Here is the latest innovation news from Texas.
—AdBm Technologies, an underwater noise abatement technology company in Austin, TX, raised $1.3 million in a Series A round, the company reported Thursday. AdBm says its system uses encapsulated air bubbles tuned to specific frequencies and in special configurations to capture and mitigate noise generated in, for example, deep sea drilling activities. The Central Texas Angel Network led the round. Other investors included Green Park & Golf Ventures and the Houston Angel Network.
—Pristine, an Austin-based startup that develops healthcare apps using Google Glass, this week announced it has raised $5.4 million to further marketing and research and development efforts. Pristine sells a SAAS package, including the wearable device, with a core video-streaming app geared to health care professionals, such as surgeons or paramedics. S3 Ventures led the round, which included other investors such as Capital Factory and HealthFundr.
—Xeris Pharmaceuticals raised $7.2 million to further develop a soluable form of the pancreatic hormone glucagon to enhance insulin regulation. In June, the company, which is also based in Austin, said it began a phase 2 clinical study of the drug candidate.
—Car rental startup Silvercar said it raised $8.86 million of a planned $14 million offer. Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin led the round for the Austin company that solely rents Audi A4s. The cars are available at major Texas airports, save Houston, as well as Denver, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix.
—Stack Engine said it raised $1 million in seed funding to launch a beta of its software to help customers manage the use of open-source Docker technology to deploy enterprise applications. Bob Quillen, co-founder and CEO, which is based in Austin, says the startup hopes to make its software available to the market nearly next year. Investors such as LiveOak Venture Partners and Silverton Partners participated in the round.
—The SafeNight app, which helps shelters secure hotel rooms for domestic violence victims in urgent need, is expanding to the Dallas area. The app crowdfunds the hotel payment through users who have downloaded it. It was developed by Aidmatrix in Dallas with San Francisco-based Caravan Studios last year and is currently operating in two California cities.
—Rice University startup Big Delta Systems has developd a spray-on battery that allows for power storage and generation in unconventional ways, including transforming tiles and other materials into batteries.