Catch up on regional tech news with these recent top stories from Silicon Prairie News:
Archrival successfully grows company culture by taking risks
Archrival moved into Lincoln’s Haymarket ten years ago and quickly established itself as the cool kid on the block––not surprising since the creative agency specializes in youth brands and culture.
As the firm’s client base grew all the way to the coasts, their headquarters grew too. Archrival co-founder and Managing Director Clint! Runge said they took over square footage in the building as it became vacant over the years and while their office got bigger, it fell behind in functionality and expression of who and what the company is all about.
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5 Trends Transforming the World of Venture Capital
As a designer with no formal business training, I could be the last person qualified to write about the world of venture capital. However, over the last several years of working with dozens of startups seeking seed funding and scale-ups pitching for Series A, I’ve taken it upon myself to learn the language. (along with help from sources like Neil Murray’s newsletter, Series F).
But for those startups trying to get a handle on macro-level trends in the world of VC, I am going to share how I see it from an outsider’s perspective.
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Alpha BTC opens a second Bitcoin ATM in Lincoln
Omaha-based Alpha BTC recently opened a second Bitcoin ATM at The Mill Coffee and Tea in Lincoln’s Haymarket. Their first machine is located in Omaha at Jones Bros Cupcakes in Aksarben Village.
“We’re currently at about $50,000 per month on the Omaha machine. We’re hoping to grow Lincoln to a comparable amount,” said Edward Weniger, co-founder of Alpha BTC.
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Mark Zmarzly takes Hip Pocket from Lincoln to Queensland
A chance meeting with an events coordinator from Australia at South by Southwest is turning into a six-month adventure Down Under for Mark Zmarzly, Founder of Lincoln Fintech startup Hip Pocket.
“I searched all the attendees for Fintech and reached out via LinkedIn to about 30,” Zmarzly said. “I had only connected with one until I met her near the end, and she was just awesome.”
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How Lincoln and Omaha can do more together
Omaha, the largest city in Nebraska, sits on the state’s eastern border. Head west on I-80 for 45 minutes and you’ll hit Lincoln, Nebraska’s second largest city. Both cities have burgeoning tech-startup scenes, are raising capital and funding, and are making impressive contributions to the Silicon Prairie as a whole.
But what the two cities haven’t figured out yet is how to work together to share these resources in a way that works to the advantage of their individual strengths, while also raising the profile of the entire state and region.