On Friday, Feb. 24, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers and professionals from across the Cornhusker State state will gather for the sixth annual Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship. The event, organized by the University of Nebraska, looks at entrepreneurship broadly with a variety of participants in the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem taking to the main stage and participating in breakout panels.
The conference, held at the Embassy Suites on the southwest edge of Omaha, kicks off at 8:00 a.m. with a light breakfast and a keynote by Christian Renaud (below, left), co-founder of the technology startup incubator StartupCity Des Moines. The Summit rolls through a provided lunch with a presentation from Mary Ann O’Brien (below, middle), founder of OBI Creative, and at 2:30 p.m. the final main stage speaker, Steve Kiene (below, right) of the software investment fund Nebraska Global, takes the mic. Closing the day at 3 p.m. is a meetup hosted by Silicon Prairie News and our sponsor, Jelecos.
Michael Stacy, editor of Silicon Prairie News, and I will also have an active role in the event as we moderate two panels in “Startup” track (schedule below).
On Thursday evening, a pre-conference gathering at Embassy Suites will feature a presentation by Stephen George, co-founder and chief investment officer of Capricorn Investment Group. To learn more about this event and the organizers behind it, whom are different than the Summit, visit the Omaha Young Professionals’ website.
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Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship
- When: Friday, February 24, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Where: Embassy Suites Omaha-La Vista Hotel and Conference Center (12520 Westport Pkwy, La Vista)
- Cost: $25 per person (registration)
- Organized by: University of Nebraska
Schedule
8:00 Registration, networking and light breakfast
8:30 Opening Session
- James B. Milliken, President, University of Nebraska
- Rick Sheehy, Lt. Governor, State of Nebraska
Opening Keynote
10:00 Breakout Sessions
Startup: “Five Ways Startups Break into an Established Industry”
- Jim Terrano, TELCOR, Inc.
- Nick Bowden, MindMixer
- Danny Schreiber, Silicon Prairie News (moderator)
Growth
- George Johnson, George Paul Vinegar
- Charlotte Ralston, RU Nuts Company, Inc.
Succession & Re-Invention: “Joining the Family Business”
- Betsy Branscombe, Speedway Motors, Inc.
- J.P. Rhea, Rhea Cattle Co.
- Aaron Schardt, Geneva State Bank
11:00 Breakout Sessions
Startup
- Allen Kruse, Rare Earth Solar
- Calvin Pappas, SelectOut Inc.
- Michael Stacy, Silicon Prairie News (moderator)
Growth
Succession & Re-Invention: “Establishing and Leveraging Advisory Boards”
12:00 Lunch & State-wide Award Recognitions
Luncheon Keynote
1:45 Entrepreneur Demos
- Shane Farritor, MRail and Virtual Incision Corporation
- Allen Kruse, Rare Earth Solar
- Nathan Meyer, VersaFiber
- Shawn Engberg, Industrial Skins
- Zagit Gaymalov
- Nebraska Global
2:30 Closing Keynote
- Steve Kiene, Nebraska Global
3:00 Silicon Prairie News Meetup with Jelecos
Credits: Photo of Christan Renaud courtesy of Renaud. Photo of Mary Ann O’Brien from obicreative.com. Photo of Steve Kiene from nebraskaglobal.com.
Disclosure: Silicon Prairie News is a media sponsor of the Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship