Mackensie Graham, an attorney with a diverse academic background and nearly three years of experience at Iowa City-area law firms, knew there was a better way to serve small business clients.

In May 2024, she founded Ampersand Legal, PLLC, a Coralville-based law firm with a mission: Bring predictability, transparency, and meaningful relationships to business and employment law. Guided by insights from the University of Iowa’s Venture School—a program hosted by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC)—Graham validated the hypothesis that a flat-fee and subscription-based model was a much-needed improvement in the market from the traditional billable hour model.

“Venture School gave me clarity, focus, and the confidence I needed to turn this vision into a reality I felt ownership over,” Graham said.

A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Graham graduated from Drake in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in politics. She earned a master’s in public policy from Northern Iowa in 2017, before graduating from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2021.

While presenting at EntreFEST and the Business Startup Speaker Series through Greater Iowa City, Graham crossed paths with numerous graduates of Venture School. With her business already up and running, what motivated Graham to register for Venture School? Graham had a plan in place when she opened Ampersand Legal, then clients came on board and things started moving quickly. Those operational plans for the structure and foundation took a backseat to providing immediate services, so she turned to Venture School to get recentered. 

“Past grads spoke highly of it and, in general, I love being back in a classroom,” said Graham, who joined the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids Fall 2024 cohort after considering the curriculum. "I figured, at the very least, I would come away with first-hand knowledge of a resource that some of my clients may benefit from." 

That penchant for continuous learning paid off. At the final pitch competition—judged by NewBoCo executive director Jill Wilkins, South of 6 Iowa City Business District executive director Maurice Davis, and Spring 2024 Venture School winner and co-founder of Steer Clear Mirrors Courtney McClellan—Graham placed first and won $2,000 in seed funding. Across the three Fall 2024 cohorts, Iowa JPEC funded 10 Venture School businesses with $11,300.  

Not only did Graham come away with funding, but she received valuable feedback from lead instructors Scott Swenson and Andrea Belk Olson, and impactful coaching from a team of mentors.

“There is a low price to Venture School [$299] and you will get that back 10-fold in connections,” Graham said, reflecting on her cohort that she plans to continue supporting. “I would also recommend it to people who have been in their business for a while and are exploring a different product, service, or new technology, and trying to develop that and figure out if it is going to work.” 

Ampersand Legal's next steps include optimizing workflows that better facilitate her business model and commence with tech integrations that embrace the "high tech, high touch" approach she believes will make Ampersand most scalable. One of Graham main takeaways from Venture School was to "not let perfection be the enemy of progress."

“Venture School forced me to go back to the foundations of what I needed to implement and see my vision through,” she said. “No matter your prior training and credentials, nothing quite prepares you for owning your own business like just jumping in and doing it. Entrepreneurship forces you to confront the best and worst parts of yourself... which is not an easy journey, but a worthwhile one. Venture School has helped me embrace that process and grow both personally and professionally.”

Interested in joining the nearly 800 entrepreneurs across Iowa who have successfully completed Venture School? Learn more here and watch for updates as applications for the Spring 2025 cohorts open soon.

University of Iowa Venture School is a statewide program for entrepreneurs and is built from a streamlined curriculum developed by the National Science Foundation I-Corps at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Venture School emphasizes real-world entrepreneurship and innovation based on a leading-edge curriculum. Participants will encounter the chaos and uncertainty of creating new ventures while  being challenged to create your new business model, make pivots, or preserve your original plans based on your discovery.

To apply for the Spring 2025 cohort, visit this LINK and register now in the drop-down menu. The deadline to apply is Feb. 26.

For more information, contact Shannon Henderson HERE.