DES MOINES

funders & special guests
Fsch 2026 Events Desmoines Funder Landing Page Brian
  • Insurance’s coolest DJ 99% 99%
  • Carrier guy who doesn’t “get” distribution 3% 3%
  • Superman Doppleganger 80% 80%
  • Impresses in the boardroom and on people’s yachts 87% 87%
  • Forgetting your name 8% 8%
  • Knows where the (industry) bodies are buried 82% 82%
Fsch 2026 Events Desmoines Funder Landing Page Dan
Fsch 2026 Events Desmoines Funder Landing Page Scott
  • Institutional knowledge, no institutional ego 88% 88%
  • “Retired” 9% 9%
  • Martinis 78% 78%
  • Has a guy for that 88% 88%
  • Elite by name, elite by nature 82% 82%
  • Not knowing someone in the room 7% 7%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Peter
Tfc Des Moines Funder Nicole
  • Working with startups 83% 83%
  • On the Board 97% 97%
  • Meetings for the sake of meetings 7% 7%
  • Crypto Junkie 86% 86%
  • “I don’t know much about Fantasy Football” 6% 6%
  • Annuities 96% 96%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Julie
Tfc Des Moines Funder David
  • Distribution is the product 95% 95%
  • Already thinking three moves ahead 86% 86%
  • Surface-level conversations 5% 5%
  • Connecting two people who needed to meet 89% 89%
  • “Let me introduce you to someone” 95% 95%
  • Sitting still 11% 11%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Jay
Tfc Des Moines Funder Pam
  • Knows everyone, connects everyone 97% 97%
  • The story behind the story 85% 85%
  • Letting a good narrative go untold 4% 4%
  • Knows exactly which zip codes convert 71% 71%
  • Medicare, but genuinely excited about it 84% 84%
  • Overcomplicated pitches 9% 9%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Levi
Tfc Des Moines Funder Sheryl
  • Most connected person in insurance 97% 97%
  • Indexed every product in the market 91% 91%
  • Guessing 3% 3%
  • Go Vikings! 80% 80%
  • Queen of underwriting 93% 93%
  • “I’ll just stay home” 4% 4%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Diana
Tfc Des Moines Funder James
  • Family first 95% 95%
  • Industry distruptor 84% 84%
  • Bringing together mediocre Founders and Funders 2% 2%
  • Quietly the smartest guy at the table 87% 87%
  • Brokerage brain, venture curiosity 76% 76%
  • Flashy decks with no substance 10% 10%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Matt
Tfc Des Moines Funder Laura
  • Sarcasm as a love language 90% 90%
  • Asks the question everyone else was thinking 83% 83%
  • Letting a bad pitch slide 9% 9%
  • Has a framework for that 81% 81%
  • The original “Rudy” 92% 92%
  • Going off-script 8% 8%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Tim
Tfc Des Moines Funder Reid Buerger
  • Deal junkie 91% 91%
  • Girl dad 98% 98%
  • Small talk 8% 8%
  • Corporate venture, startup energy 93% 93%
  • Due diligence done before breakfast 77% 77%
  • Buzzwords 6% 6%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Brittany
Tfc Des Moines Funder Stephen
  • Karaoke bars 95% 95%
  • “I don’t know many people in insurance” 1% 1%
  • Awake by 4 AM 85% 85%
  • First to leave the party, last to go to sleep 93% 93%
  • Unproven channels 6% 6%
  • Distribution relationships older than some startups 82% 82%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Ron
Tfc Des Moines Funder Doug
  • Built it, sold it, doing it again 97% 97%
  • Explaining what an IMO is 3% 3%
  • IMO math in his head, instantly 85% 85%
Fsch 2026 Events Desmoines Funder Landing Page Brian
  • Insurance’s coolest DJ 99% 99%
  • Carrier guy who doesn’t “get” distribution 3% 3%
  • Superman Doppleganger 80% 80%
Fsch 2026 Events Desmoines Funder Landing Page Dan
  • Impresses in the boardroom and on people’s yachts 87% 87%
  • Forgetting your name 8% 8%
  • Knows where the (industry) bodies are buried 82% 82%
Fsch 2026 Events Desmoines Funder Landing Page Scott
  • Institutional knowledge, no institutional ego 88% 88%
  • “Retired” 9% 9%
  • Martinis 78% 78%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Peter
  • Has a guy for that 88% 88%
  • Elite by name, elite by nature 82% 82%
  • Not knowing someone in the room 7% 7%
Tfc Des Moines Funder David
  • Distribution is the product 95% 95%
  • Already thinking three moves ahead 86% 86%
  • Surface-level conversations 5% 5%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Jay
  • Connecting two people who needed to meet 89% 89%
  • “Let me introduce you to someone” 95% 95%
  • Sitting still 11% 11%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Nicole
  • On the Board 97% 97%
  • InsurTech, FinTech, and HealthTech Enthusiast 88% 88%
  • Meetings for the sake of meetings 7% 7%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Julie
  • Crypto Junkie 86% 86%
  • “I don’t know much about Fantasy Football” 6% 6%
  • Annuities 96% 96%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Pam
  • Knows everyone, connects everyone 97% 97%
  • The story behind the story 85% 85%
  • Letting a good narrative go untold 4% 4%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Levi
  • Knows exactly which zip codes convert 90% 90%
  • Medicare, but genuinely exciting about it 74% 74%
  • Overcomplicated pitches 9% 9%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Sheryl
  • Most connected person in insurance 97% 97%
  • Indexed every product in the market 91% 91%
  • Guessing 3% 3%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Diana
  • Go Vikings! 80% 80%
  • Queen of underwriting 93% 93%
  • “I’ll just stay home” 4% 4%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Laura
  • Sarcasm as a love language 90% 90%
  • Asks the question everyone else was thinking 83% 83%
  • Letting a bad pitch slide 9% 9%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Matt
  • Quietly the smartest guy at the table 87% 87%
  • Brokerage brain, venture curiosity 76% 76%
  • Flashy decks with no substance 10% 10%
Tfc Des Moines Funder James
  • Family first 95% 95%
  • Fantasy Football 90% 90%
  • Doing something without overthinking it 2% 2%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Brittany
  • Corporate venture, startup energy 93% 93%
  • Due diligence done before breakfast 77% 77%
  • Buzzwords 6% 6%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Reid Buerger
  • Deal junkie 91% 91%
  • Girl dad 98% 98%
  • Small talk 8% 8%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Tim
  • Has a framework for that 81% 81%
  • The original “Rudy” 92% 92%
  • Going off-script 8% 8%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Stephen
  • Karaoke bars 95% 95%
  • “I don’t know many people in insurance” 1% 1%
  • Awake by 4 AM 85% 85%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Ron
  • First to leave the party, last to go to sleep 93% 93%
  • Distribution relationships older than some startups 82% 82%
  • Unproven channels 6% 6%
Tfc Des Moines Funder Doug
  • Built it, sold it, doing it again 97% 97%
  • Explaining what an IMO is 3% 3%
  • IMO math in his head, instantly 85% 85%

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
\
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
\
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
\
1980

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

1980
\
1980

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

2003
\
2003

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

2008
\
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
\
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
\
1927

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

1959
\
1959

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

1971
\
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
\
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
\
1982

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

1919
\
1919

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

1919
\
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
\
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
\
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.