Eastern Iowa startups stole the show at the Technology Association of Iowa‘s ninth annual Prometheus Awards Wednesday evening in Des Moines.
Higher Learning Technologies, Banno, ClusterFlunk and TelePharm all took home honors from the annual Iowa-focused awards.
Coralville-based HLT won Best Mobile Application for their nursing app NCLEX Mastery while Iowa City companies ClusterFlunk and TelePharm took home Student Innovation of the Year and Outstanding Startup Company, respectively. Wade Arnold, CEO of Cedar Falls-based Banno, was named CEO of the Year.
Following TAI’s annual i2iowa investors and innovators conference, the sold-out event, emceed by the Des Moines Register’s Lynn Hicks, drew investors, entrepreneurs and community members from across the state to celebrate achievements in technology and innovation.
Along with TAI’s 13 awards, Governor Terry Branstad presented a Lifetime Achievement in Venture Capital award to John Pappajohn, an entrepreneurial advocate who has helped spur growth in Iowa. Pappajohn also has helped create five John Pappajohn entrepreneurial centers at colleges and universities around the state, including the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State University, Drake University and North Iowa Area Community College.
2014 Prometheus Award Winners
The 2014 Prometheus Awards honored companies and leaders from across the state.
Categories with startup finalists
- Best Mobile Application: NCLEX Mastery by Higher Learning Technologies (Coralville)
- Top Growth Company of the Year: MediRevv (Coralville)
- Chief Executive Officer of the Year: Wade Arnold, CEO, Banno (Cedar Falls)
- Investing in Iowa – 2014 Award: Ben Milne, CEO, Dwolla (Des Moines)
- Student Innovation of the Year: ClusterFlunk (Iowa City)
- Outstanding Startup Company: TelePharm (Iowa City)
Other categories
- Software Company of the Year: WebFilings (Ames)
- IT Service Provider of the Year: Circle Computer Resources (Cedar Rapids)
- Best User of Technology: Rockwell Collins (Cedar Rapids)
- Chief Information Officer/Chief Technology Officer/Chief Strategy Officer of the Year: Tim Peterson, Executive VP of Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Des Moines)
- No Boundaries Spotlight: Caleris
- Break-Out Company of the Year: Phantom EFX (Cedar Falls)
- Life Sciences Company of the Year: Trans Ova Genetics (Sioux Center)
- Technology Company of the Year (annual revenues of $1-10 million): GlobalVetLINK (Ames)
- Technology Company of the Year (annual revenues over $10 million): WebFilings (Ames)
Credits: Event photo by Megan Bannister.