Podcast appearances and mentions of mike colwell

Tej Dhawan and Ben Milne join Mike Colwell to discuss the Greater Des Moines startup community from 2010 to now.

The DSM USA Policy HQ podcast is a monthly conversation between experts on public policy topics impacting business and the relationship between government and the private sector.The newest episode welcomes Matt Behrens, deputy chief information officer and chief technology officer for the State of Iowa Office of the CIO (OCIO), and Mike Colwell, recently retired executive director of entrepreneurial initiatives at the Greater Des Moines Partnership, to discuss broadband infrastructure. 

Velorosa Cycling is Greater Des Moines’ (DSM’s) local shop for women’s cycling wear. From jerseys, tanks and shorts to face masks, rubber jewelry and other accessories, Velorosa has it all. Owners Kim Hopkins and Lisa Carponelli join Startup Stories DSM to discuss the business with the podcast’s host, Mike Colwell.

Welcome to the Business Record’s Innovation Update, a new feature where we check in on the work in central Iowa supporting the startup and small business environment. I’m Kate Hayden, technology, innovation & entrepreneurship reporter for the Business Record. This week I speak with Mike Colwell, executive director of entrepreneurial initiatives at the Greater Des Moines Partnership, about transitioning the Raising Capital Seminar Series to meet entrepreneurs where they are -- virtually. Hosted twice a year by the Partnership, LWBJ and BrownWinick Law, this fall’s session runs from Oct. 7-Oct. 28. Check in to hear Mike and I talk about fundraising during a pandemic, and what business mentors can do to support entrepreneurs during this time.

Kerty Levy, managing director of Techstars Iowa, speaks with the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Startup Stories host, Mike Colwell.

Nadilia Gomez is the executive director of Iowa AgriTech Accelerator. A former research scientist for Corteva Agriscience, Nadilia has been involved in the industry for a long time. Her experience is an integral part of helping to prepare new startup businesses for a successful future. Nadalia sits down with the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Startup Stories host, Mike Colwell to discuss her journey to a female leadership role.

Starting your own business can be a difficult decision and complicated journey. But don’t tell that to Brad Dwyer and Joseph Nelson, co-founders of Roboflow and childhood friends, who hope to make developing computer vision and augmented reality (AR) apps easier and more streamlined. Brad and Joseph discuss their successes and hopes for the company’s future with Startup Stories host Mike Colwell.

Kyle McMahon shares how his company, Tractor Zoom, is innovating on farm equipment auctions.

Nicole Gunderson sits down with Mike Colwell to discuss her path to becoming the Managing Director for the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA).

Kiki Levy discusses her business Better HireS and its ability to connect high school talent to business needs.

Allison Davidson Motoyama shares how her company revolutionizes sustainability by reforming textile scraps into designer neckwear.

Mike Draper discusses RAYGUN's growth, unionization and status as "The Greatest Store in the Universe."

FarmlandFinder CEO and Founder Steven Brockshus shares how his company creates a way to make the world's farmland information accessible given the shifting dynamics within the industry.

Kate Lyon shares how her company Koloni is creating a more sustainable world through sharing.

Carl and Torey Maerz share how they found success in the insurance industry by looking for a problem.

Dr. Martin Gross, one of Gross-Wen Technologies (GWT) founders, discusses how GWT found success during and after their start at a Greater Des Moines (DSM) incubator.

Katie Byers explains the success of House Concerts in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

Former Global Insurance Accelerator Director Brian Hemesath discusses how startups find success in the evolving insurance industry.

After working for two Greater Des Moines (DSM) startups, Kate Wagner launched clothing line Lidgett. She shares the lessons learned through her journey, and the ones she continues to learn with each new day.

Tej Dhawan has been the leading driver of the Greater Des Moines (DSM) startup ecosystem. Pulling from his wealth of experience, Dhawan shares his insights on how to succeed as a startup.

Liz Lidgett grew up with a with a love for all things art. She shares how she carried this passion into a career and business in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

WorkHound Founders Max Farrell and Andrew Kirpalani share their secret to maintaining employee happiness.

Ben Milne, Founder of Dwolla, discusses the company's new event Monetery and shares his lessons learned to find success in the startup world.

Lana Fox shares how ClinicNote found its roots in Greater Des Moines (DSM) while still improving the lives of speech therapists across the country.

Travis Ensley of Dwolla shares how his military background taught him skills that go beyond a resume, and how he applies these skills in his work.

Certintell Telehealth founder Ben Lefever shares how he managed to break into the health care industry by finding the right resources through the right mentors.

LenderClose bridges the gap in lending, allowing loan officers and lending staff to run a streamlined lending cycle. LenderClose owner Omar Jordan shares how he found success in the financial industry.

Cassie Sampson started East Village Spa out of a want to help people feel better. This attention to her customers combined with the dedication to her craft has helped foster East Village Spa's success.

