Judges have announced the 20 semifinalists for the second annual Silicon Prairie Startup Week (SPSW) Startup Showcase and Pitch Competition. The community is invited to meet these innovative Nebraska startups during the showcase event and watch the top five companies pitch live for a grand prize of $10,000, as determined by a panel of three judges. 

The pitch competition festivities occur on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Ashton at Millwork Commons in Omaha, with the showcase happening 4-5:30 p.m. The pitch competition finals and celebration will go from 6-8 p.m. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to vote for the winner of the $2,500 people’s choice prize. 

The startups who applied to compete had to be operating for less than five years, have a minimum viable product and be based in Nebraska. Judges determined semifinalists based on their identified problem and solution, potential to scale, competitive advantage and overall presentation. 

Forty-four companies competed in the initial round, with the top 20 moving on to the semifinal round. These companies will each have a display at the SPSW Startup Showcase.

The 20 semifinalists:

• Aqualytics: A software platform to improve water management and irrigation operations with the goal of reducing costs for utilities and property owners. Founded by Derek Gardels. 

• Automated Dynamic Antibiogram Services: An online platform that provides real-time antibiogram data to health care providers in order to better prescribe patients the most optimal antibiotic treatment. Founded by Sheila Fields. 

• CAMcerta, Inc.: A credentialing platform that seeks to help patients, health care systems and insurers verify the credentials of complementary and alternative medicine providers. Founded by Allison Beninato. 

• CareerPathway.com: A web-based platform that enables young professionals to discover career paths and network with employers and education institutions in a social media-like setting. Founded by Bo Jones. 

• Empower Independence: A company dedicated to maintaining independent living for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Its flagship product Showerability improves the safety and accessibility of existing showers. Founded by Kelly Van Ert. 

• Firework Media Studio, LLC (XRenegades): A consulting and implementation studio aimed at helping schools, universities and healthcare systems adopt XR/VR/AR tools. This includes building custom programming and how to procure equipment. Founded by Tess McKinney. 

• Grapple: A data platform that helps finance, sales and marketing teams compile, analyze and share business information easily. Founded by Jack Sellwood and Andrew Carlson. 

• Nebraska Innovation Labs: A nonprofit software and app development organization that provides startup founders a cheaper option for building a product. In addition to offering mentorship to entrepreneurs, the organization connects students and recent college graduates with senior developers in order to grow their portfolios. Founded by Dillon De Rozairo. 

• Nutrai: An AI-powered nutrition and fitness app aimed at college students. The platform helps users plan and track meals to meet nutrition goals and account for dietary restrictions. Founded by Alex and Rachel Sharper. 

• OverUndr, Inc.: An all-in-one platform for sports betting content creators and bettors. Its goal is to add structure to a burgeoning industry, making subscriptions, payments and social messaging all connected in a single solution built for mobile devices. Founded by Blake Kahler and Peyton Comer. 

• Pairr: A networking agent and CRM solution powered by AI. It helps users find and network with the most relevant individuals to their specific needs at conferences, companies and trade shows. Founded by Ayan Hussain. 

• Plexus: A modern mission-planning platform for satellite operators. It enables users to manage and streamline tasks from a single dashboard, instead of using older spreadsheet-based methods. Founded by Ann Schulte. 

• Rheam Medical: A MedTech company building a handheld device that uses automation to help surgeons avoid guesswork and risks during minimally invasive abdominal surgery. Founded by Riley Reynolds and Ben Pearson. 

• Seismi, Inc.: A tech solutions company aimed at supporting animal health care and environmental sustainability. It offers products that help veterinarians and feedlot owners monitor the health of pets and livestock. Founded by Yale Zhang, Billy Frese and Charles Guan. 

• Service Stories: An AI-powered software that helps service-based businesses turn their work orders and service tickets into AI-optimized marketing content. Founded by Joe Toscano and Alex Rapp. 

• Set Your Sites, Inc.: A camping technology startup that offers solutions to campgrounds, including modern payment and reservation options for walk-up sites and WiFi services. Founded by Stacy and Dustin Dam. 

• Sweet Meatz Desserts: A woman-owned scratch bakery that offers dessert catering, online sales and free community baking classes. It seeks to fulfill identified needs and underserved markets in the North Omaha community — as well as expand sales nationwide. Founded by Rhea Vinson. 

• The Pennycress Company: A bioengineering company that uses bioengineered field pennycress to help farmers achieve another income source between cash crop harvests. The grown pennycress can be used for animal feed and oils for other products, such as biofuel. Founded by Jason Thomas. 

• The Vibe: A self-described boutique assisted living and memory care home that prioritizes personalized care, intimate environments and nature-inspired living. It seeks to scale a portfolio of communities across the Midwest and nationwide. Founded by Heather Holmes and Colin Roberts. 

• vr.dev: A professional networking platform for XR/VR/AR talent to better showcase 3D skills other networking and hiring platforms cannot share. Founded by Erik Peterson. 

Judges will conduct finalist interviews to determine the five companies to present during the live pitch competition prior to the showcase. The winner will receive $10,000, free legal consultation from Baird Holm and one year of co-working space at Catalyst. 

Interested attendees can see the complete SPSW 2025 schedule and register for events on SPN’s website.