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Ames startup Brainsoft receives $256K SBIR grant
Ames startup Brainsoft has been awarded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development work on using brainwaves in virtual reality applications. Brainsoft develops technologies for using human brainwaves to control objects and studies the relations of the human brain activities to the emotional and intellectual states. The project addresses 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…
ISU Startup Factory announces its tenth cohort
The Iowa State University Startup Factory announced this month its tenth cohort of entrepreneurs entering the Iowa State-based program. The following are the names of the nine participating startups in the tenth cohort. Frugi Biotechnology Founded by Jared Dopp, Frugi Biotechnology is a paper-based diagnostic that uses synthetic biology to detect pathogens. MacroLei Technologies Founded by…
Middle Bit: Peter Hong named new director of ISU Startup Factory program
 The Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship announced this a week that Peter Hong has been named as director of the ISU Startup Factory program, effective Feb. 1. Hong will succeed Bill Adamowski, the Startup Factory’s inaugural president who resigned his post in February 2020, and Kris Johansen, who assumed the role as interim director until…
An in-depth look at Iowa’s new ‘G2M’ Accelerator
A new accelerator program launching early next month will look to fill the need for follow-on support programs for entrepreneurs who have completed one of the growing number of accelerator programs in the state. The Iowa Go-To-Market (G2M) Accelerator is part of a $1.29 million program funded by the US Economic Development Administration as part…
ISU graduates launch app to make online shopping faster
Two Iowa State University graduates have created a new app designed to make online transactions faster and more convenient for consumers. Founded by Aaryaman Anerao and John Jago, PeachPay is an application consumers can download on their smartphones to connect with online merchants to complete their purchases. Users enter their credit card information, shipping address…
Iowa organizations receive funding to launch ‘Iowa Go-To-Market program’
Three Iowa organizations—Iowa Innovation Corp, Iowa State University Startup Factory and VentureNet Iowa—have received a $525,472 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s 2020 Venture Challenge program to launch the Iowa Go-To-Market (G2M) program. The funding will support the G2M project team in seeking to address two gaps in the Iowa innovation ecosystem. First, a…
Legov Sytstems Group receives $225,000 SBIR Grant
Legov Systems Group has been awarded a $225,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct research and development work on a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Thermal Energy Harvesting System. Based in Nevada, Iowa, Legov Systems Group is developing an SMA actuator comprised of porous SMA material operating in a compact…
ISU Startup Factory accepts 11 teams into its ninth cohort
The Iowa State University Startup Factory today announced its ninth cohort of entrepreneurs entering the Iowa State-based program. Ten teams joined the program, along with one honorary member selected to participate. The program started on June 25 with a virtual kick-off reception. Cohort members, program staff, mentors, advisors, and investors joined the virtual ceremony held to celebrate…
ISU Startup Factory announces eighth cohort
The Iowa State University Startup Factory has announced the eighth cohort of entrepreneurs that will join the Iowa State-based program. Those accepted in the Startup Factory receive formal training, resources, and access to a network of business mentors, advisors, counselors and investors in two 26-week blocks. The first block will consist of a formal curriculum centered on…
isu startup factory 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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