Four EDC Clients Participate in Iowa Venture Conference
Area entrepreneurs presented at annual conference in Des Moines
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA—OCTOBER 8, 2009—Entrepreneurs from across Iowa gathered at the tenth annual Venture Capital and Entrepreneur Conference and Iowa Venture Forum hosted by the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) at HyVee Hall in Des Moines on October 6 and 7. The Entrepreneurial Development Center (EDC), a Cedar Rapids-based business accelerator, announced that four of its clients presented at the two-day conference. Geonetric (Cedar Rapids), J&J Solutions (Iowa City), Terpenoid Therapeutics (Iowa City) and Tri-Phase Drying Technologies (Norwalk) participated in the event.
Geonetric creates online solutions for the healthcare industry while J&J Solutions is a medical device manufacturing company. Its first product is a drug handling device that keeps hazardous medications from coming in contact with unintended people while drugs are being prepared, administered and disposed.
Terpenoid Therapeutics Inc., is a drug discovery and development company located at the University of Iowa Research Park that focuses on cancer treatments. And Tri-Phase Drying Technologies has a high efficiency technology for grain drying and other industrial drying processes.
This year’s conference, titled “Looking Up: Raising the Bar for Iowa Innovation,” provided companies, entrepreneurs, and economic developers a broad range of networking opportunities and informational workshops.
“Part of the EDC’s role is to prepare our clients to craft their business strategy and present it in order to connect with the resources necessary to take their businesses to the next level,” said Curt Nelson, EDC President & CEO. “This conference is one way to get our entrepreneurs in front of these valuable resources.”
“We appreciated the opportunity to present our business and to network with a diverse group of influential people,” said John Slump, Co-Founder of J&J Solutions. “It was a great experience, and it helped us make valuable connections that will have a positive impact on our company moving forward.”
About EDC
The Entrepreneurial Development Center was incorporated in 2003 as a community-sponsored, non-profit business accelerator. The company provides economic growth through the development and expansion of entrepreneurial enterprises and has successfully assisted over 300 Iowa-headquartered businesses. Its focus is on creating local wealth for area re-investment by growing and cultivating regional, national, and international businesses. For more information, visit www.edcinc.org.
