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Arch Grants increasing award amount for annual startup grants competition, will fund relocation costs
Arch Grants has announced it will increase the awards for its annual startup grants competition beginning this year. The program awards annual non-dilutive grants to startups and early-stage businesses who base their operations out of St. Louis for at least one year. Winners receive $75,000, with an additional $25,000 available for eligible applicants to cover…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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HerHeadquarters adjusts to an unpredictable year by giving back—and growing
When SPN first spotlighted HerHeadquarters in February of 2020, few of us were aware how drastically the looming pandemic would change our lives. While HerHeadquarters has not been immune to the changes wrought by COVID-19, the past year nonetheless offers a tale of trial and triumph for the Omaha-based brand. The start of 2020 came…
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Colorado startup incubator surveys Nebraska VC landscape, affirms what we’re all thinking
A new report released by start-up incubator Innosphere Ventures, a nonprofit based in Fort Collins, Colo., takes a deep look at recent venture capital (VC) funding trends in Nebraska. The report finds that, even in the middle of a global pandemic, 2020 was a banner year for VC across America, including Nebraska. The news comes…
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Prairie Roots run deep: new virtual conference grows connections in the entrepreneurial ecosystem
Last Friday marked the first-ever Prairie Roots Spring Show, a virtual event showcasing a variety of companies, creative projects and causes in that have survived—and in some cases, thrived—in the Midwest despite a tumultuous year. Created and curated by Scott Henderson, managing director of Lincoln-based NMotion Accelerator Studio for gener8tor, Prairie Roots gathered 100 business,…
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NMotion Lunch and Learns dish up tips for aspiring founders
Looking to learn about market competition and financial growth milestones? Lincoln-based NMotion Accelerator is holding a series of virtual informational sessions to help aspiring founders demystify the process of launching a start-up. The events, held weekly on Tuesdays, are free and open to the public. Much of the material covered is what NMotion’s leaders share and…
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UNeTech levels the playing field for high-risk, high-reward tech startups
The “valley of death” is a term used in the startup community to refer to the dreaded gap between the discovery of promising new technologies and the bringing to market of commercially viable new products based on those technologies. It is the badlands where risky and possibly disruptive tech goes to die. Put more formally,…