Invest Nebraska

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.

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

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

• Venture capital investing
• Startup ecosystem support
• Early stage funding
• Entrepreneurship development
• Nonprofit venture development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The CombinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Lincoln-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 IncubatorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Norfolk-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 LabsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Nebraska 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 ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025University 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/investnebraska
• Facebookfacebook.com/110642908959017
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/invest-nebraska-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments261 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Invest Nebraska