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  • EyeVerify sold for $100 million to Alibaba’s Ant Financial [Updated]

    EyeVerify sold for $100 million to Alibaba’s Ant Financial [Updated]

    Kansas City-based EyeVerify has been sold to Ant Financial Services Group, a payment affiliate of Alibaba and operator of Alipay, according to a press release on EyeVerify’s website. Although the amount was not publicly disclosed, Bloomberg is reporting from an anonymous source the deal was for around $70 million. Update: Startland News reports from an anonymous source the…

  • Bugeater Foods awarded $100,000 USDA research grant

    Bugeater Foods awarded $100,000 USDA research grant

    Lincoln-based Bugeater Foods has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the USDA for further research into insect-based foods. The grant is a Phase 1 SBIR grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a department of the USDA. According to a press release from Bugeater, only 15% of companies that apply receive a SBIR…

  • Igor raises $2 million in Series B

    Igor raises $2 million in Series B

    Igor has raised $2 million in its Series B fundraising round, bringing its total investment to $6 million, according to a press release. The investment will be used for development, marketing and sales of its product, a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) smart lighting system. The platform offers cloud analytics for businesses to more efficiently manage and automate their lighting.…

  • John Fein thinks Midwest VC isn’t aggressive enough—so he started a fund

    John Fein thinks Midwest VC isn’t aggressive enough—so he started a fund

    With Firebrand Ventures’ $7 million VC fund, Techstars’ John Fein is on a mission to change startup investment across the Silicon Prairie. After three years as Managing Director at Kansas City’s Sprint Accelerator powered by Techstars, John Fein noticed a recurring problem. “It became very evident, especially after the second program that there was a pattern of very…

  • D3 Banking raises $10 million from West Partners

    D3 Banking raises $10 million from West Partners

    Omaha-based digital banking platform D3 Banking has raised $10 million in capital from West Partners, according to a press release. West Partners is based in San Diego. “Our work with multibillion-dollar banks such as Arvest, First Tennessee Bank and IBERIABANK will result in more than 1.5 million users enjoying a more personalized, consistent and intuitive digital banking…

  • QA with Jeff Slobotski on Router Ventures’ first investments

    QA with Jeff Slobotski on Router Ventures’ first investments

    Last fall SPN caught up with Jeff Slobotski, co-founder of Silicon Prairie News and founder of Router Ventures, a Midwest-focused venture capital fund. Now with a few investments in his portfolio, we decided to check in with Slobotski to see what he’s been learning lately. SPN: Tell us a bit about what’s happened with Router…

  • Hip Pocket launches kickstarter for a new app—and a revolution

    Hip Pocket launches kickstarter for a new app—and a revolution

    Nebraska-based software company Hip Pocket has launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new app, Hip Money. But it’s not just any fundraising campaign. It’s a movement. “We know that this is bigger than just an app,” said Mark Zmarzly, Hip Pocket CEO. “It’s a long-overdue movement for change.” It’s being called the “Fingers Up!” movement…

  • Raising money for startups: Racehorses vs. Golden Geese

    Raising money for startups: Racehorses vs. Golden Geese

    It is easy for investors to get blinded by startup successes. They forget about the failures. Investors see failed startups as the “other” and act as if failure will not happen to them. They see failure as the result of stupidity and incompetence. They forget that people that fail go on to success, and people who succeed…

  • Flywheel raises $4 million in Series A, led by Five Elms

    Flywheel raises $4 million in Series A, led by Five Elms

    Omaha-based startup Flywheel has raised $4 million in their Series A. The fundraising round was led by Kansas-City based Five Elms Capital. “Flywheel’s platform changes the way that WordPress designers do business,” said Thomas Kershisnik of Five Elms Capital, in a press release. “They have the leadership, culture, and resources to continue building invaluable tools for their customers; we…

  • The impact of Mark Crawford on Nebraska venture capital

    The impact of Mark Crawford on Nebraska venture capital

    In March 2016 Mark Crawford, CEO at Invest Nebraska, left to join Intel Capital in California. Dan Hoffman, Interim CEO, and Brock Smith, Senior Associate, submitted this article to SPN as a reflection on Crawford’s tenure. In 2012, Mark Crawford, known for classy suits and a shoe collection that would make Michael Jordan jealous, made…