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Entrepreneurship & Startups

Leann Pederson

Forty under 40, Class of 2024 – Leann Pederson 

Senior partner, health care studio manager, registered interior designer, RDG Planning & Design

Age: 37

Husband: Nathan Pederson 

Children: Owen (8), Westin (5) and Clayton (2)

Accomplishments that make you deserving of being a Forty …

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Funding recap: IEDA awards $2.7M to 10 Iowa startups in Q3

The Iowa Economic Development Authority awards funding to startups in the form of low-interest loans through its Innovation Continuum, which includes five funds that are designed to offer companies non-dilutive funding at every stage of …

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InnoVenture Iowa announces three new portfolio companies 

InnoVenture Iowa, the first public venture capital fund in Iowa, has added three new companies to its investment portfolio since the second quarter, it has announced. The fund began co-investing in early-stage, Iowa-based startups in …

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Jill Wilkins named executive director of NewBoCo

NewBoCo has announced that Jill Wilkins, who has been serving as the organization’s interim executive director since April, has now been named to the position on a permanent basis. Wilkins succeeds Aaron Horn, who stepped …

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Applications for 2024 Black and Brown Business Summit pitch competition now open

The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications now through Jan. 31 for the 2024 Athene Black and Brown Business Summit pitch competition. Applicants must be a for-profit business that is 51% minority …

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Maple Studios member profile: Stone Path Engineering

innovationIOWA is sharing profiles of the current members of Maple Studios, a startup studio for early-stage industrial technology companies based on the campus of Ramco Innovations in West Des Moines.

Bailey Steinfadt, founder and lead …

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Scale DSM accelerator graduates second cohort

The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced the 10 graduates of the second cohort of the Scale DSM Minority Business Accelerator. The business owners completed a seven-month program centered around case-based peer learning, management skills …

InnoVenture23 winner Reenvision

ReEnvision Ag wins 2023 InnoVenture Challenge

Nora Springs-based startup ReEnvision Ag was selected Wednesday evening by a panel of judges as the winner of the 2023 InnoVenture Challenge, a $100,000 pitch competition co-hosted by InnoVenture Iowa and BioConnect Iowa. ReEnvision Ag …

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Hummingbirds raises $3.3M seed round to accelerate national growth

Following its expansion from three to 14 Midwest cities in 2023, Des Moines-based technology company Hummingbirds announced Wednesday that it has raised $3.3 million in seed funding that it plans to use to expand its …

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First 3D printed home built in Muscatine following demolition of first attempt

Alquist 3D, a homebuilder using 3D printing, completed construction in November on the first 3D-printed house in Muscatine and Iowa. It is the first of 10 planned 3D-printed houses in the city of Muscatine to …