In Nebraska, innovation can be seen far and wide across all industries. Organizations are cultivating talent and showing what a little grit and community support can achieve. Ag Tech Disruptors Hannah Klitz of Invest Nebraska spoke to envelope-pushing efforts through the lens of The Combine, an AgTech incubator. “The Combine has numerous companies that range […]
In Nebraska, innovation can be seen far and wide across all industries. Organizations are cultivating talent and showing what a little grit and community support can achieve.
Technologies may vary widely, but founders generally have a common goal: “Positively impacting agriculture in our state, nation and even globally,” Klitz stated.
The Combine accepts applications from food and ag tech startups in Nebraska on a rolling basis and assists on an individual basis — everything from in-person and virtual curriculum for initial goal-setting to coworking at Nebraska Innovation Campus.
“There are many innovating startups founded by Nebraska residents, but the work we are doing also attracts companies to relocate to Nebraska,” Klitz added of her team’s goals. “Our goal is to be a program that ag tech startups want to be a part of so much so that they relocate to our state, which has already been the case a few times.”
Specific “stars” on The Combine front include Grain Weevil, a robot that is transforming the industry for the better by handling an array of functions within grain bins.
“Grain bins are a dirty, dangerous place,” Klitz explained. “So, with the help of the Grain Weevil robot, farmers do not have to crawl into grain bins where they are at risk for a life-threatening situation.”
Omaha-based Scoular is powering innovation in the grains industry and via other ag supply chain solutions.
“This is a very dynamic and exciting time in the agriculture industry,” said CEO Paul Maass in early March. “Innovations related to production agriculture (that support production improvement) give me confidence that the agriculture industry will continue to increase production, and with less inputs.”
It’s about “making more with less.”
“Investments in innovations that enable efficiency growth will continue, not only the agronomic growth, but growth in automation – which is especially important now when there are not enough talent resources available,” Maass explained.
When asked about breakthroughs in this space, Maass spoke to technology disruptions.
“ … we are pushing our organization to remain externally focused, engaging with new innovations or technology capabilities, and allowing those experiences to shape our strategic planning,” he said.
Specific examples of “transformative,” company-driven innovations span far southwestern Nebraska (Grainton), whereby Maass said Scoular expanded its capabilities to ship via 110-car shuttle trains – a marked improvement.
“This improvement will expand the market reach of grain produced in this region,” he said. “Beyond our grain facilities, we created Petsource to provide freeze-dried pet food ingredients to the growing pet food industry.”
At present, Petsource is expanding its production capabilities in Seward, tripling its size to fulfill customer demand.
“Freeze-dried pet food ingredients, produced in Nebraska, are another example of adding value that ultimately improves the Nebraska food and agriculture industries,” Maass summed up.
“Omaha remains a highly competitive city for prospective businesses looking to set up an operation,” Norman said. “Corporations are drawn to communities and to specific areas within those communities that are demonstrating growth, those areas that provide the lifestyle and amenities that their workforce of the future desire.”
Norman isolated Omaha’s “urban core” as providing a lifestyle and amenities that continue to attract companies.
“But we cannot relax,” he said. “We must continue to improve and tell our story to prospective companies to build on this growth.”
Norman said the chamber is committed to aggressively recruiting companies to the area.
“We assist all the parties involved in a project, from first initial contact to final announcement, and then establish a long-term relationship to ensure continued growth through our Business Retention and Expansion program,” he said. “These activities can range from facilitation to business growth incentives, connections to workforce resources, to assistance with navigating the entitlement and regulation processes.”
Norman further isolated, within the urban core, Mutual of Omaha’s investment in the area via Project Beacon.
“It demonstrates that the value proposition of our region, and the urban core, is still strong,” he said.
More broadly, Norman noted: “The chamber has made a commitment to grow our urban core by 30,000 new residents and 30,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.”
He indicated projects like those undertaken by Mutual add to the metro’s excitement and vibrancy.
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Ag Tech Disruptors
Hannah Klitz of Invest Nebraska spoke to envelope-pushing efforts through the lens of The Combine, an AgTech incubator. “The Combine has numerous companies that range from Sentinel Fertigation, which helps farmers manage nitrogen through fertigation, to Bluestem Biosciences, which is working to enable existing infrastructure in the Midwest for industrialized synthetic biology,” the communications coordinator said.


Evolving Silicon Prairie
TThe Managing Attorney of 402Legal, Karine E. Sokpoh, put on her Midlands African Chamber (MAC) leadership hat to address traction related to startups in the state. Sokpoh, who is the CEO and founder of MAC, isolated resources available through “various entities in the community,” with a notable caveat. “There are a plethora of different nonprofits and for-profit companies that have programs and resources and different funding opportunities to assist startups, such as our members Nebraska Enterprise Fund and Omaha 100. There are grants such as the prototype grant, the SBIR /STTR programs through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.” However, Sokpoh underscored how very little of that funding went to BIPOC (Black, indigenous, people of color), or immigrants or refugee entrepreneurs. Enter organizations such as MAC, which Sokpoh characterized as a catalyst and accelerant within the broader ecosystem. “The Midlands African Chamber is a Nebraska-only Black chamber, which serves primarily Black and underserved entrepreneurs,” she continued. “We connect, champion and empower small businesses, in a bid to grow economic equity. We help traditionally marginalized community members access resources and opportunities to build intergenerational wealth through entrepreneurship.” It will have served a reported 50 small diverse businesses, funding a collective $82,000, since 2020. “We offer many different programs and services to assist startups and entrepreneurs,” Sokpoh stated. “We are currently operating our first cohort of the Pitch Black Accelerator program. This equips entrepreneurs with vital training and resources during a nine-week program and, at the end of the program, they each receive $1,000 for startup costs – not to mention, if they win the competition, they can get up to a $15,000 equity-free award.” Lastly, Sokpoh underscored heightened exposure for MAC members, noting their ability to connect with mentors and other companies who can assist in establishing and growing respective businesses. The Greater Omaha Chamber Vice President, Economic Development Mark Norman further spoke to support and resources through the “lifecycle” of organizations at various stages and across myriad backgrounds.