SPN Team

  • Ensmarten Saturday:  Liquidation Preferences – What Are They and How Do They Work?

    Ensmarten Saturday: Liquidation Preferences – What Are They and How Do They Work?

    If you are an entrepreneur who is raising money and do not know what a liquidation preference is, allow Ensmarten Saturday to enlighten you. You are not alone. One of my many surprises as a venture capitalist was the number of entrepreneurs that simply do not understand many of the terms on a term sheet.…

  • Two Wisconsin Companies Announce Raise of More Than $1 Million

    Two Wisconsin Companies Announce Raise of More Than $1 Million

    OnLume and Simply Solutions announced last week that they had raised over one million dollars in venture funding. Madison based medical device company, OnLume, filed paperwork with the SEC that they had raised $1.37 million of incremental cash.  On its website, the company describes its technology as, “intuitive and ergonomic solutions for precise fluorescene image-guided…

  • Another Raise for Inprentus

    Another Raise for Inprentus

    Inprentus, a Champaign, Illinois, company filed paperwork with the SEC on Friday that it had completed a raise of more than $1 million.  Inprentus makes blazed diffraction gratings used at synchrotrons and free electron laser facilities.  The company was created in 2012 by University of Illinois faculty member, Peter Abbemonte. Inprentus build diffraction gratings for…

  • iotaMotion Completes $2.52 Million Round

    iotaMotion Completes $2.52 Million Round

    Last week, Iowa City based iotaMotion CEO and co-founder, Chris Kaufmann, MD, announced that the company had completed its usability testing and raised $2.52 million in funding to help the company continue building products and managing the regulatory hurdles associated with commercialization. “We’re pleased to have completed this second round of friends-and-family financing with participation…

  • Ensmarten Saturday: How does early stage valuation work?

    Ensmarten Saturday: How does early stage valuation work?

    In our work with entrepreneurs, there are a number of perception gaps. One of the biggest is that early stage valuation is a science. Many believe that if they just knew the parameters then they could get more outside investment.  Most of the time, this is simply not true. Very few businesses ever receive outside…

  • Lucky 7: Some Reading for the Holiday Weekend

    Lucky 7: Some Reading for the Holiday Weekend

    Surprisingly, Silicon Prairie News is not the only news or information source out there. But, we consider ourselves well versed in entrepreneurship and ecosystem development.  As such, we have curated seven articles for the Labor Day weekend.  While not all of this is timely, it is timeless. Please feel free to peruse at your leisure.…

  • Big Round for KC Based Bungii

    Big Round for KC Based Bungii

    Have you ever needed to move a couch and realized that your friend with the truck just moved?  If so, Bungii is for you.  Bungii is an Uber-like service for people seeking to use a pickup truck. The long-haul trucking business is big business at nearly $71B per year, but very little information is available…

  • Funding news from last week

    Funding news from last week

    Last week was an active week in the Silicon Prairie with a variety of companies receiving outside investment. Some noteworthy companies continue to raise money: • Understory, the Madison based weather technology startup, raised a $7.25 million Series B round. In an interview in May, Alex Kubicek (the company’s CEO) said that the plan is…

  • Tractor Zoom raises new round

    Tractor Zoom raises new round

    Tractor Zoom raised 1.5 million in the beginning of July in a round led by investors Inova Memphis and Ag Startup Engine, according to SEC filings this month. Kyle McMahon, Tractor Zoom founder and CEO, said the company plans to expand its product line and market reach, and will be used to hire key personnel…

  • D3 Banking acquisition hot on the heels of Flywheel’s exit

    D3 Banking acquisition hot on the heels of Flywheel’s exit

    D3 Banking’s acquisition by NCR positions the large banking financial technology leader to capitalize on new market opportunities, according to Mark Vipond, President and CEO of Omaha-based D3 Banking, in the company’s announcement this week.