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EntreFEST 2022 kicks off with ISA Launch Day
EntreFEST 2022 started off strong on Wednesday night with Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA) Launch Day. Five businesses going through this spring’s and last fall's ISA Foundation Accelerator pitched their companies live at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City. The Iowa Startup Accelerator is a 6-month program that matches Iowa-based startups with seed funding, mentors, and…
Three startups join Iowa Startup Accelerator’s spring cohort
The Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA) in Cedar Rapids has accepted three startups — Haggle, Groov, and Sprayer Mods — into the Spring 2022 cohort of the program. “These three exciting startups introduce unique technologies that will transform and upgrade their respective industries”, said Alex Taylor, managing director of ISA. “Additionally these early stage…
Middle Bit: Continuum Ag wins Cisco Global Challenge Award
Continuum Ag has been announced as one of the winners of the fifth annual Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge. The Challenge is an online competition that awards cash prizes to early-stage tech entrepreneurs solving the world’s most challenging problems. This year Cisco awarded $1 million to social entrepreneurs around the world who have technology innovations that are solving…
EntreFEST 2021 kicks off with ISA Launch Night
EntreFEST 2021 started off strong on Wednesday night with Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA) Launch Night. The 6 businesses going through this spring's ISA Foundation Accelerator gave their final pitches live on the Chrome Horse patio stage in Cedar Rapids. The Iowa Startup Accelerator is an intensive 14-week program that matches Iowa-based startups with seed funding,…
Iowa Startup Accelerator adds eCourt Reporters portfolio
Iowa Startup Accelerator (ISA) has added eCourt Reporters to its list of portfolio companies. “We’re thrilled to have eCourt Reporters as a portfolio company because they’re a strong new company with an award-winning platform being built here in the Midwest,” NewBoCo Executive Director and Accelerator Managing Director Eric Engelmann said in an announcement.. Based out…
Rantizo
Rantizo is bringing drone technology to the ag industry
This story is part of a series that will look at and profile each of the six startups in NewBoCo’s Fall 2018 accelerator programs. An Iowa City-based agtech startup is looking to change the way we spray crops. Rantizo uses drone technology to spray crops, allowing farmers to more precisely deliver chemicals, such as fertilizer, to their fields. Instead…
SwineTech is using artificial intelligence to save piglets
Every year millions of piglet die from being accidentally crushed by their mothers. A Cedar Rapids based agtech startup is looking to change that. SwineTech is using sensor-based technologies to prevent piglet deaths. SwineTech’s award-winning product, SmartGuard, uses AI to read data through sensors and can locate exactly where a piglet is getting crushed and will alert the…
iowa startup accelerator 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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