When policymakers carved out the Nebraska Territory in 1854, agriculture dominated visions for its future. Yet the 21st century has cultivated something unexpected across Nebraska‘s fertile plains – a flourishing tech hub numbering over 15,000 startups. This Silicon Prairie has blossomed by nurturing homegrown leaders and attracting global giants.
Let‘s analyze the key ingredients fueling Nebraska’s rise as an unlikely tech heavyweight:
- No state/personal income tax incentivizes relocations
- Low cost of living and real estate enables capital efficiency
- Central location allows fast shipping coast-to-coast
- Skilled colleges supply tech talent yearly
- High quality of life retains workers long-term
I‘ve spotlighted some of the biggest names putting Nebraska‘s tech scene on the map across industries like agtech, sports performance, finance, and more. Now let‘s uncover the innovation epicenters powering the Cornhusker State‘s economic engine…
Major Tech Firms Born in Nebraska
With such fertile ground for startups, Nebraska has birthed tech titans through the decades across manufacturing, engineering, retail, and more. Let‘s trace the origin stories of some homegrown heavyweights.
Lindsay Corporation – Founded 1956 by Paul Ziegler
| Headquarters | Omaha, NE |
| Annual Revenue | $1.6 billion |
| Employees | ~2,000 |
When founder Paul Ziegler debuted center pivot irrigation in 1954, he revolutionized agriculture ecosystems for drought resilience. This pivot technology (pun intended) would launch an engineering giant specializing in high-tech water management.
Today Lindsay Corporation (NYSE:LNN) supplies irrigation systems to over 90 countries from the Americas to Australia. Its cutting-edge tubeless tires and remote monitoring equipment increase yields for farmers worldwide. Lindsay also develops transportation safety gear like crash barriers deployed across US highways.
President & CEO Randy Wood recently oversaw Lindsay‘s expansion into Italy and Egypt, further cementing its market leadership despite supply chain snags. Its recent partnership with ag vehicle firm Raven Industries intensifies focus on autonomous farming technologies.
HDR – Founded 1917 by H.H. Henningson
| Headquarters | Omaha, NE |
| Employees | 10,000+ |
| Services | Engineering, Architecture |
In 1917, a Swedish immigrant named H.H Henningson launched an engineering firm bringing electricity and clean water to Nebraska‘s rural towns. His Sons would continue the family legacy building American infrastructure marvels like the Hoover Dam.
Today HDR ranks among the world‘s largest architecture and engineering companies, with experts deployed across hundreds of disciplines. Groundbreaking HDR projects include government and commercial sites like healthcare campuses, sports stadiums, laboratories, and data centers.
"We are proud to continue advancing infrastructure design from our Midwest roots for over 104 years now,” says Chairman & CEO Eric Keen. “HDR‘s mission to transform communities drives our culture of innovation as we support clients in building what‘s next."
Lozier Corporation – Founded 1956 by Don Lozier
| Headquarters | Omaha, NE |
| Annual Revenue | $700 million |
| Employees | 2,200 |
Lozier prides itself on Revolutionizing Retail since its 1956 Omaha debut. Founder Don Lozier built custom shelving solutions for corner grocers needing more space. Today Lozier Corporation supplies display cases, checkouts, and store interiors to major chains wanting to optimize layouts.
Under third-generation CEO Susan Lozier, Lozier acquired digital signage developer Fasteners for Retail to keep pace with retail tech. Its Design Innovation Center also prototypes next-gen shopping environments enhanced by emerging tech. With recent expansion into Europe, Lozier eyes larger global retail domination.
Large Tech Transplants Choose Nebraska
Beyond nourishing local startups into national players, Nebraska‘s small town charm and incentives also attract established tech giants seeking fresh territory to put down roots:
Valmont Industries
When farm equipment maker Valmont Industries moved from the brand‘s native Nebraska hometown to Omaha in 1981, it marked the humble beginning of a future Fortune 1000 titan. Fast forward four decades, and Valmont has blossomed into a global manufacturing giant specializing in infrastructure technology solutions keeping cities powered and connected.
| Founded | Valley, NE in 1946 |
| HQ | Omaha, NE |
| Annual Revenue | $4.8 billion |
| Employees | 25,000 worldwide |
“We will continue building the infrastructure making life possible around the world from my home state where this all began," says current President & CEO Stephen Kaniewski. He sees global population growth and urbanization fueling demand for Valmont‘s wireless carriers, lighting structures, traffic systems, and more municipal gear.
Hudl
Founded by ex-Cornhuskers football players in 2006, sports performance software firm Hudl has rapidly grown into a billion-dollar unicorn. But it likely wouldn‘t have succeeded launching in sports-saturated states like Texas or California.
