Iowa Tech Podcast
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Breaking Down the 7(a) and 504: Inside the SBA Loan Programs Built for Growth
Kaylee Williams sits down with Ryan Lincoln, District Director for the Small Business Administration in Iowa, to explore the SBA’s role in supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners across the state. After 21 years serving in the Marine Corps, Ryan transitioned into public service because of his deep belief in American small business—shaped by watching…
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Building for Impact: Matt Ostanik on Startups and Giving Back
In this episode of the Iowa Tech Podcast, host Kaylee Williams interviews serial entrepreneur Matt Ostanik about his 20-year journey building four startups and his evolution from chasing profit to creating social impact. Matt begins by sharing his origin story: after studying architecture at Iowa State, he launched Submittal Exchange in 2003 – a SaaS…
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Knowing and Growing Economic Power: Joey Beech on Angel Investing and Financial Literacy
In this episode, Kaylee Williams interviews Joey Beech, the Financial Lit Lady, whose career has been defined by a single mission: helping people know and grow their economic power. From teaching financial literacy at Ankeny high schools to writing A Girl’s Guide to Personal Finance and leading Ankeny Angels, Joey has become a cornerstone of…
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The Kid from Mitchellville: Nick Leeper on Startups, AI, and Betting on People
Nick Leeper‘s career embodies the Iowa tech ecosystem at its best. Starting as a software engineer at Pioneer (now Corteva), Nick spent nearly a decade building research lab software before catching the startup bug. In 2008, he and close friend Derek Brooks made a pivotal leap together to Chicago to work on the Obama campaign—a…
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Iowa Startup Week
What is Iowa Startup Week? Kaylee is joined by Safiya Lee-Evans and Tej Dhawan, co-organizers of Iowa’s inaugural Startup Week, taking place September 29 through October 1st in Des Moines. The three discuss the vision, structure, and significance of bringing a Startup Week model to Iowa for the very first time. Tej explains why the…
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Building products people touch (and having fun doing it) with Derek Brooks
Host Kaylee welcomes Derek Brooks, a Des Moines-based technologist and builder, to discuss his winding career across startups, big tech, campaigns, and fintech. Raised in eastern Iowa, Brooks took an intro web class at Cornell College that sparked everything: he launched hobby websites and even monetized early mobile wallpapers. After college, he joined Pioneer (now…
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Building Siouxland’s Startup Ecosystem (Iowa’s West Coast Initiative)
Host Kaylee interviews Anastasia Williams, the entrepreneurial community navigator for Iowa’s West Coast Initiative, a nonprofit serving Monona, Plymouth, and Woodbury counties from Sioux City. The initiative connects entrepreneurs and small business owners to resources and people, with a growing focus on building a grassroots entrepreneurial ecosystem so founders don’t feel they must leave to…
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Inside ISU’s Startup Continuum: From Startup Factory to Iowa G2M with Hannah Kirkendall
Host Kaylee Williams welcomes guest Hannah Kirkendall, program manager of the ISU Startup Continuum under the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship. The Continuum comprises three linked, founder-driven programs designed as sequential on- and off-ramps along a startup journey: ISU Startup Factory (an incubator-style intro program), ISU Venture Mentoring Service (VMS), and the Iowa Go-to-Market Accelerator…
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Strengthening the Heart of Iowa’s Rural Ecosystem: Insights from Kelly Prickett
In the latest episode of the Iowa Tech Podcast, host Kaylee sits down with Kelly Prickett, the Director of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at Indian Hills Community College. Representing the Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Kelly shares a passionate look at how rural entrepreneurship serves as the vital heartbeat of Iowa’s ecosystem. The Power…
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Inside the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program with Jacki Boldt
In the latest episode of the Iowa Tech Podcast, host Kaylee Williams sits down with Jacki Boldt, the Executive Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program in Iowa. Since its arrival eight years ago, the program has evolved from a “pop-up” initiative into a cornerstone of Iowa’s economic development landscape. More Than Just…