Drum roll, please… Here are all 56 Silicon Prairie Awards finalists

It won’t be long till we’re all looking elegant and dapper August 21 at Midland Theatre in Kansas City, celebrating another year of growth and success across the region at the Silicon Prairie Awards. We’ve seen unique story lines unfold in our three core regions…

It won’t be long until we’re all looking elegant and dapper August 21 at Midland Theatre in Kansas City, celebrating another year of growth and success across the region at the third-annual Silicon Prairie Awards. We’ve seen unique storylines unfold in our three core regions—an influx of code schools in Nebraska, Iowa’s foundational growth of accelerators and spaces for collaboration, and Kansas City’s attraction as a hub for testing out new technologies. Everyone plays a part.

Which brings us here. Before we can celebrate, we need all of you to help us determine which individuals and companies we’ll be crowning. It’s a two-week voting period that ends at 11:59 p.m. on August 11. That means you have loads of time to spread the word.

This year we’ve added two categories we’re excited about: Best Creation and Best Work Culture. For the latter, we felt it was a great opportunity to highlight something core to the experience of choosing to work in the entrepreneurial community, so we’re having some fun with it and giving the finalists a chance to make their pitch. You’ll hear more from them soon.

As today unfolds, we’ll be posting more information about each category every half hour to hour, so check back often to be fully informed when you vote!

So sit back, vote and grab a ticket to the 2014 Silicon Prairie Awards!

Voting process

One vote per person per day for each of the categories. Make your vote count. Spread the word.

Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. on August 11. The public vote will be tallied August 12 and combined with the votes of our judges—who will be announced in the coming days. The scores from both groups will then be averaged and hold an even 50 percent value.

Any votes deemed to be fradulent may be dismissed at SPN’s discretion.

Cast your vote for the Silicon Prairie Awards!

Startup of the Year

The one everyone’s talking about. They’re making headlines, headed toward long-term success. Get to know the finalists for Startup of the Year.

  • Bulu Box
  • Higher Learning Technologies
  • MindMixer
  • opendorse
  • Travefy

New Startup of the Year

The young’n that has, within the last year, grown from idea to full-fledged force. Get to know the finalists for New Startup of the Year.

  • Briefcase
  • Knoda
  • Nobl
  • Pear Deck
  • Pushlee
 

Best Creation

An incredible project—marketing campaign, physical product, hardware, app, website, anything—that innovates or re-imagines. Get to know the finalists for Best Creation.

  • Bawte
  • Blumoo
  • Ocuvera
  • ShotTracker
  • Social Media Monitor by Social Assurance

Executive of the Year

It may have been bleak at times, or maybe it was a smooth ride, but they led their company to remarkable success. Get to know the finalists for Executive of the Year.

  • David Chait, Travefy
  • Nick Bowden, MindMixer
  • Paul Jarrett, Bulu Box
  • Toby Rush, EyeVerify
  • Wade Arnold, Banno
 

Technologist of the Year

They could be a developer, engineer or programmer on staff, or they could be a freelancer. But a startup’s product wouldn’t have been quite the same without them. Get to know the finalists for Technologist of the Year. 

  • Adam England, Knoda
  • Caitlin Bales, Bulu Box
  • Chris Davis, Travefy
  • Timothy Braun, opendorse
  • Zach Hilbert, CouponCloud

Designer of the Year

This team member, freelancer or consultant made a mark on a startup’s product by providing an amazing user experience or beautiful design. Get to know the finalists for Designer of the Year. 

  • Ben Sinclair, Offspring
  • Jared Krause, Think Big Partners
  • Katie Hottovy, Nobl
  • Kelly Tomlinson, Cremalab
  • Mark Palmer, Far Reach

Student Entrepreneur of the Year

This student or student-led company—undergrad or younger—is getting noticed and makes everyone question what they did at that age, either by building a company or leading entrepreneurial activity. Get to know the finalists for Student Entrepreneur of the Year.

  • Blake Rupe
  • Brent Comstock
  • Coral
  • Ryan Martinez
  • Spectator

Investor of the Year

They don’t just provide funding. They brag about their companies and connect them to the people who will make things happen. Get to know the finalists for Investor of the Year.

  • Built by Iowa
  • Dundee Venture Capital
  • Linseed Capital
  • Nebraska Angels
  • OpenAir Equity Partners

Service Provider of the Year

This lawyer, accountant, marketer or other service provider made things happen for startups, simple as that. Get to know the finalists for Service Provider of the Year.

  • Advent IP
  • Bart Dillashaw
  • Chris Brown
  • JPEC – University of Iowa
  • Sculpt

Silicon Prairie Champion

While entrepreneurs are hard at work building, this individual or company selflessly gives time to advancing their startup community. Get to know the finalists for Silicon Prairie Champion.

  • Brian Ardinger
  • David Tominsky
  • Geoff Wood
  • Jennifer Wadella
  • Kevin McGinnis
  • Sumeet Jain
 

Best Culture (voting opens soon)

The startup everyone wants to work at, that has the best benefits, the best leadership, the best environment.

  • Bulu Box
  • Dewsly
  • MindMixer
  • Pack
  • SquareOffs

 

Cast your vote for the Silicon Prairie Awards!

 


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This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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5 responses to “Drum roll, please… Here are all 56 Silicon Prairie Awards finalists”

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