Des Moines Author, mom, and startup founder Tara Hunt took the stage at The Temple for Performing Arts with a little hesitation. Even with experience working with over 30 startups, she began her talk at Thinc Iowa 2012 by admitting she felt less than enthused about the story she was going to tell. That story chronicled the route her company, Buyosphere, has taken leading up to today's public launch, and the story shed light on the not-so-glamorous side of … read more

Des Moines Wrap up Thinc Iowa 2012 at 8 tonight with the closing party presented by Iowa's Creative Corridor. Open to both badge holders and the general public, the party is at West End Architectural Salvage. This 50,000-square-foot warehouse not only provides a place for guests to connect, but also brings light to a local entrepreneur, Don Short, who rehabbed the building 6 years ago. … read more

Des Moines Something is brewing in Chicago, and Neal Sales-Griffin is at the center of it. Sales-Griffin is from the South Side of Chicago and describes his home as a magical city and the Midwest as a magical part of the country. He is responsible for bringing people from all around the world to Chicago to learn how to code and design web apps through The Starter League, a school that trains people of any skill level to code and design. This morning at Thinc Iowa 2012 … read more

Des Moines Antonio Neves, the founder of THINQACTION, kicked off day two of Thinc Iowa 2012 this morning at The Temple for Performing Arts by challenging conference-goers to create their own luck. "Who could use some luck?" he asked attendees. "Would you bet on you, accomplishing what you say is most important in your life?" A self-described professional question asker and opportunity identifier, Neves founded THINQACTION to help … read more

Des Moines This group of Thinc Iowa 2012 sponsors are those that put their time and services into helping us produce the event. The list starts with the most visible partners: Performance Marketing and Shift. They're the ones who designed the awesome "chalk board" identity for the conference, built the website and created all the signage in the event venue and at the parties. We love the opportunity to work with these creative folks, whether it's brainstorming … read more

Des Moines After taking in a full day of talks on Wednesday at The Temple For Performing Arts, the Thinc Iowa 2012 crowd reconvened at the Exile Brewing Co. on Wednesday evening for the Middle Party, presented by Banno. Apparently unfazed after an already busy day, plenty of conference-goers stuck around and socialized until closing time. Check out some photos from the party below, and see the Facebook album from the party for a complete photo set. … read more

Des Moines The second round of talks at Thinc Iowa 2012 runs from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. today at The Temple for Performing Arts in downtown Des Moines. And once again, for those who can't join us in person, we have a virtual seat saved. As we did yesterday, we will be live streaming every talk at Thinc Iowa today. The live stream is brought to you thanks to the sponsorship of Wellmark. | Watch the Thinc Iowa live stream here … read more

Des Moines As the co-founder and former chief executive officer of AOL, the co-founder and CEO of investment firm Revolution and the chairman of the Startup America Partnership — to name just a few of his endeavors — Steve Case has a résumé that could make even the most serial of entrepreneurs blush. But when Case took the stage on Wednesday at the The Temple for Performing Arts to deliver … read more

Des Moines To close the first day of Thinc Iowa 2012, four speakers took the stage at The Temple for Performing Arts for a 40-minute question-and-answer faciliated by Antonio Neves, the event's emcee. Gentry Underwood of Orchestra, Ron J. Williams of Knodes, Brian Spaly of Trunk Club and Tara Hunt of Buyosphere, all CEOS, chatted about networks, fashion, admirable CEOs and family, among other things, making for a frank and honest conversation … read more

Des Moines Designer and entreprenuer Gentry Underwood is the CEO and co-founder of Orchestra, an app labeled as the "Best To-Do List for iPhone" by LifeHacker. This afternoon, he was the final individual presenter on day one of Thinc Iowa 2012. His message, centered around how thinking like a designer can help startups succeed, brought the audience at The Temple for Performing Arts insight into … read more