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…

A $4M gift from the Omaha-based Diabetes Care Foundation will establish the Greisch Center for Enterprise Value at Creighton University. The donation will accelerate the work already in progress to support student entrepreneurs. The foundation’s investment in Creighton will catalyze new staff positions, curriculum, programming and seed funding to support student and faculty entrepreneurs as…

In 2023, Stephen Kaniewski left Nebraska-based agtech giant Valmont Industries after five years as CEO. Having already reached the top of the corporate ladder, he decided to apply his expertise to the startup world in his next chapter. Today, Kaniewski is co-founder and COO of iDvera — a startup that uses commercial sensors and math…

Omaha-based Guardify is a startup that offers digital evidence management solutions for the justice sector and works closely with Children’s Advocacy Centers. Guardify has experienced strong momentum in the last two years with the appointment of CEO Ben Jackson (a former Flywheel exec), a new name and brand, plus significant product advancements. Last year the…

Pipeline Entrepreneurs announced its latest cohorts of Fellows and Pathfinders. Nebraska founders have a strong presence representing eight of the 28 companies selected. Pipeline is a regional support organization based in Kansas City that helps high-growth founders build their businesses and network. Pipeline Fellowship is a program designed for high-growth founders who are working on…

Before we called ourselves the “Silicon Prairie” and before you could major in entrepreneurship in college, three enthusiastic 20-somethings started working on an idea for a construction tech company in a garage in Omaha. The idea would become Buildertrend. Fast forward 20 years and Buildertrend is a standout among the earliest cohort of startup founders…

At the NE Chamber annual meeting last week, CEO Todd Bingham celebrated the organization’s past year. The chamber has supported research on issues from energy to child care, increased its workforce development efforts and continued to advocate for businesses across Nebraska. However, Bingham acknowledged that Nebraska is slipping in its economic development efforts. While the…

Since SPN joined the Nebraska Journalism Trust umbrella three years ago, our mission has been to invite more curious Nebraskans to explore the local startup community. Events are a great point of entry to engage with that community and learn about the local resources available for aspiring entrepreneurs. Yes, we highlight a few upcoming events…

It’s been a little over two years since Kellee Mikuls closed Swishboom, the tech startup she founded in Omaha to connect users with high quality on-demand child care. Now, Mikuls is the executive director of workforce development nonprofit Ignite Nebraska. Mikuls’ experience and connections in the startup community have shaped the way she approaches building…

A Nebraska startup is using drones to fight an invasive tree species encroaching on the Great Plains. Stone Pillar International is a software and intelligence company that uses drone-acquired data for actionable decision making. The company’s official launch comes as Nebraskans face the threat of invasive eastern redcedar opportunities presented by new drone rules and…