About Silicon Prairie News

Our mission

Connect the entrepreneurship and innovation community in Nebraska through storytelling and events

What we cover

Silicon Prairie News covers tech, entrepreneurship and business news in Nebraska. Historically, Silicon Prairie News covered Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota and Oklahoma. Its primary focus was the Omaha-Kansas City-Des Moines triangle and surrounding communities.

About our editor

Stefanie Monge

Stefanie Monge is the editor of Silicon Prairie News. She is a seasoned startup strategist, community builder and journalist with a passion for entrepreneurship and experience as a founder herself. Stefanie has spent the last 15 years working with startups around the world. She was the first-ever entrepreneurship reporter at the Omaha World-Herald where she wrote about startups and small business in the late 2000s. Since her time at the Omaha World-Herald, Stefanie has spent 12 years promoting equity and access in STEM fields, has 10 years of experience producing corporate wellness and team-building events, and has served as a startup advisor and board member for six years.

Stefanie is an avid traveler, having backpacked around the world for 2 years as a digital nomad. She is the founder and executive producer of international leadership development retreats and conferences, including GETconf (Gender Equity in Tech Conference), Think Start Do Women’s Entrepreneurship Series, and Welcor Retreats.

Email: smonge@siliconprairienews.com

About the Nebraska Journalism Trust

Silicon Prairie News is a program of the The Nebraska Journalism Trust, a nonprofit organization with a mission to uncover truth, amplify diverse voices and enrich life in Nebraska.

The Trust believes that accurate, reliable news and information is a public good. As such, it makes all of its journalism free to the public, and distributes its work with a Creative Commons license. Our goal is to maintain and grow high-quality journalism in Nebraska for the long haul.

How we started

In January 2008, Jeff Slobotski began documenting his travel to creative communities across the US on his blog, Midwest to Manhattan. In July 2008 he joined up with Dusty Davidson, and they launched Silicon Prairie News to highlight entrepreneurs and creatives in their own backyard.

Since its founding Silicon Prairie News has been recognized by CNNNew York TimesTIMEThe AtlanticInc.Fast CompanyThe Next Web, and Seth Godin.

In 2009 Silicon Prairie News launched Big Omaha, an annual conference that brings together founders, investors, and entrepreneurial leaders from across the nation.

In 2015, AIM acquired Silicon Prairie News and the Big events. AIM is a not-for-profit community organization that promotes technology to empower people, enhance organizations, and create brilliant communities. In 2022, AIM donated SPN and its assets to the Trust.