About Bioconnect Iowa
BioConnect Iowa works with innovators and entrepreneurs statewide to create a homegrown bioscience industry that is second to none by accelerating growth in bioscience, advanced manufacturing, information technologies and other deep-tech sectors and helping move ideas into successful commercial endeavors.
Focus Areas
BiosciencesBiobased productsPrecision & digital agricultureVaccines and immunotherapeuticsDiagnosticsMedical devices/medical innovationStartup commercialization and accelerationEarly-stage investment/co-investment
Who They Fund
small businessesearly-stage startupsentrepreneurs and founder-led teamsresearch teams participating in SBIR/innovation challenges
About Bioconnect Iowa
Bioconnect Iowa’s grantmaking centers on commercializing bioscience and other deep-tech ideas through small, project-specific awards. Its recent filings show a steady pattern of SBIR financial awards and challenge-based prizes, alongside larger support tied to Iowa’s innovation ecosystem. The foundation gave $100,000 to Reenvision Ag for an InnoVenture Challenge award and another $100,000 to Pathware Inc for an SBIR financial award, showing that its support reaches both pitch-competition winners and companies advancing federal research commercialization. The portfolio also includes repeated backing for companies at different stages of development. Iowa State University received $88,562 in 2025 and $84,162 in 2024, while Zymosense Inc received $50,000 in both 2023 and 2024. That mix suggests the foundation supports research translation and startup progression rather than one-off patronage. Named recipients in the recent list include Hermes Biomaterials Inc, Neovaxsyn Inc, and Presaj Inc, all of which fit the foundation’s focus on biosciences, medical innovation, and technology commercialization. The structure of the awards points to an organization using grants and co-investment tools to move projects from development toward market readiness.
What Bioconnect Iowa Funds
In bioscience and medical innovation, Bioconnect Iowa backed Hermes Biomaterials Inc with $50,000 and Neovaxsyn Inc with $50,000, both listed as SBIR financial awards. Those grants align with the foundation’s focus on vaccines and immunotherapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices. For startup commercialization, Presaj Inc received $50,000 in 2025 and another $25,000 in 2023, showing repeated support for a company working across multiple years. The same pattern appears with Juggernaut Life Sciences LLC, which received $25,000 in 2023 and $25,000 in 2025. The foundation also supports precision and digital agriculture. Reenvision Ag received a $100,000 InnoVenture Challenge award, connecting its work to the foundation’s interest in agriculture-related innovation and deep-tech entrepreneurship.
How Bioconnect Iowa Gives
Typical grant size is concentrated at $25,000, with the median at $25,000 and the 75th percentile at $50,000. The recent list also includes a small number of $100,000 awards. Recipients appear across multiple years, including Zymosense Inc, Presaj Inc, Neovaxsyn Inc, and Juggernaut Life Sciences LLC, which indicates recurring support rather than isolated grants. Bioconnect Iowa also makes program-related investments, and its active programs include unsolicited application pathways such as SBIR/STTR outreach, InnoVenture Iowa, and the Iowa Go-To-Market Accelerator.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.5M
Total Assets
$11.2M
Total Revenue
$7.7M
Total Expenses
$2.8M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $25K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
About 95% of grants go to recipients in CO.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
PAUL SCHICKLER
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