Iowa Innovation, Powered by NewBoCo

Welcome to a brand new season of the Iowa Innovation Podcast, powered by NewBoCo! This week, hosts Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney sit down with Malia Gudenkauf, the entrepreneur behind LM Finance, to discuss why she left a comfortable corporate job to pursue her passions, why she sees herself as the "Financial Interpreter", why compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world, and things g...

Welcome to Season 3 of Iowa Innovation, hosted by Anthony Betters and Jessica Abdoney from NewBoCo! Welcome to Iowa Innovation, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new ideas, new tools, and the lessons learned from real Iowa innovators. Join hosts from NewBoCo every Wednesday as they talk with the best innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs Iowa has to offer. So get those ideas off of...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Aaron Horn sit down with Robert Abbott, Founder and Executive Director of Innovate 120. The group discusses Innovate 120's humble beginnings, how they're retro-fitting an old bank building to meet their needs, and how they're prioritizing their community. To learn more about Innovate 120, visit innovate120.org . You can also reach Robert Abbott at info@innovate120.org or...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and David Tominsky as they sit down with David Hayes, President of Coe College. The group explore how Coe College and NewBoCo are working together to offer innovative opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs at Coe College through its C3 (Creativity, Community, and Careers) program, and David Hayes also shares some insight into leadership and what it means to truly grow from...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Jessica Abdoney as they explore the innovation of love with Cat Cantrill, founder of the Cedar Rapids-based company The Agency, a modern matchmaking service. Cat shares how she fell backwards into this line of work, how she's uniquely qualified to find success in this space, how she's innovating with unique opportunities such as live game shows, and Cat reviews Jessica's...

Join hosts Stacey Teltser and Samantha Dahlby as they talk with UX developer Jessica Bertling. The trio explore what it has meant for them to hold jobs in the tech industry as women, the numerous opportunities out there in this field, some of the stigmas of working in this space, and even being a parent in tech. The group also discusses GirlsCode++, a one-day event to teach 8th-12th grade students...

Join host Rob Merritt as he sits down with Eric Engelmann, prior Executive Director of NewBoCo and current Partner at ISA Ventures. Rob and Eric discuss an exciting development at ISA Ventures, Eric shares advice for startups looking to raise capital, and they explore how ISA Ventures is trying to help businesses grow (and maybe even stay) in Iowa. ISA Ventures is Iowa's first multi-stage venture...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Dan Tuuri as they sit down with Aaron Warner, CEO of ProCircular. ProCircular is a cybersecurity and compliance firm providing guidance to organizations looking to improve their security readiness and address the ever-changing landscape of cyber threats. Aaron shares some surprising stories from his time in cybersecurity, a look into what brought him into this line of wo...

Join hosts Jessica Abdoney and Anthony Betters as they sit down with Clayton Mooney of Clayton Farms, the company building indoor, direct-to-consumer farms. Clayton discusses how they're trying to be the "John Deere for Indoor Farming", how they are reinventing what farming actually is, and why taking inspiration from Disney and Epcot has been so integral to their business. To learn more about Cla...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Anthony Betters as they talk with Amanda Pasket, Founder of The Visual Element. Amanda shares stories about her work building The Visual Element, a graphic design company based in Fayette, Iowa that aims to drive sustainable growth by creating a community of entrepreneurs. Amanda also shares why she decided to start a service-based business in a small community, how she...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Kaitlin Byers as they sit down with Meggie of Megglam Boutique, the local clothing and accessories store in Cedar Rapids focused on offering African wear to introduce the local community to her culture. For more on Megglam Boutique, visit megglamboutique.com . For more on Kiva, visit newbo.co/kiva Season Two of Iowa Innovation is sponsored by Nyemaster Goode, P.C., Iowa'...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Jessica Abdoney as they sit down and talk with Alyx Coble-Frakes, founder of The Agenda., the planner app that aims to help women and menstruators sync their work and life tasks with their cycle. To learn more about the app, visit TheAgendaPeriod.com . To learn more and to support the WeFunder campaign, visit wefunder.com/the.agenda.period/ Season Two of Iowa Innovation...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Jessica Abdoney as they sit down and talk with Jennifer Murphy, previous host of this very podcast! Jennifer now works with Bunker Labs, a local hub for veteran and military spouse entrepreneurs that offers development, funding, and networking opportunities. To learn more about Bunker Labs, visit bunkerlabs.org/des-moines/ Season Two of Iowa Innovation is sponsored by Ny...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and Samantha Dahlby as they talk about the Montessori method of teaching with Marcia Hughes, Head of School for the Cedar Valley Montessori School. The group will discuss how this method of teaching can help kids learn at their own pace, how it may offer more opportunities for students with "exceptionalities", and why innovation in the education sector is paramount to future...

