NMotion Demo Day and Hour of Code

The Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development continues to work in our community to cultivate what has become a vibrant scene for startup businesses. This past December had two incredibly important events when it comes to workforce development in Lincoln: NMotion Demo Day (December 6) and the Hour of Code (December 8).

NMotion is the product of a deep and ongoing collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, and private investors. With over 100 startups calling Lincoln home and plenty of entrepreneurial talent in the pipeline, it’s imperative that programs and opportunities are in place to help businesses grow and reach their potential.

The Accelerator program culminates each year with Demo Day, where each of the participating companies gets a chance to show off what they’ve done over the past few months. Ultimately, NMotion invests $20,000 in each company and provides mentors, experts, hyper-targeted training and workspace. Six teams made up the field for 2018 Demo Day, including Jord Producers, Groove Watersports, Pawlytics, Yumaroo, Pincurl Girls, and Squad Genius. From youth sports to agriculture and management software for animal shelters, this year’s teams showed just how diverse the interests of startups in the area continue to be and what they can offer to a variety of people.

Meanwhile, the Hour of Code event is truly an event for all ages. Hosted by LPED, Lincoln Public Schools Computer Science, Nebraska Computer Science & Engineering, Nebraska Innovation Campus, and Turbine Flats, the event took place at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center. It was another fantastic showing, as nearly 800 students and family members attended, with a morning of coding activities and interactive demonstrations making up the program for the three-hour event.

Lincoln’s Hour of Code event is a continuation of the worldwide event, which took place in various locations from December 3–9. In its fifth year here in Lincoln, our Hour of Code event also featured an Interactive Tech Fair that showcased over 20 interactive booths and helps connect mentors from local technology companies to help those interested get started in programming. This is a glimpse into the future of what America’s workforce will likely resemble.

An introduction to coding can mean the doors opening across many areas of computer science driven careers and potential courses in post-secondary education. With most of the startup world today revolving around technology, computers and the foundations they’re built upon, digital coding is increasingly important.

Technology continues to play a very vital role in our world, shaping economies and energizing work forces, both young and old. We continue to embrace their positions in Lincoln’s workforce and hope both of these events remain catalysts of growth for years to come.


Lincoln Chamber of Commerce - Joining Organizations LogoThe Chamber’s mission is to improve the lives of Lincoln residents by providing increased economic opportunity and can only be accomplished together. For more information on the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, (www.lcoc.com) please contact Jaime Henning at jaimehenning@lcoc.com.