Let’s catch up with the latest news from Xconomy Texas.
—San Antonio’s Geekdom Fund has raised $6.7 million for its new fund called Geekdom Fund II. According to a regulatory finding, the firm may raise as much as $15 million to invest on IT startups. Founded in 2014, the Geekdom Fund has focused mostly on startups in San Antonio and Austin.
—Prytime Medical Devices has received approval to sell its lead product—a catheter used in emergency and critical care situations when patients are hemorrhaging blood after a traumatic injury—in Europe. Prytime received FDA clearance for the device a year ago when the company was known as Pryor Medical Devices. The catheter is inserted through the femoral artery, and has a balloon attached to it that can be inflated in a large blood vessel, such as the aorta, helping blood flow to the organs instead of just out of the body.
—Houston held its first ever Startup Week last week featuring nuts-and-bolts type events for founders on marketing strategy, product development, and fundraising, as well as community-building activities like free yoga and “Eggs & Kegs” breakfasts. The event was held at Station Houston, a co-working space that opened earlier this year and recently moved into new office space in downtown Houston.
—Austin drone data company Hangar said it has acquired Autoflight Logic, maker of popular third-party flight automation software for DJI drones. Autoflight Logic says about 150,000 autonomous flights in more than 190 countries have been flown using its ground control software. Hangar, which makes software to help businesses better collect and analyze data from drone flights, raised $6.5 million last month in an early stage funding round.
—Technology companies are known for their quirky workspaces. San Antonio software designer Brett Elmendorf’s digs take that to the next extreme. His office is a warehouse of his tinkerings and a museum of sorts to the building’s past lives. My colleague Xconomy national correspondent David Holley has a slideshow.
—It’s time to enroll for benefits for 2017, an undertaking that can already be stressful and confusing. Add in the uncertainty with the election of Donald Trump and the Affordable Care Act, and many people are looking for a way to cut through the clutter. Though he’s not sure what sort of changes might come, Take Command Health founder Jack Hooper in Dallas says his site—tailored to individuals seeking healthcare plans—can offer people more choice than what they find on the federal exchange.
—A San Antonio e-commerce golf clothing business called The Country Club Collection won a $25,000 award at a competition hosted by Trinity University. The startup liquidates unsold inventory from pro shops at country clubs and golf outlets through its site.
