A biomass-to-energy innovator. A digital systems provider for livestock barns. A global pollen technology pioneer.
They operate in different corners of agriculture and are at different stages of commercialization from early validation to global scaling, but founders from across Iowa’s ag innovation ecosystem shared a consistent message in a recent panel discussion. The bottom line? Their companies’ Iowa roots are providing the relationships and resources they need to grow.
At a panel convened by America’s Cultivation Corridor, Liz Keehner, principal, Next Level Ventures, facilitated a conversation with Tannon Daugaard, co-founder of Rise Energy; BJ Brugman, founder of Distynct and Jason Cope, founder and chief intellectual property officer of PowerPollen to discuss the opportunities they’ve found in the state and how its ecosystem is evolving to meet the needs of a changing industry.
“The concentration of the ag economy in Iowa offers an advantage when it comes to building relationships and there are many stakeholders that have a vested interest in Iowa’s agricultural economy being successful,” said Keehner. “I’m most excited about the network that exists in Iowa. It’s incredibly easy to get “plugged-in” to the startup ecosystem. The introduction you need is almost always just one to two connections away.”
Turning research into renewable energy
For Daugaard and his co-founders, entrepreneurship began with research at the Iowa State University Bioeconomy Institute. Encouraged by outside investor interest, they launched Rise Energy in 2022.
The company’s technology is based on autothermal pyrolysis, a patented innovation from Iowa State University that converts biomass into renewable fuels, chemicals and biochar. By using the biomass’s own heat to power the process, the system simplifies design, reduces costs and improves efficiency compared to traditional pyrolysis methods that require external heat sources.
As they built the company, the founders tapped into a range of university resources, including the ISU Startup Factory, I-Corps, Venture Mentoring Service and the Go-To-Market program.
“We leaned on the expertise of a number of mentors and resources as we built the company and moved toward a pilot project and eventually commercialization,” said Daugaard.
Their focused efforts have resulted in both recognition and funding as they earned second place at John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition, were selected for an Iowa Go-To-Market Accelerator cohort and received a $50,000 Proof of Commercial Relevance loan from Iowa Economic Development Authority.
After successful pilot work at Iowa State’s BioCentury Research Farm and the core technology being demonstrated in a system operated by Stine Seed, Rise Energy is now focused on developing commercial-scale integrated systems.
Modernizing barns to boost animal health, performance
Proximity to customers, investors and entrepreneurship resources made Iowa the perfect for Distynct.
An Iowa native and Iowa State graduate, Brugman returned to the state in 2021 to build and launch the company. Customer feedback, particularly from producers in the nation’s leading pork-producing state, helped refine the concept to address limited internet access in existing livestock barns.
The Distynct Barn Alarm system provides the foundational internet connectivity for the barn and allows the barn owner to use the equipment already in the barn to monitor critical things like power, temperature fluctuations, and water availability right from their phone.
“We found that the industry was craving a tool that could provide insight into current barn conditions but wasn't eager to replace all of their existing equipment in the barn to do so,” said Brugman.
Early funding came through Ag Startup Engine in Ames, with additional support through programs administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Today, Distynct is in its third year of commercialization and has raised funds from angel investors, institutional capital and customers. Connections made through Iowa State’s entrepreneurship programs and networks were key.
“The value of Iowa’s network is that even as resources and needs change at every phase of growth, there has always been someone willing to share insights and resources,” said Brugman.
Distynct is in its third year of product commercialization and has raised funds over five years from angel investors, institutional capital and customers in Iowa across the Midwest.
From research to global partnerships
PowerPollen was founded by Jason Cope and Todd Krone in 2015 with a focus on developing a process to collect, preserve and apply corn pollen. After proving its technology in 2018, the company scaled field operations across seed production centers in Iowa, Indiana and Illinois.
“Our pollen preservation technology allows farmers to pollinate at the ideal time,” Cope said. “That improves yield of each female plant and allows for greater output per acre.”
Angel investor networks, mentoring from experienced executives and support from Iowa Economic Development Authority helped bring the early startup gaps, and those networks have continued to be valuable as the company has now scaled with 34 employees and collaborations with partners around the world.
“We took in all the resources we could to fill in the blank spaces we had in building a company from scratch,” said Cope.
In 2025, PowerPollen unveiled a next-generation autonomous, AI-enabled precision pollen application system designed to transform large-scale seed and grain crop pollination, building on its patented technology platform.
From renewable energy to livestock technology to advanced crop systems, these companies demonstrate the breadth of innovation happening across Iowa agriculture.
“Iowa’s unique combination of production leadership, world-class research institutions and an unparalleled network of agricultural expertise creates an environment where companies can move from concept to commercialization,” said Billi Hunt, executive director of America’s Cultivation Corridor. “
Published February 2026