Startup Spaces

  • 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…

  • Celebrating Lincoln’s thriving startup ecosystem, Techstars Startup Week kicks off today

    Celebrating Lincoln’s thriving startup ecosystem, Techstars Startup Week kicks off today

    This week marks a return to in-person events for Techstars Startup Week Lincoln, a free, five-day celebration that builds momentum and opportunity around entrepreneurship in Nebraska’s capital city. Startup week kicks off today and runs through Friday evening, featuring 18 events at various locations throughout Lincoln. (See the full schedule here.) “The thing this year…

  • A look at Nebraska’s investment landscape

    A look at Nebraska’s investment landscape

    Talk to tech entrepreneurs in Nebraska, and they’re likely to laud the region’s innovative spirit. Next-level startups like Flywheel, Buildertrend, Lunavi, Hudl and more have grown an international presence and put the Cornhusker state on the map.  Even a cornerstone enterprise like Lincoln-based Nelnet has implemented its own innovation division. Conferences like the IO Summit,…

  • Leash Pet Transportation puts pets on the go

    Leash Pet Transportation puts pets on the go

    Omaha startup Leash Pet Transportation was founded on the idea that, much like people, pets have places to be.  Whether it’s a session with a groomer, a day at doggy day care, or a trip to the veterinarian or a boarding facility, pet ownership can mean more errands, making humans feel like bona fide pet…

  • Aspiring entrepreneurs, take note: Lincoln’s JumpStart Challenge 2021 kicks off next week

    Aspiring entrepreneurs, take note: Lincoln’s JumpStart Challenge 2021 kicks off next week

    Starting next week, aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators are invited to participate in the 2021 JumpStart Challenge, an entrepreneurship competition sponsored by the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, the University of Nebraska Athletics Department and ALLO Communications, an internet service provider headquartered in Lincoln. Open to teams and solo entrepreneurs alike, the JumpStart Challenge connects corporations…

  • HerHeadquarters adjusts to an unpredictable year by giving back—and growing

    HerHeadquarters adjusts to an unpredictable year by giving back—and growing

    When SPN first spotlighted HerHeadquarters in February of 2020, few of us were aware how drastically the looming pandemic would change our lives. While HerHeadquarters has not been immune to the changes wrought by COVID-19, the past year nonetheless offers a tale of trial and triumph for the Omaha-based brand. The start of 2020 came…

  • Remote work allows more Nebraskans to live local, work coastal

    Remote work allows more Nebraskans to live local, work coastal

    There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic upended the way millions of Americans work.   But how has the shift to remote work seen in some industries affected the Midwest? For three local tech workers, it’s provided the opportunity for them to work for coastal startups and tech companies while remaining in Omaha.  Researchers such as…

  • Startup networking event 1 Million Cups returns to in-person programming July 7 at new location in downtown Des Moines

    Startup networking event 1 Million Cups returns to in-person programming July 7 at new location in downtown Des Moines

    For the first time since March 2020, 1 Million Cups Des Moines returns to in-person programming on Wed., July 7 at 8 a.m. The event will feature the nonprofit Pursuit of Innovation (Pi515) at 1 Million Cups’ new location, coworking space Gravitate Downtown.  Speakers at next week’s event will include Nancy Mwirotsi, founder and executive…

  • Agtech startup Corral Technologies wins Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship’s New Venture Competition

    Agtech startup Corral Technologies wins Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship’s New Venture Competition

    April 13 was a big day for 22-year-old startup founder Jack Keating.  The Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business had wrapped up its New Venture Competition, and Keating took home first prize: a $25,000 grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to assist his new company, Corral Technologies, in…

  • Prairie Roots run deep: new virtual conference grows connections in the entrepreneurial ecosystem

    Prairie Roots run deep: new virtual conference grows connections in the entrepreneurial ecosystem

    Last Friday marked the first-ever Prairie Roots Spring Show, a virtual event showcasing a variety of companies, creative projects and causes in that have survived—and in some cases, thrived—in the Midwest despite a tumultuous year. Created and curated by Scott Henderson, managing director of Lincoln-based NMotion Accelerator Studio for gener8tor, Prairie Roots gathered 100 business,…