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Lincoln accelerator NMotion announces 2017 cohorts
Lincoln, Nebraska accelerator NMotion announced today the five teams selected to participate in their 2017 Program. The teams from Lincoln, Omaha, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis were selected after a months-long interviewing process. “This year, we were very intentional about recruiting startups at the right stage for our accelerator,” said Beth McKeon, Managing Director of NMotion. We…
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VIDA Diagnostics gives pulmonary diseases the big data treatment
When it comes to important medical decisions, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion. As technology advances, odds are that opinion might not come from another doctor, but rather from analytics and software. The Coralville, Iowa, company VIDA Diagnostics is using big data analytics to map the human lung and analyze the…
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Ace Blooms wants to grow the flower market for men
If you’ve ever bought flowers online, you’ve flipped through dozens of bouquets trying to decide which one says “You’re a pretty awesome grandma.” But what many buyers don’t realize is that when you send flowers, the order is being fulfilled by a florist near grandma’s house. If that’s in small town Nebraska, they might not have…
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QA with Nebraska Angels’ Laura Classen on EyeVerify’s recent acquisition
Kansas City based EyeVerify announced last week their acquisition by Alibaba subsidiary Ant Financial. Anonymous sources say the deal was over $100 million. Nebraska Angels was one of the first investments in the company. Laura Classen is the Executive Director for Nebraska Angels. SPN caught up with Classen over the phone. SPN: It may surprise some people…
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Zinnia’s Andy Holz on the many trials of startup life
Zinnia has completed over 700 orders in the last year, and they’ve learned major lessons along the way. Since SPN first profiled Zinnia last August, the online floral marketplace team has been hustling. The team is currently working with one florist in Omaha. Zinna co-founder Andy Holz explained that they plan on expanding to Lincoln…
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The impact of Mark Crawford on Nebraska venture capital
In March 2016 Mark Crawford, CEO at Invest Nebraska, left to join Intel Capital in California. Dan Hoffman, Interim CEO, and Brock Smith, Senior Associate, submitted this article to SPN as a reflection on Crawford’s tenure. In 2012, Mark Crawford, known for classy suits and a shoe collection that would make Michael Jordan jealous, made…
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HidrateSpark’s highly anticipated smart water bottle will ship in March
From Startup Weekend to Sprint Accelerator to Kickstarter campaign, HidrateSpark finally ready to take the world by storm. Founded by University of Minnesota alumni, HidrateSpark was built out of passion and necessity. CEO Nadya Nguyen pulled together a team of classmates for a Startup Weekend powered by Google for Entrepreneurs in Minneapolis to build the…
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This simple device from KinoSol could feed millions
Based in Ames, Iowa, the KinoSol team is prototyping a revolution in food production that could save tons of wasted food each year. The co-founders of KinoSol are wrapping up field tests on the latest prototype of their lightweight, solar-powered dehydrator designed to increase the shelf life of produce and reducing post-harvest losses worldwide. Powered by the…
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Omaha Code School opens Star City Code School in Lincoln
Omaha Code School is expanding its world-class education program to Nebraska’s capital city. The Omaha Code School (OCS) has had a successful first two years in the community. Now OCS is expanding into the Lincoln market with the Star City Code School (SCCS). SPN sat down with Sumeet Jain and Andrew Ek to learn more. So why Lincoln?…
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Repair chain Gophermods expands into Des Moines and Omaha
Founder Casey Profita wired up his first Gophermods outlet while attending the University of Minnesota, and immersing his team in the college’s University Technology Enterprise Center (UTEC) program. Profita’s going-on-six-year-old consumer electronics repair company is now expanding from a regional perspective while the entrepreneur considers its potential as a national brand. “The economic downturn…