Steve Brody, president and CEO of BioConnect Iowa, announced Friday he will retire. He will remain involved during the transition period until a successor is appointed. BioConnect Iowa is the state’s public-private partnership for economic development in Iowa’s targeted bioscience platforms and was established after the Iowa Economic Development Authority and the Iowa Innovation Council commissioned a third-party analysis of Iowa’s bioscience industry in 2017. “Before joining BioConnect Iowa, my career was largely dedicated to global efforts in the agriculture and bioscience industries, despite being based primarily in Iowa,” Brody stated in a press release. “However, joining BioConnect Iowa in 2021 was a thrilling opportunity to channel my energies towards serving the state I love. It has been incredibly rewarding to witness the groundbreaking bioscience research and innovation driven by Iowa’s talented entrepreneurs and researchers. This experience stands out as one of the most fulfilling periods in my career, and I am genuinely appreciative of the chance to contribute to something so impactful for Iowa.” Under Brody’s leadership, BioConnect Iowa launched the InnoVenture Iowa Fund, the state’s first publicly funded venture capital initiative. Since its inception in 2022, the fund has invested more than $13 million in 36 Iowa-based companies. In 2023, following an update to Iowa’s bioscience strategy by IEDA, BioConnect Iowa introduced the Iowa Bioscience Innovation Flywheel, which connects entrepreneurs with innovation programs across Iowa.