Track 01
Collegiate Entrepreneurs
Current undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at any Iowa college or university.
ypo@iowa:~$ run innovation_challenge
Innovation
Challenge
A one-day session with college & university startups and Iowa-based founders.
Applications open October 1, 2026 · Wednesday, January 27, 2027 · West Des Moines
Date 01
01.27.2027
Wed · January
Time 02
10:00 — 15:30
CST · UTC−6
Venue 03
Holmes Murphy
7000 Vista Dr · WDM, IA
The Challenge 01
Igniting Iowa's
next wave of
innovation
Welcome to the inaugural YPO Iowa Innovation Challenge — a premier pitch event bringing together the state's boldest thinkers, brightest collegiate minds, and visionary entrepreneurs. On January 27, 2027, Iowa's startup ecosystem takes center stage as emerging founders compete for game-changing support, mentorship, and capital.
Whether you're building a groundbreaking technology in a campus lab or launching a high-growth startup in an Iowa community, this is your platform to scale your big idea.
./event.log
tail -n 8
[00.00]ypo.iowa/boot — initializing session
[00.01]mount ./chapter/iowa ok
[00.02]auth member.token ok
[00.03]load calendar/2027-01-27.ics ok
[00.04]ping holmes-murphy.hq 42ms
[00.05]sync startups/college-university ok
[00.06]sync startups/iowa-founders ok
[00.07]run event.innovation_challenge() → status: READY
Who Can Apply 02
Two tracks
Eight finalists total — four from each track. You apply to one.
Track 02
Iowa Startup Founders
Early-stage companies and founders headquartered and operating in the State of Iowa.
Sectors We're Seeking
# fintech
# insurtech
# manufacturing tech
# agtech
# general tech
Why Participate 03
What you get
out of it
01
Capital & Resources
Compete for critical early-stage funding to fuel your growth.
02
Unrivaled Access
Present your venture directly to YPO Iowa's network of top business leaders, executives, and seasoned investors.
03
Statewide Exposure
Gain high-visibility recognition across Iowa's broader business and innovation communities.
Featuring 04
Who you'll
hear from
Iowa operators who have built at scale, talking about how they did it. More of the program will be announced closer to the event.
Morning Keynote Panel
Dan Houston
Retired Chairman, President & CEO · Principal Financial Group
Dan Houston led Principal Financial Group as chairman, president and chief executive officer from 2015 until January 2025, and continued as board chair through 2025, closing a 41-year career with the company he joined in 1984. He chairs the Greater Des Moines Water Trails initiative and has served on boards including the American Council of Life Insurers, the Business Roundtable and the Greater Des Moines Partnership. He was named to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame in 2019.
Sean McMurray
Chair · West Bancorporation
Sean McMurray has chaired West Bancorporation since October 2025, having served as a director since 2013, and is chief technology officer emeritus of Businessolver, the benefits administration technology company he helped found in 1998. He was chief executive of AgSolver from 2013 to 2017, and founded DataVision Resources, leading it for 15 years until Equifax acquired it in 2011, where he then served as a senior vice president.
Jon Shanahan
Founder, President & CEO · Businessolver
Jon Shanahan is the Founder, President, and CEO of Businessolver, a company he co-founded in 1998 and has since strategically built and scaled to more than 3,000 employees globally, guided by a vision that was ahead of its time: leveraging technology to transform benefits administration from a transactional process into a strategic advantage for employers and a better experience for employees.
Lunch & Listen-In Keynote
Kyle McMahon
Founder & CEO · Tractor Zoom
Kyle McMahon is the founder and CEO of Tractor Zoom. A third-generation entrepreneur who actively farms in southeast Iowa, he was previously Director of Acquisitions at Summit Agricultural Group, where he led a team buying and selling farmland across the Midwestern corn belt. He co-founded Buch-McMahon Lawn and Landscaping and is a graduate of Iowa State University.
Day Chairs
Dan Keough
Chairman & CEO · Holmes Murphy
Dan Keough is the Chairman & CEO of Holmes Murphy, one of the nation's largest independent insurance brokerage firms. He co-founded Innovative Captive Strategies in 1999, now Holmes Murphy's largest subsidiary, and co-founded BrokerTech Ventures in 2019, where he serves as co-CEO.
Brent Cobb
CEO · World Class Industries
Brent Cobb is owner and CEO of World Class Industries, a multi-location contract assembler serving the off-road and heavy equipment segment, which he joined in 2002 and has led as CEO since 2019. He is also majority owner and Chair of Morton Industries and an active investor in privately held companies, and serves on the boards of QCR Holdings and Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust. A YPO Iowa member for more than 20 years and a former Chapter Chair, he chairs the Zach Johnson Foundation board.
Prizes 05
$20,000 in
prize money
Funded by our Iowa sponsors. Awarded to first and second place in each track on the day of the event.
Collegiate Entrepreneurs
First
$5,000
Second
$2,000
Track total · $7,000
Iowa Startup Founders
First
$9,000
Second
$4,000
Track total · $13,000
How to Apply 06
Key dates
Applications are submitted through our application portal.
-
October 1, 2026
Applications open Both tracks open the same day.
-
January 27, 2027
Event day Holmes Murphy, West Des Moines. 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM CST.
Ready to build
the future of Iowa?
Applications open October 1, 2026. Get in touch to receive key updates, application guidelines, and event announcements.
Supported By 07
Sponsors
The prize pool is funded by Iowa companies who wanted this to exist.
Holmes Murphy
Prize Sponsor
West Des Moines
World Class Industries
Prize Sponsor
Hiawatha
Grace Technologies
Prize Sponsor
Davenport
Kendall Hunt
Prize Sponsor
Dubuque
Technology Sponsor