Cedar Rapids, IA, September 10, 2018 – NewBoCo continues its investment in Iowa’s entrepreneurial and nonprofit community by accepting four startups into Iowa Startup Accelerator’s 2018 Fall Batch. In addition, the Social Good Accelerator has accepted two nonprofits into its Inaugural Batch, after a successful pilot of the program earlier this year.
Iowa Startup Accelerator is an intensive program that matches tech-based startups with world-class mentors, Midwestern work ethic, seed funding, and product development expertise to accelerate their business to a successful exit. Nonprofits receive the same training and mentoring as tech startups.
“As we work to develop a senior center that will serve not only the older adults of today, but will be attractive to seniors in the future, we recognized that we needed to think differently and engage different partners than we have in the past.” Kathy Horan, President and CEO of AbbeHealth, said. “We saw participating in the Social Good Accelerator as a way to connect with a whole new group of experts and learn innovative ways to approach challenges not only as we develop the senior center, but in other future projects as well.”
NewBoCo Executive Director Eric Engelmann returns to lead Iowa Startup Accelerator after a nine-month sabbatical where he toured startup and tech communities across the globe, including Singapore, Japan, and London.
“NewBoCo is doing very well in terms of supporting startups and building a workforce ready to innovate,” Engelmann said. “Still, I saw a lot of communities adopting creative strategies and seeing outstanding results that we’ve never tried here. So, we’re incorporating a lot of that learning into our strategic plans for the next few years to bring to Eastern Iowa.”
The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo) is a 501(c) (3) organization located in the New Bohemia neighborhood of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. NewBoCo’s programming supports entrepreneurship, innovation, and tech education to help Iowans become more resilient and thrive in a changing economy.
ISA Portfolio updates: GOVRED Technologies has landed more than $100,000 in contracts. Cargofy has been selected as an exceptional startup in Mobility & Transportation at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco as well as being ranked #822 on the Inc. 5000 for 2018. Three teams have been accepted into their second accelerator program: Noviqu (Techstars Kansas City), Bytable Foods (Colorado Springs-based Exponential Impact), Codemoji (Virginia-based Lighthouse Labs).
Fall Batch 2018 Iowa Startup Accelerator Teams
6C Solutions
Team: Keerthan Vantakala, Founder & CEO
Contact: Keerthan Vantakala, kvantakala@6csolutions.com
Website: 6csolutions.com
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Description: 6C Solutions builds analytics applications that increase the profitability and productivity of chemical plants.
Class Composer
Team: Mike Cronley, CEO and Cofounder;Ed Khoukaz, COO and Cofounder; Rob Camp, CTO
Contact: Mike Cronley, mcronley@classcomposer.com
Website: classcomposer.com
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Description: Class Composer is an online tool to help elementary schools make better student placement decisions.
Rantizo
Team: Michael Ott, CEO; Matt Beckwith, COO; Jorge Castiblanco, Operations Director; Donavon Taves, VP Hardware
Contact: Michael Ott, ott@rantizo.com
Website: rantizo.com
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Description: Ranitzo is a targeted drone sprayer company focused on solutions that directly addresses the field needs of farmers and agricultural businesses.
Project BBQ
Team: Troy Miller, Cofounder
Contact: Troy Miller, troykmiller@gmail.com
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Description: High schools and colleges across the United States are increasingly seeking real-world experiences for their students. Project BBQ is a web-based learning management system that tracks these experiences, including student outcomes, real projects, and community partners.
Inaugural Batch 2018 Social Good Accelerator Teams
Aging Services – Linn County Senior Center
Team: Kathy Horan, President/CEO AbbeHealth; Lindsay Glynn, Director of Program Development, Aging Services; Karen Huber, Owner, Home Instead Senior Care; Lauri Mitchell, Associate Executive Director, Aging Services; JoEllen Haddad, Witwer Program Coordinator, Aging Services
Contact: Kathy Horan; khoran@abbehealth.com
Website: abbehealth.org
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Description: Aging Services, Inc. is a regional, non-profit organization that provides services and resources to help older adults remain independent. The Linn County Senior Center will be a program of Aging Services.
Kids First Law Center – Youth Peace Project
Team: Jenny Schulz, Executive Director; Arianna Eddy, Youth Peace Project Director
Contact: Jenny Schulz, jenny@kidsfirstiowa.org
Website: kidsfirstiowa.org
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Description: Kids First Law Center, established in 2005, is dedicated to helping children in conflict. Kids First provides legal representation for children in high-conflict divorce and custody cases, leads divorce workshops for kids, offers no-cost mediation for separated parents, and helps parents peacefully exchange their children. The Youth Peace Project is a restorative justice program that helps kids learn to resolve conflicts peacefully at school.
About NewBoCo
The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo) is a 501(c)(3) organization located in the New Bohemia neighborhood of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. NewBoCo’s programming supports entrepreneurship, innovation, and tech education to help Iowans become more resilient and thrive in a changing economy.
About Iowa Startup Accelerator
Iowa Startup Accelerator is an intensive program that matches tech-based startups with world-class mentors, Midwestern work ethic, seed funding, and product development expertise to accelerate their business to a successful exit. Iowa Startup Accelerator is powered by NewBoCo, a 501(c)(3) organization, and startups are funded by the ISA Fund I.
Media contact: Jessalyn Holdcraft, jessalyn@newbo.co
