The Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting wasn’t the only gathering of investors in Omaha last week. The Gr8er Plains Summit at Catalyst Omaha hosted startup investors from across the region (and as far away as Canada and Israel) alongside a curated group of high-growth founders. The summit was designed to give insight into the “nuts…

Four UNL student-led startups are ready to take their companies to the next level after developing their ideas in the Raikes School Startup Studio. The startups were front and center last week to showcase what they’ve accomplished with a $100k investment and lots of sweat equity. Startup Studio is designed to give students career-building experiences…

Werner Enterprises and the Nebraska Startup Academy have teamed up on an accelerator for early-stage logistics and transportation startups. The inaugural cohort is just kicking off.   Werner is no stranger to the Nebraska startup ecosystem. The company has a track record of supporting startups in developing their products, and has participated in corporate pitch days…

The upcoming Gr8er Plains Summit is focused on introducing qualified investors to the ins and outs of investing in venture-backed startups in the Midwest. The event purposely coincides with the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting and will be a gathering of active startup investors and interested investors alongside a curated group of startups from the…

Tech transfer organizations play a vital role in the commercialization of research and inventions coming out of Nebraska universities. They act as an important bridge connecting different parts of the startup ecosystem. And a critical support for a subset of aspiring entrepreneurs in the university ecosystem. But what does tech transfer mean, and what’s the…

The idea that collaboration between the Nebraska startup ecosystem and tech talent coming from Offutt Air Force Base could be beneficial isn’t new. Yet both communities remain siloed. Air Force vets turned startup founders were a driving force behind a new group dedicated to bridging the gap. Last week the B2G Guild (short for “business…

Did you know that NASA offers grant funding that’s specifically designated for Nebraskans? The NASA Nebraska Space Grant and EPSCoR programs are designed to support STEM education in the state. Startups like Virtual Incision and research projects on subjects from anti-cancer proteins to recyclable antimicrobial material have visited space as a result. Space grants are…

Nebraska startups raised $527.9 million in venture capital in 2025, the most ever for the state in a single year. Data compiled by Invest Nebraska identified 66 VC deals. Nebraska ranks 30th in the country for the total amount of VC funding raised last year. The top three industries with the most money raised were…