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2020 Startup Iowa Awards finalists announced

January 18, 2021

Clay & Milk is pleased to announce the finalists of the 2020 Startup Iowa Awards.

The Startup Iowa Awards will celebrate the organizations and people keeping the Iowa startup ecosystem thriving. Winners of the awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

The finalists in each category are:

Accelerator of the Year

-BrokerTech Ventures
-CYstarters
-Global Insurance Accelerator
-Iowa AgriTech Accelerator
-Iowa Startup Accelerator

Investor of the Year

-Ag Startup Engine
-Ag Ventures Alliance
-Franklin Codel
-ISA Ventures
-Next Level Ventures

Student Entrepreneur of the Year

-Dillon Burns
-Jaison Marks
-Linda Tong

Non-founder Employee of the Year

-Koral Hull, Pitchly
-Adam Christophersen, Denim Social
-Trevor Hall, Structurely
-Matt McMullen, MākuSafe

Entrepreneurial Support Organization of the Year

-Iowa City Area Development Group
-John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at The University of Iowa
-ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship
-LWBJ
-NewBoCo

Entrepreneur of the Year

-Austin Mac Nab, VizyPay
-Benjamin Lefever, Certintell
-Dustin Balsley, Performance Livestock Analytics
-Michael Ott, Rantizo

Startup of the Year

-Growers Edge
-MākuSafe
-Rantizo
-Roboflow
-TapOnIt

Tags: Startup Iowa Awards

2020 Startup Iowa Awards finalists announced | 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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