Eight student teams from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln participated in the final round of the statewide Governor's New Venture Competition held Feb. 1 at The Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship helped prepare any students pitching new ventures by hosting pitch practice sessions and connecting them with their community of entrepreneurs and industry leaders for feedback.

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Just a few years after competing, Emily Kist (’22) and Maria Heyen (’23), were invited to judge the Global Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Since graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, both Kist and Heyen have fostered community and conversation around venture capital in their new post-grad homes of St. Paul, Minnesota and Columbia, Missouri, but continue to serve the community of their alma mater, Husker Venture Fund, and the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship.

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Jackson Donley, chief growth officer of SomeGuys Services, earned his company first place and $15,000 at this year’s New Venture Competition. Focused on door-to-door sales and same-week services for residential properties, SomeGuys has made a clear impact in the field. “We are a window cleaning service company operating in 3 states currently: Minnesota, Nebraska, and Alabama,” said Donley, a Clifton Builders management major from Bloomington, Minnesota. The sophomore and his co-founder, Frank Arth, spent the last year in the center’s Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator program, led by Dr. Lindsay Thomsen.

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Lyn Wineman (‘89), President and Chief Strategist at Kidglov, was on her way up the ladder at a local advertising agency when she decided to pave her own path and start KidGlov–an advertising, branding and marketing firm focused on putting a megaphone in front of those who are doing good in the world.

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This year, twenty-one student entrepreneurs jumped in with both feet for a new program designed to help students build and grow their businesses and develop as leaders–the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator. These students were recognized and celebrated on April 24 at Hudl headquarters with peer- and center-nominated awards and graduation gifts for those starting their new post-graduation chapters.

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