The startup scene in United States

Roboflow says its founders launched the company in 2020, and a 2021 SEC filing lists its principal business address in Des Moines. Roboflow describes its platform as supporting computer-vision development, including dataset tools, labeling, model training, and cloud or edge deployment. These sources establish a historical Des Moines connection, not the company’s current location. [1][2][3]

Des Moines startup infrastructure has included StartupCity, which an interview described as an incubator and event space that closed in 2014 after three years. The interview says Gravitate opened its first downtown Des Moines coworking space that year with about 40 people joining. Gravitate founder Geoff Wood said the organization broadened its membership because, in his view, the city could not sustain a startup-only coworking audience. [4][5][6]

The Greater Des Moines Partnership lists regional founder intake, a newsletter, and event discovery routes; its published information does not specify an application window. ISA Ventures describes a statewide Iowa technology fund of $22 million, with initial investments typically ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 and possible follow-on investment up to $1 million. The fund publishes Iowa location and other eligibility tests and a general pitch route, without a dated open-call status; the operator is in Cedar Rapids. [7][8][9]

Other cited commercialization resources are outside Des Moines city proper: Iowa State lists startup and commercialization resources at its Ames institution, and Axios reported on Ames-based Saber Chemical’s connection to Iowa State doctoral research and reported product testing and a sale for evaluation by September 29, 2026. [10][11][12]