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Gross-Wen Technologies sees algae as the solution to wastewater treatment
The Midwest has some major water quality issues, and it’s spreading. Nitrogen and phosphorus used to fertilize farms runs off into rivers, resulting in a record “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in massive toxic algae blooms that feed on the chemicals. Gross-Wen Technologies, an Ames, Iowa, startup, wants to use algae to…
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Microsoft’s Kathleen Dollard and Don’t Panic Labs’ Doug Durham to speak at HDC 2018
AIM Heartland Developers Conference is a 3-day software development event for tech professionals, consisting of hands-on workshops, keynotes and other speakers, breakout sessions and networking events. Attendees learn from national industry experts plus regional and local leaders, who share the latest knowledge and demonstrate new techniques. SPN caught up with this year’s keynote speakers Kathleen…
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Building a Business, Part 2: Build the right team
As noted in the first article in this series, to build a company you need a vision. In our case, we found a crucial need: salespeople all over the world had a resounding complaint: “CRM sucks!” Our vision was to build a CRM application that actually empowered salespeople. The First Requirement Having our vision, we…
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FinLocker secures third patent and $2.25M in funding lead by Cultivation Capital
FinLocker, a financial data and analytics company, announced the approval of a third patent in July and is in the process of developing additional techniques for securing data – both at rest and during transactions. FinLocker received a $2.25 million venture capital round from Cultivation Capital earlier in 2018. The firm, headquartered in St. Louis,…
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KC STEM Alliance works to close Missouri’s tech talent pipeline gap
According to a report from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, by 2030, Missouri will face a shortage of 200,000 qualified workers. The report outlines a number of additional findings that point back to deficits within the state’s STEM talent pipelines. The KC STEM Alliance is helping to help those gaps by exposing students from all…
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Healthcare software platform HIPAATrek closes angel round
St. Louis-based HIPAATrek closed an angel round last week for an undisclosed amount, from undisclosed investors. At a glance… HIPAATrek is a software platform that provides compliance tools to healthcare organizations seeking to comply with HIPAA. The firm makes the process of compliance easier through its proprietary platform that creates both a secure workflow and…
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8Qs with a Silicon Prairie Founder: Tom Chapman
Tom Chapman Founder, Chapman and Company Non-Technical Tom Chapman has started multiple companies, including software, consulting, legal, and other firms, in a variety of industries. His most recent firm, Chapman and Company, was formed in early 2016 and has worked in 12 states across the middle U.S.. Chapman acts as a consultant for both startups and…
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Greater Omaha students put their entrepreneurial skills to work with Future Builders Challenge
In mid-July, twenty teams of high school students from across Greater Omaha gathered at Buildertrend for the Future Builders Challenge. Selected from a larger group who took the Gallup Builder Profile (BP) 10 entrepreneurial talent assessment, the teams worked with coaches to develop business ideas and pitch them to a group of judges. “It’s cool…
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SPN top 10: Startup acronyms you need to know
It might seem daunting to enter the startup world and be exposed to new terminology. Learning the language can be frustrating and feel alienating. That’s why SPN wants to provide a few helpful starting points for someone entering the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the first time. Our team sat down and put together our list of…
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Building a Business, Part 1: It starts with a dream…
When people think about starting a business, they rarely think of factors in the order that they need to occur. If you attempt to simply found a business without having done these things in order, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll fail. To start with, it takes the right motivation. Often this isn’t the…