What is Iowa Startup Week? Kaylee is joined by Safia 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 event matters at this moment in Iowa’s entrepreneurial journey. A thriving ecosystem, he argues, requires more than money — it needs entrepreneurs, universities, governments, and corporate partners all working together over a 20-plus year time horizon. Startup Week serves as a recurring catalyst to keep that continuum connected and energized.
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Safia walks through the programming structure, which includes tracks in biosciences, advanced manufacturing, and IT/SaaS, with an AI thread running through all three. Attendees can expect panels, fireside chats, workshops, and a founder expo — all designed to break down barriers and get innovators out from behind their desks and into the ecosystem. She also emphasizes that the organizing committee has done deep listening with founders to shape programming that reflects what the community actually needs.
The highlight of the week is the Best of the Midwest pitch competition, which has a nearly decade-long history of connecting startups with Midwestern angel investors. This year, 10 finalists from each of the three tracks will pitch in exclusive, investor-only showcases, with one winner from each category advancing to the main stage at Hoyt Sherman Theater on October 1st for a shot at a cash prize.Early bird tickets are $149 through July 1st, with individual tickets to the final pitch night available for $99. Startups interested in applying must have been in business five years or fewer and under $1 million in annual revenue.
More information is available at iowastartupweek.com.