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The Iowa Tech Tour starts on Monday! Tremendous thanks to everyone who has helped pull this together in a really short time frame: Deanna Bennett & John Jackovin in Des Moines, Jessalyn Holdcraft & Eric Engelmann in Cedar Rapids and Diana Wright & Sam Schill in Ames. It's going to be a great week!
The full tour schedule is available here but I want to highlight a few events where anyone and everyone can meet Paul Singh and join in the fun:
Monday
- Pop-up Cereal Bar (provided by the Technology Association of Iowa) 8-10 AM at Gravitate (206 6th Avenue, 3rd Floor, Des Moines)
- Kick Off Happy Hour 5-7 PM at Gravitate (206 6th Avenue, 3rd Floor, Des Moines)
Tuesday
- Greater Des Moines Startup Community Town Hall (supported by the Universty of Iowa JPEC) 6-8 PM at the Pappajohn Higher Education Center (1200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines). RSVP requested due to limited seating.
Wednesday
- 1 Million Cups—Des Moines 8-9:30 AM at the Science Center of Iowa (401 W Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy, Des Moines)
Thursday
- Pancakes with Paul 8-10 AM at Vault Coworking & Collaboration Space (415 12th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids)
Friday
- Startup Ames 12-1 PM at Oakwood Road Community Center (2400 Oakwood Road, Ames)
Office Hours
Paul and his team will be holding office hours throughout the week in each of the three cities. You can apply for a spot here. Office hour appointments are an excellent opportunity to get direct feedback and perspective on your startup or the idea that you're considering. Having an entrepreneur and investor with Paul's breadth of experience isn't an opportunity that we get every day in our community so I'd encourage everyone to take advantage of it next week!
Thanks again to the sponsors that stepped up to support the Iowa Tech Tour: Next Level Ventures, Iowa Venture Capital Association, Davis Brown Law Firm, NewBoCo, BrownWinick—Attorneys at Law, Twilio and Square One DSM.
Geoff
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First cohort for ISU Startup Factory announced
Business Record (July 8)
The first cohort for the ISU StartUp Factory was announced last week. The new initiative, which is a partnership between the Iowa State Economic Development and Industry Relations (EDIR) and the Iowa State University Research Park (ISURP), began on June 27 and offers an intensive 52-week program that gives ISU students, faculty, and staff a new avenue to create technology-based businesses.
“We could not be more excited to get to work on growing these companies. The teams selected to be a part of our first cohort represent a broad range of areas of expertise from all throughout Iowa State University, and we are grateful to the individuals all over campus who were willing to partner with us to not only help us find these entrepreneurs, but to commit resources on an ongoing basis to helping root out subsequent cohorts,” said Bill Adamowski, who is leading the program.
For a summary of each company participating in the cohort, click here.
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WorkHound Joins Logistics-focused Dynamo Accelerator
Medium.com (Max Farrell, July 11)
The Des Moines-based team behind WorkHound recently announced they will join the Dynamo Accelerator, located in Chattanooga, Tenn. The accelerator is a three-month "mentor-driven innovation program, specializing in logistics, transportation, and supply chain startups," according to co-founder Max Farrell's blog post. Program participants exchange a 1-6% equity stake in their startup for up to $30,000 in funding, according to F6S.com, a site that processes accelerator applications.
WorkHound is a graduate of the Straight Shot accelerator in Omaha, Neb. and has participated in Square One DSM.
For an overview of companies building alongside WorkHound in Dynamo's cohort, click here.
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New Network-Based Moving Company Launches in Des Moines
WHOtv.com (Stephanie Moore, July 12)
Move247, a new Des Moines-based startup, launched this week to serve the need for on-demand movers and delivery. The startup uses a network of independent movers who drive their own vehicles, similar to how Uber uses a network of drivers in their own vehicles, according to WHO. It can be used to "pick up and deliver items bought at a retail store, move a house or office, and even pick up and deliver an item purchased on a classified ad."
Move247 is currently live in the Des Moines-area, as well as Winston-Salem and Greensboro, North Carolina.
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Coffee Shop Coworking: Smokey Row
Megan Bannister
Nestled in the heart of Des Moines’ Sherman Hill neighborhood, Smokey Row is a cozy coffee shop known for its retro diner style and constant stream of customers. The triangle-shaped brick building welcomes coffee-drinkers of all types in droves through its doors for meetings, late night study sessions, or simply a much-needed burst of caffeine. Located just over the interstate from Drake University, this local favorite pulls large crowds of students (both high school and college) and entrepreneurs alike.
With locations in Pella, Pleasantville, and Oskaloosa, Smokey Row has become a central Iowa mainstay for good coffee, friendly service, and an inviting (albeit noisy) atmosphere to get things done.
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