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Watch: Banno CEO Wade Arnold talks Iowa tech, software culture
“If you think of programming and IT as the same thing, good luck hiring programmers.” That advice came from Wade Arnold during his lecture at the Biz Luncheon Series June 19 in Des Moines. The 34-year-old CEO of Cedar Falls-based company Banno spoke about how to create a successful software culture…
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Wade Arnold: Treat programmers like “first-class citizens”
To emerge victorious in the next tech talent war, Iowa companies must create a culture that cultivates and nurtures passionate programmers. That’s what Banno CEO Wade Arnold said Wednesday afternoon in a Business Innovation Zone Luncheon presentation. “What I strongly believe is if you have people lined up with the passion, their 100 percent is…
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Six keys to selling to businesses
(Guest post by Mike Colwell.) Selling to businesses (B2B) can be hard but I will argue it can be very rewarding. I gained my selling to business experiences in the 80s and early 90s with a company called Norand Data Systems out of Cedar Rapids Iowa. We were selling new technologies (mobile and wireless computing)…
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Brad Dwyer tells the Hatchlings story at BIZ luncheon (Video)
When Brad Dwyer created Hatchlings in 2008, he was a college sophomore who viewed the game as little more than an entertaining way to pass a weekend in the dorms. “At the time,” Dwyer said, “I just thought it was going to be another fun project that I did.” Far from it. Hatchlings, a game…
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At BIZ luncheon, Fastpath president talks keys to remote sales (Video)
Fastpath Solutions caters to nearly 600 clients in more than 30 countries on six continents. And the Urbandale-based company, which makes auditing compliance software, does so while seldom leaving the comfort of its central Iowa home. “We don’t ever see our customers,” Fastpath president Andy Snook said. “We don’t see clients unless we’re drinking beer…
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Iowa angel group forms with focus on Midwest
The Business Innovation Zone announced Sunday the formation of the Plains Angels, an independent, nonprofit consortium of angel investors that plans to make investments in the areas of technology, agriculture and manufacturing. “We want to help (accredited) investors more efficiently access high-quality deal flow,” said Mike Colwell (far left), director of the Business Innovation Zone,…
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BIZ Luncheon Series: Christian Gurney on product build and launch
The Business Innovation Zone in Des Moines, led by Mike Colwell, holds a series of educational luncheons, the Business Insights and Networking Luncheon Series, for entrepreneurs in Central Iowa. Each event in the series features a speaker from the Des Moines community with either expertise or thought leadership in an area that’s applicable to people…
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Events: Startup Drinks, Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference, more
Every Monday, look for our events post to keep you in the loop on the happenings of the week. From meetups and conferences to workshops and pitch sessions, if it’s happening …
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Events: BIZ Luncheon and TechBrew
Every Monday, look for our events post to keep you in the loop on the happenings of the week. From meetups and conferences to workshops and pitch sessions, if it’s happening in the Silicon Prairie, you’ll find it here. For more, visit our events page for a calendar of upcoming events from us and others…