Iowa Business Podcast
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New Iowa Startup Conference Is Midwest Draw
What is Iowa Startup Week? The inaugural 4-day conference is coming to Des Moines, Iowa and will draw startup talent, investors and startup ecosystem advocates from the entire midwest. Founder Kaylee Williams (and host of our own Iowa Tech Podcast) joins us to break down the event, who’s behind it, and why now is the…
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Iowa’s biggest stage for entrepreneurs
When it comes to startup-land and entrepreneurial-focused events, does it seem like the discussion always revolves around big Series A raises, venture capitalists, and adding the word “Silicon” to everything? Jan Finlayson, Event Director of EntreFest explains what Iowa’s largest entrepreneur event is all about. Jan Finlayson, the event manager and lead for EntreFest, discusses…
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Can you train Ai to recommend your small business? yes.
Iowans are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok to answer questions about where to find local products or services. As a business owner do you have any control over what they say or recommend? Yes. In fact, you can do a lot for free, says Drew Harden, CEO and founder of Blue Compass. As your…
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New Bank Iowa CEO: big banks saturating Iowa is good for business
Bank Iowa has a new CEO. South Dakota farm kid, Jason Herrboldt grew up 10 minutes from Iowa and the state finally captured him. He answers Bank Iowa’s crypto plans, and addresses rising competition from big National Banks saturating Iowa, stable coins and FinTech threats. Herrboldt explains their investment mix, how they plan to stay…
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Who’s hiring who? Ai is screening resumes but is that good?
Who’s hiring who? Ai is screening resumes but is that good or bad for candidates and companies? Adam Viet of Big Creek Growth pulls back the curtain on broken HR processes and how Ai could help companies recruit better, but could just as easily hurt recruiting if CHROs aren’t careful. For years, recruiters have used…
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SBA Week: 90%-Backed Loans & Ripping Red Tape
What the heck is small business week? SBA Regional Administrator Brad Zaun explains exactly how the agency guarantees loans through local banks, cuts red tape, and delivers free counseling, especially for rural and manufacturing entrepreneurs. Zaun highlights the new 90% food production loan program for meat processors, grocery stores, and local manufacturers to drive down…
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Apprenticeship week: parents still pushing 4 year degrees?
As we recognize apprenticeship week and the massive opportunity it brings, we learned an alarming number of parents are still pushing students to get 4-year college degrees. Why? Tim Felderman, Chair of the Iowa Apprenticeship council and Superintendent of Hampton-Dumont school district is concerned. Felderman explains why Iowa’s process is far more adaptive to business,…
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Fractional executives surge 5400%. An Iowa leadership stopgap?
Iowa’s talent gap has long been a headache for local businesses, but Michelle Book, CEO of Altus CXO, reveals a “shot in the arm” solution that is currently seeing a 5,400% surge in LinkedIn roles. Unlike traditional consultants who simply hand over a plan and leave, these fractional leaders embed themselves directly into the C-suite…
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Meet Hubbell Realty’s new CEO: Kyle Gamble
He’s officially 30 days in. Meet Kyle Gamble, the brand new CEO of Hubbell Realty. Gamble touches on the future of their business, why downtown will come back, and what technology they’re looking at to lower housing costs. Gamble believes Central Iowa’s competitive edge lies in a high quality of life that outweighs the “young…
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Ai At Work: the information your company relies on is getting corrupted
Most company leaders are on guard as private information is shared with Ai tools, but most are unaware Ai can corrupt the information they use to make decisions. Chris Draper, founder of Morrigan Ai says innocent Ai use today, can cement inaccurate information tomorrow in company databases, CRM tools, project management, and other tools forever.…