The Greater Des Moines Story: Investor News

Gary Scholten headshot

Principal Fosters Innovation By Approaching Technology Like a Startup

A longtime advocate for entrepreneurs, Tej Dhawan is passionate about championing Greater Des Moines (DSM) and Iowa startups. In an Adding to the Cultural Record Substack story, The 146-Year-Old Technology Startup, originally published on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, he invites his former boss, Principal Financial Group's retired CIO, Gary Scholten (pictured above), to share insight into how Principal's story mirrors a tech startup, the importance of a committed technology team and systems launched to enhance customer experience.

Learn More About Principal Financial Company

Website: principal.com
In-Person: 711 High St. in Des Moines
Phone: (800) 986-3343

 

Tej Dhawan headshotTej Dhawan, Substack storyteller

 

This story originally appeared in Tej Dhawan’s, A Cultural Record of Iowa’s Technology SubstackFollow Tej and his Iowa founder profiles as part of the Iowa Startup Collective, a group of Iowa writers and creatives telling stories to amplify what is happening here!


 

Keep up with the momentum that's happening in and around Greater Des Moines (DSM) when you subscribe to one or all of the Greater Des Moines Partnership's newsletters — they're packed with the latest news, highlighting everything from upcoming events to development projects to policy updates. Join the mailing list to connect with The Partnership and help amplify stories from around the region.

Diana Wright Headshot
Diana Wright

Diana Wright is the Director of Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the Greater Des Moines Partnership. She has a passion for helping others bridge their ideas and create results. In her role at The Partnership she connects and leads entrepreneurs helping them speed up their growth and success.