Prairie Portrait: Nate Lowry of EliteForm & Nebraska Global

Something most people don’t know about me: I tried living left-handed for a few months. Brushing teeth, putting in contacts, mouse, pretty much anything but writing. I got decent at most things eventually. It was interesting to see how even a stubborn, old brain like mine can pick up new skills if needed.

Prairie Portraits is a weekly set of questions intended to help the community get to know someone from the Silicon Prairie startup scene a little bit better. Prairie Portraits feature a fixed set of questions ranging from career background and personal perferences to, perhaps, off-the-wall questions on YouTube videos and entrance music.


               

      Nate and his fiancee, Carrie, got engaged at the penguin exhibit at the Lincoln Zoo last Valentine’s Day.

Name: Nate Lowry
Title/Occupation: I write code at EliteForm and NebraskaGlobal
Age: 26
Hometown: Cairo, Nebraska (not Egypt)
Current city: Lincoln, Nebraska
Twitter: @NateLowry

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Personal

Title of my autobiography: “How did this happen? True stories from someone who is extremely lucky and doesn’t deserve all they’ve been given in life.”
Thing I can’t live without:  My pet bunnies! They’re seriously adorable.
Drink of choice: Homebrewed beer—I’ve got a hookup.
Last book I read: Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
Ultimate road trip snack: In South Dakota: puffcorn. Everywhere else: seeds.
Entrance song if I was a wrestler: “Rumble Fish” by Sevendust (starting at 2:10). High school basketball nostalgia!
Celebrity doppelgänger: Don T. Panic
Guilty pleasure band and/or film: Alanis Morissette or Armageddon
Chosen career in an alternate reality: Professional musician, no question.
Worst OCD tendency: I set my alarm in the morning on digits that either add, subtract or mirror up. So, instead of 7:15 a.m., I’d rather do 7:16 (7-1=6) or instead of 6:45, I’d set 6:42 (6=4+2). 7:25 is cool too.
Quote I might have said: “You’ve changed…”
Which actor or actress, and why: Buster Keaton. He’s hilarious and multi-talented. Watch “The General.”
Favorite YouTube video: Trailer For Every Oscar-Winning Movie Ever

Local

Best place in Lincoln no one knows about:  Sunken Gardens—beautiful and relaxing.
Lincoln’s obligatory tourist stop: Memorial Stadium. Don’t miss the self-guided tour!
One thing Lincoln has that other Silicon Prairie cities don’t: The startup density of the Haymarket. I run into someone I know every 10 steps.
Best thing going for Lincoln’s startup community: There are great companies and startups that no one knows about. They are too busy crushing it and will probably take over the world when they decide to surface.
Last local restaurant I ate at: Sips & Subs
Best meal I’ve had in Lincoln: Love my Pepperoni & Cream Cheese pizza at Ramos.
Lincoln would be better if… it embraced what it is and ignored what it isn’t.

The Startup Scene

Social media pet peeve: Most of it. I really, really, really don’t care what you ate for dinner…really, really. Also, BRING BACK GOOGLE READER! 🙂
App I’m obsessed with: Mint
Silicon Prairie startup crush: That’s tough…I admire anyone who goes all in and creates something real.
Most comfortable startup T-shirt I own:  Our throwback “Behold the Steve” shirt has the best cotton. (Check out Nick rocking one at Big Omaha 2011).
Something most people don’t know about me: I tried living left-handed for a few months. Brushing teeth, putting in contacts, mouse, pretty much anything but writing. I got decent at most things eventually. It was interesting to see how even a stubborn, old brain like mine can pick up new skills if needed.
Entrepreneur I most want to grab a drink with: Evan Williams, drinking Evan Williams.
I do what I do because… the people are incredible, the challenges are endless and it’s not easy work.
Before I was in startups… I farmed.
If money wasn’t an object, my next company would be… a non-profit that helps non-profits. There are a ton of great causes out there that need help.
The Silicon Prairie startup scene is missing… stories about and examples of failure.
In five years, I’ll… still not know enough.
In five years, the Silicon Prairie… will settle into its niche. I don’t know what that is, but it’ll be awesome.


Credits: Photos from Nate Lowry

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 »

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