University legal clinics are a free resource to help Nebraska entrepreneurs navigate the complex legal challenges that come with starting or scaling a business. The Creighton University School of Law recently launched the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic to serve Omaha. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Weibling Entrepreneurship Clinic assists business owners across the state.

The donation comes from the Diabetes Care Foundation in its mission to benefit community wellbeing initiatives. Greisch Center for Enterprise Value Director Nathan Preheim discussed what the funding means for future offerings. Students shared the encouragement they’ve experienced to grow their ventures.

Program leadership said they narrowed the four Innovation Fellows from over 50 applicants. The cohort members are building innovations in such areas as secure communications, crop research and genetics and measuring blood flow for surgeries.

NUtech Ventures works with researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to protect and license their innovations for commercial use. As funding gets tight, Horst leads a greater focus on entrepreneurship and industry relations.

Partners for Livable Omaha launched the OurStory Small Houses project in 2024. Students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture FACT design-build studio contribute ideas and gain hands-on industry experience through the initiative. Leaders say the program can inspire replicable accessible housing solutions.

The investments are made in support of the Startup Studio capstone program offered through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management. Students, organizers and community supporters describe the impact of the collaboration in launching career ambitions and retaining talent in the state.

The Spur AgConverge event served as a launch event for Spur Ventures, a new entrepreneurship hub to better connect producers with innovation. In centering farmers, the event dug deeper into the pitfalls and opportunities for agtech on Nebraska agriculture’s home turf.

The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur ranked 50 schools worldwide for their undergraduate programs aimed at early entrepreneurs, and UNL has moved up to 35th place. UNL leadership said this momentum reflects faculty mentorship and the importance of community support.

The Spur AgConverge 2025 conference will take place Nov. 24 in Gothenburg. The event gives university and industry stakeholders opportunities to network, share innovations and support local farmers. The conference will be the official launch of a new entrepreneurial initiative from UNL — Spur Ventures.