Wall of Fame

When we hear from a former student that they've "started something", we get excited.

The Wall of Fame is a celebration of Start Something CALS student and alumni founders, their businesses, and successes. We are #CALSProud of these accomplishments and happy to have played a small role in helping them achieve their dreams.

Check out our ever-growing Wall of Fame!

Nominate an ISU Alumni Entrepreneur

Submit your organization to the Wall of Fame

640 Labs

640 Labs is a precision farming platform that collects, analyzes and distributes data, effectively optimizing farming operations. 640 Labs were the founders of what's now referred to as the FieldView Drive.

Founders:
Craig Rupp, Corbett Kull

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
AA Commodities & Investments

AA Commodities and Investments is a commodity brokerage that aides farmers in managing price risk. They provide a daily Morning Market Update newsletter that spotlights recent market news as well as fundamental data. (Trading in futures products entails significant risks of loss)

Founders:
Patrick White

Current State of Business:

Operational
Above Par Tech of Iowa

Above Par Tech offers GPS solutions capable of making your sprayer, no matter the make and model, a 21st-century sprayer. The solutions that are provided allow you to spray exactly what you want, where you want, and how you want. These solutions exist to make your life easier.

Founders:
Sam Schmidt

Current State of Business:

Operational
AgriPeril Risk Management

AgriPeril provides personalized risk management and marketing strategies for farmers and their operations.

Founders:
Reed Burres

Current State of Business:

Operational
Agrograph

Agrograph is a global agri-fintech company that delivers data-based solutions to companies with exposure to agriculture. AgrosⓇ Solutions empower companies invested in agriculture to drive important business decisions, manage risk, and capitalize on opportunity. Agrograph is the Credit Score of AgricultureⓇ

Founders:
Mutlu Ozdogan, James O'Brien

Current State of Business:

Operational
Alliance Technology Group

Alliance Technologies Group is a company that provides high performance signal-processing solutions for wireless manufacturing.

Founders:
Craig Rupp

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
Ascension Ag

Elevating livestock biosecurity through the advancement and simplification of innovative product solutions.

Founders:
Jeb Gent, William Underwood

Current State of Business:

Operational
Baitinger Consulting

Baitinger helps clients manage and enhance their internal customer data while also creating targeted prospect lists.

Founders:
Joe Baitinger

Current State of Business:

Operational
Bausch Towing

24/7 towing, recovery, and lock-out services. Also buys junk cars.

Founders:
Natalina Bausch

Current State of Business:

Operational
Becker Underwood

Becker Underwood was a chemical company that made a colorant to use in Round Up to allow farmers to see where they applied the product. The company grew to provide other specialty colorant products to the Ag, Turf and Golf, Forestry, Aquatics and other specialty markets.

Founders:
Roger Underwood, Jeff Becker

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
Bessie's Parlor

Bessie's Parlor hosts quarterly ice cream socials to promote social justice initiatives.

Founders:
Rebecca Runyon

Current State of Business:

Operational
Big Cobb Enterprises, LLC

Big Cobb Enterprises, LLC is a custom hauling business based in southern Minnesota specializing in manure transport. With 3 offload manure tankers we are able to transport manure to fields farther from the barns more efficiently, helping farmers spread excess fertilizer to fields farther away.

Founders:
Andrew Albrecht

Current State of Business:

Operational
Blind Butcher Brewing Company LLC

The gateway to Iowa craft beer. Locally made craft beer, wine, and pizzas all here!

Founders:
Alex Hage

Current State of Business:

Operational
Blythe Crop Solutions

Crop consulting services.

Founders:
Dillon Blythe

Current State of Business:

Operational
Boa Safra Ag

Boa Safra Ag offers advanced tax services and scientific reporting that enables agricultural landowners to realize significant income tax deductions.

Founders:
Tyler Bruch, Bryce Irlbeck

Current State of Business:

Operational
Brandon T. Adams

Brandon T. Adams is a podcaster, speaker, investor, advisor, crowdfunding expert, and media expert. Brandon is a serial entrepreneur, owning a stake in a number of businesses, including the Accelerant Media Group, Live to Grind, Young Entrepreneur Convention, Success in Your City, and more.

Founders:
Brandon Adams

Current State of Business:

Operational
Brass Key Construction

Brass Key Construction provides construction and handyman services. Locally located in Des Moines with a crew that prides itself on quality work and helping others in the community.

