Nebraska, we have a unicorn. For the first time ever, a tech startup that started and scaled in Nebraska has attained coveted unicorn status. Lincoln-based CompanyCam was officially valued at $2 billion as of August 2025.

Local economic development and policy leaders tout the achievement as a major milestone that counters the narrative that founders need to leave Nebraska to find the talent and capital it takes to scale a startup to the highest level.

This comes at a pivotal moment in the Nebraska startup ecosystem’s trajectory as early stage funding sources, including Nebraska Innovation Fund Prototype Grants, are under threat and recent studies show that it’s not just early-career talent leaving the state in search of better opportunities.

Read how CompanyCam Founder and CEO Luke Hansen turned a solution for his family’s roofing business into a multibillion-dollar company, and why it matters for Nebraska, in the story on SPN.