A promising idea is only the beginning. 

Turning that idea into a viable business can require research expertise, development space, funding, industry connections, testing opportunities and access to talent. 

Nebraska Innovation Campus and The Combine bring those resources together in Lincoln, giving companies a place to develop new technologies within one of the country’s most productive and diverse agricultural regions. 

They also illustrate the broader advantages businesses can find throughout the AgWorks Corridor. 

Nebraska Innovation Campus is the University of Nebraska’s research park. Its location and university connections allow businesses to work near researchers, students and other companies pursuing new ideas. The campus supports organizations across a range of industries, with agriculture and food technology playing an important role. 

The Combine, located on Nebraska Innovation Campus, is an incubator dedicated to agriculture technology and food technology companies. It helps entrepreneurs develop their businesses, connect with investors and gain access to agricultural producers and industry partners. 

Together, the two organizations create an environment where companies can move from concept to commercialization while remaining close to the customers, inputs and expertise that can help them succeed. 

Connecting Companies to Nebraska Agriculture 

Nebraska’s agricultural diversity gives companies opportunities to develop and test products across multiple sectors. The state is a leader in livestock and row crop production with processing operations, manufacturers and producers representing much of the agricultural value chain. 

That range of activity makes Nebraska especially valuable to companies developing new agricultural products and technologies. 

“Nebraska has the most dense and diverse ag landscape. We have processing facilities for cattle, chickens, and hogs, and some of the most dense row crops,” said Brennan Costello, director of The Combine. 

For a startup, those resources can provide access to real operating environments and potential customers. For an established business, they can create opportunities to collaborate with producers, processors, manufacturers and researchers. 

“And then we have the infrastructure to test it,” Costello said. “If you want to get it on to farms or producers or if you want to do something throughout the ag value chain, we’ve got different companies that are serving the full ag value chain. It’s not just the farm.” 

Those connections are particularly important in agriculture, where companies often need to prove that a product works under real-world conditions. Nebraska gives businesses proximity to the people who understand those conditions and can help evaluate new solutions. 

A Betwork Built to Help Businesses Advance 

Nebraska Innovation Campus and The Combine are also part of a larger network of public, private and university partners that help companies solve problems and pursue opportunities. 

Businesses benefit from a connected ecosystem in which organizations contribute their respective expertise. 

A coordinated approach can help a business identify funding, locate space, connect with university resources or reach potential industry partners. It also gives companies multiple entry points into the region’s business community. 

“If any company, entity or business calls, I know that I can call anyone in the business community and get them connected,” said Kate Engel, executive director of Nebraska Innovation Campus. “Somebody is going to jump in and say, ‘Awesome, let’s work on this together. We’re going to make this happen.’” 

Marble Technologies demonstrates how that collaboration can work. The company’s technology team was located in Boston, but its focus on beef processing made Nebraska a natural place to build its equipment and serve customers. The Combine, Invest Nebraska, Nebraska Innovation Campus, the University of Nebraska and other partners worked together to support the company with space, connections and testing opportunities. 

“Everybody came together to make connections, provide space and everything else they needed,” Engel said. 

As Marble grew, the network continued to help the company identify resources for its next stage. 

“We keep creating the solutions for these entities that want to do great things here,” Engel said. 

Support from Startup Through Expansion in the AgWorks Corridor 

The region’s business resources are designed to support more than one point in a company’s development. A business can begin with incubator space and startup assistance, then draw on additional sites, facilities and partners as its needs grow. 

Grain Weevil is another example. The robotics company, which develops equipment for grain management, began in Aurora, Nebraska. It used state technology programs, received investment support and worked from The Combine before establishing manufacturing operations in La Vista. 

“They have used all the state’s offerings,” Costello said. 

That path demonstrates the range of environments and resources available within the AgWorks Corridor. Businesses can connect with startup support in Lincoln, manufacturing opportunities in the Omaha area and agricultural customers and partners throughout the state. 

Costello said Nebraska has assembled many of the elements technology companies need during their early growth. 

“We have seed funding from the state as well as an outside entity to match that,” Costello said. “If you want to build something here in Nebraska, we have a lot of the pieces built.” 

University Connections Strengthen the Talent Pipeline 

Nebraska Innovation Campus adds a valuable university connection to the Corridor’s business assets. Companies can be located near University of Nebraska faculty, researchers and students while exploring partnerships that support innovation and workforce development. 

The relationship benefits both employers and students. Businesses gain access to emerging talent while students can see opportunities to begin their careers within the region. 

 “Part of the way that we get companies to come here is to have the talent through the University of Nebraska so that they know when they need software engineers or other workers — whatever big number they need —we can say, ‘Yeah, we have that talent,’” Engel said. 

For site selectors and business leaders, that connection provides another reason to consider the AgWorks Corridor. The region combines agricultural production, university research, startup resources, industry relationships and locations capable of supporting future expansion. 

Nebraska Innovation Campus and The Combine show how those advantages come together for businesses. Companies do not simply gain a location. They enter a network prepared to help them develop ideas, test products, reach customers and plan for continued growth. 

As Costello put it: “If you want to build something, Nebraska knows how to build stuff.”