Omaha

  • Breeze just raised $10 million. Here’s what they have in store.

    Breeze just raised $10 million. Here’s what they have in store.

    This is a guest post from Colin Nabity, CEO of insurtech startup Breeze. The original can be found here. The TL;DR on our recent financing round. Last month, we announced our $10 million Series A led by Link Ventures with participation from Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, M25, Fiat Ventures, and Invest Nebraska. You can read…

  • Technology fueled the rise of election skepticism. Now, experts say it could help reverse the trend (maybe).

    Technology fueled the rise of election skepticism. Now, experts say it could help reverse the trend (maybe).

    The culmination of the 2020 U.S. general election was every bit as messy as it promised to be, and the Jan. 6 insurrection that left five people dead and dozens injured exposed the biggest threat facing U.S. elections. It’s not cybersecurity, or foreign interference, either; it’s the idea that the credibility of election results may…

  • Brand agency Daake infuses passion, community spirit and design thinking into every. single. project.

    Brand agency Daake infuses passion, community spirit and design thinking into every. single. project.

    This is a sponsored post paid for by Daake and written by SPN. The day he launched his eponymous branding agency Daake in 2001, co-founder and CEO Greg Daake grabbed pen and paper, sat down in the rented duplex in midtown Omaha that doubled as an office and drafted a guiding purpose for the company.…

  • Women in IT: Shelly Blakeman, MSOL, CSM, builds stable bridges between business and tech

    Women in IT: Shelly Blakeman, MSOL, CSM, builds stable bridges between business and tech

    Shelly Blakeman thrives on knowledge-sharing, curiosity and drive.  She can code (she earned a B.S. in computer information management). She can execute (certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Agile Scrum Master). She can teach (instructor in the AIM Institute Emerging Leaders Program). She can write (currently working on her first book). And she can…

  • Nebraska insurtech startup Breeze raises $10 million in record-setting Series A round

    Nebraska insurtech startup Breeze raises $10 million in record-setting Series A round

    Omaha-based insurtech company Breeze announced yesterday that it had raised the largest first round of institutional capital ever invested in a Nebraska software startup. The company’s $10 million Series A round will help advance its mission “to protect American families in their most financially vulnerable moments,” according to a press release issued yesterday. The financing…

  • HerHeadquarters adjusts to an unpredictable year by giving back—and growing

    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…

  • NYC insurtech startup Vericred expands to Omaha, expects to add 30 – 40 new high-skill jobs

    NYC insurtech startup Vericred expands to Omaha, expects to add 30 – 40 new high-skill jobs

    New York-based insurtech startup Vericred announced plans recently to expand to Omaha. The company will open offices in the Old Mill area and expects to add 30-40 highly skilled positions to the city.  Vericred is a data platform powering digital experiences in health insurance and employee benefits. The company describes itself as the “pipes” that…

  • Colorado startup incubator surveys Nebraska VC landscape, affirms what we’re all thinking

    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…

  • Omaha startup Pinata specializes in blockchain, plays vital role in emerging digital art market

    Omaha startup Pinata specializes in blockchain, plays vital role in emerging digital art market

    Companies and tech-savvy individuals alike are increasingly adopting blockchain—a decentralized, distributed method for storing data securely—for their business needs, with global spending on blockchain solutions forecast to top $17 billion by 2024.  Used in everything from food supply chain tracking to public transaction ledgers for cryptocurrency, blockchain presents a win for cybersecurity and data safety.…

  • The pandemic led her to switch careers. Now, an up-and-coming UX researcher has brought Blacks in Technology LLC to Omaha

    The pandemic led her to switch careers. Now, an up-and-coming UX researcher has brought Blacks in Technology LLC to Omaha

    A frequently misquoted maxim by F. Scott Fitzgerald claims there are no second acts in American lives. And while it turns out the late Great Gatsby author actually meant the opposite of that, the line nevertheless entered pop culture. Whether Omaha-based UX researcher Carleá Jean Magee’s recent mid-career shift to technology counts as a second…