Marble, a Lincoln-based startup bringing automation to meatpacking plants, was among the top performers listed among known venture capital deals that occurred in Nebraska during the second quarter of this year. The data comes from Invest Nebraska and PitchBook, highlighting 14 VC deals from April through June.

VC is funding aimed at early-stage, high-growth companies. It funds efforts to scale startups in exchange for equity in ownership.  

Commonly promoted industries in the state, such as agtech, medtech, robotics and software solutions targeting the trades, appear among the listed ventures. Beyond Marble, companies such as the robotic-assisted surgery startup Virtual Incision, cattle operations platform Cattler and contractor booking platform Driive showed some of the highest raises among the known deal sizes. 

Additional markets are present among the higher noted deals, such as the justice sector with Guardify and the food and consumer packaged goods space with Heavenly Foods. 

Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization that invests in Nebraska startups and partners with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to support entrepreneurs. Its team previously assisted SPN with tracking VC deals during Q1 (January-March) of this year. 

PitchBook is a financial market database that reviews and compiles information about private companies based on public and self-reported data. Sources include news articles, regulatory filings, websites and press releases.

SPN has not independently verified all investment details.

Invest Nebraska Investment Associate Ben Hohensee said the numbers showcased could still differ from those that PitchBook reported and other reports due to rounded values, pending deals and varying information submitted by company stakeholders. Invest Nebraska itself adjusted amounts based on its background knowledge as an investor in the ecosystem.

Hohensee said companies may also combine deals across quarters in their funding announcements, such as when experiencing little investor interest early in their raises or when wanting to get initial money “in the door” before completing a round. He added that Q2 can be slow for venture capital activity due to founders and investors going on vacation during the summer. 

Hohensee said he expected activity to pick up in Q3. 

Beyond VC deals, PitchBook also flagged Nebraska companies that have participated in startup accelerator programming in 2026, specifically Innosphere, based in Colorado, and the newly launched Werner Exchange in Nebraska. Representatives from both initiatives said participation in their accelerators does not involve giving up equity or receiving direct investments. Rather, cohort members get assistance with commercialization efforts, forming business opportunities and accessing professional and investor networks to further scale their ventures. 

Nebraska-based startups Neurosound, Rheam Medical and Sand Canyon Therapy/Mission Accomplished were identified for their participation in Innosphere’s 2026 Life Sciences Incubator cohort. Other companies affiliated with the University of Nebraska are also present in the cohort. 

Innosphere said PitchBook sometimes mixes up Innosphere’s startup programming with Innosphere’s VC activity.  

Daragh Mahon, executive vice president and chief information officer of Werner Enterprises, said the Werner Exchange’s “sole goal” is to help cohort members grow. Participating startups, such as Aulendur Labs, can pilot with Werner to have the logistics giant become a customer and form relationships with VC firms Werner works with. 

For a greater overview and breakdown of VC trends in Nebraska, Invest Nebraska released its 2026 Nebraska Venture Capital Report earlier in the year, providing an in-depth analysis of 2025 VC movement in the state.