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Finalists announced for 2021 Prometheus Awards

September 20, 2021

The Technology Association of Iowa has announced the finalists for the 2021 Prometheus Awards.

The winner in each of the 14 award categories will be announced during the Prometheus Awards celebration on Thursday, November 4, in downtown Des Moines.

Finalists in each category are:

FinTech & InsurTech Company of the Year

  • BrokerTech Ventures
  • Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.
  • LenderClose
  • MākuSafe Corp. 
  • VizyPay

AgTech & BioTech Company of the Year

  • Granular Inc.
  • Gross-Wen Technologies
  • GVL
  • Performance Livestock Analytics
  • Tractor Zoom, Inc.

Manufacturing Technology Company of the Year

  • ALMACO
  • Kreg Tool
  • Pella Corporation 
  • PVpallet
  • Sukup Manufacturing Co.

Software Development Technology Company of the Year

  • Hy-Vee Inc. 
  • Kingland Systems 
  • OpenLoop 
  • SciPlay 
  • Telligen 

IT Service Provider Technology Company of the Year

  • Circle Computer Resources
  • Lean TECHniques Inc.
  • LightEdge Solutions
  • ProCircular, Inc.
  • Sogeti Capgemini

Startup Technology Company of the Year

  • 3D Health Solutions, Inc.
  • OpenLoop
  • Rantizo Inc.
  • Roboflow
  • Skroot Laboratory, Inc.

Creative Technology Solution of the Year

  • 4D Mobile
  • Hy-Vee, Inc.
  • John Deere Financial
  • Kingland Systems
  • Principal

Best Technology Company Culture

  • Blue Compass 
  • EMC Insurance Companies
  • Far Reach
  • LightEdge Solutions
  • SciPlay

CEO of the Year

  • Aaron Horn, NewBoCo 
  • Aaron Warner, ProCircular, Inc. 
  • Martin Gross, Gross-Wen Technologies 
  • Paul Waltz, SHAZAM Inc. 
  • Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee Inc.

CIO/CTO/CISO of the Year

  • Annette Dunn, State of Iowa OCIO
  • Brian Ness, Principal 
  • Levon Hooks, Kum & Go
  • Michael Hannan, LightEdge Solutions
  • Neil Shah, Iowa Workforce Development

Emerging Technology Leader of the Year

  • Andrea Leaman, Hy-Vee Inc. 
  • Connor Fogarty, Workiva 
  • Jessica Bertling, NewBoCo 
  • Samuel Wolf, Principal 
  • Todd Brady, Principal

Technology Community of the Year 

  • Cedar Valley 
  • Council Bluffs 
  • Waverly

Technology Company of the Year – Small/Medium

  • Gross Wen Technologies
  • Growers Edge
  • GVL 
  • Haber Technologies Inc. 
  • Rantizo

Workiva Large Technology Company of the Year

  • EMC Insurance Companies
  • Hy-Vee Inc.
  • Kingland Systems 
  • Pella Corporation
  • UnityPoint Health Systems

–

Tags:
Finalists announced for 2021 Prometheus Awards | 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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