2021 Best Tech Startups in Iowa

March 16, 2021July 7, 2023 thetechtribune

The Tech Tribune staff has compiled the very best tech startups in Iowa. In doing our research, we considered several factors including but not limited to:

Revenue potential
Leadership team
Brand/product traction
Competitive landscape

Additionally, all companies must be independent (unacquired), privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.

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1. Growers Edge

Founded: 2017

“Growers Edge Financial, Inc. is a fintech company providing innovative financial solutions serving the agricultural sector that enables farmers to adopt new technologies to increase profitability and gain income assurance.”

2. Workgroups DaVinci

Founded: 2011

Also honored in:

“We make the productivity and workflow management solutions trusted by the world’s top marketing teams to deliver amazing creative work. We’re driven to innovate and we’re always looking for talented, enthusiastic new colleagues to help us change the way marketers work.”

3. Higher Learning Technologies

Founded: 2012

Also honored in:

“Our Mission: To empower students by creating the most innovative, captivating and successful education platform.

HLT is the world leader in mobile learning solutions. We provide the most efficient and convenient way for students across the world to learn and achieve their dreams.

We partner with the world’s leading educational organizations to create customized digital test prep and learning solutions. All of our products are designed to optimize learner outcomes and allow students to learn whenever and wherever is best for them.”

4. Igor

Founded: 2013

Also honored in:

“For commercial buildings, an easy-to-use platform begins with an IoT infrastructure that offers reliability, security, and scalability. Bring all your IoT systems together for hassle-free communication with Igor’s open, standards-based platform, Nexos, that leverages proven Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) technology.

Igor’s innovative platform enables an unprecedented level of intelligent control over building systems in spaces of all sizes. Traditionally, buildings have been viewed as a fixed environment, but with the capabilities of an IoT ecosystem, buildings are now agile.”

5. LenderClose

Founded: 2015

Also honored in:

“A powerful web-based platform built for Refinance and Home Equity lenders. A single solution which aggregates industry vendors. Find out more at www.LenderClose.com.”

6. MākuSafe

Founded: 2016

Also honored in:

“MākuSafe is an Insurtech SaaS/Data & Analytics company based in America’s Heartland. Our mission is to improve worker health, safety, and productivity while reducing worker compensation claims and mitigating workplace risks. Founded in 2016, MākuSafe has developed proprietary wearable technology that gathers real-time environmental and motion data from workers. Patents pending. Our cloud platform, MākuSmart, then uses machine learning to identify high-risk trends in the facility. The portal auto-records near-misses, proactively targets resources to specific conditions & occurrences, and streamlines compliance reporting.”

7. SwineTech

Founded: 2015

Also honored in:

“SwineTech, Inc. is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is bridging the gap between producers and pigs through sensor-based technologies. SwineTech creates solutions to reduce the number of pigs that die from disease, lameness, starvation, and piglet crushing. The introduction of properly integrated advanced managements systems and sensor-based technologies allows farmers to significantly improve the welfare, sustainability, and productivity in swine facilities. SwineTech’s mission is to “save a pig” and enable farmers to feed the world.”

8. Rantizo

Founded: 2017

Also honored in: 2019 Best Tech Startups in Iowa City

“Rantizo is a targeted drone spraying platform that utilizes electrostatic technology to safely and precisely deliver cartridge-dispensed agrichemicals when and where they are needed.”

9. Tractor Zoom

Founded: 2017

Also honored in:

“Founded in 2017, Tractor Zoom’s mission is to connect farmers and auctioneers in faster ways than ever before. Tractor Zoom allows you to access more farm auction inventory in less time, all from the palm of your hand.”

10. MCI World

Founded: 2015

Also honored in:

“Mass Markets executes domestic omni-channel, inbound and outbound contact center services on behalf of some of the most recognizable brands in the world. As an industry leader with deep expertise in managing interactions across the customer lifecycle, Mass Markets connects customer service, inside sales, market research, automated customer contact and back-office business processes into comprehensive, flexible solutions. Servicing a range of industries, Mass Markets designs high-performance, analytics-driven solutions that produce real results. Under its signature Anything-as-a-Service platform, Mass Markets provides a suite of services and technology that extends beyond the contact center to enable organizations to better target and connect with customers. Anything-as-a-Service accelerates the transformation of business by utilizing intelligent infrastructure and domestic labor to provide significant cost advantages and superior technological footing to businesses that challenge the status quo.”