This story is the first part of multi-part series that will look at each startup in the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator 2018 class individually.
The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator recently announced the five AgTech startups selected for the program’s class of 2018.
Based in Des Moines, the accelerator is a mentor-led program that focuses on ag-based technology innovations. This…
Stine Seed Farm has invested $5 million in Smart Ag Inc., according to a news release by PrecisionAg.
Smart Ag is an Ames-based company dedicated to feeding the world smarter through the use of automated farming equipment.
Founder and CEO of Smart Ag, Colin Hurd, said the value of the Stine Seed investment extends beyond the financial aspects…
In 2014, Trace Steffen saw a market for streamlining the way companies create, store, and document their company’s standard operating procedures and training materials when he began to notice the absurd amount of binders and filing cabinets that were bulging with paper documents.
After sitting on the problem for a while, he decided to start HowFactory.
Headquartered…
DMACC's new MakerSpace celebrated their grand opening today at the West Des Moines Campus and it was a huge hit.
Nearly 50 people packed into the newly opened space. Kids and adults alike were enjoying experimenting with all the new tools. Among the most popular tools were the 3D-printers and the Vilros Arduino Kits.
The MakerSpace is…
A Sioux City-based company is simplifying the way the construction companies disburse payments.
Launched in 2016, Lienwaivers.io is a cloud-based construction payments platform which integrates with common accounting and project management software to facilitate the exchange of lien waivers, ACH payments, W9s, and 1099s.
“A friend of mine who works in the construction industry was talking about some…
As a longtime athlete, Ian Warner had grown increasingly frustrated with how difficult it was for athletes to get in touch with the right people to deal with their injuries.
Then, he decided to something about it.
Kho Health, started in 2016, is a mobile-first platform that allows injured athletes to connect with local healthcare providers that…
Nathan T. Wright is an illustrator and artist based in Des Moines. He is a regular contributor to Clay & Milk.
Find out more about him in his Q&A here and how his first year was as a full-time illustrator here. Wright also just completed a six-week artist-in-residence program for Ballet Des Moines, where he created a comic.
His previous cartoons for…
A look into the insurance industry, and why they think they are the perfect home to explore the potential of blockchain and protecting consumers.
Annually, the Global Insurance Accelerator brings together a cohort of companies that are determined to disrupt the insurance industry. Iowa is home to more than 200 insurance companies and considered an international…
AgriSync, a four-year-old AgTech company based in Waukee, Iowa, announced that they had closed a seed investment round this morning. Casey Niemann, AgriSync’s President and CEO said the funding will be used to "expand our marketing, sales and product enhancement efforts" in a release.
The company declined to release the total size of this round or…
Two entrepreneurs are working to find a solution to the growing concern of demonetization and censorship on video hosting platforms.
Kyle Marvin and Evan Pischel noticed a growing frustration among the online video creator community in 2017 when their income began to get cut based on the extent to which advertisers liked or disliked their content.
“Evan…
In the midst of the 2016 election, Ross Katz found himself questioning what he had once felt were a shared sense of values and wanted to do something about it.
After looking around, Katz soon discovered that a lot of other people were asking the same questions: How can I get more involved? That is when…
A familiar face in the Des Moines startup community, Tej Dhawan was looking for his next challenge.
What he found qualifies.
Dhawan is the Chief Data Officer at Principal, the Des Moines-based financial services company with 19 million customers and over 14,000 employees worldwide.
"I'm one who likes the big problem, and not even so much as a…