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Ben Williamson makes the case that agtech is a blueprint for innovation across Nebraska
Williamson has been involved in Nebraska’s innovation ecosystem for about a decade, first while working at Invest Nebraska and now as a partner with Grit Road Partners. After being part of agtech’s exponential growth over the past few years, there are important lessons to learn about creating jobs and economic opportunity here.
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Apply by Sept. 30 for the Farmers Tech Adoption Challenge to get feedback and commitments on agtech
The FTAC, part of the 2026 Spur AgConverge conference, flips the pitch competition format and lets farmers take the lead. They give direct feedback during roundtables with startups and can receive cash prizes to commit to adopt new tech from a chosen startup.
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Q2 2026 Nebraska venture capital update: Agtech, medtech and robotics continue to raise funds
Silicon Prairie News reached out to nonprofit venture development organization Invest Nebraska to compile a list of venture capital investments in Nebraska startups April-June 2026. The list is based on information from Invest Nebraska investments and private capital market database PitchBook.
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How to turn your startup into a rocket ship — lessons from Grain Weevil
Chad Johnson, the CEO of agtech startup Grain Weevil, spoke in mid-July about the lessons founders should learn to find success. For Johnson, it’s all about staying humble and thinking about business and product needs at the same time.
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Five Things: AgTech Connect 2026
The annual conference is part of The Combine’s overall mission in growing the state’s agtech ecosystem — encouraging the rise of new research and startups to transform the ag industry. Topics covered include data ownership and usage, raising capital, understanding customers and emphasizing the importance of people in a business journey.
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Prairie Portraits: Jason Thomas
The Prairie Portraits series features founders, funders and community builders from Nebraska’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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Global agtech startups choose Nebraska in new Spur Startup Sandbox Validation Program
Four international startups will be working with University of Nebraska researchers, industry partners and local farmers to test and validate their technologies. The initiative is the brainchild of Ankit Chandra, the founder of Spur Ventures, a UNL-backed agtech support organization.
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New AgTech Innovation Map shows Nebraska’s startup ecosystem getting stronger despite few exits
The map, put together by Spur Ventures and The Combine, hopes to guide stakeholders through a rapidly expanding landscape of agtech startups and support organizations. The map shows growth in precision agriculture, robotics and animal health companies, but also the lack of irrigation and bioeconomy startups.
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Grit Road Partners: Adding Value To Nebraska’s AgTech Landscape
Ben Williamson and Mike Jung launched Grit Road Partners to address a market gap in the venture capital landscape and fund AgTech founders in Nebraska and the Midwest.
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Nebraska Startup Funding Announcements
Nebraska AgTech startups are leading the way in early stage startup funding awards in the second half of 2023. See a list of recent funding announcements from Nebraska startups, including Sentinel Fertigation.