September 1, 2011 by Danny Schreiber
Des Moines Edging out second place by more than 500 votes, Matthew Smith of Real Estate Fan Pages is the winner of Central Iowa division of MyEntre.Net's statewide Dream Big Grow Here contest. Smith, the owner of S&G Real Estate Investments, will take home $5,000 from the local contest facilitated by the Business Innovation Zone and move on to compete in the statewide competition for a chance at $10,000. … read more
August 30, 2011 by Michael Stacy
Ames For attorneys at the heart of mergers and acquisitions or other financing transactions, paper is plentiful and tends to pile up in a hurry — hundreds of documents over the course of a deal, hundreds more emails per day in the run-up to closing. Finalize It is a cloud-based software service that aims to turn that potential mountain of documents into a more manageable molehill. Finalize It is one of seven entries in the Dream Big Des Moines contest, which seeks the top tech-based business ideas … read more
August 29, 2011 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines 'Location, location, location' is a common mantra in the real estate industry. Now with the idea for Real Estate Fan Pages, realtors can live up to the phrase, find potential home-buyers and end the hunt in house-hunting with one online location: Facebook. Real Estate Fan Pages is one of seven entries in the Dream Big Des Moines contest, which seeks the top tech-based business ideas in central Iowa. The top vote-getter in an … read more
August 29, 2011 by Michael Stacy
Ankeny Already well-acquainted with the App Store? Well, now get to know the TapStore. Seeking to sidestep the hassles of creating native mobile apps for each of the different mobile platforms, SquareTap, also dubbed "the TapStore," provides a custom home page for a smart phone’s web browser, giving users a customized, central source for their favorite mobile apps and a directory of the best mobile destinations from around the web. "I think mobile devices are becoming more diverse," … read more
August 26, 2011 by Michael Stacy
Des Moines Networking, if you ask Mike Templeton, is a dirty word. "For me it generally means standing in a room full of crowded people, blindly introducing myself and my line of work to utter strangers," Templeton, the founder of Introvio, said of networking in a recent blog post. "There are no warnings about people you should avoid, nor are there signals to point out the best people to meet." But with Introvio … read more
August 25, 2011 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines Whether by train or plane or automobile, travelers have their pick of transportation when it comes to cross-country trips, and now with the idea for DriveOR making the most affordable choice may become easier. DriveOR seeks to map out the most cost-efficient transportation for any traveler by comparing the routes and methods available from point A to point B. The web application plans to partner with airline and travel sites, in addition to gas stations to provide up-to-date pricing for consumers to make the best travel decisions for their budget. … read more
August 24, 2011 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines There are plenty of ways to discover new music, but for Jake Kerber, who struggles with Top 40 radio and finds joy in the sounds of his community, there wasn’t an option for local music. So Kerber started Locusic to help users find the beats in their own backyard. Locusic is one of seven entries in the Dream Big Des Moines contest, which seeks the top tech-based business ideas in central Iowa. The top vote-getter in an online poll … read more
August 23, 2011 by Brittany Mascio
Des Moines The Bat-Signal is out across the state of Iowa for all types of heroes, and bHeroic is the startup behind the shining light. Born not in the streets of Gotham City but in the Des Moines community at Startup Weekend 2011, bHeroic, also known as Unleash Heroes, is a free social game that encourages ordinary heroism by tracking and rewarding acts of volunteerism. … read more
August 17, 2011 by Michael Stacy
Des Moines This isn't the type of Iowa polling story you've grown accustomed to reading recently. Nope, there are no straws here — just the potential for one Iowa entrepreneur to win up to $15,000 in prizes. Online voting for the Dream Big Des Moines small business contest began Tuesday and will continue until Aug. 31. … read more
July 15, 2011 by Geoff Wood
Des Moines Today's the day to begin submitting your business ideas to the Dream Big Des Moines contest for a chance to win up to $15,000. Dream Big Des Moines is the central Iowa portion of a state-wide contest "Dream Big Grow Here" being put on by MyEntre.Net, a program of the University of Northern Iowa. … read more