September 27, 2012 by Danny Schreiber
Des Moines One year ago, Christian Renaud and Tej Dhawan were still pitching their plans for a tech startup incubator in downtown Des Moines. With stops at five public and private entities, including the Corporation for Economic Development, the City of Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the two secured $750,000 to launch StartupCity Des Moines in early October. Today, the incubator boasts … read more
September 25, 2012 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines To round out our Thinc Iowa 2012 speaker slate, we couldn't be more excited to announce the addition of three entrepreneurs, including Steve Case, co-founder and former CEO of AOL. Case, a pivotal figure in the evolution of the internet, led AOL to its peak and negotiated the company's merger with Time Warner, a deal that catapulted Case as a leader and "one of the nation's greatest entrepreneurs," according to CNBC. Case is currently the chairman of the Startup America Partnership, and co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In addition to his role with Startup America, Case is the chairman and CEO of Revolution – an investment firm that has backed more than two dozen companies, including LivingSocial, Zipcar … read more
September 24, 2012 by Michael Stacy
Des Moines Silicon Prairie News: What led you to Des Moines and Hatchlings? George Jurgens: Eight years ago I was invited to a friend originally from Iowa’s lake house on Lake Panorama. Ever since then I’ve been visiting every year and got to know Brad through mutual friends. | After graduating from university this year in England, I started looking for jobs with startups in the U.S. Brad was an ideal contact and offered me a position with Hatchlings, a business I've seen grow over the last few years. I didn’t realize until I started work at Hatchlings how huge the startup scene in the Midwest is, and I am excited to see where it will be in 10 years. Depending on how the visa situation goes, I’d love to stick around and be a part of that … read more
September 21, 2012 by Danny Schreiber
Des Moines Innovator or instigator. Entrepreneur or wantapaneur. Startup founder or startup fan. No matter how you identify yourself, we invite you to join us at Thinc Iowa 2012, our sixth conference on innovation and entrepreneurship. The two-and-a-half-day event kicks off with an opening party at 8 p.m. on Oct. 9, which is just a little more than two weeks away. Tickets still remain, with friendly discounts available for entrepreneurs, startups, students and non-profits. … read more
September 19, 2012 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines Today, we're adding two skilled entrepreneurs to our Thinc Iowa lineup who will share their story, provide guidance and lend pointers to give attendees perspective with what they're working on. At Thinc Iowa Oct. 9-11, we're spinning a web of support for hustlers, entrepreneurs, investors and doers … read more
September 18, 2012 by Geoff Wood
Des Moines It's hard to believe, but we're just three weeks out from our second annual Thinc Iowa conference. Our team is heads down, working hard to execute the small details that go into putting on our Silicon Prairie Series events. We do our best to make sure everything fits into the overall experience: from the parties to the speakers to the venue. As we look forward to the event kicking off October 9, however, we're most excited about the things that will happen that … read more
September 17, 2012 by Michael Stacy
Des Moines The second Iowa Startup Fair concludes Tuesday with the Innovation Expo in Coralville. That daylong event will cap off an 11-day, statewide effort to connect Iowa's startup community with the state's broader business community. A big piece of that effort took place last Tuesday at StartupCity Des Moines and Dwolla headquarters. There, 33 startups … read more
September 17, 2012 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines During the two and a half days of our Thinc Iowa event, Oct. 9-11, the parties play into the full conference experience. From the opening party Tuesday to the closing party Thursday, they're just as integral to an attendee's experience as what happens in our main venue, The Temple for Performing Arts. Highlighted below are the four local venues where we will host our parties – two of which are open … read more
September 17, 2012 by Paige Yowell
Des Moines Jay Namboor and Darryl Jose, the founders of Des Moines-based iapps24, are seeking to replace the traditional business card with Proferral, a recently released app designed to facilitate networking and professional recommendations. The app, now available for download in the App Store … read more
September 14, 2012 by Geoff Wood
Des Moines The reopening of a coffee shop isn't something you expect to read about on Silicon Prairie News, but today we've made an exception: Mars Cafe is back. The coffee shop located near Drake University was a favorite among Des Moines' creative class from the time it opened in 2006 until it closed last month. A group of Mars regulars purchased the establishment a few weeks ago and have scheduled its grand reopening Saturday. … read more
Through August 22, help us decide the winners of our inaugural Silicon Prairie Awards, which will recognize 12
companies and individuals. You can vote once per day per category.
Winners will be announced live on stage at
our August 30 event.