Join hosts Rob Merritt and guest co-host Stacey Teltser as they talk Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights with Stefanie Munsterman, Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, and Angelica Vannatta of the Marion Civil Rights Commission. To learn more about the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, visit cedar-rapids.org/civilrights To learn more about the Marion Civil...

Join Host Rob Merritt and Guest Host Mike Heaton for a live recording of the podcast from 1 Million Cups featuring an interview with Kaylee Williams. The group will discuss Kaylee's professional journey and her exciting new endeavor - a fund dedicated to supporting and providing funding for Iowa businesses. Season Two of Iowa Innovation is sponsored by Nyemaster Goode, P.C., Iowa's largest law fir...

Welcome to Iowa Innovation Season Two, the weekly podcast that will introduce you to new ideas, new tools, and the lessons learned from real Iowa innovators. Join our hosts from NewBoCo every Wednesday as they talk with the best innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs Iowa has to offer. So get those ideas off of the whiteboard and accelerate your growth with Iowa Innovation! For more information...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they come to you live from EntreFEST in Iowa City with their season finale! On this episode, Jennifer and Rob speak with Billie Asmus, Founder of Silicone Studios, Jack Chimbetete, Founder of Africa Live TV, and Anna Gannon, Founder of Curbicus, as well as another visit from podcast sponsor Nyemaster Goode! To learn more about EntreFEST, Billi...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they come to you live from EntreFEST in Iowa City! On this episode, Jennifer and Rob speak with Dustin Rhoades, the Founder of Ability Tech, Emily Steele, Founder of The Hummingbirds, and have a great chat with Nyemaster Goode, the sponsor of the podcast! To learn more about EntreFEST, Dustin, Emily, and many other great entrepreneurs, visit E...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob Merritt as they speak with Rob Williams, Director of SourceLink. Rob speaks about his work connecting entrepreneurs with resources and building ecosystems, how the pandemic drove innovation, and how the future of economic development is entrepreneurship. To learn more about Rob Williams, seek him out on LinkedIn and other social media channels. Y...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they speak with Alisabeth Von Presley, accomplished photographer and videographer, owner at Stillwater Coffee Company, and a performing musician most recently seen on NBC's American Song Contest . The group explores how she took her passions and turned them into a career, why she remained in Iowa as her accomplishments grew, how she turned her...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they speak with Lovar Davis Kidd (LD Kidd), local entrepreneur and activist. The group explores LD's extensive background with forming businesses and opportunities, how he has turned his passions into his day job, how his organization 100 Percent Over Racism has changed his perception, and why having a community-first approach has been core to...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they speak with Alissa Gardner, Founder of Farm to Health Organics, a licensed hemp grower in the state of Iowa. The group discusses the misconceptions behind hemp and marijuana, Alissa's transition from her successful career in real estate into this new space, and how rest is key to any successful venture. To learn more about Alissa or to get...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they speak with Rina Jensen, the Mental Fitness and Resiliency Coach behind You Academy. The group chats about what it means to be a woman in leadership, what experiences drew Rina to this line of work, and how her work with the You Academy is changing lives. To learn more about Rina Jensen or to get in touch, you can visit rinajensen.com and...

Join hosts Dr. Jennifer Murphy and Not-A-Doctor Rob as they speak with Kyle Kuhlers, the Web Programming and Cybersecurity Instructor with the Waterloo Career Center. The group discusses Kyle's unique and innovative approach to working with students, how educators impact the future careers in the workforce, and much more. To learn more about Kyle Kuhlers or to get in touch, you can find him on soc...