Confluence Brewery, which will open in Des Moines this fall, provided amazing beers for about 200 people.

More than 150+ people visited the Fair in Des Moines to learn about 50 cool startups.

Yesterday’s inaugural Iowa Startup Fair, organized by StartupIowa, drew better-than-expected results, with more than 400 people attending across the state, including 150+ right here in Des Moines.

Designed to create valuable connections between the startup and broader business communities, the event included exhibits from more than 100 startups in four regions across the state. The event was free for both exhibitors and visitors.

Fifty startups set up shop at four locations in Des Moines. In addition to StartupCity, exhibitors were also housed along Silicon Sixth Avenue at BitMethod, Foundry Coworking, and Amici Espresso. Elsewhere in the state, simultaneous events took place in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City at Vault Coworking; in Pella at Central College, Graham Conference Center; and in Cedar Falls at Far Reach Technologies. For a complete list of the exhibitors that participated, visit Startup Iowa.

Des Moines Downtown Chamber provided incredible support for the event, helping to publicize it to its membership as well as providing on-site support with greeters and tour guides. Confluence Brewing, which will open a brewery and tap room later this year, kept great beer flowing right until the event’s end. RecycleMe Iowa kept the event clean and environmentally friendly.

The event was held on national Startup Day, which is also the one-year anniversary of the Startup America Partnership. A representative of that agency attended the event in Des Moines and got to see firsthand all of the awesome innovation happening in Iowa.

Considering the success of the first Iowa Startup Fair, plans are in the works for another.