“We uniquely benefited by piloting our digital coaching tools among Nebraska’s passionate high school teams first," says CEO David Graff. He credits Midwestern grit for propelling Hudl‘s workforce to over 1,600 employees globally as it dominated amateur and college level analysis before tackling the pros.
| Founded | Lincoln, NE in 2006 |
| Funding | $980 million |
| Employees | 1,600+ |
Today over 30 million coaches and athletes utilize Hudl‘s platforms to study game film, analyze data, scout opponents, and upgrade recruitment strategies across all major sports.
Nebraska‘s Private Tech Upstarts
While Nebraska hasn‘t yet birthed a flashy unicorn akin to Silicon Valley darlings, its startup terrain shows promise through these fast-growing firms still vying for their first billion.
Kiewit
Despite tallying $10 billion in annual revenue across infrastructure projects worldwide, construction giant Kiewit has strategically avoided going public to retain operational flexibility. Its 6,000 employee-shareholders embrace a horizontal corporate structure.
“We can take quick risks and pivot faster without shareholders clouding decisions,” says CEO Rick Lanoha. He spearheaded development of vehicle automation systems for mining and off-shore wind turbine transport. Kiewit also holds more high hazard dam contracts than any contractor worldwide.
Employee-owners commit to rotate across different site teams rather than siloed corporate ladders. But one motto bonds all — “Kiewit team members wear hard hats, not ties."
Spreetail
By winning fans at national retailers like Walmart, this Lincoln startup has quietly built an e-commerce platform used by over 500 emerging consumer brands without most TechCrunch readers noticing.
“We’re laser focused on enabling our 500+ brand partners rather than flashy marketing,” says co-founder Brett Thome. “Our technology handles the retail slog of inventory, logistics, and fulfillment behind the scenes so talented makers can instead create great products.”
central platform allows smaller brands to scale nationally before investin their own warehouses. Spreetail‘s curated digital marketplace called Pressly also spotlights up-and-coming products for buyers at major chains.
| Founded | Lincoln, NE in 2006 |
| Funding | Undisclosed 8 rounds |
| Brands Served | 500+ |
Public Tech Firms Anchoring Nebraska
Beyond its startup scene, Nebraska also harbors older tech firms that continue excelling on public exchanges. Let‘s analyze two stalwarts who have survived market fluctuations for decades by sticking to their Midwest roots.
Duncan Aviation
Flying under the radar beyond aviation circles, this aircraft repair and refurbishment firm has blossomed into a soaring public corporation powering the private jet industry‘s growth. Its longevity stems from midwestern humility according to third-generation leader Todd Duncan.
Founded 1956 in Lincoln, NE
Specializes in airframe maintenance, engine repair, cabin electronics upgrades and avionic retrofit installations for corporate aircraft and helicopters. From routine oil changes to Wi-Fi system integrations, Duncan‘s technicians have serviced over 4,000 makes and models.
With no need to impress Wall Street, Duncan Aviation remains laser focused on delivering five-star service to plane owners rather than revenue quotas. “I‘d rather our 2,700 employees feel like family members than faceless shareholders,” says Duncan.
| Locations | Lincoln, NE / Battle Creek, MI / Provo, UT |
| Annual Revenue | $300 million |
| Aircraft Serviced | 4,000 models |
Orion Advisor Solutions
By excelling through ambition over flash, this portfolio intelligence provider has quietly forged a billion-dollar fintech firm far from the hustle of Wall Street. Its bootstrapped rise reflected Nebraska’s humble ethos.
“We succeeded by solving frustrations for financial advisors rather than pursuing hype-driven trends,” says CEO Eric Clarke who founded Orion in 1999 to simplify reporting complexity and backend clutter for RIAs and banks.
Headquartered in Omaha, Orion’s open-architecture wealth management platform now oversees $1 trillion in assets across North America – making it the category’s leader serving RIAs and banks.
Orion preaches patience and emotional steadiness during market swings rather than reactive changes – an ethos echoing Midwest sensibilities. Its latest TV commercials showcase heartland ranchers smoothly managing livestock cycles as metaphors encouraging financial advisors to also take slow, steady approaches navigating market cycles.
"We‘ll remain focused on developing elegant technology so advisors gain confidence sticking to plans,” Clarke says.
| Founded | Omaha, NE in 1999 |
| Employees | 850 |
| Client Assets Monitored | $1 trillion |
Whether through its thriving startup scene or steady public operators, Nebraska‘s concealed status as a tech haven stands poised for revelation among coming waves of digital disruption. The Silicon Prairie now stretches tall producing agtech, insurtech, healthtech and beyond.
