Dallas—Health Wildcatters, the Dallas accelerator geared toward supporting healthcare innovations, reported its latest cohort of 10 startups. The class features startups that are developing technologies to affect mental health, improve clinical trials, and create a Priceline-type website for medical imaging centers, among other needs. The companies hail from around the United States, but several of … Continue reading “Dallas’s Health Wildcatters Welcomes New Group of Health IT Startups”
Author: Angela Shah
Angela Shah was formerly the editor of Xconomy Texas. She has written about startups along a wide entrepreneurial spectrum, from Silicon Valley transplants to Austin transforming a once-sleepy university town in the '90s tech boom to 20-something women defying cultural norms as they seek to build vital IT infrastructure in a war-torn Afghanistan. As a foreign correspondent based in Dubai, her work appeared in The New York Times, TIME, Newsweek/Daily Beast and Forbes Asia.
Before moving overseas, Shah was a staff writer and columnist with The Dallas Morning News and the Austin American-Statesman. She has a Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and she is a 2007 Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan. With the launch of Xconomy Texas, she's returned to her hometown of Houston.
Texas Roundup: Rackspace, PatientIO, Circular Board, Bluegrass Vascular
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas, which includes two notable acquisitions in San Antonio and Austin. —San Antonio biotech Cardiovate closed a $350,000 round of convertible notes from the University of Texas Horizon Fund, Targeted Technology, and angel investors. The four-year-old company is building a medical device scaffolding that … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Rackspace, PatientIO, Circular Board, Bluegrass Vascular”
Robart Brothers Seek “Unconventional” Funds for Energy Tech Startups
Houston—In a post-Surge Ventures environment, what’s the most viable way to invest in and support the growth of local, young energy technology companies? That’s the question in front of Chris Robart, and his brother Alex, as they develop their investment firm Unconventional Capital. The brothers got their firm up and running just as Kirk Coburn, … Continue reading “Robart Brothers Seek “Unconventional” Funds for Energy Tech Startups”
Station Houston Hires Ex-Thiel Executive, Marks Growth Milestones
Houston—Like the startups it was founded to help, Station Houston has hit a few milestones that executives say point to the growth of the technology startup hub. For one, Station has brought on Jessica Whitman Hart, a former executive at PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel’s investment firm Thiel Capital, as a keystone to formally hire and … Continue reading “Station Houston Hires Ex-Thiel Executive, Marks Growth Milestones”
Circular Board Founder Carolyn Rodz Puts New Spin on the Accelerator
Houston—There is a lot of discussion in the startup world about how to better support women entrepreneurs. Carolyn Rodz decided to tackle one aspect of it: the accelerator. “We wanted to take best practices from accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator, and build something that is for women,” says Rodz, who launched the Circular Board … Continue reading “Circular Board Founder Carolyn Rodz Puts New Spin on the Accelerator”
Roundup: S3 Ventures, TMCx, George Peoples, Disruptors in Houston
Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —S3 Ventures has closed on a new $75 million fund—its sixth, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday. The Austin, TX-based venture firm’s fifth fund, closed in 2013, also totaled $75 million and was S3’s largest fund at the time. S3 has made investments in a … Continue reading “Roundup: S3 Ventures, TMCx, George Peoples, Disruptors in Houston”
Presenting Texas Disruptors, Oct. 27: DePinho, Metcalfe, Saxena & More
Houston—The Texas innovation community has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, which has helped spotlight technological and business advances in healthcare, space, aviation, transportation, and other industries. On October 27 at the Texas Medical Center’s TMCx accelerator in Houston, Xconomy is hosting our first-ever “Disruptors” conference in Texas, a daylong forum featuring some … Continue reading “Presenting Texas Disruptors, Oct. 27: DePinho, Metcalfe, Saxena & More”
