Iowa’s Global Insurance Accelerator Lands DuPont Innovation Award

The Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) has been selected as this year’s winner of the DuPont Pioneer InnovationLEADER Award by innovationIOWA Magazine, an annual publication of the Des Moines Business Record.

Sponsored by the science and engineering company, DuPont, and managed by the Business Record, the Pioneer InnovationLEADER Award recognizes the accomplishments of an Iowa individual or organization for products or services that lean into innovation. The nominees are judged on the innovation’s originality, leadership and impact on the company, state and local economy, and/or the general public. Consideration is also given to the commercial impact that the innovation may have on company culture.

Jay Byers, CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, said in a statement that since 2015 when it launched, “the GIA has become a big part of promoting not only awareness of the insurance community here in Iowa, but supporting InsurTech startups and entrepreneurs on a global level as well. I hope this award further highlights the good work Brian Hemesath

and everyone at the GIA are doing in the local community and worldwide.”

The GIA is a mentor-driven business accelerator fostering innovation in the worldwide insurance industry by supporting startups focused on improvements across the entire insurance value chain. The GIA’s investors are insurance companies, and the mentors are primarily insurance executives.

The award was presented during a ceremony at the new Iowa State University Economic Development Core Facility in Ames on April 5.