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DARO announces $2.5 million fund close to expand disease testing capacity for the swine industry
The Nebraska-based startup is led by a UNMC veteran and the former program manager at The Combine, the agtech incubator and accelerator in Lincoln. Like many local agtech startups finding success, DARO was incubated at The Combine.
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Ben Williamson makes the case that agtech is a blueprint for innovation across Nebraska
Williamson has been involved in Nebraska’s innovation ecosystem for about a decade, first while working at Invest Nebraska and now as a partner with Grit Road Partners. After being part of agtech’s exponential growth over the past few years, there are important lessons to learn about creating jobs and economic opportunity here.
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Nurse, Ph.D., academic and entrepreneur: Marcia Shade is building Voice-It to explain pain with AI
Pain doesn’t fit neatly on the 1-10 scale that medical professionals have used for decades. So Voice-It is building a secure AI transcription app to record the nuances of patients’ pain and summarize them for clinicians who are short on time. Better knowledge, founder and CEO Marcia Shade hopes, can lead to better treatment and…
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How to turn your startup into a rocket ship — lessons from Grain Weevil
Chad Johnson, the CEO of agtech startup Grain Weevil, spoke in mid-July about the lessons founders should learn to find success. For Johnson, it’s all about staying humble and thinking about business and product needs at the same time.
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Small business vs. scalable company: Determining the best path forward
An entrepreneur’s business journey depends on the nature of their venture and their overall goals. Leadership behind the companies Cup of Coa and Humbl Roots and advisers out of The Combine and the Nebraska Business Development Center provided their insights on this planning process.
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Mentors and new ventures: The continued legacies of Nebraska entrepreneurs following startup exits
Selling the company is often the end goal for startup founders. But their impacts in the ecosystems they call home carry on. Founders talked to SPN about their journey. Learn more about the developments and ongoing legacies of Quantified Ag, LifeLoop and LiveBy — local startups that were acquired in the early 2020s.
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NMotion Accelerator Fall 2026 cohort announced following pause in programming
NMotion powered by gener8tor is a Nebraska-based accelerator that offers $100,000 investments and 12 weeks of mentoring to six startups per cohort in exchange for equity. After taking a pause this spring, the program has announced its latest group of startups primarily based in Nebraska, from medtech to city infrastructure planning solutions.
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Lincoln widens its gap from Omaha in the latest Best of the Midwest Startup Ecosystem Rankings
Midwest Startups presented by M25 released its annual rankings of 64 cities across the region. This marks the 10th year of Midwest Startups calculating a list to help founders, venture capitalists and community leaders identify the strengths and weaknesses of startup hubs. Omaha ranked 16th, and Lincoln ranked 13th.
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Five Things: AgTech Connect 2026
The annual conference is part of The Combine’s overall mission in growing the state’s agtech ecosystem — encouraging the rise of new research and startups to transform the ag industry. Topics covered include data ownership and usage, raising capital, understanding customers and emphasizing the importance of people in a business journey.
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Hudl announces its 19th acquisition, adding a fundraising solution to its tech suite for coaches
The Lincoln-based sportstech company has announced the acquisition of TeamUp, a fundraising platform built to make fundraisers more effective, organized and even gamified. The news comes after Hudl recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.