Empathy, Curiosity Key in Making Medical Device Innovations Work
Houston—The challenge of healthcare innovation is that it’s about more than making technology work. The bottom line is that any advance in health IT or medical devices must be considered with one thing in mind, said Todd Dunn, director of innovation at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, UT: The innovation is going to be used … Continue reading “Empathy, Curiosity Key in Making Medical Device Innovations Work”
Roundup: FloSports, Aidant, Tech Wildcatters, Bayou Startup Showcase
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Dallas accelerator Tech Wildcatters announced Tuesday the first startup to reach its top milestone in its new “Gauntlet” program. Selery Fulfillment will receive a $100,000 investment, the largest in the accelerator’s history. The startup provides integrated storage and shipping management for small to … Continue reading “Roundup: FloSports, Aidant, Tech Wildcatters, Bayou Startup Showcase”
Xconomy Bookclub: A Child Genius Makes His Mark in Nuclear Physics
Are innovators born or made? In Tom Clynes’ book on young genius Taylor Wilson, the answer seems to be both. Clynes begins with Wilson as a precocious 9-year-old, one who had already mastered the science of rocket propulsion, giving an impromptu lecture before a gaggle of fellow tour-takers at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: A Child Genius Makes His Mark in Nuclear Physics”
Houston Materials Startup Aidant Navigates the Energy Downturn
Houston—It’s probably not a good sign when you’re leading an energy startup and one of your customers asks you for a job. “He was telling us, ‘I can’t buy anything. This is my wife sitting next to me and I have to lay her off tomorrow,’ ” says Lauren Thompson Miller, CEO and co-founder of … Continue reading “Houston Materials Startup Aidant Navigates the Energy Downturn”
From Drugs to Data, Student Founders at Rice, UH Make Their Pitches
Houston—For the Bayou Startup Showcase, the third time proved to be the charm. Wednesday evening’s demo day of the student startup programs from the University of Houston and Rice University showed a certain maturity, a gelling of operations both in terms of the joint summer accelerator and in the startups themselves. The pitches this year … Continue reading “From Drugs to Data, Student Founders at Rice, UH Make Their Pitches”
Roundup: Owlchemy, TheWaveVR, Fe3 Medical, & Rackspace Buyout?
Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Rackspace Hosting, the San Antonio, TX-based cloud computing company, is reportedly nearing a sale to a New York-based private equity firm. Reuters has reported that Apollo Global Management (NYSE: [[ticker:APO]]) is considering a $3.5 billion offer for Rackspace (NYSE: [[ticker:RAX]]). In 2014, the company … Continue reading “Roundup: Owlchemy, TheWaveVR, Fe3 Medical, & Rackspace Buyout?”
Austin VR Gaming Startup Owlchemy Brings in $5M from Investors
Austin—Virtual reality startup Owlchemy Labs has raised $5 million in Series A funding from investors such as Qualcomm Ventures, The Venture Reality Fund, HTC, Colopl Next, and Capital Factory. The startup is best known for its “Job Simulator” game, which is paired with the HTC Vive virtual reality headset. CEO Alex Schwartz says the startup … Continue reading “Austin VR Gaming Startup Owlchemy Brings in $5M from Investors”
Seeking to Bring Concerts Into the Virtual World, WaveVR Raises $2.5M
Austin—The WaveVR, which aims to connect fans with musicians and DJs in the virtual world, has raised $2.5 million in a seed round of funding. Investors in the virtual reality music platform include Presence Capital and Rothenberg Ventures, both in San Francisco; RRE Ventures in New York; The VR Fund; and Seedcamp. The funds will … Continue reading “Seeking to Bring Concerts Into the Virtual World, WaveVR Raises $2.5M”
At Third Birthday, the DEC Takes Stock of Its Impact on Startups
Dallas—Last night, the Dallas Entrepreneur Center threw itself a third birthday party of sorts, a fete that also introduced an expanded facility for startups that have grown to need more than a co-working desk. The gathering was also an opportunity for DEC co-founder and CEO Trey Bowles to give concrete examples of the center’s impact … Continue reading “At Third Birthday, the DEC Takes Stock of Its Impact on Startups”
Tour of Texas: CognitiveScale, Cariloop, Pageboy, CS Disco, Dropoff
Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. Austin: —CognitiveScale, an artificial intelligence/cognitive computing startup, announced it has raised $21.8 million in venture funding to promote global sales. The two-year-old startup has developed software to create a cloud-computing platform that uses machine learning to mine very large databases. —Most delivery startups have … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: CognitiveScale, Cariloop, Pageboy, CS Disco, Dropoff”
Austin AI Startup Cognitive Scale Brings in $21.8M in Series B Funding
Austin—AI startup CognitiveScale has raised $21.8 million in a Series B round of funding. The startup, which makes software that has created a cognitive cloud platform that can mine very large databases, reported Tuesday that the funding comes from investors Norwest Venture Partners and Intel Capital. The two-year-old company said this round brings total financing … Continue reading “Austin AI Startup Cognitive Scale Brings in $21.8M in Series B Funding”
Houston’s CS Disco Raises $18.75M to Boost Legal IT Software
Houston—Legal IT firm CS Disco announced today it has raised $18.75 million in a Series C funding round, accounting for just over half of its total investment raised of $35 million. Private equity firm The Stephens Group in Little Rock, AR, led the round, with participation from existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners in Menlo Park, … Continue reading “Houston’s CS Disco Raises $18.75M to Boost Legal IT Software”
Houston’s Pageboy App Brings the Beauty Salon to Your Home
Houston—Picture a beauty salon—or barbershop, for you guys. It’s one of the least digitized environments in our lives. And that’s the most challenging aspect of promoting a beauty app, says Libby Cagle, co-founder of Pageboy. “It has been interesting to train customers to use the app to cancel appointments through the app,” instead of calling, … Continue reading “Houston’s Pageboy App Brings the Beauty Salon to Your Home”
Health IT Startup Cariloop Creates Community for Elder Caregivers
Dallas—It’s a fundamental lesson for entrepreneurs: Sometimes your expectations for your product and its market don’t work out. “We had our sets of assumptions as far as what’s going to happen,” says Michael Walsh, founder and CEO of Cariloop, a Dallas startup whose software helps manage the care of seniors. “And then when you get … Continue reading “Health IT Startup Cariloop Creates Community for Elder Caregivers”
Austin Delivery Startup Dropoff Expands Beyond Texas to LA
Austin—Dropoff founder and CEO Sean Spector makes it a point to emphasize that the Austin, TX-based startup is a delivery service for businesses. “We are an extension of these businesses and their brands,” he says. “We deliver valuable medication, sensitive documents … parts for an airplane. These are these businesses’ everyday needs.” His insistence on … Continue reading “Austin Delivery Startup Dropoff Expands Beyond Texas to LA”
Roundup: StackPath, Houston Ventures, Seremedi, Climate Impact Capital
As we wind down Monday, let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news in Texas. —In an atypically large debut for a young company, Dallas-based StackPath came out of stealth mode with $150 million in funding and about 30,000 customers. The cybersecurity software firm was founded by Lance Crosby, who sold cloud-computing software company … Continue reading “Roundup: StackPath, Houston Ventures, Seremedi, Climate Impact Capital”
Dallas Cybersecurity Software Firm StackPath Makes $180M Debut
Dallas—StackPath, a cybersecurity software company based in Dallas, has come out of stealth mode with $180 million in investment and 30,000 customers, according to media reports. StackPath is led by Lance Crosby, former co-founder and CEO of SoftLayer, a Dallas software company that IBM acquired for an estimated $2 billion in 2013. “The Internet is … Continue reading “Dallas Cybersecurity Software Firm StackPath Makes $180M Debut”
Houston Ventures Founder on Investing in Energy Software Startups
Houston—Chip Davis founded Houston Ventures specifically to support what’s known as the “digital oilfield.” In the last five years since it was spun out of Houston-based money management firm Sanger Morris Harris (now Edelman Financial Group), Houston Ventures has nurtured a small portfolio of technology startups that focus on software, IT networks, and analytics targeted … Continue reading “Houston Ventures Founder on Investing in Energy Software Startups”
