Invest Nebraska
Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization founded in 2002 that administers the state's Business Innovation Act, deploys early-stage capital (~$250K average first check), and runs accelerators and co-working infrastructure for Nebraska-based high-growth founders.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersLincoln, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Invest Nebraska does
Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization founded in 2002 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska. It provides financial and operational assistance to high-growth Nebraska companies, administering the state's Business Innovation Act program and managing direct venture capital funds with an average first check of approximately $250,000. The organization runs the Startup Collaborative accelerator, co-funds the NMotion Accelerator, and operates co-working and incubator infrastructure to support early-stage founders across the state.
Its business model is nonprofit and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating in a conventional sense. Operating capacity is sustained through a mix of state program administration (Business Innovation Act), returns on deployed venture capital, and grants from philanthropic and federal sources including the Kauffman Foundation, the U.S. Department of Commerce EDA, the SBA, and Microsoft. Since inception, the organization reports deploying more than $44.95 million in capital across 155+ investments, attracting over $532.11 million in follow-on capital, and supporting the creation of more than 1,215 jobs.
Invest Nebraska serves Nebraska-based founders and high-growth startups as its primary constituents, while acting as an institutional partner to state government, universities (notably the UNL Raikes School), and corporate partners including Nelnet, MOVE Venture Capital, NMotion, and Grit Road Partners. The Business Innovation Act program alone has delivered nearly $16 in ROI per $1 of state investment between 2011 and 2024, positioning the organization as the central coordinating body for Nebraska's venture and innovation ecosystem.
Invest Nebraska firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Invest Nebraska
- Legal name
- Invest Nebraska Corporation
- Website
- https://investnebraska.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization founded in 2002 that administers the state's Business Innovation Act, deploys early-stage capital (~$250K average first check), and runs accelerators and co-working infrastructure for Nebraska-based high-growth founders.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Invest Nebraska industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes) (FSAAALAC)
Keywords
Where Invest Nebraska is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lincoln
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Invest Nebraska business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Investment Returns: Invest Nebraska generates returns through equity investments in early-stage Nebraska companies, co-investing alongside local VC firms and administering state programs like the Business Innovation Act. The organization has deployed over $44.95M in capital and attracted over $532.11M in follow-on capital for portfolio companies.
- Grant Funding: Invest Nebraska receives grant funding from foundations such as the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to develop Nebraska's entrepreneurial ecosystem, including building co-working spaces and incubators.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Invest Nebraska product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization founded in 2002 that provides venture capital investments and ecosystem support to Nebraska-based entrepreneurs and startups. The organization administers Nebraska's Business Innovation Act programs and manages multiple investment funds, having deployed over $44.95M in capital across 155+ high-growth investments. They partner with state and private entities to support early-stage companies across Nebraska.
Product overview
Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization that builds a better future for Nebraska by providing financial and operational assistance to high-growth companies, advancing the entrepreneurial economy, and attracting out-of-state capital to Nebraska. The organization operates several core services: it administers the Business Innovation Act program (co-investing alongside local VC firms), manages a Startup Collaborative accelerator (established 2017 as an evolution of a 90-day accelerator, incubator, and community building organization), maintains a Core Portfolio of early-stage investments, and supports the NMotion Accelerator. Additionally, Invest Nebraska operates a job board for portfolio companies and provides ecosystem support including co-working spaces and incubators in Norfolk. The organization has made 155+ high-growth investments, deployed $44.95M+ in capital, and facilitated $532.11M+ in follow-on capital raised by portfolio companies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Capital Funds
- Business Innovation Act Program Administration
- Startup Collaborative
- NMotion Accelerator
- Job Board
Quantifiable outcome
- 155+ high-growth investments made
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Invest Nebraska
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Invest Nebraska technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Invest Nebraska partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The CombinecoreLincoln-based technology incubator that serves as a key hub for the Microsoft TechSpark Community Engagement Fellowship program, working with Invest Nebraska to deliver AI and entrepreneurship education to rural entrepreneurs.
