Online Tutorial on Refining Idea Concept

Here’s a jewel of information for the average inventor. Planet Eureka!, operated by Merwyn Research, Inc., provides free on-line tutorials for getting your invention noticed and to the market. The FREE Merwyn Business Translation Workshop includes nine videos and a downloadable workbook that walks you through the process of translating your idea into a simple description. You can then use your workbook to pitch your idea to others or use the fee-based services provided through the Merwyn Business Simulation Research and post your idea on their searchable website. Caution – simulation research is not cheap!

Planet Eureka! is also a searchable website where you can look-up other innovations or seek manufacturers that may be looking for your type of product. Planet Eureka! is supported by the USA National Innovation Marketplace, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Kauffman Foundation and others.

For more information about Nebraska’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, contact Dave Wright, dave.wright@nebraska.gov

Social Entreprenership at its Best – TOMS

I was filled with excitement as I started my day out early. I slipped on my TOMS shoes, and smiled at the thought of getting to hear one of my favorite entrepreneurs share his story at the Greater Omaha’s Young Professional Summit. I was thrilled when I learned I had been given the opportunity from Partnerships for Innovation to attend this event at the Qwest Center. Three hours later, after my eastward journey, I arrived at the event and was amazed by the large crowd attending the Summit. This event was incredibly organized with breakout sessions that delivered valuable messages, information, and resources to the participants. However, my favorite part of the day was lunch, and not because of the meal, although it was very good. It was because of the key note speaker, Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoski. Read more

UNL NebraskaEDGE and NxBizSuccess Webinar

Topic: NebraskaEDGE and NxBizSuccess, hosted by Marilyn Schlake and Tonia Franklin. To attend the webinar simply log into the Adobe Connect Pro meeting room location at: http://breeze.unl.edu/p18749928/

Monthly eShip Webinars are scheduled for the 4th Tuesday of each month at 10 am CDT at the same Adobe Connect Pro meeting room location.

Website to Search for Angel Investors

Angelsoft.net is a new online startup tool to help business owners find venture capital firms and angel investors worldwide, including in and around Nebraska.

Launched in 2009, Investor Search allows users to search by location, investment size, industry, milestone, valuation, and more. You can also search by keyword, and sort results based on closest location, most active, response time, investments, and applications. The tool includes profiles of over 1,000 venture capital firms and angel investor groups.

Angelsoft.net has an online business planning tool that helps the business owner put together a business plan specifically designed for the investors. You will be asked 11 questions that every investor wants answered. Along the way the website provides you with tips on how to best complete each question. When you are finished, you will have a document that you print, share as a PDF, or use to apply to the 1,026 groups that accept the Angelsoft application.

New Searchable Patent Website

Patent Lens is a worldwide, open-access, free full-text patent informatics resource. Users can search and retrieve the full-text of more than 9 million patent documents from US, Europe, Australia and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), their status and counterparts up to 70 countries. Patent Lens is supported by the Initiative for Open Innovation (IOI) and partially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Visit the Patent Lens Search Help to get started on your searches.

Top Ten Nebraska Lenders For 2009

Small Business Administration News Release

OMAHA - Ten of Nebraska’s leading lenders have been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for providing SBA lending to small businesses throughout the state during SBA’s fiscal year 2009 which ended September 30. Read more

Who is Using Social Networks?

The social network dynamics are constantly changing, from who is Facebooking to who is Linked-in. These dynamics impact how you conduct your online business. To help capture what is happening with the online social network phenomenon, the Pew Internet & American Life Project is publishing multiple reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.

Twitter and Status Updating, Fall 2009 by Susannah Fax, Kathryn Zickuhr, Aaron Smith.

Some 19% of internet users now say they use Twitter or another service to share updates about themselves, or to see updates about others–up from 11% in April.
Thirty-seven percent of Internet users age 18-24 use Twitter or another service, up from 19% in December 2008.

The Pew Internet project posts data on numerous topics such as : Teen Use, Broadband Issues, Health and Technology Trends, Social Networking Use, Web 2.0 Integration, and Technology/User Types.

SBA Loans

The SBA offers numerous loan programs to assist small businesses. SBA is primarily a guarantor of loans made by private and other institutions, they do not directly loan to businesses. Contact the Nebraska SBA office for a list of Nebraska approved SBA lenders.

7(a) loans are the most basic and most used type loan of SBA’s business loan programs and are only available on a guaranty basis. The loans are provided by lenders who choose to structure their own loans by SBA’s requirements and who apply and receive a guaranty from SBA on a portion of this loan. The SBA does not fully guaranty 7(a) loans.

NxBizSuccess to Launch Nov. 2

Changes are occurring daily as we get ready for the “official” launch of NxBizSuccess on November 2nd. It’s great that you have already found us, but please note that this is a work in progress! In the meantime, become a member and watch for updates as they come available. We also welcome your ideas on how to make the site even better. Stay tuned, there’s more to come!

USDA Revolving Loan Funds

The USDA Rural Development creates and preserves quality jobs in rural communities through a wide range of loan, grant and technical service programs. Recipients of these grants, loans and loan guarantees include producers, individuals, corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, public bodies, nonprofit groups, Indian Tribes, and private companies. Download a PDF file of the Nebraska Loan Programs or follow the links below.

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