Health IT Startup, Born of Grief, Tackles Home Care After Surgeries
Houston—Kim Bond Evans’s mother checked into the hospital for routine back surgery. But the procedure that was supposed to relieve her pain led to complications and, in the end, her death. As she processed her mother’s loss, Evans, who has worked for firms such as Microsoft and BMC Software, took a technologist’s approach to understand … Continue reading “Health IT Startup, Born of Grief, Tackles Home Care After Surgeries”
IT Services, Healthcare Attract Most Venture Investment in Texas
Venture capital investments into Texas startups and other high-tech companies totaled $255.6 million in 39 deals for the second quarter this year. The amount invested marked a 16 percent increase from the same period last year, while the number of deals was essentially flat. The state data is from the latest MoneyTree report on venture … Continue reading “IT Services, Healthcare Attract Most Venture Investment in Texas”
Ex-Shell Venture Exec Rozenfeld Founds Firm For Energy Innovation
Houston—The energy industry is still reeling from low oil prices but Alexander Rozenfeld is placing a bet that this is the right time to back innovative ideas in the sector. Rozenfeld left his position last month as president of Shell Technology Venture to form his own venture firm, Climate Impact Capital. The past several years … Continue reading “Ex-Shell Venture Exec Rozenfeld Founds Firm For Energy Innovation”
Tour of Texas: Valence, Stellarray, Flux Farms, A&M, StemBioSys
Let’s get caught up on the latest innovation news from Texas’s startup communities. Austin: —Valence Health, a Chicago-based organization with offices in Austin and Corpus Christi, has sold the majority of its business to Evolent Health for $145 million in cash and stock. Founded in 1996, Valence provides advisory and administrative services to hospitals, insurers, … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Valence, Stellarray, Flux Farms, A&M, StemBioSys”
Texas A&M and Methodist Hospital Bring Engineers to Medical School
College Station, TX—Texas A&M University and Houston’s Methodist Hospital want to bring engineering into medical education. Starting next fall, A&M will admit 50 engineering students to be part of its medical class—out of a class of 200—in a program designed to bring in those students’ expertise to promote innovative thinking in medical schools. “This is … Continue reading “Texas A&M and Methodist Hospital Bring Engineers to Medical School”
Dallas’s Flux Farms Brings A.I., Sensor to Hydroponic Farming
Dallas—Flux Farms likens the company’s technology to the brain of a smart farm. Eddy, the name of Flux Farms’ software technology, is made up of a robotic sensor as well as artificial intelligence that can monitor the water and nutrient levels of crops like tomatoes or lettuce, and then either trigger an automatic feeder or … Continue reading “Dallas’s Flux Farms Brings A.I., Sensor to Hydroponic Farming”
Dallas Police Shooting Highlights Role of Robots in Law Enforcement
Dallas—Robots have become a regular feature of combat, used by soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. But Dallas police’s use of such a device early Friday morning may be the first time law enforcement has deployed a robot to detonate a bomb to kill a suspect. Dallas Police Chief David Brown said police had tried to … Continue reading “Dallas Police Shooting Highlights Role of Robots in Law Enforcement”
Austin’s Stellarray Tackles Radiography in Space for NASA Project
Austin—Imaging startup Stellarray is looking to the next frontier for its imaging technology. The Austin, TX company has begun a project with NASA to develop a next-generation imaging system that can produce both traditional two-dimensional X-rays as well as 3-D, computer-generated images such as digital tomosynthesis. The effort is part of a $125,000 phase 1 … Continue reading “Austin’s Stellarray Tackles Radiography in Space for NASA Project”
Tour of Texas: Cancer Moonshot, Luminex, Integricote, & Rising Barn
Let’s catch up with the latest innovation news in Texas. Austin: —-Luminex (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LMNX]]) completed its acquisition of Nanosphere, an Illinois maker of diagnostic tests, for $77 million. The Austin-based Luminex, which also makes diagnostic tests, announced the purchase in May for an initial price of $58 million, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Dallas: —Dallas’s Tech … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Cancer Moonshot, Luminex, Integricote, & Rising Barn”
