Hemesath, Dhawan and Kirpalani to Headline Accelerate DSM

The Greater Des Moines Partnership has announced plans for the third annual Accelerate DSM event, held on Thursday, April 5 at the Science Center of Iowa. The daylong event allows startups and entrepreneurs to gain key takeaways from peers and experts alike. The event is produced by The Partnership.

Keynote speakers throughout the day include:

• Brian Hemesath, Managing Director of the Global Insurance Accelerator, which is designed to foster innovation in the insurance industry by supporting startups that target the global insurance industry. Hemesath has built a career around technology startups as founder and co-founder of two successful businesses serving multiple industries. The Accelerator takes in early-stage companies that are building solutions that support the insurance industry and provides them with seed funding and networking.
• Tej Dhawan, Chief Data Officer for Principal. Dhawan works with the technologies and teams aimed at a customer-focused digital experience. Through a mix of data, analytics, user-experience and augmented intelligence, he drives the evolving digital experience. Dhawan utilizes his background in small business ownership, startup advocacy, accelerator mentorship and research of data utilization to influence and adopt innovation.
• Andrew Kirpalani, Co-founder of Workhound, which gives drivers a voice and companies a solution. At Workhound, Kirpalani leads all things product and has over 10 years of experience in development and product management work in employee engagement, aviation and the automotive aftermarket. He has run Startup Weekend Des Moines and participated in accelerators and incubators in various cities.

In addition to the keynote addresses, the day will feature roundtable sessions and panel discussions. Programming throughout the day will be focused on how to accelerate business growth. The day will end with a TechBrew sponsored by the Technology Association of Iowa.

“Accelerate DSM is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs from throughout the region to learn from each other and from experts from all parts of the startup ecosystem,” said Mike Colwell, Executive Director of Entrepreneurial Initiatives at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. “Attendees will have the chance to make worthwhile business connections and learn lessons that will help them grow their business.”

Accelerate DSM is made possible by the following sponsors: BrownWinick Law Firm, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Ankeny Alliance, the City of Des Moines, the Drake University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship Outreach, LWBJ and the Technology Association of Iowa.

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming days. Learn more about the event and register here.

About the Greater Des Moines Partnership

The Greater Des Moines Partnership is the economic and community development organization that serves Greater Des Moines (DSM), Iowa. Together with 23 Affiliate Chambers of Commerce, more than 6,100 Regional Business Members and more than 320 Investors, The Partnership drives economic growth with one voice, one mission and as one region. Through innovation, strategic planning and global collaboration, The Partnership grows opportunity, helps create jobs and promotes DSM as the best place to build a business, a career and a future.

About Square One DSM

Square One DSM’s mission is to connect entrepreneurial needs with qualified community and state resources and to provide guided professional and business direction. Square One DSM helps entrepreneurs maximize their successes by helping them navigate resources, strengthen knowledge, improve skills, form strategic alliances and secure proper capitalization. Learn more at squareoneDSM.com.