Founders:
Joseph Nissen

Current State of Business:

Operational
Callstrom Lawncare

Callstrom Lawncare is proud to serve the areas of Murray, Lorimor, Thayer, Osceola and surrounding areas. Services include; mowing, trimming, snow removal, fence line clearing, mulching, custom hauling of mulch and rock, driveway rocking, and much more.

Founders:
Dylan Callstrom

Current State of Business:

Operational
Cambridge Technologies

Cambridge Technologies is an independent owner-operated custom vaccine company working with veterinarians and livestock producers to provide solutions to animal health problems. Diagnostic services include: Metagenomics, Sequencing, PCR, Culture & Sensitivity, Serology and Histopathology testing.

Founders:
Wayne Freese

Current State of Business:

Operational
ChopLocal

ChopLocal is an online marketplace that makes it easy for farmers and butchers to connect with modern meateaters. We simplify the process from farm-to-fork, support small businesses, and provide the best-tasting meat around.

Founders:
Jared Achen, Katie Olthoff

Current State of Business:

Operational
Cimtechnologies Corporation

Industrial Engineering Software

Founders:
Dave Sly

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
Clayton Farms Salads

Clayton Farms Salads (formerly Nebullam and Clayton Farms) is on a mission to provide customers with the food they deserve. Every leaf and microgreen in a Clayton Farms Salads product is grown onsite in a hydroponic system.

Founders:
Clayton Mooney, Danen Pool

Current State of Business:

Operational
Clear Creek Renovations

Remodeling of anything in and around a house.

Founders:
Joseph Nissen

Current State of Business:

Operational
Continuum Ag

Continuum Ag provides soil health consulting to farmers and agricultural companies, around the world, by quantifying and improving soil health. With improved soils, agriculturalists can fit into sustainable ag markets, improve land valuations, improve environmental impact, and boost on-farm profit!

Founders:
Mitchell Hora

Current State of Business:

Operational
Deal Ag Solutions

Combining soil testing and liquid fertilizer to help customers maximize every pass they make across their acres to be more efficient and profitable.

Founders:
Tyler Deal

Current State of Business:

Operational
Decision Commodities, LLC

Automated commodity contract pricing models and trading.

Founders:
Kevin Kimle

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
Deja Brew

DejaBrew is a small town coffee shop with all of the offerings of a big city owned by Colin and Liz Hoppe. DejaBrew offers gourmet coffee drinks, smoothies, baked goods and full lunch menu. They focus on excellent, personalized customer service to go with every order.

Founders:
Elizabeth Hoppe

Current State of Business:

Closed
Digital Community Holdings, Inc,

DCH works closely with its clients and strives to ensure that all of its customers' needs are met with solutions. What sets DCH apart from its competitors is not just building software solutions, but using this software daily.

Founders:
Alex Hage

Current State of Business:

Operational
Distynct

Connects swine producers to critical barn-level information by enabling precision livestock farming and remove management of livestock facilities.

Founders:
BJ Brugman

Current State of Business:

Operational
DNA Seed, LLC

DNA Seed is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer located north of Shenandoah. Providing customers with the best tools needed to make their farm succeed is what this company strives to achieve.

Founders:
Drew Nielsen

Current State of Business:

Operational
Double Dipped Ice Cream and Coffee Shoppe

Double Dipped Ice Cream and Coffee Shoppe is owned and operated by twins sisters, Stacey Noe and Sara Hillebrand, along with their husbands. The business serves a full coffee and ice cream menu, along with sandwiches and soups daily.

Founders:
Stacey Noe, Sara Hillebrand, Dan Noe, Jeremy Hillebrand

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
E-Markets, Inc.

Electronic commerce applications for agricultural businesses.

Founders:
Kevin Kimle, Dave Krog, Rusty Harder

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
Eagle's Catch, LLLP

Eagle's Catch, LLLP is an aquaculture production company located in Ellsworth, IA. It's indoor, on land, and intensive production system is one of the world's largest. Eagle's Catch produces and sells high-quality Tilapia for traditional retail and ethnic live markets across North America.

Founders:
Joe Sweeney

Current State of Business:

Closed
EllieMae Music

Singer/Songwriter

Founders:
EllieMae Millenkamp

Current State of Business:

Operational
FarmlandFinder

Online search portal and analysis tools for land real estate.