An Entrepreneur’s Journey: UH’s C-Voltaics Becomes Integricote
Houston—Three years ago, when I first met Seamus Curran, he was one of the pioneer entrepreneurs coming out of the University of Houston’s Energy Research Park. His startup, C-Voltaics, produced a chemical solution that could stain-proof wood, carpets, and even your best white clothing from water, coffee, red wine, or other damaging substances. The company … Continue reading “An Entrepreneur’s Journey: UH’s C-Voltaics Becomes Integricote”
Houston Health IT Startups Part of Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative
Houston—Two Houston health IT startups are among the private companies enlisted by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in his national cancer moonshot initiative, designed to speed up efforts that could cure cancer. DocGraph and CareSet Systems, both based in Houston, are developing a cancer dataset that would contain summarized information on nearly a million Medicare … Continue reading “Houston Health IT Startups Part of Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative”
Executive Reshuffling at Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters Startup Accelerator
Dallas—With the dismissal of two top executives from Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters, the startup accelerator has made a deep pivot in operations since its founding seven years ago. Molly Cain, TW’s executive director, and Clarisa Lindenmeyer, chief revenue officer, were both let go from their positions last week in what co-founder Gabriella Draney Zielke calls a … Continue reading “Executive Reshuffling at Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters Startup Accelerator”
Roundup: Build Sec Foundry, Tech Bloc, UT’s Goonewardene, & SiNode
Happy Monday from Xconomy Texas. Let’s get caught up on the latest innovation news in the state. —A new incubator in San Antonio aims to nurture young startups in cybersecurity. Build Sec Foundry will be hosted at Geekdom and has received a $600,000 grant from the 80/20 Foundation, a San Antonio group that invests in … Continue reading “Roundup: Build Sec Foundry, Tech Bloc, UT’s Goonewardene, & SiNode”
UT System’s Goonewardene: “Our Objective is to Be a Long-term Partner”
Austin—Julie Goonewardene grew up in academia; several members of her family are professors. Still, at the start her of career, Goonewardene choose to go into business, founding a software company in Indiana and serving in the executive suite at others. In 2005, she became director of business development at Purdue University’s Purdue Research Foundation and … Continue reading “UT System’s Goonewardene: “Our Objective is to Be a Long-term Partner””
Five Questions For … Surgeon, Inventor, Musician William Cohn
Houston—Innovators tend to be polymaths, standouts at a lot of different activities. Houston heart surgeon William “Billy” Cohn exceeds even that broad definition. By day, Cohn is a Texas Medical Center fixture, caring for patients or tinkering on his never-ending list of medical device ideas. He has more than 90 U.S. patents granted or pending … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Surgeon, Inventor, Musician William Cohn”
Dallas’s Muse Sells Architel to Houston IT Firm, Launches Sumo Ventures
Dallas—Centre Technologies of Houston has bought Dallas-based Architel, and Architel co-founder Alexander Muse says he now is launching a new early stage investment fund called Sumo Ventures. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Centre Technologies, founded in 2006, is a privately owned company that provides IT infrastructure for businesses of all sizes in Texas … Continue reading “Dallas’s Muse Sells Architel to Houston IT Firm, Launches Sumo Ventures”
How to Drive a More Innovative, Creative Business Class in Houston
Houston—A truly innovative city takes its gifts and constantly looks to reinvent itself, fighting against complacency that can take hold of a community. That was the gist of a recent panel discussion that brought together an assortment of Houston innovators from technology to the culinary arts. “We have these opportunities and gifts,” said Kirk Coburn, founder … Continue reading “How to Drive a More Innovative, Creative Business Class in Houston”
