Who’s the No. 2 startup in Des Moines?

Over the past week or two I’ve asked several folks in Des Moines the same question, “Who is the No. 1 startup in Des Moines?” The answer, almost always, is Dwolla. Some say it quickly while others try to determine a measurement criteria before answering, but either way Dwolla is where they end up. The…

Photo by Chris Breeze via Flickr

Over the past week or two I’ve asked several folks in Des Moines the same question, “Who is the No. 1 startup in Des Moines?” The answer, almost always, is Dwolla. Some say it quickly while others try to determine a measurement criteria before answering, but either way Dwolla is where they end up.

The question of “No. 1” might as well be rhetorical since what I really want everyone’s thoughts on is my follow up question: “Who is the No. 2 startup in Des Moines?”

That’s much harder to answer and as expected the responses vary widely. People’s answers range from “Company X has the coolest tech” to “Company Y has the most funding” to “Company Z, likely, has the most revenue.”

While each of those is a factor that may contribute to “being No. 2,” none of them alone, or even all of them combined, is characteristic of what has made Dwolla the clear No. 1 in Des Moines. Dwolla has some degree of each (cool tech, funding and revenue), however in my estimation they’re not in the extreme of any of them.

One thing Dwolla does have more of than any other startup in Des Moines is name recognition. Both on local and national level people are beginning to learn about Dwolla. Some would call this “hype” and to some extent it is hype. However, hype isn’t a bad thing if you deliver on it and we’ve seen them do that with consistent product releases, new partners and entries into new markets.

Name recognition, however, is only one part of it. What makes Dwolla the top startup for me is simply an intrinsic feeling that they’re on a trajectory towards success. If anyone in Des Moines is going to “make it,” it’s them. When I think about that in context, it’s easy to see why the answer to “Who’s No. 2?” isn’t clear. I don’t see anyone else, yet, on that same trajectory.

That’s not to say that the rest of us aren’t successful now or that we won’t be; some, hopefully many, of us certainly will be successful.

Again, I don’t think Dwolla has the coolest tech, the most funding or the most revenue in town. In many ways, the Dwolla of 24 months ago isn’t the Dwolla of today. When I first interviewed Dwolla founder Ben Milne about his idea in November 2009, his team was just him working from the to-be-completed Foundry Coworking space and co-founder Shane Neuerenberg working form his home in North Dakota. A far cry from the more than 15 developers, designers and customer support specialists they have overflowing their current space on Silicon Sixth.

Better question: How does a startup achieve that “Dwolla-trajectory?”

Who do you think is 24 months or less away from being on a similar trajectory towards success? Actually, the names don’t matter. Here’s a better question: What steps did Dwolla take to achieve to its current trajectory and what can other startups learn from it? I encourage you to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

I talk to entrepreneurs in Des Moines every single day and I love that I get to hear their ideas. Now, I want to see those entrepreneurs do something greater with them. I want to see a dozen startups on that “Dwolla-trajectory” in 2012.

Make it happen, Des Moines.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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