Sixth Edition: Startup Iowa Hot List
Meet the startups to support and watch in Iowa + beyond
Welcome to the sixth edition of the Startup Iowa Hot List, showcasing startup companies to support and watch in Iowa.
This monthly digest is to better connect Iowa-based startups (and affiliated) to the strong support networks in the Midwest investor and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Investors, entrepreneurs, mentors, corporate-startup champions, economic developers, and educators in and outside of Iowa can dial in on the startup activity happening across the state while finding the next business to support.
If you are a startup that would like to be featured, please fill out the application here.
Feedback, suggestions, or questions? Reach out to Diana at dwright@dsmpartnership.com.
If you know someone that should subscribe to this list, please pass it along!
Actively Raising
🚀Nebullam
Highlights: Nebullam builds direct-to-consumer indoor farms while owning the supply chain from seedling through delivery. The team has focused on building a roster of serial founders in food tech, data science, and supply chain. Over the past year, they have grown Iowa subscribers by over 500% and have a low churn rate of 4%.
Raising: $2,000,000 \ Committed: $1,500,000
Backed by: Y Combinator, Ag Startup Engine, Founders Inc.
Co-founded by: Clayton Mooney and Danen Pool
Contact: c@nebullam.com + web; HQ: Ames, Iowa
Can you help? Nebullam is looking to hire for multiple positions (IA, MN) as it prepares to expand to the Minnesota market this August. Check out the jobs here and share out with your network!
🚀VetMeasure
Highlights: VetMeasure® is an animal health technology company. The first product, MeasureON!® is a unique wearable canine health monitor uniquely configured to save pet lives by real-time monitoring of key animal health metrics. VetMeasure has advanced MeasureON!® to the commercial release stage via Vergent Products as a manufacturing partner. The initial focus is on veterinary practices specializing in canine health.
Raising: $250,000 Bridge \ Previous Capital Raised: $1,700,000
Founded by: Kevin Maher; Executive Summary
Contact: kmaher@vetmeasure.com + web; HQ: Ames, Iowa
Can you help? VetMeaure is growing its distributor network for those who specialize in working with veterinary practices with canine patients. Any intros are welcomed!
🚀Want to be featured? Looking for more Iowa startups for investment?
For a list of more startups actively raising (that may not appear in this newsletter) or to be featured in the next edition, reach out!
Closed Rounds
💰Digital Diagnosis (Coralville, previously IDx) has raised over $46 million according to filings last month
💰Trend (Techstars Iowa company) raised a $3 million pre-seed round led by Flybridge with other investors including Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition fund, Techstars Ventures, and number of founders representing Twitch, Rotten Tomatoes, and Kabam
💰TextRetailer (Iowa City) announced that it has raised $150,000 from Minneapolis based TinySeed accelerator program
State Funding Announcements
Iowa Economic Development Authority announced four startups that received financial assistance including:
True360 awarded $100,000 for Demonstration Fund
Zymosense awarded $25,000 for Proof of Commercial Relevance
MusicLeague awarded $25,000 for Proof of Commercial Relevance
IdRamp awarded $100,000 for Demonstration Fund
National Small Business and Innovation Grants
Cedar Rapids-based startup Presaj has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant for $256,000 to combine machine learning with clinical expertise to assess and mitigate risk in healthcare.
Iowa City-based startup PxAlpha has been awarded a National Institute of Health grant for $300,000 for a therapeutic medical device to reduce the risk of brachytherapy and increase adoption.
Ames-based startup NeoVaxSyn has been awarded a National Institute of Health grant for $300,000 for preclinical evaluation of HIV-1 envelope immunogens in humanized mice.
Mergers & Acquisitions
+ Ames-based food and manufacturing company AgCertain Industries acquires blue cheese maker Maytag Dairy Farms
On the Horizon: Companies to Watch
Basis Theory - Brings safety and compliance to the world of data tokenization, making it easy to secure, use, and manage the data that matters most for a variety of tech-enabled industries and developers
d20 Solutions - Helps transform fleet operations and management through automation while making telematics data easy to understand
Emigrait - Offers forecasting and prediction analysis tools that monitor consumer behavior in real estate
NanoSpy - Develops rapid pathogen detection biosensors for food safety professionals who need to control pathogen contamination in food processing plants
PVpallet - Designs a reusable, recyclable, and collapsible shipping solution made from recycled plastic that can be remanufactured into future pallets, replacing wood pallets
Story + Sound Bites
🔊 Greg Bailey + Haley Stomp: Propel offers fractional CMO services to mid-sized companies and ventured-back startups (Small Business and Startup Stories Podcast)
🗞️ Techstars Iowa accelerator announces 2022 cohort
🗞️ From lab to market: SAFI-Tech
🗞️ Des Moines-based entrepreneur wants to make fashion industry supply chain sustainable, ethical
🗞️ Airbnb co-founder, Joe Gebbia’s letter of gratitude after stepping down
🔖 Global Insurance Accelerator opens application for its hybrid program
🔖 Nominations are now open for TAI’s 2022 Prometheus Awards
Upcoming Events
📅 July 28 - Iowa State University’s CYstarters Demo Day
📅 August 31 - [Online] Startup Investing 101
📅 September 15 - Beyond Business Conference
📅 September 20 - Flourish: Fund Ideas that Matter
📅 October 13 - Techstars Iowa Demo Day
What’s in a name? The Startup Iowa Hot List is specially-curated with a rush of urgency to read just before the news cools. See a company you are interested in helping? Please act and support entrepreneurs that may be featured on this list and those close by, impacting our local communities and neighborhoods.
Entrepreneurship has always been a community sport.
Want to be featured in the next Startup Iowa Hot List? Reach out to Diana at dwright@dsmpartnership.com.