Dallas—How can you disrupt the accelerator? That’s the question Tech Wildcatters asked themselves following pitch day last year. “Instead of putting everybody in a one-size-fits-all program, instead of giving a trophy on day one, we decided to make it more ‘go at your own pace,’” says Gabriella Draney Zielke, the accelerator’s co-founder. So instead of … Continue reading “Dallas’s Tech Wildcatters Pivots, Puts Startups Through “Gauntlet””
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.
EquipmentShare Snags $5.5M for “Airbnb” of Construction Machinery
Dallas—EquipmentShare, an online marketplace for construction equipment, has raised $5.5 million in a Series A funding round. Boston’s Romulus Capital is providing the funding. EquipmentShare essentially works to bring the construction site into the digital age. The company’s website works as its name suggests: contractors, construction firms, and the like with idle equipment—forklifts, cranes, bulldozers—can … Continue reading “EquipmentShare Snags $5.5M for “Airbnb” of Construction Machinery”
Austin Tech Entrepreneurs Develop Non-Profit Ride-Hailing Service
Austin—A group of Austin, TX, tech leaders have announced a new ride-hailing service for the city. RideAustin is pulling up to the curb about two weeks after voters rejected a referendum item that would have nullified the city’s fingerprinting rules for ride-hailing companies’ drivers. Two days after losing that vote, Uber and Lyft—which spent $8 … Continue reading “Austin Tech Entrepreneurs Develop Non-Profit Ride-Hailing Service”
Personalized Shopping Startup eyeQ Gets $3.5M to Recommend Products
Austin—EyeQ, which makes software to help retailers provide “personalized shopping” experiences to customers, said Tuesday the company has raised $3.5 million in a Series A funding round. The investment is led by Austin’s Align Capital, a new investor in the company, one that joins previous backers such as the Houston Angel Network and DreamIt Ventures. … Continue reading “Personalized Shopping Startup eyeQ Gets $3.5M to Recommend Products”
Tour of Texas: Ride-Hailing, CPRIT, Deep Space, Dean Kamen, START
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news in Texas. Austin —BeSomebody, an Austin, TX-based, app that connects people seeking experiences with experts in those experiences, is moving to Boston. Founder Kash Shaikh, a former social media marketing executive at Procter & Gamble and GoPro, has created essentially an online self-improvement network that encourages … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Ride-Hailing, CPRIT, Deep Space, Dean Kamen, START”
Dean Kamen Talks Houston & Building Robotics “Super Bowl” For Kids
Houston—Dean Kamen’s inventions include the iBot, a powered wheelchair that can “walk;” the first portable insulin delivery system; and a robotic prosthetic arm made for the military as he built his firm Deka Research and Development. (Also, you may have heard of this other invention he had: the Segway.) Houston played a pivotal role in … Continue reading “Dean Kamen Talks Houston & Building Robotics “Super Bowl” For Kids”
Dallas’s Deep Space Ventures Targets Business-Focused Startups
Dallas—Deep Space Ventures has big plans for the North Texas venture scene. “We’ll spend $20 to $30 million; it’ll take us three to five years to do it,” says co-founder Stephen Hays. “And then we’ll go from there.” “We” is Hays and an unnamed partner, an energy entrepreneur who is providing the funding for Deep … Continue reading “Dallas’s Deep Space Ventures Targets Business-Focused Startups”
CPRIT Marks Midpoint in Texas Agency’s 10-Year Cancer-Fighting Mandate
Austin—Officials at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Tuesday marked the midpoint of the agency’s mandate. “Curing cancer takes 10 to 15 years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions,” said Wayne Roberts, CPRIT’s executive director. “But preventions and cures are possible with every advance…Cancer is not cured now, but … Continue reading “CPRIT Marks Midpoint in Texas Agency’s 10-Year Cancer-Fighting Mandate”
Boston Ride-Hailing Service Fasten Seeks Inroads to Austin Market
Austin—In the wake of Uber and Lyft’s departure from Austin, a Boston-based ride-hailing service said it will launch its service later this month. The company has said it will comply with the city’s regulations regarding background checks of drivers. Uber and Lyft had fought against those rules, saying they were an unnecessary infringement on their … Continue reading “Boston Ride-Hailing Service Fasten Seeks Inroads to Austin Market”