AT&T Formally Launches a Biotech-Focused Foundry at TMC in Houston
Houston—AT&T’s latest Foundry, an in-house corporate skunkworks, officially opened at the Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute Tuesday. The ribbon-cutting marked the second outside company to establish a presence at the TMC campus. Earlier this year in March, JNJ Innovation’s JLabs opened a Houston outpost with 21 resident companies, a medical device prototype lab, and a … Continue reading “AT&T Formally Launches a Biotech-Focused Foundry at TMC in Houston”
Spine Medical Device Firm LDR Holdings Bought by Zimmer Biomet for $1B
Austin—Medical device company LDR Holdings (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LDRH]]) has been acquired for about $1 billion in cash by fellow device manufacturer Zimmer Biomet (NYSE: [[ticker:ZBH]]). Zimmer’s offer to pay $37 a share represents a 64 percent premium to LDR’s closing price on Monday. Zimmer, which is based in Warsaw, IN, picked up LDR to add the … Continue reading “Spine Medical Device Firm LDR Holdings Bought by Zimmer Biomet for $1B”
Tour of Texas: Querium, Spredfast, Valify, TMCx, SWRI, StemBioSys
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news in Texas. Austin: —Austin edtech startup Querium received an early-stage bridge funding round from the University of Michigan’s student-run Social Venture Fund. Querium uses artificial intelligence to provide students step-by-step coaching in STEM courses. —Social media marketing company Spredfast raised $50 million, bringing its total to … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Querium, Spredfast, Valify, TMCx, SWRI, StemBioSys”
Valify Raises $2M, Aims to Make Hospital Systems More Efficient
Dallas—Hospital systems are complex, with thousands of vendors helping to keep things working so healthcare providers can tend to sick patients. Valify, a Dallas-area startup, wants to use software and analytics to help hospitals better track the vendors they use and how much they are paying—and see how that stacks up against their peer institutions. … Continue reading “Valify Raises $2M, Aims to Make Hospital Systems More Efficient”
Houston’s TMCx Accelerator Hosts Debut of Digital Health Startups
Houston—TMCx, the Texas Medical Center’s accelerator, presented a dozen digital health startups in its second annual demo day Thursday. The companies showed off a variety of innovations, including apps and digital dashboards for better managing patients with chronic diseases (Sensely) and those needing mental health care (Valera Health), tracking developmental milestones in children (Qidza), and … Continue reading “Houston’s TMCx Accelerator Hosts Debut of Digital Health Startups”
Michigan’s Social Venture Fund Invests in Querium, Austin Edtech Firm
Austin—Edtech startup Querium has received an early stage bridge round of funds from the University of Michigan’s Social Venture Fund, among other investors. Querium, which uses artificial intelligence to provide students with step-by-step coaching in math, science, and engineering courses, raised $366,000 of a $720,000 convertible note from 10 investors. The Social Venture Fund, a … Continue reading “Michigan’s Social Venture Fund Invests in Querium, Austin Edtech Firm”
Eyeing Further Growth, Social Marketer Spredfast Nabs Another $50M
Austin—Social media marketing software company Spredfast has raised $50 million, bringing its total funding raised to $116 million. Riverwood Capital, a private equity firm based in Menlo Park, CA, led the round. Also participating were return backers Austin Ventures, Interwest Partners, OpenView Venture Partners, and Lead Edge Capital. “Social media is super dynamic in the … Continue reading “Eyeing Further Growth, Social Marketer Spredfast Nabs Another $50M”
Texas Roundup: Tech Wildcatters, Funds for eyeQ & EquipmentShare, VR
Happy unofficial start to summer! Let’s ease back into the workweek by catching up with the latest innovation headlines from Xconomy Texas. —Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters accelerator held its first pitch day since launching its new “Gauntlet” program earlier this year. Instead of a traditional accelerator model, in which startups get access to tens of thousands … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Tech Wildcatters, Funds for eyeQ & EquipmentShare, VR”