Meet the judges for this year’s Silicon Prairie Awards

The Silicon Prairie Awards are decided by 50% popular vote / 50% judges vote. This year we pulled together an impressive panel judges from across the region. From community builders to serial entrepreneurs to investors, these individuals embody the expansive Silicon Prairie vision that the Awards are all about. We asked each of our judges…

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The Silicon Prairie Awards are decided by 50% popular vote / 50% judges vote. This year we pulled together an impressive panel judges from across the region. From community builders to serial entrepreneurs to investors, these individuals embody the expansive Silicon Prairie vision that the Awards are all about.

We asked each of our judges to provide us with some background about themselves. Here’s what they shared with us:

Meet this year’s Silicon Prairie Award judges

Lynn Allendorf, Director at University of Iowa

LynnLynn Allendorf is director of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at University of Iowa. She also teaches in the undergraduate and MBA programs in the Tippie College of Business. Previously she served as vice president of product development for Parsons Technology where she managed the development and marketing of the company’s $30 million productivity division including the Quicken Family Lawyer product line. Her extensive experience in software development and engineering also includes the Silicon Valley companies Intuit and Broderbund as well as Rockwell Collins. She has also founded two companies. Her expertise is in consumer product marketing, both direct and retail, product development, team building and entrepreneurship. Lynn has a BS in Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics, as well as an MBA, from The University of Iowa.

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Sarah Binder, Community Engagement Manager at We Create Here

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(from sarahebinder.com) I am a journalist, community builder and would-be entrepreneur. I geek out over new forms of storytelling, community organizing practices and all things Iowa.

I graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in journalism and mass communication and art history and theory in 2012. I’ve been lucky enough to work for a major magazine publisher, an online media startup and everything in between. Right now I’m with The Gazette, a quickly-evolving, employee-owned media company in Eastern Iowa.

When I’m not writing or editing, you’ll find me involved with 1 Million Cups, Startup Weekend, Vault Coworking and Collaboration Space, and more.

Trish Brasted, President and CEO of Wichita Technology Corporation

Trish head shot_smallTrish Brasted, an entrepreneur and active angel investor, currently serves as president and chief executive officer of Wichita Technology Corporation (WTC), is the Managing Member of Wichita Technology Ventures, (WTV), an early-stage technology fund, and the Managing Member of the Midwest Venture Alliance, a Kansas based angel group all of which serve high-growth entrepreneurs in the region.

Ms. Brasted has a long history in finance and entrepreneurship and understands the risks entrepreneurs’ face, the courage it takes to start a new venture and the process of growing a successful organization. This passion for young businesses, growth opportunities and helping entrepreneurs succeed has paved the way for many years of success in early stage ventures and investment management.

Under the leadership of Ms. Brasted, the WTC team has provided hands on business building assistance to several hundred entrepreneurs, invested seed capital dollars in more than 75 technology companies, representing over a 100 patented technologies in diverse technology areas such as advanced materials, manufacturing technology, biotech, broadband and telecommunications, proprietary engineering services, medical devices, information technology, and software solutions.

Ms. Brasted earned her bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University and her MBA from Baker University. She is a frequent speaker on accessing venture capital and angel investing and serves on the boards of several private technology companies.

Joni Cobb, President and CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship

Joni_smallSince 2006, Joni Cobb has served as the founding President and CEO of the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship, an elite organization of the Midwest’s most successful, high-performance entrepreneurs.  Ms. Cobb has led this acclaimed model since its inception and has scaled the organization to a multi-state non profit organization with a national advisor and mentor base.

Prior to leading Pipeline, Ms. Cobb successfully started and grew her own Kansas City-based company, Cobb Communications, which provided comprehensive business planning, strategic communications and public affairs consulting services to technology and bioscience organizations, as well as foundations and organizations with high emphasis on public sector engagement.

Ms. Cobb graduated with a BA in economics and political science from the University of Missouri and earned her Juris Doctorate from the Washington University School of Law. She is a noted speaker on entrepreneurship and innovation and has been honored as Kansas City Business Journal’s Inaugural List of the “Power 100”, KC Business Magazine’s “Women of Influence” and Ingram Magazine’s “40 Under 40.” She is also a founding advisor to the Athena League for women entrepreneurs.

Ms. Cobb and her family live in Kansas City.  She is an ardent fan of the performing arts, and as such, volunteers most of her “not-so-free” time to support youth theatre programs.

Mark Crawford, CEO and Investment Manager at Invest Nebraska Corporation

mark crawford_smallIn May 2012, Mark Crawford joined Invest Nebraska Corporation as its CEO and Investment Manager. Invest Nebraska is a venture capital and development organization that advises and invests in innovative, growing, and early stage businesses. At Invest Nebraska, Mr. Crawford is responsible for managing the investment portfolio and aiding client companies in securing growth capital.

Prior to joining Invest Nebraska, Mr. Crawford was a Partner at Performant Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on middle market buy-outs in a variety of sectors.

Mr. Crawford also worked at SFI Financial Group, a Washington D.C. – based venture capital firm focused on the defense, security and information technology industries. At SFI, Mr. Crawford was responsible for leading the venture team in due diligence, directing external advisors, negotiating terms, and valuation analysis. During his career Mark has completed over 100 capital market transactions.

