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Flyover Tech Fest will shine a light on non-coastal tech companies

July 14, 2020

A new online summit focused on non-coastal tech companies is coming this fall. The FlyOver Tech Fest will showcase stories from Midwest entrepreneurs on topics ranging from fundraising to hiring to scaling businesses.

“We really just wanted to shine a light on the companies doing cool stuff in no-coast country and didn’t feel like there was a lot of dedicated opportunity to do that,” said Nathan Joens, founder of Structurely and organizer of the event. “Hopefully this can be a good launching point for others to share their successes and failures and how to grow a company the right way.”

Fundraising and hiring will be the two main topics at the event, Joens told Clay & Milk. Other topics will include tech, sales, and marketing.

“Our motto is ‘doing more with less,’ said Joens. “I think that’s the theme for a lot of no-coast companies. Usually, they raise less money. They often have smaller teams and are more focused on profitability and growing sustainability. And I think that’s encompassed in the ‘do more with less’ mindset.”

Four speaker sessions have been scheduled for the event so far. Ben Milne, Founder of Dwolla, will deliver the keynote. Other speakers include Jonathan Ellis of Sandalphon Capital, Mike Gozzo of ZenDesk, and Sarah Hill of Healium.

Joens says that there will be many more speakers announced in the coming weeks and that he expects the event to have around 20 speakers in total.

Joens says he hopes to hold the event annually and would like to make it an in-person event going forward. This year’s FlyOver Tech Fest will take place on Oct. 1. Tickets for the event are free.

Tags: FlyOver Tech Fest

1 Comment

Nate Joens

Posted July 15, 2020 at 2:30 pm

I’m pumped, can’t wait 🙌

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Flyover Tech Fest will shine a light on non-coastal tech companies | 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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