Abby Rowling
The Human Moment: Coworking for your health

When it comes to leading a healthy and fulfilling life, it's not just about hitting the gym and eating your veggies. Studies have shown that community and connection play a vital role in our overall well-being, both mentally and physically.

Joining a coworking community can do wonders for your mental well-being by providing a space that fosters and strengthens social connections. It's not just about the physical amenities like a desk, coffee, and Wi-Fi, but rather the built-in network of individuals who can become your friends, support system, or even your future partner (we've seen it happen!).

The Human Moment: Coworking for your health

Iowa Startup Accelerator

The top Iowa innovation community news for 2016

The following is a look back at the things that really stood out in the Iowa innovation community in 2016. To create it, I combed through the past 51 issues of The Pull and grouped the highlights into three pretty handy categories: Acquisitions, Accelerators and Investment. Of course, there were several other items that I wanted to include that didn't fit as neatly into one of the categories so you'll find them at the end in the "The Year in Other Stuff" section.

Putting together a post like this really makes one appreciate how much ground we cover as a community in the course of a year. You're all pretty great. 

Iowa Startup Power Rankings—September

As promised, it's early, well, mid-September and the Iowa Startup Power Rankings are back for their fifth iteration, this time covering the good works of the people, institutions and companies that make up the Iowa startup community throughout all of August.

Minimum Viable Podcast—Episode 15

Matt Patane, technology and innovation reporter for the Des Moines Register and Geoff Wood, community builder at Gravitate, sit down for an in-depth discussion of the companies, events and ideas making news in the Iowa innovation community.

Topics discussed on this episode: Dwolla fined by CFPB, CBS News features the so-called "Silicon Prairie" and the launch of NewBoCo.

Feedback, thoughts or suggestions? Hit us up on Twitter or email the show at mvp@gravitatedsm.com

You graduated from an accelerator, now what?

Gravitate exists explicitly to help grow the Iowa startup community. We were born from the needs identified by that community in 2014 and we continue to shape this organization around the needs of that community today.

Today those needs include a membership plan that caters specifically to the graduates of GAN programs: Free (basically).

Minimum Viable Podcast—Episode 3

Matt Patane, technology and innovation reporter for the Des Moines Register and Geoff Wood, community builder at Gravitate, sit down for an indepth discussion of the companies, events and ideas making news in the Iowa innovation community.

Topics discussed on this episode: Iowa Startup Accelerator Launch Day, Yahoo! Digital Democracy Conference, InnovateHER, Startup Weekend, Technology Apprenticeship programs.

Feedback, thoughts or suggestions? Hit us up on Twitter or email the show at mvp@gravitatedsm.com

Iowa-based startups and accelerator programs

I've had accelerators on the mind for several reasons lately and that had me thinking about the Iowa-based startups that have participated in these programs. Our state's first accelerator program, the Iowa Startup Accelerator (Cedar Rapids), will launch it's first class this Fall and is accepting applications now. This post is a quick run down of the startups who have participated (and one who will participate this summer), the relevant details and a few thoughts from the founders on their experience.

Four sources of idea-stage capital expecting to deploy $1.33MM in Iowa

It’s only mid-April but details around four new programs to help fund very early stage startups in Iowa have emerged. One of the programs, NestMint describes this stage as "idea-level". All combined, the four programs are planning to deploy $1.33MM in capital in this state.