Innovation news in Texas started off the year with the announcement that billionaire IT entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” judge Mark Cuban would judge at the Impact Pediatric Health pitch day at South By Southwest. The first quarter of the year concluded with a story on the contest’s winning company—and its largest customer, Cuban himself.
There were other SXSW stories, from the rise of Meerkat at the Austin festival to Capital Factory’s new accelerator class, but the top stories from the first three months of the year also included a slew of investments for biotech and IT companies as well as new startup classes at cleantech accelerator Surge in Houston and the inaugural crew at TMCx.
Along the way, we noted the changing nature of venture capital in Austin, the end of the road for Austin Ventures, and looked at the emergence of a vibrant startup scene in Dallas.
Here, in reverse chronological order, are the top stories from Xconomy’s Texas bureau for the first quarter.
—Austin’s Aeglea Biotherapeutics brings in big money.
—Boston startup CareAline comes to Austin, wins pitch event, and gets Mark Cuban as a customer.
—Austin’s Capital Factory unveils new startups at SXSW.
—The Texas Medical Center’s new accelerator, TMCx, announces its first batch of healthIT startups.
—The first-ever Dallas Startup Week shines a spotlight on innovation in Big D.
—The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas announces new life sciences and biotech grants.
—Austin innovation grew up with Austin Ventures. Now the community doesn’t need it anymore.
—The latest class of cleantech startups gets started at Houston’s Surge accelerator.
—Fannin Innovation Studio spins out its latest biotech company.
—Hatch Pitch unveils its tech startup lineup for SXSW event.
—Austin app Localeur gets new funds and advice from ex-Facebook executives.
—Dallas biotech AveXis gets $10 million to develop a gene therapy for a rare spine disease.
—Impact Pediatric Health announces Mark Cuban as a judge.
