The Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development (LPED) announces the five local startups selected to participate in the LaunchLNK program for 2022. Through participation in this innovative program, founders in the 2022 cohort will receive a $25,000 grant, connections to potential sources of additional capital and local mentors who may become early customers or partners.

Now in its fourth year, LaunchLNK was created by the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development (LPED) to help scalable, high-growth startups grow in Lincoln. Program participants also receive a spot in Fluent’s eight-week virtual accelerator, as well as services and connections from our partners at HBE, Enterprise Legal Studio, Firespring, Suiter Swantz, Eakes and HubSpot for Startups to further position them for long-term success.

This year’s cohort was selected from a competitive pool of nearly 100 pre-applications by representatives from LPED, Nebraska Angels, Invest Nebraska, NMotion and Nelnet.

“The applicant pool for LaunchLNK continues to be very strong and the process gets more competitive each year. This is a direct result of the work being done across our startup ecosystem to find and help more founders and more companies,” according to Christina Oldfather, LPED Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “I am thrilled to work with this talented group of founders to help them grow their companies.”

The 2022 cohort includes:

FanWord, founded by Christopher Aumueller, is an athlete branding and storytelling company that specializes in building Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) solutions to help student-athletes grow, protect, and monetize their personal brands. FanWord is currently working with approximately 6,000 student-athletes and 25 athletic departments nationwide, including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Alabama, the University of Kansas and many more. 

Senior Care Finder, founded by Christie and Heath Stukenholtz, is the only complete nationwide directory of all senior care services. Their goal is to offer the most comprehensive resource that allows care seekers to search, compare, and find the best senior care. Their platform allows care seekers to search by location or provider name, compare quality ratings and amenities, and share their favorites with loved ones before contacting their preferred providers directly. Senior care providers are also elated to finally have a resource to help them cut through the clutter and promote their unique services to individuals seeking care, making the platform a win-win for everyone.

Sentinel Fertigation, founded by Jackson Stansell, is an agricultural technology company that is leveraging multispectral imagery to anticipate crop nitrogen needs and provide proactive fertigation recommendations to farmers and their trusted advisors. Sentinel Fertigation’s N-Time™ FMS is a web-based software built specifically for fertigation management. It provides reliable, data-driven fertigation recommendations to advisors and farmers and enhances the efficiency with which they manage fertigation operations. The technology behind the fertigation recommendations N-Time™ FMS provides was developed and tested at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Sentinel Fertigation’s mission is to improve farmers’ bottom line and minimize the environmental impact of irrigated agriculture through smart fertigation technology.

Tiiga, founded by Jeff and Katy Tezak and Harrouna Malgoubri, is a baobab electrolyte drink mix that provides hydration, and supports immune and gut health. It’s all natural, plant-based, and gluten-free. It consists of a low calorie, low sugar, non-caffeinated, nutrient-dense, and fiber-rich baobab fruit. This superfruit has been used as an energy source for thousands of years in African culture. Tiiga brings this power direct to consumers with an on-the-go drink mix. 

Little Movements Apparel, LLC, founded by Marissa Whalen and Lyndsey Haag, strives to bring women affordable activewear that gives them the confidence to move daily. At Little Movements, their newest goal is this--women of all sizes who lead an active lifestyle need sports bra support without those pesky removable pads. Little Movements Apparel plans to offer a high-impact sports bra, uniquely made with padding sewn in so you can have ultimate confidence through every workout.

With the addition of the latest cohort, the LaunchLNK program has provided seed funding for 20 different startups in Lincoln who have gone on to employ almost 40 people and additionally raise over $80 million in capital, contributing to the startup and Lincoln ecosystem.

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

For more information, contact Christina Oldfather, Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, at (402) 436-2374 or coldfather@selectlincoln.org.