Meet Corey Spitzer, Fractional CTO @ Fly High Ventures, LLC

How would you describe the startup culture in Nebraska?

I can really only speak about Omaha and Lincoln, where I spend all my time. From my perspective, I’d say it’s ever-evolving. There have been ebbs and flows over the years, but we’re definitely on an upswing with the current level of entrepreneurial bees buzzing around the Nebraska hive.  

In particular, it seems like support from the government and academia has matured as more people are bought into the importance of fostering a healthy local and regional startup ecosystem.

And in the trenches, one thing that has never changed is how easy it is to find people here who are willing to support you — whether it’s asking for feedback or advice, commiserating over challenges, getting introductions to the right people and so on. We have a healthy contingent of authentic and selfless people who know how to pay it forward.

How do you balance taking risks and making calculated decisions in pursuit of innovation?

I often lean on the phrase, “The worst-case scenario isn’t the worst-case scenario.” Meaning: If you take a risk and absolutely nothing goes to plan, how bad is it *actually* going to be? This is both an exercise to gauge how much you’re willing to risk and also a pep talk for yourself. It helps you realize that if, for example, you put a bunch of time and money into a startup and it fails, you will survive and bounce back wiser, more experienced and even more battle-hardened for whatever comes next.

Also, it’s essential to have a solid social support network. Entrepreneurship is a lonely emotional rollercoaster; you’ve got to find your peers, mentors and cheerleaders!

How do you define success and what metrics do you pay the most attention to?

I think success is growing yourself and the people around you in the right direction. It’s when I bump into people I haven’t seen in a year or more and they’re doing bigger things with more confidence or when I see others who are happier as they’re tackling challenges or chasing dreams that energize them. There’s a community of support around all of it, and that’s pretty good!

What are the top one or two challenges / opportunities Nebraska startups face?

I think our biggest challenges and opportunities all stem from the size of our community. Since we only have a fraction of the population of the more well-known startup hubs, we don’t have the same amount of veteran serial entrepreneurs, and the collisions of founders, investors, mentors and other resources are proportional.

Similarly, our opportunity is to take inspiration from places like Silicon Valley, London, Singapore, Stockholm and others to build (and attract) infrastructure, events, programs and other ecosystem components in our own way.  

What is one emerging industry or technology that you believe will have a significant impact on the Nebraska startup ecosystem in the next few years?

In a sense, I think the field is wide open for anyone who wants to put a stake in the ground with some serious investments. Having said that, healthtech is trending right now and the UNeMed and UNeTech Catalyst project is really exciting. I’ve also worked firsthand with some of our resources with regard to manufacturing, particularly for IoT (Internet of Things) and smart electronic devices. I would personally love it if we had a big push for manufacturing and adjacent support.