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THE CHAIR:
DETROIT RECAP

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The Founder’s Chair Detroit was a resounding success, sparking powerful connections, insightful conversations, and opportunities that will fuel Founders’ next stage of growth.

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Meet Our Des Moines Funders

The Funders

DETROIT

Founder Overviews

LevelFields

LevelFields’ AI scans 30K docs/min, turning qualitative event noise (e.g., SEC filings, news) into quantitative insights and data feeds, cutting research time by 90% and boosting returns at 30% of Bloomberg’s price. Targeting institutional & retail investors, it’s proven & scalable to disrupt a $40B data market.

Turnqey

Turnqey is a ‘super aggregator’ API platform that delivers crypto data, analytics, and actionable insights to financial advisers. By providing real-time data aggregation and comprehensive performance reporting, Turnqey helps advisers overcome the challenges of fragmented data from unreliable sources and lack of visibility into client holdings.

FP Alpha

FP Alpha’s first-of-its-kind software makes it easy to offer tax, estate and insurance planning. Upload tax, estate & insurance documents and within minutes, receive a visual snapshot, guided insights provided from gen AI that were designs by CPAs, estate attorneys, and insurance experts. Their robust simulators deliver compelling planning strategies clients can understand and appreciate.

Solvrays

Solvrays built an AI-powered command center that connects the dots—legacy platforms, human tasks, unstructured data—and automates the work insurers waste the most time on. With their modular “Genes” architecture, carriers can go live in days, not months, and start eliminating 70% of manual workflows—no API required.

Inkaway

Inkaway offers insurance plans that cover the cost of a tattoo’s cover-up or removal if the owner needs a change.

Apeiron Gate

Apeiron Gate combines modern technology with the art of underwriting to bring clarity to a complex industry. Their data-forward approach combines automation and human insight to streamline workflows, cut costs and drive faster, smarter decisions. They are your gateway from complexity to clarity.

Stonewood Financial

Stonewood’s integrated software, lead gen and training tools make complex financial strategies simple and meaningful – for advisors and their clients alike. With a focus on long-term tax mitigation, retirement income optimization, Roth strategies, and legacy maximization, Stonewood offers growth-minded advisors the tools to grow their practices in today’s retirement landscape.

Fintary

Leading insurance brokerages and carriers use Fintary to pay agents faster, increase margins, and scale with confidence. Their platform transforms commission operations into a competitive advantage – turning monthly payouts into weekly wins. They use the latest technologies to automate the most manual processes such as statement processing, grid management, special comp arrangements.

Snapshots

Apeiron
Fintary
Fpalpha
InsurTech WealthTech Funders having a conversation
Funders
Group Dinner
Haley Becky
Inkaway
Levelfields
Networking In Detroit
Networking The Madison
Solvrays
Stephen
Stonewood
Turnqey - Tyrone Ross

QUOTES

From the Founders

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This was one of the most curated, planned pitch events I've ever participated in.

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What stood out to me? The GREAT connections made with like minded people. Amazing!!

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I thought this event was great. It was so nice to spend time with both fellow Founders and Funders!

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When doing our presentation, having non-stop questions from the audience was a great boost, as it proved the value of our solution and its validation by industry leaders.

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All the questions and comments from the Funders were extremely valuable.

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It was so fun to have dinner with the other Founders. Plus, the presentation experience was very engaging, specifically around Q&A with the Funders.

Est. 1919 · Des Moines, Iowa

HOTEL FORT DES MOINES

A century of stories, one remarkable address

Famous Guests
Scandals & Secrets
Firsts & Innovations
The Beginning
1922
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1922

Helen Keller rang in the New Year here, staying at the hotel while in Des Moines for performances over New Year's Eve.

1927
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1927

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig had breakfast here before an exhibition game. Two of baseball's greatest, at the same table, in Des Moines.

1927
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1927

Charles Lindbergh hosted a banquet here after his famous transatlantic flight. The menu featured boneless squab — reportedly a rare Des Moines delicacy at the time.

1933
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1933

Amelia Earhart visited the hotel to speak about her solo flight across the Atlantic — a rare chance for Iowans to hear her story firsthand.

1947
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1947

Mae West stayed here during her performance of "Come on Up" at the KRNT Radio Theater. One imagines she made an impression on the staff.

1959
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1959

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev occupied the Presidential Suite during the height of the Cold War. This hotel has seen history made.

1960
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1960

JFK, LBJ, and Hubert Humphrey all attended dinner here and held a meeting on farm policy — three future or sitting presidents under one roof.

1980
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1980

Elizabeth Taylor stayed here during a Des Moines appearance. Hollywood glamour, right here in the heartland.

1980
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1980

Elizabeth Taylor stayed here during a Des Moines appearance. Hollywood glamour, right here in the heartland.

2003
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2003

Cher requested her own personal mattress be placed in room #1025. The hotel obliged. Room 1025 has never quite been the same.

2008
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2008

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both stayed here during the Iowa caucuses — rivals for the presidency, sharing the same address for a night.

1939
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1939

Police raided the Log Cabin Room on the 11th floor, seizing liquor and gambling equipment. The tip reportedly came from the men's own wives.

1927
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1927

When Lindbergh dined here post-transatlantic flight, he reportedly insisted on serving boneless squab, an extravagance that raised eyebrows across Iowa.

1959
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1959

The FBI monitored Khrushchev's stay closely. Guests on nearby floors reportedly had no idea who was sleeping down the hall.

1971
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1971

President Nixon greeted supporters in the lobby during his stay — a reminder that this hotel has always been where Iowa's political drama plays out.

1919
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1919

When it opened, every single room had a bathtub, purified chilled circulating water, and a window. Unheard of luxury for its era.

1938
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1938

The hotel announced the first air-conditioned guest room in Des Moines, a genuine technological milestone that made front-page news.

1953
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1953

100 rooms received TV sets in what was reportedly the largest single installation of televisions in Iowa at the time. The fee to operate yours? 25 cents.

1982
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1982

Governor Terry Branstad nominated the hotel to the National Register of Historic Places, cementing its place in Iowa's official history.

1919
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1919

The hotel opened on July 15, 1919, built for approximately $1.5 million and designed by the architectural firm Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson.

1919
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1919

Its opening was a statement of ambition: every room had a private bathtub, purified water, and a window. In 1919, this was genuinely extraordinary.

1974
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1974

Ronald Reagan attended WHO Radio's 50th anniversary celebration at the hotel, proof that Fort Des Moines has always been Iowa's premier gathering place.

2021
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2021

After major renovations, the hotel reopened as part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, a century of history, restored for the next hundred years.