Applications are open for the Techstars Iowa Accelerator! 

We’re excited to invest in a diverse group of passionate founders who are working on startups that can make a real impact on communities, businesses and individuals. Ideal candidates should be experts in their fields, mission-driven, and looking to work hard, scale rapidly and make their marks on the world.

The world is changing faster than we think, and for our 2021 program, Techstars Iowa is interested in founders who are looking ahead and developing technology that will help communities thrive through innovations in both deep tech and end-user focused solutions in the area of health, education, environment, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, commerce, and others, that span technological advances in automation, security, collaboration, and more. 

The Iowa startup ecosystem is highly collaborative. Mentors from Techstars Iowa partners, Grinnell College, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, as well as other institutions, the global business community, former and current founders of startups, and investors from across the Techstars network are eager to help entrepreneurs innovate and grow their businesses. The ten startups accepted into the accelerator will work with experts who are industry leaders, researchers and professors representing multiple disciplines—automation, general engineering, material science, augmented and virtual reality—spanning multiple vertical markets including energy, sustainability, education, agriculture, finance, and healthcare.

Iowa is home to multiple global corporations, including Principal Financial Group, Vermeer Manufacturing, Corteva and John Deere, as well as successful ventures such as Workiva and Dwolla, many of which have provided mentors to Techstars Iowa startups. In addition, over the last decade, cities in Iowa have surged to the top of National Best lists like “Best Cities to Work In Tech” - SmartAsset, “Up-and-Coming Tech Hotspots” - Liveability, and “America’s Top 5 Under-the-Radar Tech Hubs” - Squarefoot. 

Techstars Iowa is led by Kerty Levy, Managing Director (MD), who brings 30 years of leadership in business development, product management, strategic marketing and general management at startups as well as global corporations. TJ Salyars, Program Manager of Techstars Iowa, is an Iowa native who has worked in multiple venture and angel backed startups, scaling operations and teams across industries including healthtech and agtech. 

The accelerator will run from July 19 to October 14, 2021, and due to COVID-19, is anticipated to be a hybrid of in-person programming in Iowa with virtual enhancement. 

Applications are open.  Click here to apply!  Sign up for office hours here to learn more.

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