Welcome to the Nebraska Startup Academy (NSA) Curriculum—designed to empower entrepreneurs with the tools and knowledge to build, grow, and scale your ventures. Whether you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey or looking to refine your business, our curriculum offers valuable guidance on everything from fundraising and investor relations to market validation and customer discovery.
Designed with the Midwest entrepreneur in mind, each module provides practical tools to help you overcome the challenges unique to building a successful startup in this region.
What We’ve Covered So Far
Here is our "Too Long, Didn't Read" TL;DR sneak peak of what is on the platform today:
Validation & Getting Started - Covering concepts including the differences between a High-growth, Venture-backed Startup and a Lifestyle Business, as each path influences your strategy. This section also covers important topics like the Business Model Canvas as well as knowing early on, it’s often necessary to Do Things that Don’t Scale—like personalized outreach and hands-on customer service—to build momentum before automation takes over. These lessons will help you lay a strong foundation for success.
Customers - Understanding your customers is vital for building a product that truly meets their needs. In this section, we’ve covered everything from the basics of Customer Discovery to mastering How to Talk to Users and conducting effective User Interviews, ensuring that you gather the insights necessary to validate your idea and refine your offering. Without this foundation, even the best ideas can fall flat.
Building a Team - Finding & building a team is perhaps the single most important decision in early stage startups. This includes early-hires as well as the mentors and advisors you bring onboard. These individuals should be a priority for startups looking to leverage industry expertise, build relationships, and gather strategic guidance. This section covers all things Mentors & Advisors + Equity Template as well as Forming & Utilizing a Board of Directors.
Product Development - Here, you will be able to dive into Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Development and creating scalable tech solutions. There are many reasons to leverage no-code or low-code tools including speed and agility to pivot, cost-effectiveness, and time-to-market advantages. We also outline some great no-code tools you can utilize today.
Fundraising Fundamentals - In our most robust section, you will learn how to prepare a Data Room for Due Diligence, create a Monthly Update Template for stakeholders, and master your Elevator Pitch. Additionally, become an expert on what Fundraising in the Midwest looks like today, what are normal Early-Stage Valuation Guidelines, and get access to Additional Fundraising Resources.
We also have some very exciting, one-off materials including:
Startup Vocabulary, a comprehensive library of essential terms and jargon from the world of venture capital and startups.
Nebraska Ecosystem Outline, an ever-growing map of the ecosystem players involved in educational content, studios, incubators, accelerators, funders, University resources, and more.
Google Ads, helping you determine if it's the right fit for your business, set up your first campaign effectively, and continuously optimize your ad performance.
Build a Sales Funnel & Process, hearing insights from a panel of sales experts within the Nebraska ecosystem.
Outbound for Startups, a deep dive into actionable strategies that startups can use to enhance their outbound efforts.
Additional Resources including go-to Startup Podcasts, Exited Founder Panels, and Book Summaries.
Coming Soon
In additional to continuing to build out curriculum, we will be partnering with some fantastic local experts to gain their insights as well.
Paying Employees, Contractors, & Consultants
Building Better Software, Faster
Founders' Due Diligence on Investors
Starting Out: C-Corp vs LLC & the Registration Process
Qualities of a Winning Founder
Seed Round Fundraising Basics
Angel Investing
Is there anything we’re missing? Let us know!
Dive Deeper
If you are a founder interested in joining the Startup Academy platform, or future Grove cohorts, you can sign up at go.nestartupacademy.org.
If you are interested in supporting The Nebraska Startup Academy, a 501(c)3 organization, through sponsorship or donation please reach out to Charlie Cuddy [charlie@nestartupacademy.org] or Alyssa Cave [alyssa@nestartupacademy.org] for more information.
For more information about The Nebraska Startup Academy, please visit Nebraska Startup Academy.
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