Young entrepreneurs in action

Norman is the attention-grabber, Button is always ready for a close-up and Tsuchi (sue-key) is the crowd favorite. They are the 130-pound turtle, bearded dragon and blue tongue skink (a type of lizard) who call Spock's Sanctuary in Des Moines home.

The animal ambassadors are part of Cam Reiman's burgeoning effort to help reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates survive and thrive in the zoo she and husband, Cole, opened in 2021 (see video above). Reiman is in her sixth year at Iowa State pursuing an undergraduate degree in animal ecology with minors in nutrition, culinary food science and entrepreneurship.

Spock's – named for a chameleon's feet, which are shaped like the Vulcan greeting – also rehomes exotic animals, offers boarding services, is a reptile transfer partner with the Animal Rescue League and educates groups either at the zoo or on location.

In 2022, Reiman also began selling NutriCubes – a complete diet food for lizards – to satisfy her own pets' needs before expanding production to sell to other exotic animal owners. She spends eight hours every Wednesday making the high-quality cubes available to customers across the nation. 

Reiman is a staple in Iowa State's entrepreneur programs participating in pitch competitions from Des Moines to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Tsuchi usually stars in pitches about NutriCubes. Reiman's efforts landed her in the capitol rotunda, chatting with state legislators and visitors about Spock's during ISU's Day at the Capitol in March.

"We had a conversation about starting an animal rescue, but it was definitely when we were retired 40 years in the future and have extra money in our bank accounts," Reiman said. "We accidently got started 39 years early."

Since 2022, the sanctuary has cared for 480 animals with most finding new homes while others stay at the zoo. Reiman, who grew up in western Iowa, also gives back to fellow students through internships at the zoo that fulfill animal ecology requirements.

"We take on peer interns and have had 12, mostly from Iowa State," she said. "I am grateful to give back, but also it alleviates our workload and makes Spock's possible."

Reiman is one of numerous Iowa Staters – still in school or recently graduated – who used innovative ideas to expand their education past the classroom and jumpstart their entrepreneurial endeavors.

"I think the courses I have taken in the classroom have been incredible, but the opportunities I have taken outside of the classroom have been my favorite part of being at Iowa State," she said.

From student to teacher

Micah Walker is now the teacher.

Less than a year ago, the 24-year-old from Houston put the finishing touches on a master's degree in entrepreneurship at Iowa State. Now, founders pitch him on their innovative idea as an investment analyst at InnoVenture Iowa in Des Moines.

On Thursdays, Walker teaches Waukee and Valley high school students about venture capital through the Aspiring Professional Experience (APEX) program, aiming to develop skilled innovators through partnerships with area businesses.

"In a position where I educate so much – whether it is founders, students or interns – my past experiences put me in a position where I feel confident enough to educate them because I have done it," he said. "Those experiences keep me from feeling like I am young and fresh out of college."

Walker, a thrower on the Cyclone track team, founded Stratus in 2022 as an undergraduate at Iowa State after he broke his foot. He wanted a better shoe for throwers with flat feet. One course assignment sparked the idea: Design your own startup business.

"Entrepreneurship is creating solutions to problems you have in your everyday life," he said.

What followed was a series of steps through Iowa State's innovation programs that allowed him to pivot, explore and succeed. Walker participated in pitch-off competitions – presenting his idea in front of a panel of judges for cash awards – earning enough money to create shoe designs and conduct market research.

CYstarters – an 11-week summer accelerator for students to focus on their business idea – provided Walker with $6,500 and a support system of students going through similar steps. Staff and professional service providers in the community contribute more than 200 hours of individual mentoring to the program. Participating in Cystarters also allowed Walker to reshape his idea into a sneaker and apparel company to broaden the potential market.

"Leaving CYstarters, I had customer discovery done, I had a physical prototype, I had a landing page to collect customer emails and I knew how to develop my website," he said. "It helped me develop an idea on paper into a feasible business."

Working as a managing project advisor for the CyBIZ Lab provided real-life training for his current job. CyBIZ Lab connects businesses with student consulting teams to solve company problems. Partners gain access to university resources, external perspectives and cost-effective solutions.

