The Iowa Economic Development Board recently awarded loans to three startup companies to help move their products forward.
IEDA spokesperson Kanan Kappleman says an Ames tech company received one of the loans. “Narrate AR, more commonly probably known as AMA AI, is developing a personalized AI platform to help children with autism and other cognitive differences,” she says. She says the idea is to provide more consistent support treatment across home, school, and therapy. “Their platform is designed to reinforce therapy goals and improve communication, and also provide caregivers and clinicians with insights to better track their progress,” Kappleman says. The company was awarded a $100,000 demonstration fund loan to help refine their platform.
Another Ames company received a loan for their ag-related product. “Soil Serdem is an Ames-based startup. And they’re developing advanced geospatial software that helps agronomists analyze yield, soil, and spatial field data,” she says. Kappleman says it is designed to work with existing technology. “Their product is designed to integrate with existing precision agriculture platforms. And the company was awarded a 100-thousand dollar demonstration fund loan that will support commercialization,” Kappleman says.
The Coralville-based Juggernaut Life Sciences received a loan for their medical product. “They’re developing a minimally invasive laser-based medical device designed to improve the treatment of early-stage cancers by allowing physicians to target tumors more precisely while reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue,” she says.
Kappleman says they hope to improve the treatment of several types of cancer. “The platform is intended to make cancer treatments safer and more efficient and has potential applications in melanoma, liver, and thyroid cancers. The company was awarded $50,000 proof of commercial relevance loan.