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SPN Kernels: news from across the prairie
Lincoln: Nebraska moves up in New Economy Index The recently released Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s 2017 State New Economy Index showed an improvement in Nebraska’s rankings, moving up eight spots to number 27. The index measures 25 indicators in five categories: knowledge jobs, globalization, economic dynamism, the digital economy and innovation capacity. “This study…
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Iowa’s The Emerge Foundation expands startup incubator and adds seed funding
Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa formed The Emerge Foundation in early 2017. Originally created as an entrepreneurial development program at the Gerald R. Edwards Entrepreneurial Center on Simpson’s campus, the growing EMERGE@Simpson program recently expanded to provide business incubation services to external enterprises. Enterprises eligible for services include those with high commercialization potential affiliated with…
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SPN Kernels: news from across the prairie
St. Louis: Johego wins $270K contract with Missouri Foundation for Health A new contract between Johego and the Missouri Foundation for Health will help the tech startup further connect people in need with medical and social services throughout Northeastern, Central, and Southwestern Missouri. Johego will be adding 18 additional counties to their coverage area which…
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MākuSafe develops wearable devices to improve workplace safety
In mid-2015, entrepreneur Gabriel Glynn found himself between startups. He had just sold his one-off software company and was launching his next project, a podcast about the manufacturing industry. He didn’t know it at the time, but that podcast would eventually lead him to his next business, insurtech startup MākuSafe. Glynn grew up in Iowa…
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Appsky Labs builds apps, supports other small businesses
When Appsky Labs founder Taylor Korensky graduated from UNOmaha’s IT Innovation Program in 2016, he was already freelancing in iOS development. “A lot of that program focuses on business development, product development, and the technical side of things,” said Korensky. “Through that program, I really found a passion for mobile development and spun my career…
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Alpha BTC opens a second Bitcoin ATM in Lincoln
Omaha-based Alpha BTC recently opened a second Bitcoin ATM at The Mill Coffee and Tea in Lincoln’s Haymarket. Their first machine is located in Omaha at Jones Bros Cupcakes in Aksarben Village. “We’re currently at about $50,000 per month on the Omaha machine. We’re hoping to grow Lincoln to a comparable amount,” said Edward Weniger,…
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St. Louis accelerator invests in high-potential agtech startups
By the time I was 27, my wife and I were the parents of three children, including a 9-year-old. That isn’t bragging—it’s more a testament to our poor family-planning skills. For many of those years, I worked for nonprofits or the state government, and my wife was a stay-at-home parent. That meant we didn’t have…
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Rural Impact Hub strengthens communities in Nebraska and beyond
As Brent Comstock grew BCom Solutions, his Auburn-based digital marketing agency, two things became clear. One, that the business was reaching a point where it needed to expand outside of Auburn. And two, in order to expand, he needed to figure out a way to reach other rural communities. “We were struggling to figure out…
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Venture School Program is now enrolling in Iowa
The University of Iowa Venture School is currently accepting applications from Iowa startups for their fall 2017 program. The statewide program for entrepreneurs was developed by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) and host locations in Des Moines, Cedar Falls, and Cedar Rapids. Venture School was built from a curriculum developed by the National…
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Inc. 5000 list: Fastest growing companies in the Silicon Prairie
Inc. recently released their annual Inc. 5000 list that ranks the fastest-growing private companies in America. The Midwest had an impressive showing with 12 of the 14 communities in our State of the Silicon Prairie Report represented on the list with a total of 165 companies. Inc. says their annual 5000 list is a ranking…