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Mergers & Acquisitions News

Cedar Falls digital marketing agency Red Lab Technologies acquired by PR firm

December 20, 2021

Red Lab Technologies, a web design, development and digital marketing firm in Cedar Falls, announced last week that it has been acquired by Vested, a financial services communications firm,

Red Lab will provide Vested’s clients with access to its expertise and services in key areas like design and development, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, paid social advertising and marketing automation.

“We are thrilled to join the Vested platform,” said Greg Jass, CEO of Red Lab in a release. ”Red Lab’s design, development, and digital marketing services, combined with Vested’s financial communications expertise will unlock new opportunities to amplify our clients’ brands.”

Founded in 2014, Red Lab specializes in partnering with healthcare and finance companies looking to bolster their marketing teams. Red Lab works with clients from early-stage businesses to Fortune 50 companies, like Grayscale and DispatchHealth, to develop digital marketing strategies and websites.

“Vested and Red Lab have been long-standing partners of the Grayscale team, and have been instrumental in building a brand that is now synonymous with crypto investing,” said Michael Sonnenshein, CEO of Grayscale. “Vested brings unique financial expertise and strategic marcomms consulting, and Red Lab brings deep development and digital skillsets. I’m thrilled to see these two partners join forces.”

As part of the acquisition, Red Lab and Vested will continue to operate as two distinct brands. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Cedar Falls digital marketing agency Red Lab Technologies acquired by PR firm | 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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