- Intersect Coworking and IncubatorcoreNorfolk-based coworking and incubator space working with Invest Nebraska and Microsoft TechSpark to deliver AI and entrepreneurship education to rural entrepreneurs and agtech founders.
- Don't Panic LabsminorNebraska technology company providing coaching support to student startup teams in the Startup Studio program alongside Invest Nebraska funding.
- Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and ManagementcoreUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln school that partnered with Invest Nebraska to invest $100,000 each in four student-led startups for the 2025-2026 Startup Studio program, supporting early entrepreneurs in Nebraska.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Invest Nebraska competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MOVE Venture Capital: Nebraska-based early-stage VC firm that co-invests alongside Invest Nebraska in state startups and has been a core partner in driving Nebraska's startup investment growth from $22M (2012) to a record $530M. Directly comparable as a Nebraska-focused seed/early-stage investor.
- NMotion: Nebraska-based startup accelerator co-funded by Invest Nebraska. Directly comparable as an investor-operated accelerator serving the same Nebraska early-stage deal flow.
- Grit Road Partners: Nebraska-based VC firm that co-invests alongside Invest Nebraska in local startups. Comparable as a regional, Nebraska-focused early-stage investor with overlapping deal flow.
- Nelnet: Lincoln-based diversified company with an active investment arm that has deployed ~$190M across 171 companies (mainly Nebraska) since 2006, including Hudl and CompanyCam. Comparable as a Nebraska-rooted strategic investor that co-invests with Invest Nebraska (e.g., Grapple's $1M pre-seed).
- Nebraska Angels: Nebraska-based angel investor network that participates in rounds led by Invest Nebraska (e.g., Driive's ~$800K pre-seed). Comparable as an investor in the same Nebraska early-stage ecosystem.
- Boomerang Ventures: Midwest VC firm that led Impower Health's $500K pre-seed with additional backing from Invest Nebraska. Comparable as a regional early-stage VC co-investing in Nebraska healthtech/AI deals.
- gener8tor: Milwaukee-based investor-operated accelerator running cohort programs across the Midwest. Comparable to Invest Nebraska as an investor-operated accelerator with a regional focus and similar deal size profile.
- Rev1 Ventures: Columbus, Ohio-based state-affiliated nonprofit VC and startup accelerator that combines investment with ecosystem support. Directly comparable to Invest Nebraska's nonprofit VC plus accelerator/incubator model serving a specific state.
Broad incumbents
- Techstars: Global investor-operated accelerator running hundreds of programs worldwide. Comparable to Invest Nebraska's accelerator operations (Startup Collaborative, NMotion) as a broader, established player in the same category.
Others
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Kansas City-based foundation that has provided major grants to Invest Nebraska to develop Nebraska's entrepreneurial ecosystem, including co-working and AgTech incubator programs. Comparable as an ecosystem-development funder supporting the firm's mission-aligned capital deployment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Invest Nebraska social profiles
Digital presenceInvest Nebraska financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Invest Nebraska leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Invest Nebraska funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Invest Nebraska M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments261 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Invest Nebraska
What does Invest Nebraska do?
Invest Nebraska is a nonprofit venture development organization founded in 2002 that provides venture capital investments and ecosystem support to Nebraska-based entrepreneurs and startups. The organization administers Nebraska's Business Innovation Act programs and manages multiple investment funds, having deployed over $44.95M in capital across 155+ high-growth investments. They partner with state and private entities to support early-stage companies across Nebraska.
Is Invest Nebraska a public or private company?
Invest Nebraska is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Invest Nebraska founded?
Invest Nebraska was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Invest Nebraska based?
Invest Nebraska is headquartered in Lincoln, United States, in the North America region.
How does Invest Nebraska make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture Capital Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are grant Funding.
Who are Invest Nebraska's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MOVE Venture Capital, NMotion, Grit Road Partners, Nelnet, Nebraska Angels, Boomerang Ventures, gener8tor and Rev1 Ventures. Techstars is listed as a broad incumbent. Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Invest Nebraska have an API?
No public API is recorded for Invest Nebraska.
What industry is Invest Nebraska in?
Invest Nebraska's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSAAALAC, Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes). Its NAICS code is 523999 and its SIC code is 6799.