Here’s our run down of the most talked about, shared, viewed, and clicked SPN articles of 2018.
Gazella checks in, shares new vision of their future in wifi marketing
SPN checked in with Gazella founder and CEO Eric Burns at the start of the year to catch up on all the ways the Omaha-based startup was growing, developing, and educating people on what exactly wifi marketing is. According to Burns, he hoped 2018 would be a year that brought a clearer, all-encompassing vision for his team.
If you want to be a better entrepreneur in 2018, be a better person
“As a Registered Dietitian married to a startup founder, I think one way you can be a better person and a better entrepreneur is by caring about your health and the health of your team. And I’m not talking about just a number on a scale.” This guest post from Amber Pankonin was a huge hit on social media and even though we’re heading into 2019, her timeless advice still rings true.
Des Moines-based Denim expands with new CTO and AI platform
2018 was a really big year for Denim. Back in April we checked in with them after they announced a team expansion and key hire in Charlie Turri as Chief Technology Officer to further advance their standing within the insurtech industry. Their hard work in 2018 paid off and they recently announced an international expansion and collaboration.
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Rising Startup Communities: Ian Hathaway’s commentary on the Silicon Prairie
Ian Hathaway, Research Director at the Center for American Entrepreneurship, provided us with a bit of commentary regarding the evolution of the Midwest and its startup ecosystems following the publication of his research study regarding ecosystem construction in the United States, “America’s Rising Startup Communities.”
Fan engagement app From Now On is seeing big wins in collegiate sports
Omaha-based Client Resources, Inc. spun out sports-tech startup From Now On from the company’s innovation lab. We caught up with CEO Sue Thaden to talk about how the innovation lab works, and how it helped create a widely successful sportstech platform that is winning big in the live-sports market among colleges and universities.
Glint acquired by LinkedIn for $400 million
Over the course of the last year, Glint dramatically increased its corporate presence in Lincoln, Nebraska and was then acquired by LinkedIn for a company-reported $400 million. The acquisition was the largest acquisition for LinkedIn since its own acquisition by Microsoft for $26.2 billion which closed in late 2016.
Fifteen Software Companies in Nebraska that you should be able to explain to your family on Thanksgiving
The title of this article explains it all. Here at SPN, we are thankful for the building that is taking place here in the Silicon Prairie. We at SPN wanted to highlight some of the companies that provide great examples of local entrepreneurial efforts, and in the process, provide some educational (and friendly) discussion topics for sitting around the dinner table.
Ten years after the housing crisis, this St. Louis startup is trying to make real estate more transparent
St. Louis’s Dustin McKissen guest wrote this article on startups disrupting the real estate market. “This fall marked the ten-year anniversary of the implosion in the housing market,” said McKissen. “If you weren’t old enough to be a homeowner then, you should know that the Great Recession really, really wasn’t a fun time to live through.”
Cover Crop Exchange grows a tech-based marketplace for a traditional industry
Co-founders Mike Ackerman and Nate Belcher launched the Cover Crop Exchange platform in early 2018 and since then, have been gaining ground in their mission to alter the landscape of the cover crop seed market––a market not traditionally known for its tech.
Lincoln-based Fourstarzz closes $750K round, named a top ten influencer firm worldwide
Fourstarzz Media, a Lincoln-based influencer marketing startup, had a busy year. Among other things, the company closed a $750,000 round of pre-seed capital investment, was accepted into the Forbes Agency Council (by invitation only!), and was named as one of ten influencer marketing firms worldwide in the Gartner Marketing Technology Vendor Guide for 2018.
