design

  • This Omaha designer is 3D printing the future of eyewear

    This Omaha designer is 3D printing the future of eyewear

    Omaha-based Alan Tipp was one of SPN’s first interviews way back in 2009 when he was designing performance eyewear for Under Armour. Since then he’s accumulated dozens of patents and launched an innovation consultancy to help other inventors turn their ideas into retail-ready products.

  • Flywheel acquires Pressmatic

    Flywheel acquires Pressmatic

    Omaha startup Flywheel has announced the acquisition of Pressmatic, an OS X application for publishing WordPress sites. Pressmatic was released earlier this year and quickly gained prominence in the WordPress design market, according to Dusty Davidson, CEO and co-founder of Flywheel. “In a short amount of time it became one of the leading products in that space,” said…

  • Flywheel raises $4 million in Series A, led by Five Elms

    Flywheel raises $4 million in Series A, led by Five Elms

    Omaha-based startup Flywheel has raised $4 million in their Series A. The fundraising round was led by Kansas-City based Five Elms Capital. “Flywheel’s platform changes the way that WordPress designers do business,” said Thomas Kershisnik of Five Elms Capital, in a press release. “They have the leadership, culture, and resources to continue building invaluable tools for their customers; we…

  • Grasshorse Studios finds its groove with character animation and local talent

    Grasshorse Studios finds its groove with character animation and local talent

    Grasshorse Studios founder and director Steve Jennings said carving out a niche in the field of character animation is driving the Winfield-based company forward as it draws artistic talent from Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, Iowa. The Great Recession and September 2009 freeze on Iowa’s film tax-credit program helped Grasshorse Studios to refocus its…

  • Meet the 5 finalists for Designer of the Year

    Meet the 5 finalists for Designer of the Year

    As we get closer to the Silicon Prairie Awards, we still need you to help us determine which individuals and companies will take home these shiny golden analogs. We’ve compiled a few highlights from the massive number of nominations we received, so you can get to know the finalists a little bit better. Remember, you can vote…