Texas Roundup: Adhesys, Emily Keeton, BioMedical Enterprises & Vyopta
Let’s get caught up with the latest innovation news at Xconomy Texas. —Station Houston co-founder Emily Keeton was the featured speaker at Startup Grind Houston’s most recent fireside chat event. Keeton became the national president of Lemonade Day, an organization that supports entrepreneurship in kids, and spoke specifically about encouraging young women in innovation. —The … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Adhesys, Emily Keeton, BioMedical Enterprises & Vyopta”
“Be Vulnerable, With Confidence,” Keeton Advises Women Entrepreneurs
Houston—Among the best ways to encourage women entrepreneurs? Plug the confidence gap in young girls. So said Emily Keeton, a Houston entrepreneur—she co-founded the co-working space Station Houston earlier this year—at a Startup Grind Houston event Wednesday. She pointed to the example of a 12-year-old named Rosemary, who participated in the most recent Lemonade Day held … Continue reading ““Be Vulnerable, With Confidence,” Keeton Advises Women Entrepreneurs”
Houston’s Adhesys Medical Forms Partnership with German Pharma Firm
[Updated 5/12/16 10:15 am. See below.] Houston—Adhesys Medical, maker of a new surgical adhesive with its U.S. headquarters in Houston, has announced a commercialization partnership with a European pharmaceutical company. Grünenthal is based in Aachen, Germany, which is where Adhesys—then known as Medical Adhesive Revolution—was founded. Adheysys won the Rice Business Plan Competition in 2014, … Continue reading “Houston’s Adhesys Medical Forms Partnership with German Pharma Firm”
Austin Software Firm Vyopta Adds Another $1M to Previous $5M Round
Austin—Vyopta, which provides a video conferencing system dashboard for businesses, said Wednesday it has added $1 million to a $5 million funding round it announced in February. AVX Partners, the company’s investor in the previous round, is putting up the additional $1 million. Allison Smith, a spokeswoman for the company, said Vyopta decided to take … Continue reading “Austin Software Firm Vyopta Adds Another $1M to Previous $5M Round”
What Now: Austin Looks for Ways to Bring Back Ride-Hailing Services
Austin—Uber and Lyft both suspended service in Austin Monday morning following the defeat their bid to eliminate driver fingerprinting requirements, among other measurements. In a Saturday referendum, Austin voters opted to uphold the city’s rules on the ride-hailing companies’ employees with a 56 percent margin. Immediately after the votes were counted, Uber and Lyft announced … Continue reading “What Now: Austin Looks for Ways to Bring Back Ride-Hailing Services”
Uber, Lyft Say They Will Leave Austin Following Defeat in Election
Austin—Uber and Lyft have said they will pull out of Austin following a Saturday referendum that approved regulations that called for the ride-hailing companies to fingerprint drivers. “Disappointment does not begin to describe how we feel about shutting down operations in Austin,” said Chris Nakutis, Uber’s Austin general manager, in a statement according to the … Continue reading “Uber, Lyft Say They Will Leave Austin Following Defeat in Election”
TX Roundup: Uber Election, OutboundEngine, Joah Spearman, “Windfall”
Let’s end the week with a recap of the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas. —Voters in Austin will go to the polls on Saturday to decide whether they want to keep fingerprinting regulations in place that govern drivers for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. The companies say—and some leaders in the tech community agree—that … Continue reading “TX Roundup: Uber Election, OutboundEngine, Joah Spearman, “Windfall””
Uber, Lyft at Center of Innovation Debate in Austin and Houston
Austin—It’s not uncommon for controversy to follow the entrance of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft into a new market. But right now, in two Texas cities—Austin and Houston—the rhetorical salvos have started again. In Austin, for example, voters will go to the polls Saturday for a referendum to decide whether to overturn that city’s … Continue reading “Uber, Lyft at Center of Innovation Debate in Austin and Houston”
OutboundEngine Gets $16M for Marketing Software for Small Businesses
