A founder once told me, “I wish I’d known this two years ago.” 

She had spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to prototype a hardware product—renting equipment, hiring contractors and paying for small production runs. Then she discovered that some of what she needed already existed at local colleges and universities. 

Not locked behind student IDs. Not reserved for faculty startups. Available to founders building companies right here in Nebraska. 

Here’s something many founders miss: universities aren’t just places where students take classes. They’re massive ecosystems of equipment, expertise, business support, researchers, talent and people who know how to help turn ideas into something real. 

And Nebraska founders have access to more of that ecosystem than they may realize. 

The Founder Mistake I See All the Time 

A founder needs technical help, prototyping equipment or business expertise. Their first instinct is often to solve the problem with money: hire a consultant, outsource development, buy equipment or put the project on hold until they can afford the next step. 

Sometimes that is absolutely the right answer. 

But before you spend the money, ask a different question: 

Does someone in Nebraska already have this resource—and can I access it? 

Our colleges and universities are a very good place to start looking. 

UNO: Start With NBDC 

One of the easiest doors to open is the Nebraska Business Development Center, headquartered at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

NBDC isn’t just a resource for UNO students or faculty. It exists to help Nebraska businesses. Through offices across the state, consultants provide confidential, one-on-one assistance to entrepreneurs and established businesses. 

Through the Nebraska Small Business Development Center, founders can get help with business planning, financial projections, market opportunities and the questions that inevitably come with starting and growing a company. 

NBDC also offers specialized help for technology-based businesses pursuing SBIR/STTR funding and for Nebraska companies interested in government contracting through its APEX Accelerator. 

And if you aren’t ready for an advisor, NBDC’s eNlighten library offers free, on-demand training on topics ranging from intellectual property to investor relationships. 

You don’t need to be a Maverick to use it. 

UNMC + UNO: You Don’t Have to Bring the Invention 

This one is admittedly close to home, but it belongs on the list. 

The UNeTech Institute sits at the intersection of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, UNO and the broader entrepreneurial community. 

Much of the technology we help commercialize begins with university research, but here’s the part community entrepreneurs may not know: you don’t have to walk through our doors with an invention of your own. 

We need entrepreneurs, too. 

UNeTech connects university innovations with people who can help turn them into companies. If you have entrepreneurial experience—or want to build it—you can join UNeTech’s entrepreneur network and potentially connect with university technology that needs business leadership. 

For companies working with UNeTech, our team can also provide support around customer discovery, commercialization strategy, SBIR/STTR, market analysis, team building and preparing for customers and investment. 

Sometimes the university resource isn’t a machine. 

Sometimes it’s an idea that needs an entrepreneur. 

MCC’s Prototype Design Lab is an open-access makerspace equipped with advanced tools like 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC routers. Photo courtesy of the MCC website.

From software to saws — Nebraska Innovation Space at UNL has a little bit of everything. After taking part in necessary trainings, members can use our wide variety of high-tech and hands-on maker equipment. Photo courtesy of the UNL website.

Kearney: These Resources Don’t Stop in Omaha and Lincoln 

Founders in central and western Nebraska have university resources, too. 

The UNK Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development specifically serves both the university and the broader community, providing entrepreneurial programming, small-business education and partnerships with an emphasis on rural Nebraska. 

Its community programming includes workshops and opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, including Big Idea Buffalo County, an open competition for local entrepreneurs and changemakers. 

UNK also has a regional Nebraska Business Development Center office where entrepreneurs can receive management and technical assistance, with basic services provided free of charge. 

You don’t necessarily have to drive to Omaha to enter Nebraska’s university entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

Universities Aren’t Just for Tech Founders 

There is a bigger lesson here. 

When founders hear “university,” they tend to think about degree programs, professors and students. 

When I hear “university,” I think about infrastructure. 

I think about makerspaces, business advisors, commercialization professionals, researchers, technical equipment, entrepreneurial communities, government-contracting expertise, SBIR assistance, training and connections. 

Not every resource is available to every entrepreneur. And I don’t want to imply that every campus lab, professor or student team is sitting around waiting for a founder to call. 

But that’s precisely why you should ask. 

A public makerspace might solve your prototyping problem. An NBDC consultant might save you from paying someone to answer a question they can help you answer for free. A university incubator might be looking for someone with exactly your experience to help commercialize an invention. 

The opportunity isn’t “free university stuff.” 

The opportunity is access to an ecosystem you didn’t realize you were allowed to enter. 

Try This Before You Spend the Money 

Take one problem in your business that you assume requires money. 

Maybe you need a prototype. Maybe you need help understanding your market. Maybe you’re trying to navigate SBIR funding, build a financial model, find technical expertise or figure out how to manufacture something. 

Before you hire someone, outsource it or buy the equipment, spend an hour looking at Nebraska’s college and university ecosystem. 

Start with NBDC for business assistance. Look at MCC’s Prototype Design Lab if you need to build something. Explore Nebraska Innovation Studio if Lincoln is accessible. Contact UNK’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Rural Development if you’re in Greater Nebraska. And if you’re interested in building a company around university innovation, come talk to us at UNeTech. 

You don’t need to understand the entire ecosystem. 

You just need to find one door. 

Final Thought 

Founders don’t always struggle because resources don’t exist. Sometimes they struggle because they don’t know where to look. 

Nebraska has invested heavily in colleges and universities, and the value of those institutions doesn’t end with the people enrolled in them. Across the state, parts of that infrastructure have been deliberately opened to entrepreneurs, businesses and communities. 

The next time you think, I need to hire someone for this or I can’t afford the equipment to do that, ask one more question: 

Who in Nebraska already knows how to do this—or already has what I need? 

The answer might be sitting on a campus 20 minutes away. 

And two years from now, I don’t want you telling me, “I wish I’d known that.”