The IO2024 Summit kicked off Silicon Prairie Startup Week at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, drawing 350 attendees with its theme, Innovation Unfiltered. This year, the summit posed a pressing question to its 11 keynote speakers: What does it really take to drive impactful innovation?

There are more events for Silicon Prairie Startup Week around Lincoln and Omaha all week: Check them out here!

Keep reading for highlights from the day’s keynote speakers.

Alistair Croll | Founder of Year One Labs, Author of “Lean Analytics” and “Just Evil Enough”

In his keynote, Just Evil Enough: Why Subversive Thinking Is Your Most Important Skill, Croll argued that startups inherently challenge the status quo and face a choice: build a new system, work within the current one, or subvert it. He outlined 11 subversive tactics — such as bait-and-switch, combination, misappropriation, and regulatory arbitrage — that help startups navigate and compete creatively. According to Croll, true innovation requires a bold, big-picture perspective and a willingness to disrupt norms.

Kaiser Yang | Co-Founder of Platypus Labs, Author of “Crack the Code: 8 Surprising Keys to Unlock Innovation”

Yang’s presentation, The Three Core Mindsets of Innovators, highlighted three critical approaches for fueling creativity and overcoming challenges. These include the belief that any barrier can be overcome, the need to “disrupt yourself” before the market does, and the value of seeking unconventional solutions. By embracing these mindsets, Yang argued, innovators can unlock creativity essential for business success.

Sean Sheppard | Managing Partner at FifthRow 

In The Fall of Consulting: Knowledge Work with Autonomous Agents, Sheppard discussed how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could transform consulting by automating low-value tasks, enabling firms to focus on insights and generate revenue through AI-powered services. He emphasized that embracing AI would allow consultants to focus on higher-impact work and reimagine traditional consulting services.

Tam Danier | Managing Director at Good Ideas Only

Danier’s talk, How to Spot a Good Idea: Designing Winners, explored the frameworks and strategies behind successful innovation. She advocated for rigorously testing assumptions, using methods like the “What Must Be True” framework, and leveraging AI to amplify human decision-making in product development.

Megan Elliott | Johnny Carson Endowed Director in Emerging Media Arts

In her talk, Emerging Media Arts: Where Tech, Science, Innovation, and Storytelling Meet, Elliott highlighted the importance of involving artists at the early stages of problem-framing. She argued that artists bring unique perspectives necessary for groundbreaking solutions, stressing that collaboration across disciplines is key to pioneering innovation.

Scott Wolfson | Managing Director at Valize

Wolfson’s keynote, Subject to Change: An Augmented Innovator’s Journey, centered on the role of augmented intelligence in enhancing human potential. He encouraged attendees to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT as means to augment rather than replace human creativity and decision-making.

Sarah Plantenberg | Co-Founder of IBM Garage, Author of “Driving Outcomes”

In Amplify Innovation with Culture, Plantenberg stressed the importance of a human-centric, psychologically safe workplace. She emphasized that organizational culture can either drive or hinder innovation, underscoring the need to foster environments that support experimentation and outcome-driven collaboration.

Morgan Keldsen | Chief International Officer at Kizik

Keldsen’s keynote, Technology’s Impact on Legacy Industries: Hands-Free Innovation in the Footwear Space, focused on Kizik’s efforts to revolutionize everyday wear through hands-free footwear design. He highlighted the significance of partnerships, intellectual property, and in-person interactions in advancing innovation and expanding Kizik’s global reach.

Rachel Joy Victor | Co-Founder of FBRC.ai

In her keynote, Storytelling in Our Computational Reality, Victor delved into the evolving intersection of technology, design, and human experience. With a background in computational neuroscience and VR, Victor emphasized the role of storytelling in navigating a digitally layered world, where traditional boundaries of “self” and “space” blur. She highlighted the importance of designing adaptive experiences that respond to complex, human contexts and noted that AI systems, while advanced, fundamentally differ from human intelligence, which is embodied and multi-sensory.

Mickayla Rosard | Partner at Groove Capital and Fellow at Forge North

Rosard’s talk, Angels in the Ecosystem, provided insights into the expanding angel investment landscape, particularly in Minnesota. She discussed the growing diversity among angel investors, with younger investors and more women and underrepresented minorities entering the field. Rosard emphasized the drive among these investors to create community impact and build a legacy, and she detailed Groove Capital’s investor-focused approach, which includes educating and supporting newer investors, particularly those from underserved communities.

Luke Hansen | Founder and CEO of CompanyCam

In a fireside chat, A Conversation with the Founder of CompanyCam, Hansen shared his journey from identifying a need for organized photo capture in his family’s roofing business to growing CompanyCam into a successful startup with over 270 employees. Hansen highlighted the importance of team-building and company culture, crediting the Lincoln startup community with helping him find the right people. His focus on creating an empowering, positive culture has been key to the company’s sustained growth and impact beyond traditional tech hubs.

Missed the IO2024 Summit? There are more events for Silicon Prairie Startup Week around Lincoln and Omaha all week: Check them out here!