Vote Cobb, Langford, Renaud or Reynolds for Silicon Prairie Community Champion

Each of the four finalists for the Silicon Prairie Community Champion award plays a different part in the region’s startup community – there’s a CEO of a mentorship program, an entrepreneur in residence at a VC firm, a mentor in residence at an incubator and an entrepreneurship director of a chamber of commerce. But through…

Each of the four finalists for the Silicon Prairie Community Champion award plays a different part in the region’s startup community – there’s a CEO of a mentorship program, an entrepreneur in residence at a VC firm, a mentor in residence at an incubator and an entrepreneurship director of a chamber of commerce. But through their unique roles, all four finalists had a major hand in the growth of the Silicon Prairie.

At our inaugural Silicon Prairie Awards event on Aug. 30, one these four finalists will be recognized as the year’s Silicon Prairie Community Champion. In anticipation of that celebration, we’re providing overviews of the four contenders for each of our 12 Silicon Prairie Awards. The finalists — 48 in all — are the result of public nominations in July and input from our selection committee earlier this month.

A public vote will help determine the winners of the awards, so cast your ballot for the Silicon Prairie Community Champion below, or visit the awards page to vote on all 12 categories.

Join us for the Silicon Prairie Awards: We have a fun night of community celebration planned for Aug. 30 at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Tickets still remain for the event, which includes an opening reception, keynote talk by TechStars founder and CEO David Cohen, awards ceremony and a closing party. Purchase your tickets today.

BECOME A SPONSOR

Meet the finalists

The Silicon Prairie Community Champion is an individual, company or organization who selflessly gave time, resources or expertise to advance the Silicon Prairie community. (Descriptions provided by respective finalists.)

Joni Cobb, Pipeline (Kansas City, Kan.)

Joni Cobb is the president and CEO of Pipeline, an “immersion experience” designed to accelerate high-growth, high-potential entrepreneurs. In her role, Cobb works with nearly 60 entrepreneurs, including the past year’s 12 fellows. In 2012, she led the expansion of Pipeline into Nebraska, bringing the organization to serve three of the four Silicon Prairie states – Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

Words from a community member: “Joni Cobb founded Pipeline, a business leadership development program that has grown to a regional network of 56 entrepreneurial leaders who in turn have impacted countless others. In 2011, Joni spearheaded the program’s expansion from Kansas into Nebraska and Missouri. In 2012, she represented the Silicon Prairie at the National Governor’s Association meetings, informing the nation on the status of entrepreneurship in our region. Joni is truly a Champion of our Community.” – Karen Linder, Nebraska Angels member

More: Cobb on LinkedIn and on SPN

Thad Langford, OpenAir Equity Partners  (Kansas City, Mo.)

Thad Langford is an entrepreneur in residence at OpenAir Equity Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm. Formerly the president and CEO of Zave Networks, Langford joined OpenAir following Google’s acquisition of Zave. In the past year, he’s become an active investor in and advisor to startups, such as Leap2 and AgLocal. He serves on the Kansas City Chamber’s Big 5 Steering Committee for Entrepreneurship, was a judge a Hack the Midwest and Kansas City Startup Weekend, and was one of the initial members of the Google Task Force in Kansas City. He also participated on a panel at TechWeek Chicago titled “Stories from the Silicon Prairie,” and was a speaker in the Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program series.

Words from a community member: “Thad is part of an elite group of Midwesterners who have exited from a tech startup. He could have moved to a beach city or the mountains. Instead, you see him at events like Big Omaha, Startup Weekend, and 1millioncups – that says a lot. … Thad is a great example of someone who has the resources to help others and does. Without champions like him we would be stagnant as a community.” – Ryan Weber, KCnext

More: Langford on LinkedIn and on SPN

Christian Renaud, StartupCity Des Moines (Des Moines)

Christian Renaud is a co-founder, principal and mentor in residence at StartupCity Des Moines, an early-stage tech startup incubator that opened in October 2011. Renaud is also the co-founder and CEO of his own startup, Present.io, and serves as an advisor to more than 25 startups. In December 2011, he co-founded StartupIowa, a regional effort of the Startup America Partnership. In June, he co-founded Plains Angels, an angel investing group based in Des Moines. Renaud is a Technology Association of Iowa board member and was the keynote speaker at Iowa’s i2iowa event at the Nebraska Summit on Entrepreneurship. He blogs about entrepreneurship at christianrenaud.com.

Words from a community member: “Christian has put in an extraordinary number of hours not only during the normal working days but nights and weekends as well. He models the work ethic needed for an entrepreneur and has the drive to get things done. He has worked tirelessly with the press and city leaders to get the spotlight on the startup community. He has instigated events such as TechBrew, Startup Weekend DSM, Startup Fair, (OpenIowa) and numerous lunch and learns. … Christian is one of the very few people in the ecosystem that has lived in the startup investment world. He has participated in many deals and has a deep set of experience that is rare in the Midwest.” – Mike Colwell, Business Innovation Zone

More: Renaud websiteon LinkedIn and on SPN.

Dusty Reynolds, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (Omaha) 

Dusty Reynolds is the director of entrepreneurship and innovation at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, a position he started in October 2011. In his role, he provides connections and resources for local entrepreneurs and collaborates with university officials, funders, entrepreneurs and others to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem. He also organizes Cornstalks, a monthly gathering for high-growth entrepreneurs, and Common Ground, a quarterly event bringing together two area companies to share insights and hold an open conversation.

Words from a community member: “As anyone in the entrepreneurial world can attest, you can always find Dusty … and he always stays close to the action – weekends, holidays, middle of night – Dusty is always a cell phone away. If he doesn’t know a specific answer, he’ll find it or make the relevant connection. … Hopefully everyone already knows that Dusty continues to walk the walk when it comes to entrepreneurship with a mission. Despite a full-time job at the Chamber, Dusty continues to lead a thriving import/export/manufacturing business … in West Africa – Sababu Conscious Clothing.” – Todd Johnson, Gallup

More: Reynolds on LinkedIn and on SPN.

Vote



 

Credits: Headshots courtesy of finalists.


Thanks to sponsors that are making this inaugural event a reality: Bellevue University, Hudl, Centennial BankLightbank, West Corporation, Koley – JessenGreater Omaha Chamber of CommerceVerizon WirelessUniversity of Nebraska and our Startup Alley participantsTo learn about more opportunities, contact geoff@siliconprairienews.com.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

Get the latest news and events from Nebraska’s entrepreneurship and innovation community delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday.