Silicon Prairie News

SUBSCRIBE

MENU

Silicon Prairie Shorts

  • Nebraska native Evan Williams holds estimated $2.6 billion stake in Twitter

    It’s been a big week for Twitter—yesterday the company’s initial public offering of stock opened trading on the New York Stock Exchange at $45 per share, raising 73 percent in the first day of trading. But for Nebraska native and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, the company’s IPO is just the beginning. Williams, who holds a 10.4 percent…

  • Hudl makes Inc. 5000 as Nebraska’s fastest-growing private company

    When we put together our list of the “50-plus Nebraska startups to follow on Twitter” last month, we made a note that established companies such as Hudl weren’t listed because they were no longer in startup mode. That was validated by today’s news that the video software company for sports teams has been ranked No.…

  • MindMixer’s Nathan Preheim raised barns, now he’s raising a startup

    How founders arrive at their startup idea rarely is a straight path, but there’s always a starting point. Mistakes, obstacles and profound moments often mesh to bring them to their passion. Omaha-based MindMixer has grown a lot since its inception in 2010…

  • AgLocal founder Naithan Jones shares lessons from his rookie season

    We’re a little late on posting this, but the advice remains relevant. AgLocal CEO and founder Naithan Jones took to his blog to share lessons from his rookie season running a startup. Specifically, it’s been just more than a year since the online market for responsibly raised meat …

  • Lesa Mitchell highlights research that shows barriers for women to lead

    Women have important roles at some of the most influential tech companies, with momentum building from Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg and others in highly visible positions. Also, more women then men graduate from college and receive advanced degrees. But that hasn’t …

  • Which Silicon Prairie metro is a hub for venture capital per capita?

    Take a second to guess which Silicon Prairie city—it’s not one of the three main metros—is among the best in the country for venture capital per capita. Still stumped or already read ahead? Known more for its Jayhawks and really good basketball, more attention may need to be paid to Lawrence, Kan. Although Richard Florida’s…

  • EyeVerify CEO Toby Rush happy to be honest with young startups

    Toby Rush has just about seen it all in when it comes to startups, first in growing Rush Tracking Systems to a cash sale in 2011, and now as CEO of EyeVerify, which develops biometrics software. He recently spoke with the Kansas City Business Journal about how he’s tried to pass those …

  • Ben Vu says his family’s journey from Vietnam inspired Battle Bears game

    Media coverage of Omaha gaming startup SkyVu Entertainment often notes the irregularity of an animation studio based in Nebraska, but the story of how the company’s creator, Ben Vu, laid roots here has rarely been told. Vu’s parents and older brother immigrated to the state in 1975, fleeing South …

  • Dwolla back in Bitcoin news as feds seize account of Mt. Gox exchange

    After a bundle of press earlier this month covering its latest round of funding, Dwolla on Tuesday landed back in the headlines for its involvement in the Bitcoin ecosystem. The Des Moines-based payments network is used by exchanges of the virtual currency to let customers deposit and withdraw money. This latest episode revolves around a…

  • Houston student leaves Kansas City hackathon winner, fan of community

    Thanks to an all-expenses-paid trip earlier this year, a University of Houston student discovered the Kansas City startup community. The student, Andrew Douglass, a management information systems major, in March earned a trip to participate in “Hacking the Gigabit City.” …