company.

“Today’s announcement with Ironman is the culmination of years spent building our product, developing our brand and providing excellent service to our partners in both the United States and internationally,” Williams said in the release.

To read more about Williams and VolunteerLocal, click here.

What else happened…

Illinois

dscout, a Chicago-based provider of a premier in-context video research platform closed a $7.5 million Series B financing – FinSMEs

project44, a Chicago-based logistics technology company raised $35 million in Series A funding – The Wall Street Journal

Indiana

Upper Hand, Inc., an Indianapolis-based provider of sports management software and business services secured $1.5 million in Series A funding – FinSMEs

DemandJump, an Indianapolis-based marketing customer acquisition platform, completed a $6 million Series A financing round – FinSMEs

Nebraska

Clever Real Estate closes $500K in seed funding – SPN

Wisconsin

healthfinch, a Madison-based healthcare IT company secured $6 million in financing – FinSMEs

Middle Bit: VolunteerLocal announces Ironman partnership | 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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