The event, hosted by Don’t Panic Labs on Sept. 27, was part of Silicon Prairie Startup Week. Participants who go on to pitch for the JumpStart Challenge on Oct. 6 will compete for two $2,500 prizes as part of industry challenges and a $1,000 wild card category prize.

The 10-week pre-accelerator provides early-stage founders access to courses, workshops and mentoring from industry experts in the global Techstars network. This opportunity for Nebraska founders is available due to Greater Omaha’s inclusion in Techstars Startup Community Partnerships.

A new assessment launching at HUSTLE is designed to give leaders insight into how they guide teams and drive outcomes. Developed at Creighton University with researcher Sangeeta Badal, the Entrepreneurial Leadership Profile will also shape the school’s entrepreneurship minor.

A new $2.5 million co-working and business incubator space hopes to create more job opportunities in this rural community. Combined with two colleges and a rush of new housing, that’s an opportunity to keep students local and, perhaps, reverse a decades-long population trend.

The SPN Ecosystem Project is a multimedia series tracing key players, startups and events that have shaped Nebraska’s entrepreneurial landscape since the early 2000s. This installment spotlights Karen Borchert, founder and CEO at Alpaca.

Earlier this month, Lincoln-based Don’t Panic Labs, a software product company, laid off 19% of its staff following the “sudden cancellation” of a major initiative at one of the firm’s partner organizations, according to company leadership. The staff reduction largely impacted software engineers and developers.

Makers Street in Omaha’s Old Market offers a shared storefront where local makers can sell handmade goods without the cost of running a store alone. Since opening in June, the collective has become a launchpad for small businesses and a draw for residents and visitors alike.

Silicon Prairie Startup Week is back, Oct. 6-11, with another combined regional celebration of the Nebraska startup community, featuring events in Lincoln and Omaha. New for 2025: Each day, events will be held at a single location to make it easier for attendees to navigate. Keep reading to see what else is in store.

The Omaha–Lincoln branding debate tests whether geography or mindset defines tech hub identity. The following is a guest post by Tecnhical.ly Publisher and CEO Christopher Wink that originally appeared on Technical.ly.

NMotion powered by gener8tor is a startup accelerator in Nebraska that invests in two cohorts of high-growth startups each year. SPN recently caught up with past participants in NMotion programming to see how they’ve progressed since the accelerator. Founders can apply for NMotion’s latest accelerator by Aug. 17.