The Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development (LPED) has announced four recipients of the LaunchLNK program for 2020. LaunchLNK helps startups get established and grow in Lincoln by providing funding, resources and opportunities.

Layer, Pawlytics, BrandPlan, and FileFuse have been named as recipients of the LaunchLNK award. The LaunchLNK program provides startups with a $25,000 grant, connections to mentors and potential corporate partners and professional services from LaunchLNK HBE, Cline Williams, Suiter Swantz, Eakes Office Solutions and Firespring.

Startup companies that receive an award through the LaunchLNK program have the opportunity to leverage other programs and funds, including grants and investment programs offered through the Nebraska Department of Economic Development and Invest Nebraska. In addition to gaining outside sources of capital, the awarded startup companies will also have the opportunity to join Fluent Studio’s virtual accelerator program.
 
Layer, founded by Zach Soflin, AIA, and spun out of BVH Architecture, was awarded a LaunchLNK grant from their first-place win in the 2019 Innovation Summit Pitch Competition. Layer is a multi-platform app that makes it easy for AECO teams to capture, organize, and store building data that can then be connected to BIM. With Layer, users can collaborate, add, and edit the same set of data in real-time from any location for the entire lifecycle of a building. For more information, visit www.layer.team. 

Pawlytics, founded by Lizz Whitacre, is software that aggregates and unifies pet data by utilizing microchips numbers to create real time pet records and make information available instantly to owners and pet professionals so they can adopt, care for, and treat any animal at any time. Pawlytics' unique approach to building different software interfaces on one database means that every professional using Pawlytics software will have pet electronic health records and more at their fingertips revolutionizing the pet care industry.
 
FileFuse, founded by James Dickerson, is a product specific for promoting collaboration between audio engineers and their clients. This platform provides a location for organizing audio files, and improving efficiency on all ends of audio-based projects. FileFuse enables real time feedback, cloud storage, and payment security all on one platform.
 
BrandPlan, co-founded by Ali Schwanke and Tyler Sprunk, is a cloud-based application that helps marketers better build, visualize and communicate their marketing strategies. Unlike tools that focus on tasks, assets, or execution, BrandPlan specializes solely in strategy, allowing its users to escape the day-to-day fire fighting and focus on the high-level work that matters most. By providing an easy-to-use framework, BrandPlan makes it possible to pull together marketing plans, visualize activity, and easily share marketing information with internal and external stakeholders.

To stay up-to-date on announcements regarding LaunchLNK, including the next round of applications, follow @StartupLNK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. More information on the program can be found at www.launchlnk.com.