Austin—OutboundEngine, an Austin, TX-based company that makes business development software, has raised $16 million in Series C funding. The round was led by S3 Ventures, with participation from Silverton Partners, Noro-Moseley, Harmony Partners, Altos Ventures, and Capital Factory. The company says it will use the money to hire additional software developers, as well as marketing … Continue reading “OutboundEngine Gets $16M for Marketing Software for Small Businesses”
Five Questions For: Joah Spearman, Founder of Austin’s Localeur
Austin—The tech community in Austin, TX, takes great pride in its reputation as an innovation hub. So when Joah Spearman, co-founder and CEO of online city guides Localeur, called into question local venture capitalists’ dedication to supporting young tech companies, the allegation swirled around social media. “Despite this being an industry about first-movers and early … Continue reading “Five Questions For: Joah Spearman, Founder of Austin’s Localeur”
Xconomy Bookclub: “Windfall” Looks at the Business of Climate Change
Summer is around the corner and with it the seasonal hot-and-sticky climate, favored stomping grounds for mosquitoes. This year, health officials have warned Houston and other coastal communities along the Gulf coast that Zika virus-bearing mosquitoes could add a very unpleasant twist to the summer season. Over a decade ago, it was dengue fever, which … Continue reading “Xconomy Bookclub: “Windfall” Looks at the Business of Climate Change”
Texas Roundup: Rapamycin, SparkCognition, MolecularMatch, Rackspace
Let’s take a pause midweek and review the latest innovation news in the Lone Star State. —A San Antonio, TX-based biotech is placing a bet that an old drug can have new effects—with the help of a proprietary coating. Rapamycin Holdings hopes to begin testing in clinical trials a new formulation of the decades-old drug … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: Rapamycin, SparkCognition, MolecularMatch, Rackspace”
Houston’s MolecularMatch Expands Cancer Patient Treatment Service
Houston — Since MolecularMatch launched its web-based service to connect patients to clinical trials two years ago, the startup has received more than 250,000 searches by people seeking cancer treatment. “We don’t know if each of those people successfully ended up in a clinical trial,” says CEO Kevin Coker, citing privacy rules that patients agree to once … Continue reading “Houston’s MolecularMatch Expands Cancer Patient Treatment Service”
TriFusion Takes Top Prize in Rice Business Plan Competition
Houston — A Texas A&M University-based medical device company aiming to build a better prosthetic now has some new capital to support the effort. TriFusion Devices got a big boost over the weekend as the big winner in this year’s Rice Business Plan Competition, namely winning at least $300,000 in investment from Houston’s Goose Society. “It’s going … Continue reading “TriFusion Takes Top Prize in Rice Business Plan Competition”
Tour of Texas: Surge Ventures, Dell, Fannin Innovation, CellRight
Let’s take a moment to pause in the building of our ark to deal with the torrents of rain and floodwaters here at Xconomy Texas’ Houston headquarters, and reflect on the last week’s innovation news: Austin: —Dell Computer purchased EMC hoping to benefit by being able to offer its hardware along with the Massachusetts company’s … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Surge Ventures, Dell, Fannin Innovation, CellRight”
Oil Price’s Dip Challenges Energy Entrepreneurs to Rise
Houston — Amid the fallout of Surge Ventures’ failure to thrive are the 32 portfolio companies that remain. These startups, with which Surge founder Kirk Coburn has said he will continue to work, are innovating in a variety of energy fields, by leveraging new apps and software, and novel hardware. They all face their biggest entrepreneurial … Continue reading “Oil Price’s Dip Challenges Energy Entrepreneurs to Rise”
Soul-searching in Houston on Energy Innovation as Surge Closes
Houston — Since Surge Ventures closed its cleantech/energy venture accelerator last week, the question lingering has been, If a Surge can’t succeed in Houston—the energy capital of the world—then where? Houston’s prowess in energy turned out to be Surge’s Achilles heel: a lack of buy-in from incumbent oil and gas companies and electric utilities, says Surge founder Kirk Coburn. … Continue reading “Soul-searching in Houston on Energy Innovation as Surge Closes”
