Innovation After Hours, an invitation-only dinner and competition that was part of the Nebraska Ag Expo, brought together startups, investors, equipment dealers and farmers from across the country to celebrate the progress of agtech in the Midwest.

The Omaha-based startup offers coworking and co-warehousing space to small businesses. The company opened its Lincoln and North Kansas City locations on Dec. 1. Elevator co-founders said the latest traction positions them to significantly grow their revenue and reach.

After a winding startup journey that included venture capital funding, buying back the company for private ownership and several business pivots, Bulu sold to a Canadian apparel startup invested in growing its U.S. presence in Nebraska.

The Omaha-based internal communications startup plans to expand its headquarters in Millwork Commons while growing its presence abroad by opening an office in Dublin, Ireland. Community leaders said the startup’s traction signifies economic and job opportunities in Nebraska.

In late October, Social Assurance announced that it acquired civic engagement platform MindMixer. The Lincoln-based company plans to use the acquisition to expand its reach and communication tools for regulated industries. Both companies have ties to the early startup scene in Nebraska.

Hudl, a Lincoln-based company offering analysis and video tools for sports teams, recently announced its 18th acquisition. Sports tech startups FanWord, SheMate and SportsTrip shared the impact of scaling a company in Nebraska and seeing the growth of industry leaders such as Hudl.

The Nebraska-based startup offers AI tools and expert mentors to help non-technical entrepreneurs with software development. The new office marks the first time the CodeBuddy team has had a space of their own and is another milestone in the startup’s latest traction.

The event was a convening of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, university faculty and young professionals at the Nebraska Innovation Campus in Lincoln. Panelists shared insights into building robots and pursuing a career in robotics. The conference is an initiative of the Heartland Robotics Cluster.

University of Nebraska System researchers, local entrepreneurs and community partners gathered for a night of honors at UNeMed’s Innovation Research Awards. The festivities come following Bio Nebraska’s celebration of the bioscience sector in the state in early October.

Co-founder and Managing Partner Doug Durham is stepping away from his role and will remain an adviser to DPL leadership. He said the Lincoln-based software engineering and innovation consulting company will continue helping local entrepreneurs build their ideas into businesses.