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Mediacom showcases first-ever 10G Smart Home in Ames
U.S. broadband company Mediacom held yesterday what it says is the first U.S. field trial of the cable industry’s new 10G platform, a technology that will be capable of pushing 1 gigabit offerings to 10 gigabits per second and beyond. The test, aimed at showing the future of connected-living, was conducted in partnership with CableLabs…
1 Million Cups expands to Ames
The entrepreneurial events series 1 Million Cups (1MC)—a national program where startup founders deliver pitches to an audience with the intent to educate, network and receive feedback—has expanded into Ames. The expansion makes Ames the sixth location in Iowa with regular One Million Cups programming. We have a group in Ames called Startup Ames and…
ISU Research Park receives $1.7 million grant
Iowa State University Research Park has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to make critical infrastructure improvements needed to support a manufacturing test lab facility. According to grantee estimates, "the project is expected to create 450 jobs and generate $10 million in private investment," the press release said. This investment will provide…
Aloha 21st Century Boomboxes: a new way to listen to music
Srdjan Pavelic is looking to shift the way we experience music. Pavelic is the founder of Aloha 21st Century Boomboxes, a wireless boombox that doesn't rely on smartphones. Instead of using a Bluetooth connection, Aloha Boomboxes directly connects with a wireless carrier giving users the opportunity to listen at any location. In addition, the boombox has a solar charger…
CYstarters: Fifteen companies take the stage at demo day
The culmination of the CYstarters program came Wednesday as the fifteen companies in the 2018 cohort presented their ideas to an audience of nearly 100 people. CYstarters is a 10-week program that provides students with financial support, professional resources and educational workshops for startups. Inside the Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, each company presented about…
Tractor Zoom
Tractor Zoom receives $25,000 investment from Ag Startup Engine
Ag Startup Engine has made an initial investment of $25,000 in Des Moines based agricultural technology startup Tractor Zoom. Tractor Zoom is an online marketplace that connects farm equipment auctioneers and buyers. "Tractor Zoom’s team and Kyle McMahon is exactly the type of early stage startup the Ag Startup Engine envisioned to support," said Joel Harris, Co-Director…
CYstarters Iowa State University
Middle Bit: Fifteen student startups set to present at CYstarters Finale Event
Fifteen student-led startup companies will pitch their businesses at the CYstarters Finale Event, next Wednesday at Iowa State University. This is the third cohort for the CYstarters program, a ten-week summer accelerator for Iowa State students and recent graduates. Each of the startups participating in the 10-week summer accelerator will be presenting to celebrate completing the program. Presentations will…
Iowa Agtech: ‘Building the right connections between the right people at the right time’
Iowa agriculture is now worth more than $15 billion according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For entrepreneurs and investors willing to look outside of Silicon Valley, Iowa's agricultural technology—often called "agtech"—ecosystem offers valuable and lucrative opportunities. With a top agriculturally-focused university producing talent and multiple accelerators helping entrepreneurs commercialize their ideas, early-stage agtech companies are finding…
Middlebit: Nebullam one of six finalists for inaugural IFT Next Food Disruption Challenge
Nebullam was one of six companies to participate in the inaugural IFTNEXT Food Disruption Challenge at IFT18. The six finalists pitched their companies in hopes of winning a $25,000 grand prize. Nebullam is an Ames-based agtech startup that pairs high-pressure aeroponic technology and software to grow different types of leafy greens indoors. "To be a finalist for the inaugural IFT Next Food Disruption Challenge was…
Ag Startup Engine invests in Automed
Ag Startup Engine has announced that it has made an initial seed investment in automed, a supplier of hardware devices and software systems for medication delivery, compliance, disease prevention and traceability for the livestock industry. The automed system calculates the optimal medication for a variety of different species including cattle, sheep and pigs. It then…
ames Archives | 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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