ISA Ventures

ISA Ventures is Iowa's first multi-stage venture capital fund, established in 2019 and based in Cedar Rapids. The firm focuses on fostering growth in Iowa-based companies across various key industry sectors, including biotechnology, healthcare, education technologies, engineering and automation, agriculture, food and bio-processing, insurance and finance, and transportation and logistics. ISA Ventures employs a balanced approach to support companies through multiple phases of growth, from early-stage startups to rapidly growing and expansion-stage businesses.

The firm typically invests between $25,000 and $1 million, aligning with the stage and potential of the business. ISA Ventures is committed to investing in companies that maintain principal operations in Iowa, contributing to the state's economic development. The fund is managed by a team of experienced professionals, including General Partner Eric Engelmann, who founded and grew Geonetric in Cedar Rapids from 1999 until 2015. The firm also offers a Syndicate program, providing accredited investors with opportunities to invest in a network of Iowa-based companies, leveraging deal flow from ISA Ventures' full-time staff and offering educational workshops on angel investing.

ISA Ventures has invested in several companies, including Gross-Wen Technologies, Higher Learning Technologies, SmartScripts, Clayton Farms, ClinicNote, EdgeData, iotaMotion, Member Marketplace, OpenLoop, and Pitchly. The firm has raised a total of $22 million and expects to invest in about 100 companies from 2020 to 2024, across a variety of industry sectors. All companies that receive investment from ISA Ventures are required to maintain principal operations in the state of Iowa. Limited partner investors may receive substantial tax benefits through the Iowa Innovation Fund program and have the first opportunity to invest more in portfolio companies as sidecar investments.