New book released by Open Range celebrates 40 Nebraska startups and the wider state ecosystem

On Monday evening, startup founders ditched their branded graphic tees and sticker-coated laptops for formal attire and champagne glasses at Millwork Commons in Omaha. It was a celebration event hosted by Open Range, a local nonprofit with the goal of supporting the startup hubs of Greater Omaha and Lincoln, as well as entrepreneurs throughout the state.

The occasion marked the release of “Open Book,” a physical publication highlighting founders, stakeholders and business support initiatives in Nebraska.

The book features 40 startups of various development stages across nine communities: Omaha, Lincoln, Papillion, La Vista, Roca, Kearney, Oxford, Wellfleet and Hemingford. Most of the companies included reside in Omaha and Lincoln.

Industries range from software, financial services and healthcare to construction, logistics and agriculture. About 40% of the startups were founded by repeat entrepreneurs.

According to Open Range, the publication is meant to be a snapshot of the Nebraska startup ecosystem rather than a complete history, rankings list or exhaustive account. Interviews occurred throughout the spring and summer of this year.

To the room of invited guests, Open Range CEO Laurel Oetken said that the reason her team decided to create a physical book was to gather all these stories and milestones in a collective place — a connected story.

Open Range plans to distribute copies to “state senators, business leaders, chambers of commerce, founders and other community partners across Nebraska.” This is part of the nonprofit’s goal of increasing the visibility of the Nebraska startup scene.

“We called it ‘Open Book’ because we really want to open these stories up to the whole community, to learn more about what we’re doing,” Oetken said.

SPN partnered with Open Range in the book’s creation, contributing content and six original articles that the Open Range team edited and adapted for the project. SPN reporter Ben Goeser holds a copy of “Open Book.” Photo by Lev Gringauz/Silicon Prairie News

The featured stories in “Open Book” originally published on SPN:

Oetken said Open Range plans to further spotlight the featured founders in a promotional campaign throughout the next year. Some of the mentioned entrepreneurs also plan to participate in the upcoming Startup Week in November.

“We really believe that these stories are important and need to be told,” Oetken said. “We want everyone across the state of Nebraska to be able to name a founder, to be able to tell their story and to talk about what’s happening in our state.”

You can read the online edition of “Open Book” here.