Melissa is an exceptional partner in regional economic development. Her ability to coordinate seamlessly with Alliant Energy ensures that Winnebago and Worth counties are always positioned for growth. She is proactive, deeply knowledgeable, and highly collaborative- bringing her into a project early is a guarantee that things will move forward efficiently and successfully.
— Chad Hansen , Alliant Energy
Venture School Helps North Iowa Entrepreneurs Succeed
17 Dec 2025
News
North Iowa entrepreneurs are achieving success with the assistance of the NIACC Pappajohn Center cohort of the University of Iowa Venture School. Venture School is the premiere business training program in Iowa, emphasizing real-world entrepreneurship and innovation based on a leading-edge curriculum. Participants learn to overcome the chaos and uncertainty of creating new ventures by conducting customer discovery, market research and developing their foundational business model in real-time.
The NIACC Pappajohn Center is now accepting applications for the Spring 2026 cohort of the University of Iowa Venture School program. The Spring 2026 program will begin with an in-person orientation session on Thursday, February 5, 2026. Classes will be held online via Zoom on Thursdays, February 12 through March 19, 5:30-9:00pm. The Venture School program will culminate with the Venture School Launch Day pitch competition, held in-person at NIACC on March 26, 2026, where entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to compete for cash prizes. The cost for the program is $299.
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