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On Nebraska Innovation Campus, The Combine incubator hatches new agtech startups
Before Seattle-based Costco broke ground on its $280 million poultry operation in Fremont in 2017, Scott Niewohner remembers a conversation with his cousin about the pros and cons of building barns to raise chickens to supply the plant. Chief among the cons, according to Niewohner’s cousin: daily retrieval of the dead birds scattered throughout the…
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IO2020: the New Innovators’ Summit connects entrepreneurial community (and tickets are free this year)
Great ideas start with curiosity. Bringing those ideas to life is its own challenge. That’s what longtime entrepreneur Brian Ardinger believes, and that’s why he’s made it his mission to help Nebraska startup founders, business leaders and innovators solve those challenges. Ardinger is cofounder of InsideOutside.io, an innovation-focused resource network for startups, entrepreneurs, investors, enterprises,…
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Startup studio Beeso embraces do-or-die approach
Early on a Thursday, Beeso Studio founder John Bunting is typing a quick email while apologizing for not having his webcam on. This interview, by his estimate, is already his fourth or fifth meeting of the day. Bunting has been busy working out a deal that involves hiring a new team by the following Monday,…
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‘You don’t have to be an engineer to do this:’ Local founders say ‘no code’ apps are changing the game
Let’s say it’s 1985, long before “no code” is a thing. You’re lacing up your Keds to hit the cineplex and watch “The Breakfast Club” again when, suddenly, a person from the year 2020 steps through your Michael Jordan poster wearing, for some reason, a surgical mask. They look tired. After terrifying you with grim…
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Lincoln Techstars Startup Week, featuring new social justice and environmentalist tracks, connects vibrant entrepreneur community
Over 30 free virtual info sessions, presentations, panel discussions and networking opportunities covering tech entrepreneurship will mark a weeklong celebration of the Lincoln startup ecosystem beginning Monday. Now in its ninth year, Lincoln Techstars Startup Week gives attendees the chance to connect with the entrepreneurial community while learning about the multifaceted challenges of startup life.…
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Have an idea for the next big thing? NMotion and gener8tor want to help you make it a reality
If the idea of getting paid to build out one new product or service per week sounds exciting, then keep reading and act quickly. “We are seeking founders who want to create great companies here in Nebraska,” said Scott Henderson, managing director of the NMotion Accelerator, a gener8tor program. NMotion is launching a monthlong virtual…
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Brazilian startup creates software to fight bias in the hiring process, has plans to expand to the U.S.
Leave it to technology to solve problems not everyone has noticed yet. Problems some people have gone out of their way not to notice. Problems some people would have noticed if only the problem had been framed differently. On that last point, consider this: a Winthrop University survey from December 2018 found that only 50%…
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Des Moines-based Pitchly doesn’t balk at raising funds during pandemic
Raising an investment round for a startup is never easy. Try doing it during a global pandemic. But it is possible with a combination of bold leadership, committed VCs and a good idea. Just ask Ryan Gerhardy, CEO and co-founder of Des Moines startup Pitchly. Earlier this month, the data-driven productivity platform announced it had…
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Lincoln startup Pawlytics solving a doggone problem for animal shelters
Pawlytics founder Lizz Whitacre has four dogs, three cats, one ferret and two horses. The serial entrepreneur joked that the office of her Lincoln-based tech startup could double as a petting zoo. “Everything I’ve ever done has been related to trying to save animals, while trying to figure out how to make a bunch of…
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Agtech Startup Bushel Announces Series B Raise
This week Bushel announced that it raised $19.5 million in a Series B funding. The Fargo, North Dakota based company has consistently attracted money from around the country that is seeking to participate in the growing ag-tech market. Fargo is one of the leading communities launching ag-tech startups in the region – including the Farm…