Founders:
Steven Brockshus

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
FarmToys4You

FarmToys4You sells a wide variety of farm toys online through a company website, Instagram, and Facebook. Most products are 1/64 scale toys with an inventory consisting of model tractors, farm equipment, semis, pickups, cars, as well as model buildings, animals and other display items.

Founders:
Collin Knipper

Current State of Business:

Operational
Filtraponics

Filtraponics turns any aquarium into an educational aquaponic system. We utilize aquaponics (growing plants with fish waste) as an educational tool for customers to teach about science concepts (nitrogen cycle, agriculture, biology, and more) in and out of the classroom.

Founders:
Isaac Bradford

Current State of Business:

Operational
Goats On The Go

Goats On The Go applies targeted goat grazing to sustainably manage unwanted and invasive vegetation on customers' properties. Goats On The Go also produces and distributes what its founders believe to be the most sustainable meat on Earth, shipping goat meat cuts to consumer doorsteps nationwide.

Founders:
Aaron Steele, Chad Steenhoek

Current State of Business:

Operational
Grand View Beef

Raising 100% grass-fed beef on a century family farm from birth to harvest, Grand View Beef focuses on environment, genetics, and practices to ensure the animal has a stress-free life resulting in a superior product. Available direct to consumer, in grocery stores, and in restaurants across Iowa.

Founders:
Knute Severson, Amanda Severson

Current State of Business:

Operational
Gross-Wen Technologies

GWT uses micoalgae to remove nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater.

Founders:
Martin Gross, Zhiyou Wen

Current State of Business:

Operational
Halbur Seed

Seed Dealership with Beck's Hybrids, improving the quality of seeds planted, using heavy business analytics and professionalism to ensure customer satisfaction.

Founders:
Nick Halbur

Current State of Business:

Operational
Harrisvaccines

Harrisvaccines, now sold to Merck Animal Health, was a company focusing on herd-specific vaccines. Harrisvaccines are most commonly known for their PEDv product for swine.

Founders:
Hank Harris

Current State of Business:

Sold/Merged
Harvest Capital

Harvest Capital searches for unique agricultural investment opportunities to provide investors with diversity and the potential for out sized returns.

Founders:
Scott Oakes, Scott Thornburgh

Current State of Business:

Operational
HarvestIQ

HarvestIQ (formerly Farmers Risk) develops specialized risk management tools that transform how brokers advise their customers. Utilizing innovative software, HarvestIQ provides brokers with all the tools they need to help their customers drive profit and make more informed marketing decisions.

Founders:
Dakota Hoben

Current State of Business:

Started
Hightail Delivery

Hightail Delivery is an online platform for customers to place orders for fresh, locally-produced food products to be delivered to their doorstep. Hightail Delivery partners with local food producers to offer customers a wide array of locally-grown food items including it's own beef and ice cream.

Founders:
Natalie (Eick) Paino

Current State of Business:

Operational
Katwater Transport LLC

Katwater Transport is a trucking company based in Anamosa, IA. They haul gain, livestock and other materials.

Founders:
Kirk Atwater

Current State of Business:

Operational
Keenan Auction Service

Keenan Auction Service is an auction service that uses online auctions to reach more buyers.

Founders:
Tyler Keenan

Current State of Business:

Operational
KinoSol SBC

KinoSol is a Specific Benefit Corporation with a focus on decreasing food waste on a global scale via food waste reduction technology. KinoSol’s first product, the Orenda, is a small-scale, solar-powered food dehydrator designed for farmers and families in developing countries.

Founders:
Mikayla Sullivan, Clayton Mooney, Elise Kendall, Ella Gehrke

Current State of Business:

Operational
Latham Hi-Tech Seeds

Latham Hi-Tech Seeds is a third-generation, family-owned company serving farmers in the Upper Midwest with most diverse lineup of genetics, traits and technologies; Seed-2-Soil® agronomic services and independent research – all delivered with personal service and the highest quality standards.

Founders:
John Latham, Shannon Latham

Current State of Business:

Operational
Lincoln Farm and Home Service

Family-owned BP convenience stores located in Glenwood, Red Oak, and Pacific Junction.

Founders:
Nate Lincoln

Current State of Business:

Operational