Underestimated Excellence
Entrepreneurs tap into Nebraska’s innovation ecosystem through the Nebraska Business Development Center
by Kelly Jefferson Minty, Communications Director, Nebraska Business Development Center
“That’s happening in Nebraska?” is a phrase Josh Nichol-Caddy hears more than he’d like to in his role as the director of the Innovation and Technology program at the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC).
“The innovation space has really gained momentum here,” says Nichol-Caddy. “From ag tech to health tech to cybersecurity there are some really cool ideas taking off here. When I talk to people about the things our clients are doing, they’re surprised — but really, they shouldn’t be. Nebraska is doing big things right now.”
Situated within the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), NBDC helps entrepreneurs and business owners along their company journeys. With offices across the state, NBDC provides no-cost business consulting, welcoming anyone with a dream of starting or expanding a company. Nichol-Caddy’s program specifically caters to the visionaries working to transform their ideas into viable commercial opportunities.
“It’s really exciting that UNO, through NBDC, can offer support to these innovators at no cost,” he says. His role, he explains, is a bridge — a connection between the brightest minds in Nebraska and the resources that can turn their idea into a real business or product.
He and his team, a group of UNO graduate students, work directly with clients on essential business functions, from customer discovery to navigating the application process for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and exploring patent options.
One example of a company that received SBIR support from NBDC’s Innovation and Technology program is Grain Weevil, a company founded by Chad Johnson and his son Ben, a former UNO student. Grain Weevil is developing a robot designed to enter grain bins, keeping people from doing one of the most dangerous jobs on a farm and one that claims several lives a year. Grain Weevil was named NBDC’s 2022 Innovation Business of the Year.
“As an undergrad at UNO, I met many of the people that would become huge contributors to Grain Weevil’s success,” said Ben Johnson. “Most importantly Zane Zents, our Lead Software Engineer, who was my roommate through the Engineering Living & Learning Community. Since graduating, NBDC has been a fantastic resource for Grain Weevil’s development. They worked with me to refine our pitch before our largest innovation contest and helped us achieve over $1 million in grant funding.”
But the program goes beyond just what NBDC can provide technical support for; it’s about fostering a robust ecosystem of collaboration. The NBDC team actively works to connect innovators with other key players in Nebraska’s innovation landscape. One shining example of a company NBDC regularly works with is Appsky, founded by UNO alumni Jade Wicks, Taylor Korensky, Spencer Robinson and Tyler Reher. Appsky works with entrepreneurs who have great business ideas but need technical support to bring them to fruition. Together with the entrepreneur, they collaborate to find a software solution that makes sense, and then build it.
“As an entrepreneur, tapping into Nebraska’s innovation ecosystem offers a significant advantage: once you establish a connection within this network, you instantly gain access to a wealth of resources to help drive business success,” said Wicks.
“The collaborative efforts made by different players in the ecosystem are what help Nebraska’s entrepreneurs and small business owners thrive. You’re only one or two degrees away from having a meeting with an investor, funder, future customer, fellow entrepreneur or educational resource. We wouldn’t be where we are as a business if it wasn’t for this community. We are grateful we are in the position to introduce new founders to resources they didn’t even know existed.”
Building on Appsky’s success, Wicks, Korensky, Robinson and Reher are now at work on their second business – VisionSync, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that empowers organizations to plan, track and align the execution of their strategic plans.
The type of clients Nichol-Caddy and his team work with at NBDC are diverse. One company is pioneering an innovative method to grow cells, a breakthrough that will allow researchers to develop treatments for a variety of medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and certain cancers. Another is working on a device designed to enhance focus and patient safety in operating rooms by adjusting the music surgeons are listening to automatically based on a patient’s changing conditions. Yet another is creating an app to streamline the loan application process for agricultural producers.
“Being part of NBDC, particularly the Innovation and Technology program, is really exciting. We’re helping creators and innovators break new ground,” said Nichol-Caddy. “It feels like a true embodiment of the UNO Maverick spirit.”