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ISU Startup Factory announces its eleventh cohort

January 14, 2022

The Iowa State University Startup Factory has announced the eleventh cohort of entrepreneurs entering the Iowa State-based program.

The following are the names of the ten participating startups in the eleventh cohort.

Bottlesode Films Inc.: As a streaming service for children, Bottlesodes TV is the answer to overstimulating and unsafe content on other outlets.

eLegalls: eLegalls provides law firms with an AI-driven court case prediction product alongside a cloud-based case management platform.

EviHunter: An automated Android app analysis tool that discovers forensic artifacts generated in the usage of Android apps, and evidence of potential security threats and privacy data leakage in Android apps.

Farmers and Robots: Farmers and Robots is a Robots As A Service company to support small farms and specialty crops with robot labor and mechanical harvesters.

Gabriel: An app that listens and learns from the sounds a stroke victim makes and translates those sounds into intelligible and usable words that can be understood by family and care providers.

Kanga: Kanga is a booking app and website for pretty much every industry that accepts appointments and reservations.

Pachyderm Industries: A remote-use chain saw with a stability-controlled cutting apparatus and bi-modal operation, allowing the operator to cut wood from a safe distance.

Project EVWC: Cost-effective, high speed, and wireless charging centers for electric vehicles.

PROSPER – Predictors of Swine Performance: PROSPER leverages big data from commercial swine companies, providing owners data-driven insights for precision swine health and production management.

Hexcrete Technology: Hexcrete Technology will double the hub height of today’s wind turbines and reduce the cost of wind power.

The descriptions of the companies listed above have been provided by ISU Startup Factor

Tags: Iowa startups isu startup factory

ISU Startup Factory announces its eleventh cohort | 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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