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Balsley: Stepping down at The Art of Education University
Guest post by Derek Balsley. This story was originally published on LinkedIn. After more than eleven years of building The Art of Education University (AOEU), taking the institution from 2 employees to more than 150, I’m proud to announce that Jessica Balsley and I are stepping down from our respective roles as President and CEO. …
Aaron Horn’s 2022 Forecast for NewBoCo
Guest post by Aaron Horn. Aaron is the Executive Director of NewBoCo, a nonprofit that created programs such as the Iowa Startup Accelerator, DeltaV Code School, Kiva Iowa, NewBoCo K-12, Intrapreneur Academy, and others supporting entrepreneurship, tech education, and innovation. Our nonprofit has learned a thing or two over the past eight years as we’ve…
Jay Cooper’s 2022 Forecast for Iowa City
Guest post by Jay Cooper. Jay is an entrepreneur and ecosystem builder based in Iowa City. He’s organized Startup Weekend Iowa City and 1 Million Cups Iowa City since 2018, and helped create Startup Weekend Iowa Online in 2021. His startup, Cider Finder, works to bring together cider makers and enthusiasts through technology, over one…
Kimle: Regenerative Agriculture – A Movement?
Guest post by Kevin Kimle. What do investors look for when evaluating innovative opportunities? It depends on the investor, but I am in search of surprise. Innovation cannot be predicted. Innovation cannot be planned. It is not foreseeable. So, when looking for opportunities with upside I look for the surprising, the unexpected, maybe even the…
Taylor: COVID Turned Lemons into Lemonade for Iowa Startup Accelerator
Guest post by Alex Taylor. If necessity is the mother of invention, then COVID is the mother of creative solutions and improvement. Pre-COVID, the Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA) had a very strong residential component that required founders to meet face-to-face for the instructional and networking programs. Of course, all face-to-face activities were summarily redirected when…
Schreder: Entrepreneurs, the American Rescue Plan and Health Insurance
Guest post by Lynn Schreder. The American Rescue Plan (ARP), recently signed into law by President Biden, increases and expands eligibility for Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies for people enrolled in marketplace health plans. The law also creates new, temporary premium subsidies for COBRA continuation coverage; and it temporarily changes the rules for year-end tax reconciliation…
Levy: Who’s Supporting Diversity in Entrepreneurship?
Guest post by Kerty Levy. Is Venture Funding Getting LESS Diverse? Data from PitchBook shows that “Venture funding for female founders has hit its lowest quarterly total in three years.” While the report focuses on gender, it points to a bigger issue in funding and support for diverse founders in general. Venture capital investments are continuing…
Clay & Milk Contributor, Author at 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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