Iowa City agtech startup Rantizo has received approval from Federal Aviation Administration to provide drone spraying services in Wisconsin, broadening its approved operating territory in the Midwest.
Last month, Rantizo became the first company in the state of Iowa approved for drone based agricultural spraying.
“Since announcing our approval for drone spraying in Iowa, just a few weeks ago, the phone has simply not stopped ringing,” said Rantizo CEO, Michael Ott, in a news release. “We’ve had requests for cover crop seeding, fungicide applications, even liquid copper sulfate spraying to control moss. We’ve had calls with growers in almost every state in the country at this point,” Ott continued.
With their latest approval in Wisconsin, Rantizo notes they are quickly gaining momentum throughout the Midwest and plan to continue to expand state by state with partnerships with neighboring Departments of Agriculture.
“Gaining our approval in Iowa first meant that we could not only serve our home state first, but quickly expand into other Midwestern states and perpetuate the regulatory approval process,” said Rantizo’s Director of Operations, Craig Perry. “We are seeing this with our approval into Wisconsin now and will have several other states’ approval in the very near future.”
Bahrain’s Rain raises $2.5 million, becomes first licensed crypto exchange in Middle East
Rain, a Bahrain-based cryptocurrency exchange, has closed its $2.5 million seed round. The round was co-led by BitMEX Ventures, the investment arm of the BitMEX, which is a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform and Kuwait-based cryptocurrency fund, Blockwater.
Rain also announced that it has acquired the Crypto-Asset Module (CRA) license from the Central Bank of Bahrain, becoming the first cryptocurrency exchange to earn a regulatory license in the Middle East.
Two of Rain’s co-founders, AJ Nelson and Joseph Dallago, attended the University of Iowa, where they created clusterFlunk, an online platform that offered college students a place to meet, discuss college courses and share notes. The company raised a total of $1.1M in funding over two rounds before closing down in 2015.
After graduating from the University of Iowa, Nelson and Dallago became interested in the digital currency space, and in 2016, decided to enter the space full time. Over the last two years, they have spoken with regulators, banks and Meetup communities throughout the Middle East to learn as much as possible about the new technology and its presence in the region.
Andrew Yang to speak at TechBrew in Council Bluffs
Andrew Yang, U.S. 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, entrepreneur, attorney, philanthropist, and founder of Venture for America will be the guest at the Council Bluffs TechBrew on Aug. 8.
In 2011, Yang founded Venture for America, a national entrepreneurship fellowship, and helped create more than 2,500 jobs in cities across the country.
In Nov. 2017, Yang officially launched his campaign for the presidency and has become best known for his proposal for Universal Basic Income, known as the Freedom Dividend.
“60 fps” gaming expo tonight at Mainframe Studios
Tonight, Numinous Games and Mainframe Studios will be co-hosting the second annual “60 fps,” an expo featuring gaming and illustration artists throughout Iowa.
Attendees can experience virtual reality environments, video games, tabletop games, arcades, comics and interactive art while also exploring over 70 art studios.