Episodes

On episode 80 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Director of the ISU Research Park, interviews Scott Grimes, Superintendent of the Ames Community School District. In this episode, they discuss the district’s partnership with Iowa State University, career readiness, and the development of the PK & Beyond program. Thanks for listening! Content Warning: This episode discusses school shootings and gun violence. The subject matter may be disturbing to some viewers.

On episode 80 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Director of the ISU Research Park, interviews Scott Grimes, Superintendent of the Ames Community School District. In this episode, they discuss the district’s partnership with Iowa State University, career readiness, and the development of the PK & Beyond program. Thanks for listening!

On episode 79 of the Innovators Podcast, Mya Vongphasouk, a PR and Communications Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, sits down with Quinn Mitchell, Co-Founder of Cota Hydration. In this episode, Quinn shares the story behind Cota Hydration, his vision for the company's future, and how the CYstarters Program and Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute have helped shape his entrepreneurial journey. Thank you for listening!

On episode 78 of the Innovators Podcast, Katelyn Gingery, a PR and Communications Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, sits down with Allyson Reinert, Founder of Mystic Eco. In this episode, Allyson shares the story behind Mystic Eco, her vision for the company's future, and how the CYstarters Program has helped shape her entrepreneurial journey. Thank you for listening!

On episode 77 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Director of the ISU Research Park, interviews Paul Gormley, Project Manager for The Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS). In this episode, they discuss Paul's time as a student at Iowa State University, CIRAS, and the impacts of AI. Thanks for listening!

On episode 76 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Director of the ISU Research Park, interviews David Spalding, Vice President of Economic Development and Industry Relations (EDIR). In this episode, they celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Core Facility and discuss David's journey to becoming the Vice President of EDIR as well as the Core Facility's impact on economic development in Iowa. Thanks for listening!

On episode 75 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Director of the ISU Research Park, interviews Chris Sievers, University Partnership and Talent & Technology leader at John Deere. In this episode, Chris shares about his time at Iowa State University and his experience working at John Deere. He also shares his relationship to the Research Park. Thank you for listening!

On episode 74 of the Innovators Podcast, Annabelle Wadle, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, sits down with Ryan Ryherd, Founder of Central Iowa Sod. In this episode, we discuss Ryan's start with entrepreneurship and how CYstarters has grown his business. Thank you for listening!

On episode 73 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Director of the ISU Research Park, interviews Billie Asmus, Founder and CEO of Repaint Studios. In this episode, Billie shares her experience becoming an entrepreneur, how she was able to get on Shark Tank, and landing a deal with Chip and Joanna Gaines. Thanks for listening!

On episode 72 of the Innovators Podcast, Annabelle Wadle, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, sits down with Boluwarin Ojo, Founder of SparkDefy. In this episode, we learn how she is making strides in a market gap, how CYstarters has transformed her company, and her experience winning pitch competitions and co-founding the Black Designers Society. Thank you for listening!

On episode 71 of the Innovators Podcast, Annabelle Wadle, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, sits down with Kailey Stevens, Founder of Bolded K Studio. In this episode, we take a look at her development before and after completing the CYstarters program. Thank you for listening!

On episode 70 of the Innovators Podcast, Avery Smith, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Ella Janssen, Founder of Monologue. In this episode, we dive into how Monologue came to be and the strides Ella has made in her short year in business. Thank you for listening!

On episode 69 of The Innovators Podcast, Annabelle Wadle, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Madison Green, Founder of Perfect Motion. In this episode, we had the privilege of meeting with Madison twice, once before her CYstarters experience, and once after, to get a view into how her business and mindset progressed throughout her time in the program. Thanks for listening!

On episode 68 of the Innovators Podcast, Alison Doyle, Associate Director of the ISURP, interviews Nadilia Gomez, Chief Technology Officer of Iowa State University. In this episode, Nadilia shares insights into her role as CTO, what led her to this position, and what makes her work so unique. Thank you for listening!

On episode 67 of the Innovators Podcast, Annabelle Wadle, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Jesse Williams, Founder of Dinder. In this episode we discuss what led Jesse to create his app, Dinder, and his experience with CYstarters. Thank you for listening!

On episode 66 of the Innovators Podcast, Rick Sanders, President and Directors of the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Dr. Martin Gross, Founder and CEO of Gross-Wen Technologies. In this episode, we discuss Martin's company and the major honors it has received over the past few months. Thank you for listening!

On episode 65 of the Innovators Podcast, Avery Smith, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, Interviews Gabe Hoehl and Stephen Peterson, participants of the Make to Innovate program housed in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University. In this episode, they share about their project A.R.E.S. Thank you for listening!

On episode 64 of the Innovators Podcast, Annabelle Wadle, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Brent Williams, Founder and CEO of Benekiva. In this episode, Brent shares the story behind Benekiva's founding and highlights the key resources that have shaped his entrepreneurial journey. Thank you for listening!

On episode 63 of the Innovators Podcast Avery Smith, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Nathan Van Thomme, Founder of Halo Heat. In this episode, we discuss how Nathan's past experiences led him to create Halo Heat and the resources he has utilized to maintain a successful business. Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy!

On episode 62 of the Innovators Podcast, Alison Doyle, Associate Director of the ISURP, interviews Zackry Brannen, Founder of Perfect Plantista. In this episode we discuss how Zackry's experiences led him to create Perfect Plantista and the resources he has utilized to maintain successful business. Thank you for listening!

On episode 61 of the Innovators Podcast Avery Smith, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park, interviews Dakota Belling, Founder of Bovi-Jet. In this episode, we dive into his company's surprising creation story and how it has changed since his graduation. Thank you for listening! Website: bovijet.com Instagram: bovijet Facebook: bovijet Email: dakotabelling@bovijet.com

On episode 60 of the Innovators Podcast, Alison Doyle, Associate Director of the ISURP, interviews Jennifer Margrett, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, and researcher of the PROPEL study. In this episode we discuss the study that Dr. Margrett is leading, the search for participants, and how they are able to contribute to the Research Park ecosystem. Thank you for listening! Contact Dr. Jennifer Margrett: Phone: 515-294-7804 Email: margrett@iastate.edu

On episode 59 of the Innovators Podcast, Alison Doyle, Associate Director of the ISURP, and Avery Smith, Communications and Marketing Intern at the ISURP, cohost a special episode featuring Avery’s dad, Zack Smith. Zack is the Co-founder and CEO of Stock Cropper, Inc. In this episode, we discuss the inspiration behind Stock Cropper, what the company is all about, and how it has evolved since 2020—including Zack’s feature in the film Food, Inc. 2. Thank you for listening! Zack's social media: X...

On episode 58 of the Innovators Podcast, Breanna Selsor, a Communications and Marketing Intern at the Iowa State University Research Park is joined by Grant Veenstra as part of the Young Innovators Series. Grant discusses the backstory of his business and how CYstarters helped him. Thank you for listening!