Celebrating Entrepreneurship

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

1 Million Cups — or 1MC — was developed on the idea of giving entrepreneurs and their communities a safe place to gather and connect, to share ideas and feedback, and to identify challenges and find opportunities. Its name is reflective of its mission: the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and engage with their communities over a million cups of coffee.

Sadie Sell and Nicholas Terbovic never owned a business before co-founding Mabel & Pearl Tea Co. a year ago, but training opportunities and community resources have their business purring.

New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative, Inc.’s Iowa Startup Accelerator has piloted a new program model aimed at taking already profitable businesses and teaching them the tools to grow to the next level.

When a student has a spark for a business idea, the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center Startup Incubator is the perfect place for them to connect with resources for exploring the next step.

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.