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…

Happy New Year! 2025 was a year marked by milestones in the Nebraska startup ecosystem. Now, it’s time to turn our attention to what’s in store for the coming year. Will the momentum continue? Silicon Prairie News reached out to stakeholders in the Nebraska startup ecosystem to get their predictions, hot takes and hopes for…

The Business Innovation Act is back in business following a two-month pause. Gov. Jim Pillen announced in a memorandum yesterday that the Nebraska Department of Economic Development would immediately resume awarding funds.  The sudden pause of BIA awards funding in October rallied the Nebraska startup community in support of the program that has been an…

New business creation has been on the rise in Sidney after losing the town’s largest employer nearly 10 years ago. Cabela’s started in Sidney in 1961 and the company’s headquarters was based there until the outdoor retailer was purchased by Bass Pro Shops in 2017. Since the shuttering of the Cabela’s headquarters, which employed around…

This month Elevator launched its co-warehousing concept in a fourth Midwestern city since opening the first location in Omaha in October 2022. On Dec. 1, the company officially opened locations in Lincoln and Kansas City. A location in St. Louis is expected to open in 2026. Husband and wife co-founders Emiliano and Shannon Lerda started…

In late November, around 100 ag producers, academics and startup founders gathered in Gothenburg, Nebraska to address challenges related to technology adoption in agriculture. The Spur AgConverge conference served as a launch event for Spur Ventures, a new entrepreneurship hub to better connect producers with innovation. The event dug deeper into the pitfalls and opportunities…

Nebraska, we have a unicorn. For the first time ever, a tech startup that started and scaled in Nebraska has attained coveted unicorn status. Lincoln-based CompanyCam was officially valued at $2 billion as of August 2025. Local economic development and policy leaders tout the achievement as a major milestone that counters the narrative that founders…