As artificial intelligence gains traction across industries, Nebraska’s business and startup communities are exploring how to adopt the technology through meetups, forums and cautious experimentation. While some warn that companies risk falling behind without AI, others emphasize the need for thoughtful implementation amid evolving regulations and risks. SPN Reporter Ani Schutz took a deep dive…

Silicon Prairie Startup Week is coming back October 6-11. Last year’s inaugural event brought together communities across cities, blending the best of Omaha and Lincoln Startup Weeks into a single, unified experience. This year we’re leveling up and we want your ideas to help shape the programming. Let us know what events you’d like to…

Silicon Prairie News and Technical.ly launched an editorial partnership to share stories about innovation and entrepreneurship between the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. This week I’m headed to Philly Tech Week to discuss the role of ecosystem storytellers located outside of Silicon Valley and the coasts. The first story in our collaborative publishing effort was posted today.…

Don’t Panic Labs (DPL) originally started as a product development arm of Nebraska Global, building tech products and companies for the venture capital fund. Over the years the software development and innovation consulting company expanded to work with other startups and existing companies in 20 states. On Friday Don’t Panic Labs hosted an open house…

In interviews with SPN, Nebraska university leaders, tech transfer offices and startup investors agreed that encouraging more new business creation in Nebraska is a means to spur economic development and fight against brain drain in the state. New companies mean new innovations, new ideas and new career paths to attract and retain talent. Appealing to…

Companies supported by the Business Innovation Act are currently generating more than $1 billion in economic impact each year in Nebraska. The program was started in 2012 as a vital source of funding for early-stage startups in the state. According to a recent analysis, “these businesses have added 2,386 new jobs in the state with…

If you’ve been around the Nebraska startup or tech community for a while, you’re probably familiar with Workshop CEO Rick Knudtson. An Omaha native, he’s been a champion of Midwest entrepreneurship since the early days of SPN — before any kind of ecosystem existed in Nebraska. In fact, startups are the only career path that…

Well that was embarrassing! The ICYMI links were broken in yesterday’s email. Let’s try again. A global manufacturing company headquartered in a town with around 700 people just invested $12 million into automating its facility that produces center pivot irrigation systems. The company is also investing in local infrastructure and skill building programs in hopes…

An Israeli MedTech startup is partnering with an Omaha-based in-home care franchise to help patients with chronic respiratory diseases manage their condition at home. RespirAI Medical and Right at Home received significant grant funds to continue development on an AI-powered wearable device for COPD patients. The startup’s technology stems from research that originated at the…