June 19, 2013 by Frank Merchlewitz
Des Moines To emerge victorious in the next tech talent war, Iowa companies must create a culture that cultivates and nurtures passionate programmers. That's what Banno CEO Wade Arnold said Wednesday afternoon in a Business Innovation Zone Luncheon presentation. "What I strongly believe is if you have people lined up with the passion, their 100 percent is much better than a rockstar's 80 percent," said the 34-year-old founder of the Cedar … read more
June 19, 2013 by Megan Bannister
Ankeny Derrick Hans and Nathan Gibson have been friends since kindergarten. They grew up just outside of Ankeny, attended the same high school, and would eventually start a business together. That was never the original plan though. Hans, who works at Dewey Ford in Ankeny, and Gibson, a builder at Dwolla, both have other full-time engagements, not to mention families that keep them busy. … read more
June 19, 2013 by Fred Bauters
Kansas City A children's iPad app came out on top at the second annual Hack the Midwest last weekend after ideas were kicked around for 24 hours and pitched just off the pitch at Sporting Park's Boulevard Members Club in Kansas City, Kan. About 150 developers and designers formed teams Saturday to present 30 apps in front of a panel Sunday at the Members Club. Ten awards were handed out, with three "special award" categories and … read more
June 19, 2013 by Danny Schreiber
A look at our calendar page three years ago would have shown about a half-dozen monthly startup events throughout the Silicon Prairie. There were Startup Drinks, Cornstalks and other meetups, but there were no 1 Million Cups, Ladies who Launch or Design+Tech events. Thanks to organizations like Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, host of 1 Million Cups, entrepreneurs like Jill Thayer Liliedahl and Amber Pankonin … read more
June 18, 2013 by Fred Bauters
Columbia In the middle of Missouri, paired with one of the top-rated journalism programs in the country, Newsy has quietly fostered big-league media relationships to share its multi-source video news service. Today, the Columbia, Mo.-based startup announced a long-term relationship with MSN News to collaboratively produce up to 20 videos per day for the network. … read more
June 18, 2013 by Frank Merchlewitz
Omaha The folks who brought you QuickCal, the top-selling iOS scheduling app, are back, and this time they're helping organize your workouts. Smelly Puppy's latest app, Zones, hit the App Store in February as a result of Omaha developer James Boutcher's frustrating experiences at the gym. While he was on a metabolic heart rate workout plan, Boutcher ... read more
June 18, 2013 by Megan Bannister
Spencer Morningside College junior Blake Anderson thinks of most of his great ideas in the shower. After scribbling his inspiration down on spare slips of paper, he takes the idea to his partner and sounding board Sean Richardson, a recent Morningside graduate. This time, the idea that struck him and went on to impress the Startup Weekend Spencer judges this past weekend was PushLoyalty, a mobile app that allows businesses to reward customer loyalty. "My original idea was a push notification … read more
June 18, 2013 by Fred Bauters
Kansas City Fresh off its inclusion in the Points of Light Civic Accelerator, Kansas City-based crowdfunding startup Neighbor.ly has received a $175,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to scale its operations. “With its expansion more people will be able to get involved in decision-making in their communities, while governments and change makers can connect with ready-made projects that resonate ... 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.