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Cedar Valley Startup Week happening Oct. 14-18

October 3, 2019

Cedar Valley will hold its Startup Week this month from October 14 – 18.

Various events will be held throughout the week including a CEO pitch competition, a women’s entrepreneurial panel and and Business Model Canvas Workshop. The events will feature local founders in Cedar Valley from various industries, from donut and coffee shops to established business and marketing organizations.

Tours will also be available during the week to explore some of the unique technology businesses and startups in the Cedar Valley area.

Here are the events that will be happening throughout the week:

October 14

5 PM – 8 PM: Cedar Valley Startup Social

October 15

12 – 1 PM: Hawkeye Learn at Lunch
3 – 5 PM: CEO Pitch Competition
5:30 – 7:30 PM: Cheers to Small Business

October 16

7:30 – 9:30 AM: Mid-Week Pickup: Coffee, Conversation and Donuts
12 – 1 PM: Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn
3 – 5 PM: How to be a Lady Boss – Women’s Entrepreneur Panel
4 – 5 PM: Goldman Sachs 10k Info Session
5 – 6:30 PM: Founders Fireside Chat

October 17

9 – 9:45 AM: Business Model Canvas Workshop
11 – 11:45 AM: What’s a Sales Funnel
2 – 2:45 PM: How to Raise Capital for Your Business
3 – 3:45 PM: Overcoming Objections and Closing
5:30 – 8 PM: Village Konnect

October 18

10 AM – 12 PM: Innovation Workshop
12 – 1 PM: Closing Luncheon – Food Truck Friday
1 – 3 PM: Business Valuation Workshop

In addition to the week of events will be a Collegiate Entrepreneurs Conference on Saturday, Oct. 12. The event will connect college students from around the state who are aspiring entrepreneurs or are interested in learning more about entrepreneurship. Tickets to the conference are $15.

Cedar Valley Startup Week happening Oct. 14-18 | 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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