“Start Here, Exit Here”: Dallas Startup Week Begins Its Second Year
Dallas — Aside from an unexpected—and unwelcome—surprise ice storm courtesy of Mother Nature, the first Dallas Startup Week last year went off without a hitch. “Other than that, we had very little negative feedback, which was surprising,” jokes Mike Sitarzewski, founder and CEO of Epic Playground and a chief organizer of Dallas Startup Week, “so … Continue reading ““Start Here, Exit Here”: Dallas Startup Week Begins Its Second Year”
Kirk Coburn Announces Closure of Houston’s Surge Ventures
Houston — Kirk Coburn, founder of Surge Ventures, on Friday posted a “Dear John” letter saying Surge is closed. In a tersely worded blog post, Coburn wrote: “I received an e-mail from a senior oil and gas executive a few months ago stating, ‘There is noise from some that Surge is ‘dead.” I have given into … Continue reading “Kirk Coburn Announces Closure of Houston’s Surge Ventures”
Tour of Texas: Cancer Moonshot, Lumos, Robyn Metcalfe, & Esperance
It’s time to hit the road and catch up with the latest innovation news in the state. Austin: —Part of the mission of the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas is to both bring leading scientists to the state and support the research of those already here. This week it said that some of … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Cancer Moonshot, Lumos, Robyn Metcalfe, & Esperance”
Lumos Pharma Raises $34M to Fund Clinical Trials for CTD Drug
Austin — Lumos Pharma has raised $34 million in a Series B round to help pay for clinical trials this summer for a potential therapy for creatine transporter deficiency (CTD). The Austin, TX-based biotech company believes its drug candidate, LUM-001, can turn the debilitating disease into a more manageable condition. About 42,000 Americans were born with and … Continue reading “Lumos Pharma Raises $34M to Fund Clinical Trials for CTD Drug”
Five Questions For: Robyn Metcalfe, Director of Food+City at UT-Austin
Austin — Cities are planned in a number of ways, from roads to utilities to parks. Robyn Metcalfe wants that focus to apply to the way our food is distributed. As director of Food+City, a multi-departmental effort at the University of Texas at Austin, Metcalfe is exploring how to create a better food system. “We’re … Continue reading “Five Questions For: Robyn Metcalfe, Director of Food+City at UT-Austin”
Old Dog, New Tests: Embark Uses DNA Kit to Promote Canine Health
Austin — Human genetic testing is an increasingly popular way to gain bio-intelligence about ourselves and potentially ward off illness. Now, some startups want to enable us to do the same for man’s best friend. Embark Veterinary is an Austin, TX, startup that is offering what it says is the first canine DNA test to … Continue reading “Old Dog, New Tests: Embark Uses DNA Kit to Promote Canine Health”
Houston Biotech Esperance Eyes $40M Raise to Fund Cancer Drug Push
Houston — Brett Giroir, the former head of Texas A&M University’s Health Science Center, has a new biotech venture in Houston, and has brought along innovation from his home state of Louisiana. Giroir has joined the board of Esperance Pharmaceuticals, a biotech developing drugs for a variety of cancers. Esperance was founded ten years ago … Continue reading “Houston Biotech Esperance Eyes $40M Raise to Fund Cancer Drug Push”
Tour of Texas: Dell, Dignitana, AT&T’s Foundry, U of H, Merge VR
Let’s catch up with innovation news from around the Lone Star state. Austin: —Dell Computer is putting up for sale its IT services businesses—formerly known as Perot Systems—to raise cash to help pay for its acquisition of EMC. Japan’s NTT Data is expected to pay $3 billion for the business. Dell announced last October that … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Dell, Dignitana, AT&T’s Foundry, U of H, Merge VR”
Houston University Names Director for New Superconductor Institute
Houston — The University of Houston has announced the first director for its new Advanced Superconductor Manufacturing Institute. Syed Ahmed, a 20-year veteran of Southern California Edison who worked on projects such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s High Temperature Superconductivity Initiative, has taken on the Houston role. The institute, which received a $500,000 planning … Continue reading “Houston University Names Director for New Superconductor Institute”
