Three Iowa organizations—Iowa Innovation Corp, Iowa State University Startup Factory and VentureNet Iowa—have received a $525,472 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s 2020 Venture Challenge program to launch the Iowa Go-To-Market (G2M) program.
The funding will support the G2M project team in seeking to address two gaps in the Iowa innovation ecosystem. First, a shortage of follow-on support programs for entrepreneurs who have completed one of the growing number of accelerator programs in the state. Second, a lack of resources that facilitate connection of entrepreneurs and startups with the many services they need as they develop.
The Iowa G2M Program will consist of two components:
- An Iowa G2M Accelerator program will be established to provide support for commercial product development and fundraising needs through advanced training in sales, marketing, corporate development, and finance.
- An online resource guide focusing on the needs of high-tech startups will be developed and deployed as a means through which entrepreneurs can connect with providers across Iowa.
Initial rollout of the online resource guide is intended for late 2020. The project partners intend to launch the new accelerator program in early 2021 with an application process to be announced soon.
