Not long after StartupCity Des Moines received news of its state funding, its team sent out a “thank you” tweet to the Iowa Department of Economic Development. Screenshot from twitter.com.
First announced with a tweet Thursday morning – “Thank you to the Iowa Department of Economic Development for your financial support vote today for StartupCity Des Moines” – and later confirmed by a press release, StartupCity Des Moines is one step closer to opening its doors to entrepreneurs looking to develop early stage technology-oriented startups.
In fact, it could be just weeks away. According to a Des Moines Register blog post on Thursday by Lynn Hicks, StartupCity principal Christian Renaud said the incubator could be ready to turn the key as early as October 1.
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That speedy timeline, Hicks reported, depends on StartupCity’s success in closing its other funding efforts, which would total $750,000 over three years.
To learn more about Thursday’s news, check out Hicks’ post:
State gives $250,000 to Startup City incubator
By Lynn Hicks, Des Moines Register
The Iowa Economic Development board approved Thursday giving $250,000 over three years to Startup City Des Moines, an incubator that hopes to hatch promising technology companies.
Incubators are considered one of the missing pieces needed to improve central Iowa’s economy. The Capital Crossroads vision plan …
Other details worth noting from Hicks’ piece:
- StartupCity plans to host 10-15 startups in year one and is on track to host as many as 30 in year three*
- About 60 companies have expressed interest
- A startup would contribute 3 percent of its stock to Startup City
Tune in … (Update: Tej Dhawan had a scheduling conflict arise and will not be able to join PrairieCast on Tuesday.)
Also, make sure to tune in Tuesday at 2 p.m. when Geoff Wood and Andy Brudtkuhl welcome StartupCity principal Tej Dhawan on PrairieCast. (Left, Dhawan, photo from twitter.com)
*Update 11:40 a.m. – In a Facebook comment below, Christian Renaud noted that the 10-15 startups will happen in year one and in year three, he said StartupCity is on track to host as many as 30.
