Profiles

  • A look at Nebraska’s investment landscape

    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,…

  • Leash Pet Transportation puts pets on the go

    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…

  • 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.…

  • SPN Bookworthy: “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell

    SPN Bookworthy: “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell

    We think you should read more in 2021, and we can help. By giving you a rundown and key takeaways from what we feel are the most relevant books to founders and tech entrepreneurs, SPN’s Bookworthy series will help you decide which recent titles are worth your time and attention. Speaking of attention, the first…

  • 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…

  • Certified Cell gives users more autonomy over technology

    Certified Cell gives users more autonomy over technology

    An up-and-coming Omaha startup is advising iPhone users to think twice before swapping out their old or damaged devices for new ones. Joshua Hample, co-founder and CEO of Omaha-based startup Certified Cell, says in many cases, defects that seem irreparable are actually fixable, though wireless carriers don’t necessarily want you to know that. Hample said…

  • Women in Tech: Evelyn Espinoza-Macias

    Women in Tech: Evelyn Espinoza-Macias

    Growing up in a low-income Spanish-speaking household in South Omaha, Evelyn Espinoza-Macias struggled with a language barrier. Her parents, though supportive, could not provide the same level of help on schoolwork that many of her peers received, as they did not speak English. Espinoza-Macias remembers spending countless extra hours at school working hard to learn…

  • HTI Labs fights human trafficking through research, technology, policy

    HTI Labs fights human trafficking through research, technology, policy

    An Omaha-based company using a data-driven approach to combat human trafficking recently raised funding to expand its crucially needed work to support law enforcement, victims and survivors of the practice.  HTI Labs,  a social enterprise corporation combating human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault through data-driven research and tech, has grown far larger than CEO…

  • Oh Hello wins web design award, strives to break marketing’s glass ceiling 

    Oh Hello wins web design award, strives to break marketing’s glass ceiling 

    The Lincoln-based, woman-led brand development and brand management agency Oh Hello recently won Best Web Design Agency in the Midwest from Corporate Vision Magazine’s Media Innovator Awards.  A panel of expert judges selected Oh Hello in recognition of the agency’s expertise in web design, dedication to customer service and client satisfaction. The award complements a…

  • Karen Borchert on Flywheel: Building something big, in the middle of somewhere small

    Karen Borchert on Flywheel: Building something big, in the middle of somewhere small

    This guest post written by Karen Borchert, COO of Flywheel, originally appeared in Medium. This March, I was planning to give a speech at SaaStr US, about how our company, Flywheel, built something big, right in the middle of Omaha, Nebraska. This week is my last week at Flywheel, and while the pandemic prevented me from…