Investment & Funding

  • Celebrating Lincoln’s thriving startup ecosystem, Techstars Startup Week kicks off today

    Celebrating Lincoln’s thriving startup ecosystem, Techstars Startup Week kicks off today

    This week marks a return to in-person events for Techstars Startup Week Lincoln, a free, five-day celebration that builds momentum and opportunity around entrepreneurship in Nebraska’s capital city. Startup week kicks off today and runs through Friday evening, featuring 18 events at various locations throughout Lincoln. (See the full schedule here.) “The thing this year…

  • Homegrown medtech company Centese develops game-changing device for surgery patients

    Homegrown medtech company Centese develops game-changing device for surgery patients

    A new Omaha-based medtech company has developed a self-cleaning chest tube system that provides more precise measurements for monitoring patients recovering from surgery on their heart or lungs.  Startup Centese developed the device, called Thoraguard. Through a novel self-irrigating mechanism, Thoraguard eliminates one of the main hazards of analog chest tubes: the need for medical…

  • A look at Nebraska’s investment landscape

    A look at Nebraska’s investment landscape

    Talk to tech entrepreneurs in Nebraska, and they’re likely to laud the region’s innovative spirit. Next-level startups like Flywheel, Buildertrend, Lunavi, Hudl and more have grown an international presence and put the Cornhusker state on the map.  Even a cornerstone enterprise like Lincoln-based Nelnet has implemented its own innovation division. Conferences like the IO Summit,…

  • Leash Pet Transportation puts pets on the go

    Leash Pet Transportation puts pets on the go

    Omaha startup Leash Pet Transportation was founded on the idea that, much like people, pets have places to be.  Whether it’s a session with a groomer, a day at doggy day care, or a trip to the veterinarian or a boarding facility, pet ownership can mean more errands, making humans feel like bona fide pet…

  • St. Louis-based Arch Grants awards over $1.9 million to 35 startups

    St. Louis-based Arch Grants awards over $1.9 million to 35 startups

    St. Louis-based Arch Grants has awarded over $1.9 million in non-dilutive grants to its 2021 cohort of 35 new startups and early-stage businesses. Each year, Arch Grants welcomes innovative, scalable and job-creating startups from around the world to participate in the nonprofit’s annual Startup Competition for a chance to be awarded $50,000 in non-dilutive grants…

  • Buildertrend announces groundbreaking partnership with The Home Depot

    Buildertrend announces groundbreaking partnership with The Home Depot

    Excitement permeates Buildertrend’s headquarters in southwest Omaha. The cloud-based construction project management software developer recently announced a partnership with The Home Depot that will provide construction professionals the technology to help them manage and grow their businesses, along with an integrated purchasing experience and discounts.  Buildertrend Chief Strategy Officer David Arnold said the recent developments…

  • WorkWave to Acquire TEAM Software

    WorkWave to Acquire TEAM Software

     WorkWave, a provider of SaaS solutions that support every stage of a service business’s life cycle, announced Monday that it has signed an agreement to purchase Omaha-based TEAM Software, the world’s leading provider of software and solutions for cleaning, janitorial, security and facilities management service providers. The acquisition is expected to close at the end…

  • Charles E. Lakin Foundation supports AIM Institute tech training initiative in Southwest Iowa

    Charles E. Lakin Foundation supports AIM Institute tech training initiative in Southwest Iowa

    The nonprofit AIM Institute recently received a $20,000 grant from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation, Inc., to support the Southwest Iowa Tech Training Initiative, which will allow AIM Code School to expand its web development skills training to residents of southwest Iowa. “We are so grateful to the Lakin Foundation for their generous support of…

  • Build the future you want here today – Prairie Roots August 2021

    Build the future you want here today – Prairie Roots August 2021

    You don’t need permission to launch something new. You don’t need to wait for someone else to come along and give their approval. You just need to start building the future you want to help the people already here.  That’s the theme for the August issue and, in fact, the whole concept of Prairie Roots.…

  • CoFound Grand Island helps launch aspiring founders—right where they are

    CoFound Grand Island helps launch aspiring founders—right where they are

    If there’s one thing we know here in Silicon Prairie, it’s that you shouldn’t have to go far to execute great ideas. Twenty years ago, a lofty title like “entrepreneur” was thought to be the domain of those who made it to Silicon Valley. In 2021, such rigid parameters have been blown to smithereens thanks…