Invest Nebraska joins 2026 Microsoft TechSpark Fellows to expand rural tech training
Invest Nebraska has been accepted into the 2026 Microsoft TechSpark Community Engagement Fellowship. The nonprofit venture development organization will use the program to strengthen technology and business training for rural entrepreneurs, with a clear focus on practical AI and cloud skills.
Microsoft launched TechSpark in 2017 to support economic opportunity in rural and remote communities by increasing access to advanced technology and the skills to use it. The 2026 Fellows cohort includes 24 nonprofits, each receiving $45,000 in funding and guided training on Microsoft offerings. "Our goal is to create jobs where people are," Microsoft TechSpark General Manager Mike Egan said. "(Invest Nebraska is) creating jobs - they're creating startups that really work and stay there in the community."
How Invest Nebraska will use the fellowship
Invest Nebraska Ecosystem Manager Jessica Rudolph will serve as the organization's TechSpark fellow. She'll participate in virtual training, work directly with a TechSpark coach, and share what she learns with Nebraska founders and stakeholders. Rudolph is also building a case study on how local startups are using AI. "Really, it's just encouraging our entrepreneurs to learn more about AI to possibly help them grow their business," she said.
The effort will prioritize agtech founders and rural communities. Two partners will be hands-on: The Combine in Lincoln and Intersect Coworking and Incubator in Norfolk. The Combine supports high-growth food and agtech founders with commercialization help, mentorship, and network access. Intersect offers programming and community events, including 1 Million Cups Norfolk.
Building on last year's momentum
This is the second year Microsoft has selected Invest Nebraska for TechSpark. From 2024 to 2025, the collaboration helped Intersect hire Ryan Ruff as entrepreneur in residence and launch the Rural Tech Entrepreneur Program-an incubator giving rural founders curriculum, guidance, and tools to develop and scale ideas.
Intersect will continue the program, including a $500 incentive for participants who complete the lessons. The incubator now runs in a flexible office-hours format and emphasizes "innovation" skills for early founders and teams inside local businesses. "(These skills) could be applied through entrepreneurship, starting your own company, but it also could be applied through intrapreneurship, where you help your company to come up with new initiatives, new strategies or either save money or make more money as an organization," Ruff said.
After the fellowship, Egan said Microsoft plans to bring Invest Nebraska into a new alumni program to keep them connected for ongoing resource sharing and access.
Why this matters for educators
If you work in education-K-12, community college, university, workforce training, or adult ed-this is an opening to align learning with local jobs. Rural students and working learners need practical AI and cloud literacy tied to real industries like agtech. The fellowship brings resources, case studies, and a clear path to hands-on experiences with founders and small businesses.
- Integrate AI fundamentals into business, computer science, and CTE tracks using local agtech examples.
- Partner with The Combine and Intersect to place students in projects, internships, or capstones aligned with real startup needs.
- Use Rudolph's AI case study as a classroom discussion or module on applied AI in small businesses.
- Host "Innovation Office Hours" on campus with Intersect-style coaching for student teams and faculty-led intrapreneurship.
- Map micro-credentials to the skills emphasized by TechSpark (AI, data, cloud) to support job placement in rural communities.
Get involved
Interested participants for Intersect's programming can apply online or visit during Innovation Office Hours. Founders looking at The Combine can apply via its website. Educators can reach out to both groups to co-develop projects, align curricula, and schedule guest workshops with founders.
To learn more about the broader initiative, see Microsoft's TechSpark overview at microsoft.com/techspark. For educators building AI upskilling paths across roles, explore curated programs at Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.
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