Silicon Prairie News

Ames Silicon Prairie News: Involved with as many startups as you are, how do you divide your time between them all? What's your startup schedule like for a typical week? | Grant Awes: Dividing up time between them all can definitely be difficult, but I focus on which have the biggest initiatives coming up the soonest. My startup schedule mainly relies on when I have exams and large projects due. If I have a test or project during the week, I usually work on startup to-do's one day on the weekend. If I don't have any exams or big projects during the week I usually just focus on startup to-do's evenly … read more

Des Moines Silicon Prairie News: Living in Des Moines but working for a company, Ensighten, that's based in Cupertino, what are some rules of the road you follow to make the most out of working remotely? | Andrew Kirpalani: Well, I've just started the remote arrangement — this is the end of my second week — but so far I'm forcing myself to adhere to a routine as much as possible, still starting work at approximately the same time I would if I were in an office here, etc. I am allowing a few indulgences however. I eat breakfast every morning at Baby Boomers around the corner from my apartment, and I don't have to take it to go anymore. The hardest part for me is allowing myself the time to train on a new language and system as I was so used to … read more

Lincoln Bio: UNL computer engineering and Raikes School grad from Hutchinson, Kan. I’m a software tester turned designer and user experience manager. My mission is to make software work for people never the other way around. | Title: Hudl, VP – User Experience | Age: 26 | Residence: Lincoln, Neb. | Twitter: noluckmurphy.com | Twitter: @noluckmurphy | Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/noluckmurphy | Intro music: "Set Me On Fire" by Pendulum | Silicon Prairie News: How do you, as someone so familiar with the finer points of Hudl, go about identifying potential UX issues that might arise for users who are far less tech- and Hudl-savvy? | Kyle Murphy: Our support team does a great job of bubbling-up trends of issues that coaches … read more

Mission Bio: Kansas City native, resident and enthusiast. Hacker, gamer, entrepreneur and philosopher. | Title: Managing Member and Data Viz Guy | Age: 26 | Residence: Mission, Kan. | Twitter: @neight | Linkedin: linkedin.com/pub/nathan-allen | Intro music: "Embody" by SebastiAn | Silicon Prairie News: You recently sold your share of your game development company, Vicinity Games. What are a couple of the most important lessons you learned from your foray into the world of game development? | Nate Allen: The thing I set out to learn was shipping a product. Going from concept to customers. I learned first hand that the last 10 percent takes as long as the other 90 percent. I learned that no matter how much sense your game makes to you, you've … read more

Kansas City Bio: Midwest guy whose obsessions include: startups, building teams, travel and storytelling. Curator of people, connector of dots. | Title: Partner at Dynamit, Manager of Entrepreneurship at Kauffman Foundation, Board of Directors at Startup Weekend | Age: 27 | Residence: A 747 somewhere, sometimes Kansas City, Mo. | Website: nickseguin.tumblr.com | Twitter: @nickseguin | Intro music: "Make My Whole World" by Trolley Snatcha | Silicon Prairie News: In your role at Kauffman, you travel across the country and world observing and working in different entrepreneurial ecosystems. To you, what are the unique, defining characteristics of the Silicon Prairie? Nick Seguin: I honestly don't know if I can articulate any unique … read more

Des Moines Bio: A Des Moines native with entrepreneurial parents responsible for raising me with a strong work ethic and passion to build things. Constantly looking to listen and learn — from what music I should queue up to a great book or blog I should be reading. | Title: Lead Interactive Designer at Hatchlings | Age: 24 | City: Des Moines, Iowa | Website: hatchlings.com | Twitter: @lyndsayclark | Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/lyndsayclark/ | Intro music: I may be partial (my brother is in the band), but I can’t get enough of St. Lucia’s "We Got It Wrong." | Silicon Prairie News: You joined Hatchlings during what CEO Brad Dwyer calls a "re-startup" phase for the company. What does that mean to you, and how do you see it manifested … read more

Lincoln Bio: Do-Gooder, information gatherer, data nerd, pop culture observer, made in Nebraska | Title: Director of Community Outreach, Nebraska Global | Age: 34 | City: Lincoln, Neb. | Website: nebraskaglobal.com | Twitter: @amandanebr | Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/amanda-garner/ | Intro music: "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You" by Ben Folds | Silicon Prairie News: As the person in charge of organizing Nebraska Global's philanthropic and service work, how have you seen building software companies and serving the community complement each other? | Amanda Garner: It's about problem solving. We volunteer time to help organizations solve problems to make our community … read more

Omaha Bio: Aspiring well funder. Penn State Alumni. Front-end web dev., amateur investor, home brewer and newly minted triathlete. | Title: Partner and Brewmaster at GoodTwin Inc. | Age: 29 | City: Omaha, Neb. | Website: andrewwirick.com | Twitter: @amwirick | Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/andrewwirick | Intro music: "Saeed" by Infected Mushroom | Silicon Prairie News: Adam Nielsen, your partner at GoodTwin, called your November arrival "a shift in strategy and culture" for the company. How has that shift manifested itself the last couple of months? | Andrew Wirick: Adam and I have taken time daily to focus on the non-urgent but very important issues that are key for GoodTwin's success. We've already changed the physical space …  read more

Kansas City Bio: Kansas City native, KU Jayhawks fan, wife of a golf fanatic, soon-to-be mother. World traveler, dog lover (Boxers especially!) and foodie at heart. Sarcastic humor and ice cream make me smile. Passionate employee of Handmark/OneLouder since 2006. | Title: Communications manager for OneLouder Apps | Age: 29 | Residence: Overland Park, Kan. | Website: onelouder.com | Twitter: @erica_cohen | Silicon Prairie News: In a space as crowded as social mobile apps, what's the key from a marketing and communications standpoint to making your brand stand out? | Erica Cohen: First and foremost, quality is key. No amount of money or … read more

Des Moines Bio: Jon is a central Iowa native, entrepreneur, and father. He has been a Apple ][/Mac user since before Apple was going out of business. | Title: Owner of Evolve | Age: 34 | City: Des Moines, Iowa | Website: dmevolve.com | Twitter: @jondthompson | Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/jondthompson | Intro music: "Unnatural Selection" by Muse, just because it is so much fun to play, and the lyrics hit home in today's world. | Silicon Prairie News: You work extensively with Mac products and have for years. Can you … read more