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Higher Learning Technologies focuses on culture as it continues to grow

October 17, 2018

Last week, Coralville-based Higher Learning Technologies (HLT) received national recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine for having one of the Best Company Cultures in the US. They are the only company from Iowa who made the list and ranked as the #15 company in the country for the best place to work.

“Having a good company culture is something that’s been core to us since we founded the company,” said Adam Keune, Chief Business Development Officer and co-founder of HLT. “Having a good culture is a lot more than snacks and ping pong tables. It’s really about finding people’s passion and amplifying that. We try to bring in voices from everyone in the company so it truly is a company culture, not just a few people saying this would be fun.”

Last year, the company raised $8 million in investment to boost its development of mobile study apps.

“We’ve used the money to invest in enhancing our platform. We’ve moved into some new fields that we weren’t in before. We’ve increased our staff,” Keune said. “Just continuing to push forward in revolutionizing education, especially in that professional learning in space.”

Over the next year, HLT plans to use the investment money to continue to bring on new team members.

“We’re looking to grow our staff by about twenty percent,” Keune said. “So we’re pretty excited for that. We’ll be bringing on all types of different roles from software to marketing to designers.”

Initially just focused on test prep, HLT is beginning to expand their scope into other professional learning fields. The company is currently working on a nursing education project with Johnson & Johnson and the American Nursing Association.

“With some of the partners we have, it’s exciting to be moving into other professional learning fields,” Keune said.

Tags: Coralville Higher Learning Technologies Iowa Startup

Higher Learning Technologies focuses on culture as it continues to grow | 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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