After a two-week break for Big Omaha work (our editorial team chips in on the event planning), Prairie Moves is back with a new look, two features and an easy way to submit news tips.
New look: We’re replacing the pictures of the Midwest landscapes with an image that depicts our Lead Read, a new feature that showcases an interesting and important story since the last Prairie Moves was published.
New features: We’ve added the Lead Read (described above) and Quoteworthy to give you two short items that provide a snapshot of the activity in the Silicon Prairie. If you only have time to read two items in Prairie Moves, we suggest those two.
Submit a news tip: You fuel the stories on Silicon Prairie News by sending us hundreds of new tips per month. Though we don’t cover them all, please know we read and appreciate them all. We’re adding a news tip submission form to Prairie Moves to make it easier for you to submit tips, leads or ideas – skip the email formalities and send us a tip today.
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Lead Read
“Hudl Helps: Rebuilding Joplin” – Kim Burnham writes about the devastation that hit Joplin, Mo. one year ago and how Hudl helped by donating a one-year subscription to the Joplin Eagle Football Team (pictured above)
Quoteworthy
“Mentoring is a pain the butt – no one has time – but over the long term it pays huge dividends.” – Wade Arnold of T8 Webware speaking at StartupCity Des Moines Lunch & Learn
Fundings
- Think Big Partners opened a venture fund, Think Big Ventures, and made its first investment – $250,000 in EyeVerify – SPN and Press Release
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska participated in Seattle-based EveryMove’s $2.6 Series A round – GeekWire, EveryMove’s blog and Marcelo Calbucci’s blog
Career Moves
- Michelle deSilva, formerly with the Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation, joined Angel Capital Group as director of the Midwest – Angel Capital Group on Facebook
- Zach Leatherman, formerly a front end engineer at Union Pacific, joined Boston-based Filament Group and will work remotely from Omaha
- Scott Bishop, formerly director of social influence at Bozell, joined Phenomblue as vice president, strategy – Phenomblue blog
- Jake Dunn, formerly an interactive developer at Bozell, joined Phenomblue as an engineer, software, design and development – Phenomblue blog
- Ryan McCleeary, a recent graduate of Coe College, joined RecBob as a code caddie – RecBob blog
- Jesse Harding joined Grain & Mortar as a summer intern – Grain & Mortar blog
- Derek Fernholz joined Blend Interactive as a developer – Blend Interactive
- Mandy Miller, formerly creative director of Smokey Row Coffee Co., joined BettrLife as a UI/UX Designer
New Tech
- PhonyInvoices.com – Helzberg goes from seeking gems to uncovering shams with new startup – Kansas City Business Journal
- Lantern launches Android app to help consumers find deals – SPN
- The (Dwolla) Hacks from TechCrunch Disrupt – Dwolla Blog, The Next Web
- Cognovant released its PocketHealth Mobile Health Record app – Cognovant blog
New Creative
- What Cheer launched a website for Andrew Hyde’s book, This Book is About Travel – thisbookisabouttravel.com
- SecretPenguin launched RavelUnravel – ravelunravel.com and SecretPengiun on Facebook
- Archrival launched the Follow Us Lead Us Contest for Zeal Optics – Archrival on Facebook
Product & Business Development
- Dwolla rolled out a revamped FiSync – Dwolla blog, Des Moines Register, Bank Technology News and SPN
- T8 Webware leased space in the Midland Building in downtown Des Moines for a forthcoming office
- BitMethod revealed its point-of-sale application, Change, at its three-year birthday party – Des Moines Register
- VoterTide launched free 2012 election mobile alerts service – SPN and Press Release
- Locusic launched in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. – Locusic newsletter
- Emploi.us joined StartupCity Des Moines – Startup City blog
- Grasshorse launched an Indiegogo campaign for its game, Poke My Vodoo Celebrity Editions, Get Out The Poke – Indiegogo
- Bawte – The start-up file: Bawte Inc. – Des Moines Business Record
- Benaissance released version 4.0 of COBRApoint and SPMpoint – Press release
- Weiv released its updated free demo – Weiv blog
- Pollenware announced its first quarter growth for 2012, 766% growth in early cash flow delivery – Press Release
- SocialVolt introduced new pricing and features to its platfom – SocialVolt newsletter
- Infegy announced Social Radar SuiteApp for NetSuite’s SuiteCloud computing platform – Press Release
- Tikly celebrated its one-year anniversary with its 150th client – Press Release
- TutHopper, winner of the most recent Startup Weekend Kansas City, changed its name to Prodigy Arcade and is in search of a game development partner – Press Release
- Proxibid and uShip to offer shipping services for online bidders – Press Release
- Proxibid rolled out instant purchase capability for timed auctions – Press Release
- Proxibid introduced a new badge system – Proxibid blog