Mr. Crawford holds a degree from Tufts University and is a graduate of the Venture Capital Institute.

Beth Engel, Partner at Dundee Venture Capital

Beth Engel_smallBeth Engel is partner at Dundee Venture Capital, a seed stage venture fund based in Omaha, Nebraska. Her diverse experience includes teaching spirited middle-schoolers and working at every level of three Nebraska-based startups, including joining Hayneedle as its 12th employee, now a 600-employee venture-backed business.

After graduation from business school, she embarked on a four-year stint in the public sector at the FBI where she helped to launch the first ever Bureau-wide leadership development program (LDP). She did not carry a gun or badge, and she happily discovered that LDP was the closest thing to a “startup” in a very large institution!

Beth is a co-founder of Interface: the Web School, and an investor and mentor for Straight Shot, Omaha’s first startup accelerator. She is on the board of four of Dundee’s portfolio companies (Phone2Action, DivvyHQ, ABPathfinder, and Cosmic Cart), and advises other portfolio companies including Bulu, RoundPegg, DonorPath and Mindmixer – Dundee’s very first investment. Beth is on the board of the non-profit MAGIS Teacher Corps at Creighton University. She has an MBA from Georgetown University, a Masters in Teaching from the University of Portland, and a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame.

Kenton Hansen, Founder of The Labor Party, Director of Marketing at BalancedComp

Kenton_smallKenton Hansen was born, raised & resides in Wichita, Kansas. He ​has been a part of ​quite a few upstart ideas and new products. For example, he started Wichita’s ​premiere coworking space, the Labor Party,​ ​with his friends (Todd, Jarrett & Chris).​ He’s also worked on ​BooksandWhatnot.com, Apples & Arrows, Fireshark Gaming, Applianz, Filimin and others.​ He is a Startup Weekend organizer, and champions the loosely-afiliated Startup Wichita.​ He currently works full-time at BalancedComp.

Kenton has a​n amazing​ wife, Lacy.​ He definitely married up.​ Together they have ​the most amazing boy, Judah, who builds robot-inspired lamps from old appliances​, among lots of other amazing things​. They all enjoy spending time together, ​traveling, and ​experiencing everything that life has to offer.

Kenton enjoys television & film. Sometimes video games. He likes bicycles, but doesn’t ride them ​as ​much​ as he would like because he’s kind of lazy​. He loves the connected world that exists because of the internet. So he tries to use it to make the world a better place every day.

Kimm Harris, President of IPC of Iowa

Kimm Harriss_smallKimm is a passionate businesswoman with the ability to create a vision for the future, to transform ideas into action, and to connect individuals across a broad spectrum of industries. Through her business and non-profit work, Kimm has developed relationships with successful individuals worldwide, allowing her to grow a personal network of thousands.

As President of IPC of iowa inc., a company that creates software solutions for CPAs, accountants, attorneys and other business professionals, Kimm has experienced over 25 years of business success.  In addition to purchasing companies, she has been involved in start-ups and franchises.

Kimm received both her undergraduate and MBA from the University of Iowa and is passionate about entrepreneurship.  She is a Lecturer and Venture School Instructor, through the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) at the University of Iowa.  

Ben McDougal, Founder Jet Set Studio, Marketing Director at Drake Homes

Ben_smallBen McDougal leads marketing and innovation at Drake Homes, develops interactive video game events throughout North America with his own company (Jet Set Studio) and is even rumored to have a hot new IoT product in the works. As an energized community builder whose passion is the art of connection, Ben unites people through 1 Million Cups Des Moines, dmStartupDrinks, various startup accelerators and the Iowa entrepreneurial ecosystem overall. Ben is married to the love of his life and enjoys travel, golf, EDM, craft beer and experiencing adventures in life. “BENovator” is the nerd you need to know.

Jeff Slobotski, Founder of SPN, Big Omaha, Router Ventures and VP of Business Development for Wave Interactive

Jeff Slobotski_smallJeff Slobotski is the Founder of Router Ventures, a consultancy that bypasses place to connect talented people and impactful projects with global, game-changing resources. Slobotski recently launched the Router Ventures Fund, focused on providing early stage capital to the best and brightest companies and founders. Slobotski is also the VP of Business Development for Wave Interactive.

Before Router Ventures, Jeff Slobotski started Silicon Prairie News. Based in Omaha, Silicon Prairie News is a digital media company and event company dedicated to highlighting, connecting, engaging, and supporting entrepreneurs, creatives, and investors.

Jay Wilkinson, CEO of PaymentSpring, Founder of Firespring, and BOD for the Nebraska Angels

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Jay currently serves as CEO of PaymentSpring, a fast-growing startup that is poised to disrupt the payment industry. He is also the founder of Firespring–a company that provides a diverse range of integrated print, creative and technology solutions to more than 5,000 clients across the U.S. In 2011, Firespring was featured in Inc. Magazine as one of the 50 Best Small Company Workplaces in America. In 2014, Firespring became Nebraska’s first B-Corporation. Jay is a board member for the Nebraska Angels and has been a leader and advocate for the Silicon Prairie startup community for more than a decade.

Voting for the Silicon Prairie Awards ends on August 31st. You can cast your vote here

Buy your tickets now for the Silicon Prairie Awards on October 1st. See you there!

This Silicon Prairie Awards content is sponsored by:

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This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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