Innoventures Iowa
Government fundIowa · Pre-Seed–Series A · 11 people tracked
Investment thesis
InnoVenture Iowa is a public venture capital fund created in 2022 to support homegrown Iowa innovation using federal SSBCI capital, in partnership with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and BioConnect Iowa. It invests early in founders building category-defining companies across bioscience, ag-tech, advanced manufacturing, SaaS and AI. The fund aims to help Iowa's innovators grow faster while strengthening industries, creating jobs, and shaping the state's future economy. It has backed more than 40 founders since launch.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 11 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 18 of 26 portfolio companiesSaaS ×7AgTech ×6AI & Machine Learning ×6Hardware ×4IoT ×4Healthtech ×3Marketing Tech ×3Advanced Manufacturing ×2
HQs:United States×14
Who they back
founder profiles across 8 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×42 founders×4
Investments · 26 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathProvides companies with tools and training to recruit and upskill workers seeking high-paying careers.
Ankeny, US
Christian Gray(Executive Officer, Director)
A B2B platform connecting contractors and fabricators to reduce overhead and accelerate construction processes.
ClinicNote is a clinical practice software built around US insurance billing, HIPAA compliance, and American licensure requirements, serving medical practices in the United States.
Digital HealthHealthtechSaaS
Co-investorsGlobal Insurance AcceleratorISA Ventures
Coco Coders offers weekly online coding classes for children (typically ages 6 and up), teaching block-based coding in Scratch before progressing to Python, JavaScript, and web development.
ConsumerEdTech
Elizabeth Tweedale(Founder)
Co-investorsAmrock VenturesHomegrown Capital
Distynct offers the Barn Alarm, a device that gives farmers remote visibility of their farm operations without installing new wires or probes.
AgTechHardwareIoTAmes, US
BJ Brugman(Founder & CEO)Bradly J Brugman(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJustin Van Wert(Director)Ben Williamson(Director)
Co-investorsAg Ventures AllianceISA VenturesNext Level Ventures
Haber Tech makes Auto-Bin, a modular grain bin monitoring and aeration system that uses CO₂, LiDAR, temperature, moisture, and weather sensors to automate fan operation and let farmers remotely track grain conditions from their phone.
AgTechHardwareIoTAmes, US
Eric Harweger(Co-Founder)Dillon Hurd(Co-Founder)
Harvest Increase Agriculture makes SUPRGrow, a liquid fertilizer applied at low volumes alongside NPK and other fertilizers to increase corn harvest yields.
AgTechClimate TechNew Materials
Hummingbirds is a creator platform that connects food and beverage brands with creators across 60+ cities for retail campaigns in grocery stores.
Creator EconomyMarketing TechMarketplacesRetail TechSaaSDes Moines, US
Emily Steele(Co-Founder & CEO)Charise Flynn(Co-Founder & COO)
Co-investorsGround Game VenturesISA VenturesNext Level Ventures
Policy tracking and analysis platform that filters state legislation and delivers personalized insights to reduce administrative workload.
MakuSafe develops wearable technology aimed at improving workplace safety and productivity.
Advanced ManufacturingHardwareIoTSaaSWest Des Moines, US
Gabriel Glynn(Executive Officer, Director)Todd Sutphen(Executive Officer)Mark Frederick(Executive Officer)Tom West(Executive Officer)
BoardHank Norem(Director)Todd Sommerfeld(Director)
Co-investorsNext Level VenturesNFI Ventures, LLC
Nebullam operates indoor farms located within restaurant facilities to supply fresher produce directly to diners.
ConsumerFoodTechRoboticsSan Francisco, US
Co-investorsISA VenturesY Combinator
Pathware provides real-time biopsy quality assessment technology for pathologists to determine sample adequacy on-site, reducing repeat procedures and unnecessary surgeries.
AI & Machine LearningHealthtechMedical Devices
Co-investorsNext Level VenturesSolas BioVentures
Pitchly offers a data enablement platform with data pipeline, data workspace, and data productivity tools that automate data workflows to save time and improve performance for business teams.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSDes Moines, US
Ryan Gerhardy(Co-founder & CEO)inMichael Brook(Co-founder & CPO)
BoardMatthew Paulson(Director)inWendy Batchelder(Director)
Co-investorsGreat North VenturesHomegrown CapitalISA VenturesNext Level Ventures
PVpallet makes reusable, recyclable packaging for the solar and renewable energy industry, including its HDPE plastic Series X solar panel pallets, bulk bins, and handheld totes.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechCircular EconomyCleantechEnergyLogistics & Supply ChainMontrose, US
Philip Schwarz(CEO & Co-founder)Luke Phelps(Director)Etahn Wollbrink(Director)
BoardEric Engelmann(Director)in
Co-investorsISA Ventures
Co-investorsAg Ventures Alliance
Co-investorsISA Ventures
SourceEazy is an AI-powered sourcing platform that enables distributors, decorators, and brands to design, source, and launch customized promotional products, uniforms, and event merchandise.
AI & Machine LearningB2B MarketplacesE-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainMarketing TechSaaSCedar Falls, US
Co-investorsTechstars
STRATAFOLIO offers investor management software that gives commercial real estate organizations a consolidated view of investor activity, tracking which investors backed which legal entities, amounts invested, timing, and metrics such as Cash-on-Cash Return.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechPropTechSaaSCedar Rapids, US
Jeri Frank(Executive Officer, Director)Uriel Barillas(Executive Officer, Director)John Courtney(Director)
Co-investorsISA VenturesPropellant Ventures
TapOnIt is a visual-first SMS and MMS marketing platform for ecommerce brands that enables creation of branded, multi-image text messages with audience segmentation and campaign analytics.
E-commerceMarketing TechSaaS
Co-investorsNext Level Ventures
Tylmen provides ceiling-mounted cameras and computer-vision AI that monitor every bird in poultry grow-out houses in real time, tracking weight, growth, uniformity, movement, and behavior.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningIoT
Co-investorsGlobal Insurance Accelerator
VIDA provides AI-powered imaging biomarkers and clinical trial imaging services for life-sciences sponsors, built on its VIDA Intelligence Platform to collect and analyze imaging data across drug development and trials.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtech
Susan Wood(Chief Executive Officer)Sandra Stapleton(Chief Operating Officer)Todd Johnson(Chief Technology Officer)Lars Nordenmark(Chief Scientific Officer)
Co-investorsChartline Capital PartnersDaybreak PartnersNext Level VenturesOSF Ventures
WordFlight is a personalized reading intervention program based on the science of reading and learning, designed to build automatic word recognition and reading fluency in struggling students from grade 2 through middle school and above.
EdTech
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Makusafe_ · intelligence360.news · Jul 22, 2026
Hummingbirds · finance.yahoo.com · Jun 22, 2026
Nebullam (DBA Clayton Farms) · youtube.com · Feb 18, 2026
SourceEazy · startlandnews.com · Sep 19, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Innoventures Iowa made?
- Innoventures Iowa has 26 tracked investments.
- What stage does Innoventures Iowa invest at?
- Innoventures Iowa invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does Innoventures Iowa focus on?
- Innoventures Iowa focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Deep Tech, SaaS.
- Where is Innoventures Iowa located?
- Innoventures Iowa is headquartered in Iowa, US.
- Who does Innoventures Iowa co-invest with?
- Innoventures Iowa most often shares deals with ISA Ventures, Next Level Ventures, Ag Ventures Alliance, among 16 tracked co-investors.
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