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Tractor Zoom completes raise
Des Moines based startup, Tractor Zoom, completed a funding raise on September 12. Innova Memphis and other undisclosed angel investors participated. Innova Memphis is an early-stage investment firm that focuses on starting and funding high-growth companies in the biosciences, technology and ag-tech fields. Approximately 70% of farm equipment auctions globally take place in the U.S.,…
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AppLink.io launches App Growth and gears up to expand nationally
The soft launch of AppLink.io’s Mobile App Analytics platform in 2017 aimed to get the Des Moines startup on the radar of the rest of the Midwest’s ecosystem. Now, a year later, the company is launching their new App Growth platform and preparing for a national launch. “We took a step back and really worked…
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IDx raises monster round in eastern Iowa
IDx, a Coralville, Iowa based startup raised $33 million dollars last week from notable venture capital firms: Optum Ventures, Alpha Edison, and Heritage Provider Network. IDx is the first and only FDA-cleared autonomous AI diagnostic system in any field of medicine. The company’s first diagnostic system, IDx-DR facilitates the diagnoses of diabetic retinopathy without requiring…
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Rantizo reducing farmers need for chemicals with targeted drone spraying
Spraying chemicals to control weeds and insects can be a time consuming part of agricultural work, as well as an expensive one. The Iowa City startup Rantizo, which is currently going through the Iowa Startup Accelerator, hopes to streamline the process using drones and electrostatic sprays for application of chemicals. How Rantizo works After working…
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Speaker applications for EntreFEST 2019 are now open
Speaker applications for EntreFEST 2019 are now open! EntreFEST, by NewBoCo, is coming May 16-17, 2019. EntreFEST is a two-day conference plus festival that celebrates the collaboration between people who make things happen. It is designed to create opportunities for people to connect and spark professional growth, community building, and outside the box thinking. The…
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FarrPro seeks to warm pigs with safe Haven
Mother pigs and their piglets prefer two very different temperatures. Piglets like it to be in the 90s, while sows are happier with a room temperature in the 70s. This makes it difficult to regulate temperatures for the two, and can even lead to piglet deaths when they’re crushed under their mom trying to stay…
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NewBoCo opens spots for a second Intrapreneur Academy cohort
NewBoCo recently announced that they will be launching a second cohort for Intrapreneur Academy this October. Intrapreneur Academy is a year-long training program in which organizations of all types will learn how to be innovative in a rapidly changing world. The inaugural Intrapreneur Academy cohort kicked off in April with a mix of nonprofit, for-profit, and…
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Gross-Wen Technologies sees algae as the solution to wastewater treatment
The Midwest has some major water quality issues, and it’s spreading. Nitrogen and phosphorus used to fertilize farms runs off into rivers, resulting in a record “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in massive toxic algae blooms that feed on the chemicals. Gross-Wen Technologies, an Ames, Iowa, startup, wants to use algae to…
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SwineTech seeks to save piglets from a crushing demise
More than 60 percent of piglet deaths are caused by their mother crushing them. In 2014, that resulted in more than 13 million piglet deaths and almost $700 million in lost revenue. That’s a lot of money for farmers to be leaving on the table but, the New Sharon, Iowa startup SwineTech is working to…
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Igor efficiently powers buildings using ethernet
When considering a physical location for a company, there’s more to think about than just the cost per square foot. Heating and cooling that space and even just keeping the lights on are big expenses to consider. The Johnston-based company Igor hopes to reduce operating costs for businesses by reducing their energy consumption using…