Prometheus Awards celebrate 10 years

Iowa's premier event for technology marked its 10th anniversary Thursday with a nod to the next generation and the expansion of the state's innovative community.

The Prometheus Awards celebrated a decade of fire-emblem recognitions with a mix of awards for startups and established tech companies.

While the awards focused on the adults in the room, HyperStream, a program to get middle- and high-school students involved in tech, received a special shout-out.

"The core of HyperStream is access, opportunity and mentorship ... it's a deadly combination," said Brian Waller, the president of the Technology Association of Iowa, which hosted the awards and manages HyperStream.

Waller also called on the technologists and entrepreneurs in the room to bring more people to the table.

"We must diversify the people we have this conversation with ... if we truly are innovators like we say we are, we can't be only innovative in the products we create. We need to be innovative in who we create with," Waller said. "My challenge is to you is to bring someone new into this world, into this world. Give someone a chance."

Thursday night's winners came from all different stages, including startups and established public companies.

Ames-based Workiva, which went public in December, had one of the bigger nights. The software company won awards for Software Company of the Year and Technology Company of the Year.

Workiva has won the software company award the last five years and the technology company award the last four years.

Here's who took home the top prizes this year:

Software Company of the Year: Workiva. Formerly known as Webfilings, Ames-based Workiva has developed cloud-based software for firms to manage and report business data.

Best Mobile App: John Deere's Mobile Data Transfer. The application uses smartphones to send analytical data from farm machinery to MyJohnDeere.com so farmers can review it later.

IT Service Provider of the Year: Xpanxion, LLC. Based in Georgia but with an office in Ames, Xpanxion develops custom software and provides consulting services.

Top Growth Company of the Year: MediRevv. The firm saw its revenue grow by about 38 percent in 2014 compared with 2013. Coralville-based MediRevv manages payment information and revenues for healthcare companies.

Best User of Technology: HarrisVaccines. Based in Ames, the biotechnology and animal health company is producing vaccines for animal diseases.

Chief Information Officer: Gary Scholten, executive vice president and chief information officer at Des Moines-based Principal Financial Group.

CEO of the Year: MediRevv CEO Chris Klitgaard. In addition to revenue growth, MediRevv added 90 new jobs last year.

Investing in Iowa Award: Matt Kinley, chief financial officer of PappaJohn Capital Resources/Equity Dynamics, Inc.

Student Innovators of the Year: Scott Henry and Thomas Klein from Simpson College. Both led the development of Snitch'n, a phone app that allows users to send anonymous tips directly to police.

Break Out Award: Higher Learning Technologies. Based in Coralville, Higher Learning Technologies is an educational tech company that makes mobile test preparation apps.

Outstanding Startup: Pear Deck. Iowa City's Pear Deck allows teachers to create interactive lessons for the classroom. The startup won the Rise of the Rest contest at South by Southwest this year and pitched at Google, among other accomplishments.

Life Sciences Company of the Year: NewLink Genetics. Based in Ames, the pharmaceutical company is developing treatments for cancer. NewLink signed multiple deals worth millions of dollars last year.

Technology Company of the Year ($1 to $10 million in revenues): HarrisVaccines.

Technology Company of the Year (more than $10 million in revenues): Workiva.