Startups Relocate to Omaha as Populus Coworking Grows
Brain drain may be a concern for Nebraskans, but Populus Coworking (https://populus.co/) has seen an influx of exciting companies from outside of the state. Launched officially in August of 2019, Populus is a 9,500-square-foot shared office space at 26th and Farnam Streets. The coworking space provides a home for small businesses, startups, and remote workers. It currently has about 70 members.
In February, VidaNyx moved its headquarters to Populus from Seattle. Invest Nebraska and Nelnet, Inc. led a record series A of $5 million to move operations to Omaha and bring on CEO Sara Boyd, previously CEO of the Omaha Community Foundation. VidaNyx is making several full time hires here in Omaha to fill out its local team.
Populus Coworking is also excited to welcome Techtonic out of Boulder, CO. The company recently opened an Omaha location after closing a $6 million Series B led by Camden Partners.
John Bunting co-founded a startup studio in Las Vegas and recently relocated to Omaha. He recognized a need for this model in the Midwest and launched Beeso Studio with an HQ at Populus Coworking. Beeso Studio partners with startups to ensure their long term success by providing low-cost services for software development, project management, marketing, business development, operations, and advisement.
Additionally, Populus has welcomed remote workers from exciting companies like Redhat, which was purchased last year by IBM for $33 billion. The public company Altaba (AABA), formerly part of Yahoo, has executives at the space. Companies from Iowa and South Dakota are currently negotiating opportunities to land at Populus.
Nearly 20 new full-time jobs have been created in Omaha by Populus Coworking members and over $16 million in venture capital attracted since opening in August of 2019 Incredible businesses are building in the Midwest. Populus Coworking creates spaces to attract and support these organizations in Omaha.
For more information about Populus Coworking, or for an opportunity to speak with its members, please contact Populus Founder Micah Yost at hello@populus.co / (402) 625-7866 or visit populus.co.