"It helped me learn the project management side of a new business," he said. "I developed the CEO mentality in me to see how I like to lead teams and run things."

Walker oversaw 10 projects for CyBIZ in a year – leading five of them – conducting feasibility analysis, market research, surveying and customer discovery. Through pitches and accelerators, he earned enough money to continue to build his business while taking a full course load and participating in athletics. When he graduated, Walker had two shoes designed, a revamped logo and had formed a limited liability company.

No time like the present

Walker tells the APEX high school students to build their ideas throughout college and take advantage of expertise and funds. With a broad academic program and close to 100 courses with an entrepreneurial focus or component across six undergraduate colleges, Iowa State offers opportunities for a wide range of majors. Walker estimates success in various pitch-offs and programs could net students between $5,000-$20,000 over four years at Iowa State.

"If (students) have an idea they should use that as they go through the entrepreneurship program at Iowa State," he said. "Classes where you are developing a business plan, I used for my own business. I got critiqued, not only by my peers, but by professors, for free."

Walker continues to work on his company but spends most days helping aspiring founders develop their ideas and get the funds to make it happen. He knows solid ideas and how to strengthen others because he has been on the other side.

"We are here to educate Iowans on what venture capital is and how they can get involved to build an entrepreneur ecosystem in the state," he said. "I know I am making a difference on a day-to-day basis and making a deeper impact in Iowa."

An easy button for farmers

Dakota Belling and Eugene Meyer turned an entrepreneurial product design class project into the seeds of business innovation despite not previously knowing each other. Their partnership led to Bovi-Jet, the automated spray-on medication device for beef and dairy cattle. The 6-by-12 box that runs off rechargeable batteries dispenses medication on the backs of cattle to help fight external (flies) and internal (worms) pests. A modern solution to an age-old problem.

"Farmers talk about having two syringes under their arm, one in their hand and they are trying to lock a cow into the chute," Belling said. "Having a button they can just press to apply the spray-on speeds up the process 10 seconds. Over 500 head that's more than an hour saved."

Trial and error led to numerous updates of Bovi-Jet during the undergrads' final year at Iowa State, and a chance encounter with the owner of one of the largest cattle lots in the state yielded important research and design opportunities. Belling said dairy cattle weigh 1,200 pounds and move slowly, so Bovi-Jet's single laser system worked well, but calves are 500 pounds and stack up on each other entering the chute, leading to the beef version.

"Every pivot is a stepping stone," said Belling of developing a Bovi-Jet for dairy and beef cattle. "Maybe we had two things right on our first version and we used those, but it is always about getting better."

Bovi-Jet Dairy mounts on top of a chute leading from a milking parlor to the pen while Bovi-Jet Beef connects to the side of a chute with a button the farmer pushes when the animal is locked in.

Belling and Meyer won several innovation competitions through the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship and national competitions. The Pappajohn Center awarded more than $245,000 to young entrepreneurs in 2024. Money comes from a variety of sources including the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, Economic Development and Industry Relations, undergraduate colleges, donors and state funds.

Building for the market

Product development is at the forefront. Belling uses his civil engineering degree while Meyer is an industrial engineer. The duo order or 3D print the parts for Bovi-Jet and assemble them in Belling's garage in Ames.

With two versions now on the market, a third model under design integrates with a scale, providing precise medication amounts to better control cost, Belling said. He travels to farm shows in five states conducting demonstrations, using a mockup of a chute and cattle silhouettes cut out of wood. Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska represent three of the five largest feedlot states in the country, providing opportunity for the company, Belling said.

He also travels to farms for individual demonstrations, but a new problem arose.

"A lot of farmers say, 'My grandpa and dad used the pour-on gun and we are used to using that,'" Belling said. "We have to get over the generational mentality and that has been tough. The key is to get initial adopters and have them give you a positive review and pass that on to others. Word of mouth plays a huge part in this field."

The 2023 graduates must now answer the question of what's next?

"It could be a for-life company, we could form a partnership with another company in the ag business or we can try to develop dealerships to distribute our product," Belling said. "Or an acquisition could happen."

Belling knows success typically comes with a few pivots along the way.