Celebrating Entrepreneurship

No two entrepreneurs are truly the same. That is how the Entrepreneurial Development Center approaches supporting its client companies.

In November 2023, David Tominsky, Krista Martin and Eric Engelmann sat in their office in Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia District on the brink of launching Novy venture studio, the first-of-its-kind in the state of Iowa.

UI Venture School, NewBoCo and more help budding entrepreneurs take the first leap.

New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative, Inc. draws on resilience and adaptability to grow the region’s economy.

Being a small business owner and entrepreneur is enough to keep one busy — but Tasha Lard doesn’t stop there.

Melissa Bates, 2024 Iowa Innovator of the Year, is set to launch a new respiratory device to ‘revolutionize’ lung health monitoring.

From startups to spin-offs, incubators to accelerators, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the surrounding area have embraced entrepreneurship. This inaugural special section highlights some of those established efforts — some brand new — and the personalities that make them fly.

The edc has been accelerating Iowa businesses to reach their full potential.