April 16, 2012

  • From crimes to clean plates, the nine data projects of Hack Omaha (Video)

    Hack Omaha, a programming competition, in the style of Startup Weekend, that required teams to build their projects using datasets of public government information, wrapped up Sunday night in the Omaha World-Herald’s downtown building. The World-Herald, the producer and host of the competition, supplied datasets to teams and, in the spirit of the event, required…

  • Prairie Portrait: David Splivalo of Freestyle PR

    Silicon Prairie News: After you’d spent years working in public relations on both coasts, what drove your decision to move to Des Moines and set up shop there in 2007? | David Splivalo: I established a great working relationship with one of my first Iowa clients, Palisade Systems. Their CEO went out of his way…

  • A photo recap of the SPN Meetup with Startup Weekend Kansas City

    Startup Weekend Kansas City’s opening pitches took place Friday night, but the event’s opening pitchers — or pints, at least — were enjoyed Thursday at The Cashew, where Startup Weekend Kansas City (SWKC) sponsored the first Silicon Prairie News Meetup this year in Kansas City. Throughout the evening, an estimated 100 people made their way…

  • Food Fight gamifies restaurant ratings, wins Hack Omaha (Video)

    Omaha Food Fight, an app that challenges users to guess the cleanliness of local food establishments, won first place over the weekend at the inaugural Hack Omaha, a programming competition, in the style of Startup Weekend, that required teams to base their projects on datasets of public government information. The event, produced and hosted by…

  • With programming games for kids, TutHopper tops Startup Weekend KC

    Carrie Royce sees a world of potential when she watches her 8-year-old son, Walter, and his pack of tech-inclined pals eschew sports and other pursuits in favor of video games, computers and electronics. “They’re the next Apple, right?” Royce says of the youngsters. “If you prepare them for that.” Royce and a pack of her…

  • Events: Tech ESP, TechBrew, Venture Friday and more

    Every Monday, look for our events post to keep you in the loop on the happenings of the week. From meetups and conferences to workshops and pitch sessions, if it’s happening in the Silicon Prairie, you’ll find it here. For more, visit our events page for a calendar of upcoming events from us and others…