About

Built by a builder.

Derek Branch

Founder, Branch Ventures

UNL business graduate. Former D1 football walk-on who became team captain. Not because of talent. Because of standard.

The same principles that worked on the field work in business: move fast, step up when it's on you, know your craft, and show up for your people. That's not a slogan. That's how every decision at Branch Ventures gets made.

Started the first Room in January 2026 with 15 people. No funding, no team, no playbook. Just a conviction that the Midwest's best builders were out there and nobody had built the infrastructure to connect them.

Osage Nation tribal member. Lincoln, NE based. Building in public.

The Story

Jan 2026

Room 1: 15 builders, one room, zero agenda

Jan 2026

Branch Ventures LLC formed

Feb 2026

Room 2: sold out at 25

Feb 2026

NFTicket MVP deployed

Feb 2026

The Standard written

The room is just the beginning.

Every layer of Branch Ventures feeds the next. The Room finds the builders. The platform powers their events. What comes after that is being built right now.

We're not announcing what's next until it's ready. But if you're paying attention, you can see where this goes.