SPN Team

  • Kearney-based startup technology could help shore up weaknesses in U.S. electric grid

    Kearney-based startup technology could help shore up weaknesses in U.S. electric grid

    The U.S. electrical grid is the largest interconnected machine on Earth. Over 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines link thousands of electricity-generating plants to homes, schools, companies and all manner of buildings, street lights, stoplights and other nodes of vital infrastructure. A typical utility company today can…

  • 8 Qs with a Silicon Prairie Founder: Nicka Johnson, Budget to Success

    8 Qs with a Silicon Prairie Founder: Nicka Johnson, Budget to Success

    Nicka Johnson is an Omaha-based social entrepreneur working to instill financial literacy through her business, Budget to Success. In this role, the North Omaha native considers herself part financial advisor, part teacher, part therapist—the latter being crucial to helping people of all ages overcome their money triggers. Her tireless activism and experience as a Black…

  • KC-Based Stackify Is Growing Fast, Hiring Too

    KC-Based Stackify Is Growing Fast, Hiring Too

    Stackify has raised another round of capital.  Stackify filed paperwork on November 20, 2019 that they had raised $4.132 million dollars.  In conversations with the company, they revealed that they had actually raised a little more than $6 million in the form of both debt and equity.  The round included $2 million from Cypress Growth…

  • Funding Roundup for the Week of Oct. 28

    Funding Roundup for the Week of Oct. 28

    Two Silicon Prairie companies will be moving to Buffalo in the upcoming weeks, thanks to a program created by 43North.  The program announced seven winning companies last week – including Strayos (St. Louis) and Peanut Butter (Chicago).  As part of the program, both companies must move their CEO and a majority of staff to Buffalo.…

  • Research: Talent Attraction Case Study (Nebraska)

    Research: Talent Attraction Case Study (Nebraska)

    Last summer, the Aksarben Foundation approached Chapman and Company about creating a landscape analysis on talent for Nebraska.  While this analysis is about Nebraska, there are many lessons for communities throughout the Silicon Prairie region. Here are some broad stroke lessons from the report: The United States is WAY behind on technology talent.  This is…

  • Ryvit Builds on Success

    Ryvit Builds on Success

    One of the major problems in the construction industry is that information must be entered into multiple platforms.  So, for example, contact information must be entered into an enterprise resource management (ERM) platform as well as a customer relationship management platform (CRM).  This makes the construction industry one of the least efficient in the world.…

  • Funding Roundup for the Week of Oct. 21

    Funding Roundup for the Week of Oct. 21

    It was a strong week for Minnesota.  Between Total Expert and ShiraTronics, Minnesota based companies brought in more than $85 million in Venture Funding.  There was a little more diversity than in previous weeks with companies in Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin also raising substantial funds.  These fundings are aggregate lists created from Crunchbase, SEC…

  • ZAF Energy Systems Has a Big Month

    ZAF Energy Systems Has a Big Month

    In early October, ZAF Energy Systems of Joplin, Missouri announced an agreement to deploy their next generation nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery system in a United States Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic  missile ground facility.  This was a significant achievement.  However, it was just the beginning of a big month for ZAF.  This week, the company announced a…

  • Funding Roundup: Week of Oct. 7

    Funding Roundup: Week of Oct. 7

    This was a relatively light week for funding announcements in the Silicon Prairie, but it was dominated by rounds from Chicago, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Large Rounds ($10+ million) The Milwaukee Business Journal reported that Shine Medical Technologies raised $50 million in new financing from Oaktree Capital to continue to commercialize radioisotopes for medical uses. In…

  • Abilitech Medical wins MN Cup

    Abilitech Medical wins MN Cup

    Abilitech Medical was named startup of the year at the MN Cup this week. Abilitech Medical is a medical device company that builds medical devices that improve the lives of individuals suffering from neuromuscular disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy. The company’s first product is a one-of-a-kind, upper body wearable assistive device that…