Silicon Prairie News

OPINION

Oscars on our minds: Six must-watch films about entrepreneurship

3688_6e66c02905_small February 25, 2012 by Christopher New

With the Oscars on Sunday, great films are on our minds. But while 2011 was a good year for movies of most varieties, there was no "The Social Network" on tap to feed the appetites of the startup-minded. So if you're starved for some inspiration, go back and check out these six films about entrepreneurship,* any of which will get you more charged-up than a Gary Vaynerchuck keynote. Here's my top five films about entrepreneurship: 5. "Batman Begins" (2005) This little gem of a superhero … read more

OPINION

Take the next step: Stay connected after the SPN Startup Job Crawl

3669_2a7bfabc00_small February 22, 2012 by Brittany Mascio

Omaha One week has passed since Silicon Prairie News held Omaha's first Startup Job Crawl, and if you were one of the more than 200 students to join our tour de startups, you probably walked away seeing where the potential lies in the local community for mentors, connections and potential employment. Now, it's time to sift through the business cards and make the most … read more

OPINION

Here’s to the world-changers. The unreasonable ones. The visionaries.

3642_60aaf111f9_small February 18, 2012 by Geoff Wood

Our most recent Sunday Video Series post came out a bit late and you might have missed it. It's a three-minute video featuring Steve Blank, a noted entrepreneur, author and professor, in which he's asked, "What's a startup?" He answers the question by giving the differences between a startup and a small business. Blank notes that while the terminology is often interchanged around the country, Silicon … read more

OPINION

SPN’s headquarters are moving!

3645_51924ab6e8_small February 17, 2012 by Jeff Slobotski

Omaha In a few months, we'll be moving the Silicon Prairie News headquarters into a new space in North Downtown Omaha's Mastercraft Building! The Mastercraft (left), a 140,000 square-foot building situated just north of the new TD Ameritrade Park and Hot Shops Art Center, is a former furniture warehouse that's now home to a number of our city's startups and creative companies. We selected the Mastercraft because of the entrepreneurial energy and culture that permeates the building. We wanted to be surrounded by, as well as help contribute to the … read more

OPINION

Turn your socializing into networking

3617_87c04ead77_small February 11, 2012 by Guest Contributor

(This is a guest post by Jeff Beals.) Three-quarters of all jobs are never advertised! They are part of the "hidden job market," and they go to people who are promoted from within, know the right persons or have jobs specially created for their unique skills. In order to get one of these hidden jobs, you must be in the right place at the right time and know the right … read more

OPINION

Dwolla’s Series B: Three things it means for Des Moines (Part 2)

3606_5ed070161b_small February 10, 2012 by Geoff Wood

Des Moines On Thursday, I offered three reasons why I believe Dwolla chose Fred Wilson’s Union Square Ventures to lead its Series B round, which was announced on Tuesday. In this post, I look at how the Des Moines startup community could be affected by Dwolla's milestone. 1. They'll continue to 'Dwolla in DSM' Dwolla co-founder Ben Milne has made being a Des Moines-based startup an integral part of his company's culture from the beginning. You see it … read more

OPINION

Not a techie? Not a problem. Finding the ‘write’ fit at the Startup Job Crawl

3585_66544824e1_small February 10, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Des Moines (This is a guest post by Riane Menardi.) In early November, I had no idea that the Midwest had a startup presence — heck, I think I had to look up what exactly a “startup” was after I saw a tweet about the Startup Job Crawl. I was clueless, but intrigued about this four-hour, tech-industry networking event. As a 2011 Drake grad, I was desperate for a steady paycheck … read more

OPINION

Dwolla’s Series B: Three things it means for Dwolla (Part 1)

3605_f71f481c26_small February 9, 2012 by Geoff Wood

Des Moines As you may be aware, the anticipated and recently rumored Series B funding news broke this week for the good folks at Dwolla in Des Moines. This round totalled $5 million and was not only raised out-of-Iowa but out-of-Silicon Prairie, with money coming in from both coasts. As rumored, the round was led by New York-based Union Square Ventures. Union Square, and its principal Fred Wilson (left) … read more

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