AABP EP Awards 728x90

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Honda, LG announce $4.4 billion US battery factory for EVs

CNN Business: Honda has struck a deal with Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution to build a $4.4 billion U.S. factory to supply its electric vehicles. The partners haven’t announced where in the United States they’ll …

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Gunderson joins ManchesterStory as investment principal

ManchesterStory Fund Management announced that Nicole Gunderson has joined the Des Moines-based venture capital firm as a principal on its investment team. Gunderson most recently was managing director of the Global Insurance Accelerator in Des Moines, a position …

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Grower’s Edge launches Crop Plan 2.0 platform

Grower’s Edge, a fintech provider for agricultural input suppliers, retailers and other organizations across the U.S., announced today the launch of Crop Plan 2.0. The platform delivers agronomic crop plans for the ag industry and has new …

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Iowa companies are going spatial with AR/VR technologies

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NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: Billions pour into bioplastics as markets begin ramping up

With innovations in bioplastics focused on medical applications, the wider industry is hoping to expand options by elevating renewable materials including corn, sugar and vegetable oil as candidates to become bioplastics. To make it happen, …

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FCC approves sale of Lumen assets to Brightspeed

The Federal Communications Commission has approved the previously announced sale of Lumen Technologies’ incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) business in 20 states to Brightspeed. Lumen will retain its ILEC business in 16 states, including Iowa. According to …

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27 Iowa companies named to 2022 Inc. 5000 list

A total of 27 Iowa companies appeared on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies, Clay and Milk reported. Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue…
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BankTech Ventures raises $115M from community bank investors

BankTech Ventures, a strategic investment fund and ecosystem launched in November to serve community banks and bank technology entrepreneurs, announced the closing of its first fund. More than 100 limited partners, made up almost entirely of …

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VizyPay ranked No. 918 on 2022 Inc. 5000 list

VizyPay appeared on the annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country for the second consecutive year, ranking at No. 918. It was ranked at No. 45 a year ago. The …

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NOTEBOOK – ONE GOOD READ: Ransomware attacks are hitting small businesses. These are experts’ top defense tips.

The Ransomware Task Force ? which was started in 2021, comprising U.S. government officials, academics and members of think tanks and the private sector ? recently released a new report with small and midsized businesses’ cybersecurity needs in mind. NPR …