HeyJaredA cultural record of Iowa's technology
This is a record of Iowa's technology companies and the people who built them. I'll find the stories and talk to the people 1:1 and bring you what they did, why they did it, and how they see the community's progression since (used to say 80s) the 1960s
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 29, 2026
- Audience
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- Earliest in this view
- Aug 25, 2026
Latest issues
Industries you miss when flying-over (opens the original)
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I am returning to a hypothesis in my original scope for this Substack-Is there an entrepreneurial diaspora amongst Iowa companies? This story is proof of its existence and that its lineage is stronger because the entrepreneurs leaned into personal and regional strengths rather than chase shiny (coastal) objects.And it shows, once again, that boring businesses quietly make money,Iowa’s core industriesFlyover the state and you’re likely to miss the state’s three top industries amidst the endless f
The morning when a car felt sentient (opens the original)
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This is a shorter article than usual and the reason is quite straightforward in light of recent conversations about the AI doomsday scenarios. I’ve read most with interest and remain undecided whether the end at the hands of robotic gods is near. I trust readers are well aware of the zeitgeist and will not belabor the stories of the past week.Thanks for reading A cultural record of Iowa's technology! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.<form class="subscription
Playforce (opens the original)
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My freshman introduction to programming class began with an exhortation to “Play Computer” from my professor. He was teaching us the art and skill of thinking literally, logically, and sequentially and set aside our human abilities to think multi-dimensionally when solving problems. That exhortation and subsequent lessons kept coming to mind as I interviewed Elizabeth Tweedale for this story where the juxtaposition of art and computer science persisted throughout our conversation.Subscribe now</
A Pirate‑Flag Bearing Tractor in Age of Autonomous Farm Machines (opens the original)
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In a quiet corner just outside the town of Nevada, Iowa sits a small industrial warehouse with bays dedicated to entrepreneurs and inventors alike. Surrounded by large ag equipment retail, wholesale and service companies, one of the bays is dedicated to a company reinventing ag equipment. Recently, I joined during her Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Entrepreneur field days to learn a bit more about Sabanto Ag and its founder, Craig Rupp.<div class="capt
From Memories to Hopes & Dreams (opens the original)
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You only expected to tell a dozen storiesThose were the words of a mentor and friend when I felt I’d reached the end of my thesis for this Substack. What I saw as an end, however, she saw as an opportunity to pivot and pulled me out of the quicksand before I could step in any further.I started this Substack in early 2025 to journal founder stories from Iowa that belonged in Iowa’s annals of technology. My original thesis hoped to document the impact of t
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