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Investing in Iowa: Q1 2022
Investing in Iowa is a quarterly review of all investments made into early-stage companies that are located in Iowa. The series is sponsored by America's Cultivation Corridor, an organization focused on building opportunities for agricultural bioscience research, innovation and entrepreneurship in Iowa. Iowa startups raised nearly $28 million in Q1 of 2022. Since the beginning…
IEDA awards funding to five Iowa startups
The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Board has approved funding for five Iowa startups. In total the five startups received $300,000 in funding. Here are the five startups that received funding. FBB Biomed FBB Biomed, doing business in Coralville, is a biotech company with a mission to expand the reimbursable diagnostics market to brain diseases.…
Four Iowa startups receive IEDA funding
The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has approved innovation funding in support of four Iowa startups. Here are the startups that received funding.  Distynct Ames-based Providence Data Technologies, doing business as Distynct, provides an internet-based remote monitoring and alarm platform for livestock facilities, which allows producers to optimize personnel by directing them to the most significant problems of the…
ISU Startup Factory announces its eleventh cohort
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…
Winners of the 2021 Startup Iowa Awards
Clay & Milk is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Startup Iowa Awards presented by BLX. Congratulations to all of this year's winners and finalists. This year’s winners are: Entrepreneurial Support Organization of the Year: Iowa City Area Development Group (ICAD) Student Entrepreneur of the Year: Grayson Burgess Investor of the Year: ISA Ventures Accelerator of…
Investing in Iowa: Q4 2021
Investing in Iowa is a quarterly review of all investments made into early-stage companies in Iowa. The series is sponsored by ISA Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in Iowa-based companies. Iowa startups raised more than $16 million in Q4 of 2021. Since the beginning of 2018, Iowa startups have now raised a total of more…
IEDA awards funding to four Iowa startups
The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has approved innovation funding in support of four Iowa startups. In total, $275,000 was awarded to the four startups. Here are the startups that received funding. Mazen Animal Health Ames-based Mazen Animal Health develops oral animal vaccines for animal disease prevention. The edible vaccines can be dosed with feed, offering a cost-effective, safer…
Investing in Iowa: Q3 2021
Investing in Iowa is a quarterly review of all investments made into early-stage companies in Iowa. The series is sponsored by ISA Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in Iowa-based companies. Iowa startups raised more than $65 million in Q3 of 2021. Since the beginning of 2018, Iowa startups have now raised a total of more…
Investing in Iowa: Q2 2021
Investing in Iowa is a quarterly review of all investments made into early-stage companies in Iowa. The series is sponsored by ISA Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in Iowa-based companies. Iowa startups raised more than $13 million in Q2 of 2021. Since the beginning of 2018, Iowa startups have now raised a total of more…
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 startups 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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