A cultural record of Iowa's technology

From passing notes to spinning their own email

the cultish allure of the Iowa company almost lost in annals of technology's history

Jan 13 • Tej Dhawan

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The Adversity Paradox of Locked Doors

How Dawn Ainger's fierce sense of agency led to this generational success story

Jan 6 • Tej Dhawan

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December 2025

The Anvil that Forged A Future

This final installment digs into one of our community's foundational investments in creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting it financially…

Dec 16, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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Accelerating Entrepreneurship - II

The story of the New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo), an entrepreneurial community that never stops reinventing and reinvesting within and…

Dec 9, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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Accelerating Entrepreneurship - Part I

How the Des Moines-based Global Insurance Accelerator cemented a new paradigm for accelerators and began a decade of innovations in the highly…

Dec 2, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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November 2025

Gratitude for the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

This Thanksgiving, I am simply grateful for the continued growth and nurturing of Iowa's entrepreneurial ecosystem in hands of many volunteers and…

Nov 25, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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From Bricks & Mortar to Clicks & Mentor

Frank Russell’s journey from in-person training to GeoLearning’s $100M exit reveals how patient capital, design innovation, and Iowa’s tech diaspora…

Nov 18, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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Rugged by Design

When rugged company culture embeds itself into its products and employees and builds a sustainable company. This is another picks and shovels story…

Nov 11, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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Medicis of the Midwest, Part III

Third and final part of the series on funding a startup in Iowa

Nov 4, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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October 2025

Zombies in the startup ecosystem

Some ideas run their course without finding success. It is better for the entire ecosystem to euthanize those ideas rather than leaving them as zombie…

Oct 31, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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Medicis of the Midwest, Part II

The vital role played by the state of Iowa in funding the innovation ecosystem

Oct 28, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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Medicis of the Midwest

We are a species wired to create and patronage for creation has come from a variety of sources for centuries. Today, angel investors form a part of the…

Oct 21, 2025 • Tej Dhawan

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