Small Business and Startup Stories DSM

Tej Dhawan has been the leading driver of the Greater Des Moines (DSM) startup ecosystem. Pulling from his wealth of experience, Dhawan shares his insights on how to succeed as a startup.

Liz Lidgett grew up with a with a love for all things art. She shares how she carried this passion into a career and business in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

WorkHound Founders Max Farrell and Andrew Kirpalani share their secret to maintaining employee happiness.

Ben Milne, Founder of Dwolla, discusses the company's new event Monetery and shares his lessons learned to find success in the startup world.

Lana Fox shares how ClinicNote found its roots in Greater Des Moines (DSM) while still improving the lives of speech therapists across the country.

Travis Ensley of Dwolla shares how his military background taught him skills that go beyond a resume, and how he applies these skills in his work.

Scott Carlson opened his first brewery with a vision to show off varieties to Greater Des Moines (DSM). Since then, he has increased his small business portfolio to four local favorite restaurants and breweries — CABCo, Americana, Gilroy's and Iowa Craft Beer Tent. Hear how he made a name for himself in the restaurant and brewery industry.

Certintell Telehealth founder Ben Lefever shares how he managed to break into the health care industry by finding the right resources through the right mentors.

Sara Jacobson shares how she turned her long-time vision into reality by opening a beauty bar and clothing boutique, aptly named Fusion Boutique.

LenderClose bridges the gap in lending, allowing loan officers and lending staff to run a streamlined lending cycle. LenderClose owner Omar Jordan shares how he found success in the financial industry.

Cassie Sampson started East Village Spa out of a want to help people feel better. This attention to her customers combined with the dedication to her craft has helped foster East Village Spa's success.

Youth sports have ingrained themselves into today's culture. How these leagues are managed is often the determining factor to the experience these up-and-coming all-stars receive. Levi Rosol shares how his startup ScoreYard struck out swinging in the search to build a tool centered around the sports community.

More now than ever before, farmers are becoming connected with their local and trusted agribusiness consultants to innovate and challenge biological technologies, practices and advancements. AgriSync works to ensure these connections reach their full potential.

Gain Compliance CEO Burch LaPrade shares how Greater Des Moines' (DSM's) status as an insurance hub served as a major motivator for his startup.

At the height of the Great Recession in 2009, Megan McKay decided to build a brewery in the small Iowa town of Knoxville on the edge of Greater Des Moines (DSM) . Peace Tree Brewing Company has since expanded to the Historic East Village in Downtown DSM and Grinnell. The business now employs 14 full time and 35 part time employees.

Your loved one is getting married and you’re trying to find them the perfect gift. After you procrastinate too long to make that memorable keepsake, you decide to check out their registry only to find it limited to items found in big box retailers. You print the list of stuff and see the items that remain are a Crock-Pot and an oven glove. So, you opt for the safe bet — a gift card.  If only there...

Melissa Carlson picked up a passion for graphic design as a student in high school. She credits her interest in creativity, art and design to a high school teacher who encouraged her to pursue the field at university.  Carlson studied at Grand View University in Greater Des Moines (DSM) . After landing her first job at a publishing company, a second at an ad agency and then at an architecture firm...

After working in venture capital, Australian Ryan Gerhardy launches Pitchly in Greater Des Moines (DSM).

By Gabe Glynn’s own account, he has had a winding entrepreneurial career. MākuSafe began in early 2016, with a beta product tested in late 2016. The wearable technology has some smart software behind it that incorporates machine learning. The five devices first tested created seven million data points in a month.

The Sherlock’s startup, Pablow, is an insurance aggregate focusing on the travel insurance space. The platform connects with the APIs of six major insurance companies like AIG and Allianz to provide access to travel companies offer travel insurance vacation rentals after the sale.

Greater Des Moines (DSM) entrepreneur Tracy Fuller’s story began in 1987. Her son had passed away and she was looking for a way to get off the couch and into the world. Fuller started a company called Happy Occasions. In 2004, the name changed to InnovativEvents when the company’s customer base went international. From the Sydney Opera House in Australia to a castle in Ireland, the company now pro...

Greater Des Moines (DSM) games company, Hatchlings, recently turned 10-years-old. In that time, it has amassed 15 million users and shares a prestigious award with Tesla’s Elon Musk. The company began when DSM entrepreneur Brad Dwyer started a Facebook game called The Worldwide Easter Egg Hunt, which became a viral sensation amassing 1 million users in its first year. In the game, players from aro...

A Greater Des Moines (DSM) startup says they’ve developed a process to cross-pollinate corn that not only eliminates the need for manual labor but also can increase yields by up to 80 percent.

A Greater Des Moines (DSM) mom's mission to help parents across the world, one catch at a time.