Scale DSM and Spark DSM Help Create Jobs and Drive Innovation in Greater Des Moines

Scale DSM and Spark DSM Help Create Jobs and Drive Innovation in Greater Des Moines

"You don't know what you don't know."

Sensiil Studios' Basi Affia, founder of Iowa's first Black comic book publisher, knew he needed to grow his business. Two Greater Des Moines Partnership programs helped him discover how to do so. First, he got involved with the Spark DSM Business Incubator program to sell his comic books at the Downtown Farmers’ Market. Then, his sister told him about the Scale DSM Business Accelerator as a way to help him grow his business. He joined the fourth cohort in 2025.

"Watching my business grow has been very fulfilling on a lot of different levels," Affia says.

In Greater Des Moines (DSM), supporting small business owners like Affia, who are looking for opportunities to grow, is an important focus and one that The Partnership dedicates its time and resources to in a variety of ways. Through services like business counseling, resources and education, small business owners gain insight into innovative business practices and learn about the most relevant developments affecting small businesses today.

Dread Doctor, a Spark DSM vendor, at the Downtown Farmers' Market

Nearly 79% of Comerica Small Business Pulse Index™ respondents anticipate revenue growth in 2026 and remain optimistic about small business growth. Here in DSM, small business programming geared toward helping founders and owners succeed is essential. The Partnership is committed to helping new entrepreneurs grow their businesses into recognizable and reliable community brands. But this programming is also necessary to encourage even more people to take their ideas and make them a reality, or more accurately, turn them into a successful business in DSM.

Two small business programs — the Scale DSM Business Accelerator and the Spark DSM Business Incubator — are effectively bringing small business owners together to learn and grow through real-world experience. Launched in 2022, the programs focus on entrepreneurial growth and create an opportunity for local networking. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 45.9% of Americans are employed by a small business, and they create millions of jobs over time, while driving innovation, too.

About Scale DSM

The Scale DSM Business Accelerator is tuition-free and open to business owners across DSM. The program is supported by Wells Fargo Foundation. In 2025, 18 graduates of the Scale DSM Business Accelerator benefited from a curriculum focused on:

• Business & Strategic Assessment
• Finance — Balancing Cash Flow and Bottom Line
• Marketing and Sales — Building Profitable Sale
• Getting What You Need to Grow (Identifying and Securing Talent and Capital)
• Putting it All Together (Delivering Growth Plan Presentations)

Learn more about Scale DSM.

About Spark DSM

Thanks to signature events like the Downtown Farmers’ Market, World Food & Music Festival and Out to Lunch, new and early-stage small businesses have a way of gaining real-world experience through established events attended by thousands. Presented by Principal® and held in partnership with Evelyn K. Davis Center, the Spark DSM Business Incubator is an opportunity for those who sell locally grown/handmade items. In 2025, 26 Spark DSM vendors took part in the program, focusing on a curriculum that included:

• Business Fundamentals
• Marketing Strategies
• Legal and Regulatory Compliance
• Networking & Community Engagement
• Additional Resources (Mentorship, Workshops, etc.)

Learn more about Spark DSM.

For more insight into the benefits and impact of Scale DSM and Spark DSM, hear from Sensiil Studios’ Basi Affia as he discusses how these programs have impacted his business journey:

You can read more about the importance of supporting local businesses and hear stories of local business owners in DSM in this Business Record guest article from The Partnership’s President & CEO Tiffany Tauscheck.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership celebrates the Greater Des Moines (DSM) entrepreneur community and helps small businesses succeed with one-of-a-kind resources and opportunities for networking. Find out how other entrepreneurs have found success by reading their stories and attending local small business events in the region.