Youth sports have ingrained themselves into today's culture. How these leagues are managed is often the determining factor to the experience these up-and-coming all-stars receive. Levi Rosol shares how his startup ScoreYard struck out swinging in the search to build a tool centered around the sports community.

More now than ever before, farmers are becoming connected with their local and trusted agribusiness consultants to innovate and challenge biological technologies, practices and advancements. AgriSync works to ensure these connections reach their full potential.

Gain Compliance CEO Burch LaPrade shares how Greater Des Moines' (DSM's) status as an insurance hub served as a major motivator for his startup.

Your loved one is getting married and you’re trying to find them the perfect gift. After you procrastinate too long to make that memorable keepsake, you decide to check out their registry only to find it limited to items found in big box retailers. You print the list of stuff and see the items that remain are a Crock-Pot and an oven glove. So, you opt for the safe bet — a gift card. If only there was another way. That’s what sprang to Kaitlin Byers’ mind when she went through that cycle several times with friends’ weddings. Frustrated with having to shop at big box stores for wedding registries, Byers teamed up with Tallis Strub to come up with Marry My City— an online platform that allows couples to curate and create their own wedding registry with local experiences rather than stuff. Think cooking classes and date nights at local mansions.

By Gabe Glynn’s own account, he has had a winding entrepreneurial career. MākuSafe began in early 2016, with a beta product tested in late 2016. The wearable technology has some smart software behind it that incorporates machine learning. The five devices first tested created seven million data points in a month.

Greater Des Moines (DSM) games company, Hatchlings, recently turned 10-years-old. In that time, it has amassed 15 million users and shares a prestigious award with Tesla’s Elon Musk. The company began when DSM entrepreneur Brad Dwyer started a Facebook game called The Worldwide Easter Egg Hunt, which became a viral sensation amassing 1 million users in its first year. In the game, players from around the globe try to collect all 5,000+ different eggs and compete to get the highest score each month.

A Greater Des Moines (DSM) startup says they’ve developed a process to cross-pollinate corn that not only eliminates the need for manual labor but also can increase yields by up to 80 percent.

A Greater Des Moines (DSM) mom's mission to help parents across the world, one catch at a time.

Crème Cupcake + Dessert owner Christina Moffatt was turned down by seven banks but her business still succeeded.

Megan Vollstedt became the Executive Director of the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator in 2017 after rising up through the ranks at Workiva in Ames, Iowa.

Founder and CEO Ben Milne launched Dwolla in 2010. Its customer-facing technology meant it soon got a high public profile as it worked from its Downtown Des Moines (DSM) location moving millions of dollars a day.

Kaylee Williams is the president of VolunteerLocal, a volunteer scheduling and registration platform. Williams joined the founding team at VolunteerLocal and led the strategic growth of the business into national and international markets. Customers include Lululemon, the United States Marine Corps, Ironman, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Australia, the largest LGBTQ event in the world. Williams is passionate about community service and diversity in tech. She is a triathlete, bass guitar player and volunteer coach for Girls on the Run.

FarrPro is focused on eliminating premature death of piglets. Amos Petersen, CEO of FarrPro, is the son and grandson of Iowa farmers and a serial entrepreneur, and is an impressive mixture of theorist, economist and determined doer. Hear in his own words about the amazing, sometimes brutally fast growth of his hardware company. Learn how he is leveraging existing research and technology in entirely new ways to solve long-standing problems with tremendous financial upside.

Mike Colwell has been mentoring startup founders for over a decade in his role with Square One DSM in Des Moines, Iowa. He's also on the board of directors of two accelerators focused on sectors where the region is building on established strengths: one for startups in the insurance sector and the other focused on agritech. On this week's show, Mike talks about how the accelerators were created and structured, how they're funded, how they operate, lessons learned from an earlier unsuccessful incubator, and the growth of the Des Moines startup ecosystem. Press play to listen or subscribe with your favourite podcast app. Links: Greater Des Moines Partnership Square One DSM Global Insurance Accelerator Iowa AgriTech Accelerator Plains Angels Mike Colwell on LinkedIn Square One DSM on Twitter (@SquareOneDSM) Square One DSM on Facebook Square One DSM Startup Stories – Lil Sidekick PitchBook: VC investment in US agtech keeps growing [datagraphic] Ambience Data wins N100 2017

Always planning ahead, Andy prepared our 52nd episode since I was scheduled to spend the week across the street as a dutiful juror at the Polk County Courthouse. However, the trial wrapped a good 20 minutes before showtime, so I jumped in the second chair to join guests Norah Carroll of Lava Row and Mike Colwell of theBIZCI and StartupModels.com. Discussed: SXSW, Tom Chapman, WIllis Jackson, Pongr, Stork.ly and Fampus