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the PULL #145

April 27, 2016

I published my first Power Rankings for the Iowa startup community this past week. As I mentioned earlier, the idea is to recognize the companies that are moving and shaking statewide at any given time and to help highlight their accomplishments on a regular basis.

It's also a way to bring more company names into the general consciousness of our community so that when someone asks you a question like "what are the most interesting startups in Iowa these days?" you have some names ready to share (and even a little background on why those companies are doing interesting things).

One cool side note: I sketched out the initial five companies in late March to include on the first Power Rankings post in mid-April but when it came time to write that post, two completely different companies had made moves to bring themselves in the top five. Can you guess which ones?

Geoff


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Sports Illustrated Play buys Ames' Tourney Machine
Des Moines Register (Matthew Patane, April 20)

Last week Sports Illustrated Play (New York City), a division of Time Inc., purchased Ames-based startup Tourney Machine. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, the company and its eight employees will continue to operate out of Ames. Founded in 2014, the platform, which makes it easier to set up youth sports tournaments, and has since managed more than 780,000 games across 8,000 tournaments, according to a press release.

"They were highly regarded and their services are utilized pretty extensively throughout the entire youth sports market. They just have an amazing reputation," said Jeff Karp, the CEO of Sports Illustrated Play.
Female investor group launched in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids Gazette (Chelsea Keenan, April 19)

A new collaboration between the Iowa Startup Accelerator and Iowa Women Lead Change (IWLC), both based in Cedar Rapids, hopes to get more eastern Iowa women involved in the community as investors. In conjunction with founder Natalia Oberti Noguera, the local organization will launch the first chapter of the Pipeline Angels in Cedar Rapids this week during the IWLC Women’s Leadership Conference. Along with serving as a network for investors, the Pipeline Angels also investing boot camps that offer education, mentoring and practice to new angel investors.

Meet the first cohort for CYstarters
ISU Entrepreneurship (Diana Wright, April 20)

Last week the Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship announced the eight teams participating in its first cohort of CyStarters, a new summer accelerator program. The program gives students and recent graduates an opportunity to spend a summer pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor with funding from the university. The selected companies include everything from subscription box services and online marketplaces to web enabled software and companies focused on the Internet of things. The ten-week program starts May 23rd and selected startups will receive either $6,000 (individuals) or $12,000 (teams) in non-dilutive capital over the summer.
Men’s Style Lab CEO: ‘if a startup is going to raise money, it doesn't matter the geography’
Geoff Wood

One person who has been consistently able to find capital in this market is Derian Baugh, Founder & CEO of Men’s Style Lab. When he mentioned the other day that they had recently closed a round of funding I asked him, “what’s it like to raise money in Iowa right now?”
Iowa Startup Power Rankings—April
Geoff Wood

Welcome to the first ever Iowa Startup Community Power Rankings! The idea is to highlight the most interesting things being done within our statewide community at any given time. The plan is to publish around mid-month and recognize companies for the things they've accomplished in the 30 (or so) days prior.
Gravitate is a community of people who care about startups, technology and innovation in Iowa. We're glad you're here.

The Pull is curated by Geoff Wood and produced with help from Megan Bannister. Anything outside of said designated square is considered an autonomous unit for mid-mall snacking.

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