- Far Reach celebrated its fifth anniversary and announced a new focus – Far Reach blog
Mentions
- WebFilings – WebFilings grows quickly with its playful vibe – Des Moines Register
- Tikly – Tikly and its 22 year old CEO are turning music ticketing on its head – The Next Web
- Tikly – Alternatives To Scalping Your Own Tickets: Tikly, TicketMob, Ticketscript – Hypebot
- Letter B – Software recommends on-campus activities – Iowa City Press Citizen
- Instin – myHomework: Bootstrapping to 2 million downloads in 15 months, part time – Tech Cocktail
- DivvyHQ – 014 Think Big Radio: Divvy HQ Spotlight – Think Big Parters
- Goodsmiths – New Site: Marketplace For Handmade Goods – WHO TV
- EliteForm – EliteForm: That Next Big Thing Here Now – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- EliteForm – EliteForm Geared to Help All Athletes Improve – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Shift – Tech Spotlight: SHiFT builds applications, websites for prominent clients – Des Moines Register
- Syncbak – If Video Sites Could Act Like Cable Companies – New York Times
- Syncbak – TV stations explore broadcasting to phone, tablets – USA Today
- Dwolla – Banks’ Bitcoin Influence May Rise as Dwolla’s Declines – Bank Technology News
- Dwolla – How Dwolla Built an Alternative Payment System – American Banker
- Dwolla – Dwolla: A Threat or Opportunity for Banks? – American Banker
- Student Angel Capital Program at University of Missouri – Student angels earn their investing wings – Kansas City Star
- Ben Milne of Dwolla – Must Watch: Brutally Honest Dwolla Founder Ben Milne Reveals How To Court Programmers – Business Insider
- Ben Milne of Dwolla – Dwolla Founder: I Love Iowa, But If I Could Do It All Over Again, I Would Have Moved To Silicon Valley – Business Insider
- Rich Neal of Temetic Research – Social Web Revolutionary – Kansas City Business
- Wade Arnold of T8 Webware – Crown Your Company – StartupCity Des Moines blog
- Dylan Hamilton of Sharewhere – What mom taught me: Advice from 8 entrepreneurs – Tech Cocktail
- Scott Case of the Startup America Partnership on Iowa – Nationview: An out-of-state perspective from the national level – Des Moines Business Recrod
- Silicon Prairie – Who Wants to Be the Next Silicon Valley? – MSN: Business on Main
- Silicon Prairie – It Pays to Be Neighborly For Silicon Prairie Startups – Bank Technology News
- Silicon Prairie – Wichita State University becoming a Silicon Valley on the prairie – KSN
Gig Bits
Gig Bits is an occasional feature keeping our readers up to speed on Google Fiber. Read Gig Bits.
- Google delays its schedule for high-speed service – Kansas City Star
- Kansas City-area task force recommends uses for Google project – Kansas City Business Journal
- MBIT Playbook Outlines Strategy for Ultra-High Speed Fiber – Google Connects KC
- Playing to Win: A Google Fiber Playbook for Kansas City – Google Fiber blog
Recognition
- Dwolla, Social Money earned praise at Finovate – Des Moines Register
- Dwolla – 100 Brilliant Companies – Entrepreneur Magazine
- Proxibid – Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Big O! Excellence Award Innovator of the Year – Press Release and Proxibid blog
Blogged
- Hudl Helps: Rebuilding Joplin – Hudl
- Startup Act’s economic benefits – Sen. Jerry Moran, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Chris Coons
- A Kansas City start-up’s guide to the seven stages of entrepreneurship – BetaBlox
- Immigration issues – revisited in DC – Tej Dhawan
- Expand work visas for top foreign talent – Kansas City Star
- When is the Best Not the Best? – Think Big Partners
- Time to take an innovation vacation? – Brent Beshore
- Our Public Notice Comments – Jack Perry
- An open letter… – Goodsmiths
- Facilitating Mind Mixing – Nick Bowden
- Help me plan a hacker space/drone lab – Matt Waite
Misc.
- Kansas tax cut package spares angel credits – Kansas City Business Journal
- Greater Des Moines Partnership rolled out the Central Iowa SourceLink site – cisourcelink.com, Press Release and Des Moines Register
- Senators Unveil Bipartisan Startup Act 2.0 – Press Release and SPN
- Omaha World-Hearld’s Curbwise mentioned in “Data Journalism Handbook” – How to Build a News App
- iKC announced its agenda – iKC and Think Big Partners
- iKC announced Details for Fire Up Pitches – Press Release
- One Week KC – Think Big Partners
- One Week KC presents Entrepreneur Day at the K for entrepreneurs and startups – Think Big Partners
- Exhibitors chosen for Innovation Zone conference – Des Moines Business Record
- L5 Group facilitates Nebraska-to-Texas entrepreneurial exchange project – Nebraska Entrepreneur
- #WHENINDSM – A Tumblr made for Des Moines – whenindsm.tumblr.com and Des Moines Egotist
- Microsoft Store will open in Overland Park in June – Kansas City Business Journal
- Dwolla developer Michael Schonfeld makes a fee calculator – paymentsystemfees.com and Des Moines Egotist
- Dwolla developer Michael Schonfeld makes an Obama’s same-sex marriage retweet counter – The Next Web
- Norah Carroll won a contest conducted by Pair – Pair blog
Credits: Photo from Hudl blog
