Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news in Texas.
—Austin-based fragrance maker Phlur raised $7 million in a Series A round, the company announced. The investment was led by Symrise and included earlier investor Next Coast Ventures and new investor Belcorp, which Phlur said is the second largest beauty company in South America. Phlur also said that it has acquired Texas Beauty Labs, a manufacturer of “clean beauty products.” Phlur was founded in 2015.
—Austin is the latest city to join the City:One Challenge, a program first developed in Detroit by Ford Motor (NYSE: [[ticker:F]]) and Planet M, a Michigan economic development initiative focused on new mobility ideas. In cities that participate, the goal is to get residents to share their experiences with transportation and suggest ideas that might improve mobility. In Austin, the goal is to develop ideas that improve access to services like grocery stores and healthcare facilities in East Austin, particularly for historically underserved communities, as well as ideas that encourage biking and walking and other means of improving transit, according to a news release.
People can submit ideas to the program, and 12 finalists will be selected in October to pitch the proposals. Ford and the Austin Transportation Department will select winners who will get up to $100,000 to fund pilot programs. Three other programs have been launched in 2019 in Indianapolis, IN, Detroit, and Mexico City. It launched in 2018 in Pittsburgh, Miami-Dade County, and Grand Rapids, MI.
—Enboarder, maker of cloud-based software for human relations departments, has raised $8 million, according to a press release. Greycroft, which participated in the startup’s previous funding round of $4 million, is the lead investor in the new Series A financing. Next Coast Ventures and Stage 2 Capital also participated in the round. This latest investment brings Enboarder’s total funding to $12 million, the company said. Founded in 2015, Enboarder has more than 200 companies as customers worldwide, including McDonald’s, Hugo Boss, and Eventbrite.
—Austin-based Arrive Logistics has raised $25 million in funding in a round led by Lead Edge Capital. The startup, which makes software that helps businesses that need logistics services find matches with shipping companies, was founded in 2014. Arrive now has 800 employees in offices in Chicago; Chattanooga, TN; and Austin.
—Aunt Bertha, a social tech startup that helps connect people to social services, has raised $16 million in funding, according to a press release. The investment round was led by Noro-Moseley Partners with participation from Digitalis Ventures, Techstars Ventures, Techstars Impact, Capital Factory as well as other early investors in the company, Aunt Bertha said. “Our customers are connecting the people they serve to food, housing, education and other programs using our nationwide Social Care Network,” Erine Gray, the startup’s founder and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “When people’s basic needs are met, they are less likely to consume unnecessary healthcare services, which improves healthcare organizations’ bottom line and ultimately overall health outcomes.”
Xconomy National Correspondent David Holley contributed to this report.
