West Des Moines One week after a partnership announcement with a U.S. financial firm, West Des Moines-based Social Money makes headlines in India on another front: its social, goal-based savings platform went live today with the country's largest private sector bank. ICICI Bank is using Social Money's enterprise product … read more

West Des Moines Social Money today announced it's preparing for the launch of a new product, CorePro, with a new partner, The Bancorp, Inc., the holding company behind a financial firm that offers banking services and products. CorePro is a savings account … read more

West Des Moines Goodsmiths, an online marketplace for handmade goods, on Monday began to target holiday shoppers with a blitz of a paid marketing campaigns (left) that are expected to reach more than 2.5 million subscribers across three publishing companies. "We've seen it from our competition that holidays are their biggest time of the year," Goodsmiths co-founder and CEO James Eliason said in a … read more

West Des Moines Google announced today it made a $75 million equity investment in a wind farm in Rippey, Iowa, a town about 50 miles northwest of Des Moines. The announcement signals another significant investment in the Silicon Prairie by Google. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company's involvement in the region also includes efforts in Kansas City, the first city to receive Google Fiber, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Google operates a data center, offers free public Wi-Fi and provides Chromebooks to … read more

West Des Moines Amid a crowd of friends, fellow founders and startup enthusiasts of all stripes Wednesday night, Goodsmiths announced the arrival of its group buying option and milestone of $1 million in inventory. "Now we can finally say, hey, we're different than the others that are out there," co-founder Levi Rosol said in the startup's West Des Moines office. Group buying has been in Goodsmiths' DNA since its inception but it didn't become a reality … read more

West Des Moines Often, startups are fueled by passion. For Deb Gore Ohrn, the decision to end her 18-year career at Meredith Corporation for an 18-month old startup was in following her heart. "It was just like, 'Oh my God, I need to be working with (Goodsmiths),' " Gore Ohrn said in a phone interview Tuesday. That feeling was mutual. On top of her expertise and relationships in the world of crafters and makers – her resume includes six years as editor in chief/marketing director of the Better Homes and Gardens Crafts Group – Goodsmiths CEO James Eliason said her enthusiasm … read more

West Des Moines Bawte, a social media application for sharing purchases, is getting some major marketing fuel this summer through a promotion run by Kum & Go, the nation's fifth largest privately held, company-operated convenience store chain. Through the end of August, the West Des Moines-based chain is giving away a gift card weekly to someone who shares a fountain drink purchase on Bawte (left). "For us to work with Kum & Go has been invaluable," John Jackovin, co-founder … read more