About the author: Geoff Wood is the COO and main connection point in Iowa for Silicon Prairie News.
Here we go again with the ag stuff. As most of my friends will tell you, it peeves me when the national media stereotypes Iowa based on its agricultural history.
By almost any account, Dwolla‘s announcement Tuesday of its $16.5 million Series C round led by Andreessen Horowitz was a great thing for Des Moines’ startup community. It brought continued attention to what’s been growing here, added more than 30 startup jobs here and served as further proof that it is possible to build a tech startup here.
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Everything is good until someone decides to run a photo of some pigs. The image above, with the caption “Dwolla plans to keep its headquarters in Iowa, a state known more for its pork than for tech startups,” is a screenshot from Bloomberg’s coverage of the raise. The story, of course, has nothing to do with pork, as you know it’s about an innovative payments startup raising capital from one of the world’s foremost venture firms. The pigs are nothing more than an unrelated stereotype of Iowans. Grumble.
I understand why Bloomberg used the photo. It’s cute—wise choice to go with two piglets involved in some sort of race instead of a big manure-filled feedlot—and more importantly it immediately invokes in the reader a sense of just how hard it must be for a few kids right “off the (figurative) farm” to raise money in Silicon Valley.
Artwork aside, the Bloomberg story was fine. The real reason I bring it up is that it illustrates how far we still need to go to change the national perception of Iowa—and by extension the entire Silicon Prairie—as the type of place to be renowned for both its agriculture and its tech startups.
It won’t happen overnight and every little bit helps. Dwolla’s capital raise, CBS’ investment in Syncbak and the Google and Facebook data center announcements have all provided strong national exposure for technology in our state this last week.
The hard part is how to keep it going. As John Jackovin, founder of Des Moines startup Bawte, tweeted yesterday:
So proud of my friends at @dwolla. Fellow #DSM entrepreneurs, it’s on our shoulders to prove this community isn’t a one hit wonder.
— John Jackovin (@Jackovin) May 1, 2013
Who’s up to the challenge?
Oh, and Bloomberg, if you want to run a story on Dwolla and pork, you should probably talk to Carl Blake.
Credits: Screenshot from bloomberg.com.
About the author: Geoff Wood is the COO and main connection point in Iowa for Silicon Prairie News, an organization working to increase the notability of the Silicon Prairie region – Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City and surrounding area – as an innovation center and startup hub. In addition to a daily news blog, the Silicon Prairie News team also produces events like Big Des Moines (formerly Thinc Iowa), Big Omaha and Big Kansas City. Wood helps organize Barcamp Des Moines and DSM Startup Drinks. He’s proud of his in-laws and their family farm (beef cattle, not pork).
You can contact Geoff at geoff@siliconprairienews.com or find him on Twitter, @geoffwood.
