Meet Dusty Birge, Founder & CEO @ Fast Forward 

How would you describe the startup culture in Nebraska?

I see many companies come to Nebraska to recruit students for full-time positions because of the Nebraska work ethic — that sets us apart. This same work ethic and the willingness to put in the time is present in the startup community. I believe this will help sustain the startup momentum once it really takes root.

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

I rely very heavily on customer feedback in our decision-making process. We derisk product design and feature requests by getting customer buy-in as early as we can. Innovation becomes less stressful when you know there’s a paying customer waiting at the finish line.

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

I measure success heavily based on customer-related metrics. Two key ones include:

• How many customers re-purchase the service or product?
• Will customers make an introduction or referral to another prospect? What do they tell their industry peers about us?

These metrics are big drivers in my opinion. If you can get these things happening over and over, many of the other important KPIs will naturally follow. Success requires customers. 

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

Top challenge: startup capital. Rising costs of labor continually make starting harder. I’ve heard founders often stumble upon a problem they can solve, but aren’t financially ready to go “all-in” and start a company. Attaining that initial capital without risking major lifestyle changes, especially if you have kids, is a big mental challenge. 

The opportunity though, is that Nebraska is a wonderful state and has a great cost basis for land and reliable power compared to other urban startup ecosystems.

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?

Anything related to computer processing should lend itself to becoming a great opportunity in Nebraska. Cheap, reliable power and relatively affordable and ample land, are all positive factors that can be leveraged. Urban cities have to grow vertically because they are out of land and everything is so expensive. Pairing that with great people, it makes for a strong opportunity to make an impact for those willing to take the initial risk.