Investors in Iowa

The Global Insurance Accelerator is a mentor-driven accelerator designed to foster innovation in the insurance industry through startups targeting the global insurance markets. With support and funding from seven Central Iowa insurance companies, the accelerator welcomed a class of 6 companies in February 2015. The startups were given access to over 80 mentors through a speed-dating-like process that resulted in the startups selecting 3-8 Lead Mentors to help them during their time in Des Moines and beyond. Each startup received $40K of seed money in exchange for 6% equity in their company. The program wraps up after 100 days by giving each startup exposure and promotion at the Global Insurance Symposium. The 2015 class included Iowa companies from Des Moines and Ames and outside Iowa from Omaha, San Jose, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Berlin (Germany).

Iowa’s first 90-day accelerator program for pre- and early-revenue startups. While the Corridor currently has significant resources available to entrepreneurs, most are aimed at companies that have already proved themselves viable. This newly-formed accelerator will attract and cultivate early stage startups, helping to turn concepts into businesses ready for funding. Teams will compete for up to 10 spots in the accelerator program, which will begin taking applications early in 2014. Accepted teams will receive seed funding, access to a broad mentor network, and entrepreneurial boot camp training. The 90-day program culminates in a “demo day” in which each startup shows off its progress for potential customers and investors.

Founded in 1992, Advantage Capital Partners is a venture capital firm specialised in equity and debt investments. The firm has worked with state and federal economic organisations to invest in small businesses and in low income areas.

BOOST&Co provides debt solutions to innovative SMEs in Europe. They understand innovation and entrepreneurship and they create financing solutions to help SMEs develop. At BOOST&Co they don’t have a fixed lending model. Every one of their loans is individually designed to fit each SME’s needs. Precision Lending doesn’t require you to give up control or autonomy – they don’t want to run your company. If they didn’t like the way you do things, they wouldn’t be lending to you. BOOST&Co is independent and thinks independently. This means they only lend where they think the situation is right. They manage their own capital and make their own decisions.

Next Level Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in seed, growth capital, and later stage investments. The firm primarily invests in biosciences, advanced manufacturing, and information technology sector. It seeks to invest in companies based in Iowa. The firm typically invests between $1 million to $4 million for a minority ownership position in companies having at least $1 million in annual sales. Through its investment partners, the firm can do even larger transactions. It seeks to invest for two to five years. The firm seeks to serve on the board of its portfolio companies. Next Level Ventures was founded in December 2013 and is based in Des Moines, Iowa.

Founded in 1979, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) is a private equity investment firm targeting growth industries within the information, business services and healthcare sectors.

H.I.G. Capital, LLC is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, corporate carve-­outs, management-led buyouts, add on acquisitions, industry consolidation, corporate divestitures, distressed debt and equity, growth capital, recapitalization transactions, management-backed recapitalizations, turnarounds, distressed investments, underperforming businesses, growth or development capital by acquiring a minority stake, expansion, PIPES, mezzanine, micro cap public, mid-cap to private transactions in small, medium-sized, and lower middle market companies. It also provides debt. The firm does not invest in industries that are highly cyclical or capital intensive. It primarily invests in small and medium sized companies in specialty manufacturing, business services, consumer goods and services, education services, building products, manufacturing, financial services, aviation, media, retailing, energy, natural resources, healthcare, industrials, and information technology with a focus on IT services, software, Chemical, communications equipment, and telecommunication services sectors. It prefers to invest in companies based in the United States with a focus on Western and Midwest United states and North America, Europe with a focus on Southern Europe and Continental Europe, France, Austria, United Kingdom, Germany, Nordic region, Benelux, Ireland, Switzerland, Latin America with a focus on Brazil, and Iberian Peninsula. The firm seeks to invest between $3 million and $100 million in companies with enterprise value between $25 million and $1000 million, sales value between $20 million and $1000 million, and EBITDA of $10 million and $100 million. While investing in Spain, the firm prefers to invest between €10 million ($13.10 million) and €100 million ($130.99 million) in each portfolio company for majority as well as minority stakes. The firm seeks to invest in companies with minimum debt investment values of $30 million. The firm can make minority as well as majority equity investments in its portfolio companies. It also offers debt in Spain. H.I.G. Capital, LLC was founded in 1993 and is based in Miami, Florida with additional offices across North America, South America, and Europe.

Trive Capital is a Dallas, TX-based private equity fund focused on acquiring strategically viable but under-resourced middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. They maximize total returns to their investors through an intensive, hands-on partnership that calls for value creation ideas.

Innova Memphis Inc. is a venture capital arm of Memphis Bioworks Foundation specializing in pre-seed, seed, startup, and early stage investments. It focuses on starting and funding high-growth companies in the healthcare, healthcare information technology, medical device, biosciences; biotechnology; particularly orthopedics; pharmaceuticals; life sciences; technology, logistics; farming technology, equipment and enabling innovation, including robotics; technologies pertaining to crop production, harvest, storage, supply chain/logistics and processing/productivity tools and software; areas of precision agriculture such as crop, water and chemicals management; innovations addressing food security, safety and nutrition challenges; animal health and welfare systems and practices; and agricultural biotechnology sectors. The firm primarily targets companies headquartered in rural America specifically in Tennessee with 60% of the employees based in Tennesse. It prefers to be the first institutional investor in companies having less than 100 employees. The firm seeks to invest upto $2 million in each of its portfolio companies. The firm further assists the companies in linking with established corporations for licensing, buy-outs or further investments. It is also active in the board of director positions. Innova Memphis Inc. was founded in 2007 and is based in Memphis, Tennessee.

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