AT&T Aims to Apply Foundry Model to Health IT in Houston
Plano, TX — Innovation in health IT can be as simple as a connected first-aid kit. The kit would sense when an item, say, Band-Aids, are low and wirelessly connect to the Internet to place an order and have it delivered. The idea of a medicine cabinet staple, souped up for the information age, is … Continue reading “AT&T Aims to Apply Foundry Model to Health IT in Houston”
Tour of Texas: SXSW Recap, Houston Tech Center, M-Files, Grok, U of H
A cool front has blown into the state with warm, sunny days and brisk evenings. Let’s roll down the top and take a scenic drive through Texas’ innovation communities. Austin —The 30th annual South By Southwest Interactive festival is on the books, drawing tens of thousands to downtown Austin. This year’s spotlight was on the leader … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: SXSW Recap, Houston Tech Center, M-Files, Grok, U of H”
SXSW Recap: Harassment Summit Fizzles, Houston Biotech Booms, & More
Austin — Another South By Southwest Interactive has come and gone. This year brought an Obama two-fer with both the president and first lady headlining keynote addresses for both the Interactive and Music programming. Austin entrepreneur William Hurley had brought President Obama to town and then, three days later, announced he’d sold his fintech startup … Continue reading “SXSW Recap: Harassment Summit Fizzles, Houston Biotech Booms, & More”
Houston Tech Center’s Ulrich Reflects on City’s Growing Ecosystem
Houston — Walter Ulrich, CEO of the Houston Technology Center, is returning to his professional roots. Ulrich is stepping down from his HTC post next year, after a decade at the helm of the Houston-based tech startup incubator. Now, he’s seeking to work with other nonprofits or medium-sized companies that might need some help in … Continue reading “Houston Tech Center’s Ulrich Reflects on City’s Growing Ecosystem”
Texas Roundup: HTC, Pivot3, Honest Dollar, Mend, Virtuix
South By Southwest Interactive has closed the books on 2016, and we’re still rolling out coverage of this year’s events. But let’s pause and review Texas innovation news from the past 10 days. —Walter Ulrich, president and CEO of the Houston Technology Center, announced today that he is leaving his post in February 2017. When … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: HTC, Pivot3, Honest Dollar, Mend, Virtuix”
Post NexGen Purchase, Austin Software Firm Pivot3 Raises $55M
Austin — Software company Pivot3 today closed on $54.6 million in equity and bank financing. Pivot3 sells software for computing, memory, and storage on a “commodity priced” hardware server— inexpensive Web-based storage as well as computing power to businesses ranging from casinos to correctional departments and aviation authorities. . Investors included Argonaut Private Equity in … Continue reading “Post NexGen Purchase, Austin Software Firm Pivot3 Raises $55M”
Goldman Sachs Snags Austin Fintech Startup Honest Dollar
Austin — Honest Dollar, an Austin, TX-based fintech company that provides retirement tools for small businesses, has been acquired by Goldman Sachs. The acquisition was made by the investment management arm of Goldman Sachs, which invests $1 trillion for institutions and wealthy individuals Terms of the deal, which was announced Monday and is expected to close … Continue reading “Goldman Sachs Snags Austin Fintech Startup Honest Dollar”
Austin Virtual Reality Startup Virtuix Targets “Mini-IPO” Funding
Austin — Virtual reality startup Virtuix is gearing up for a “mini-IPO” by tapping into a new funding avenue made possible by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation A+. “Since our early beginnings, we’ve had a strong community of backers and supporters that frequently asked us [if they can] buy shares in Virtuix,” says Jan Goetgeluk, Virtuix’s … Continue reading “Austin Virtual Reality Startup Virtuix Targets “Mini-IPO” Funding”
Five Questions For … Nick Kennedy, Founder of Dallas-Based Rise
Dallas — Texas is a far-flung state with metro-city populations that are about 200 miles away from each other. Because of that, tech innovation circles tend to largely stay amongst themselves, with the occasional meetup at South By Southwest Interactive in Austin. As a way for people around the state to get to know each … Continue reading “Five Questions For … Nick Kennedy, Founder of Dallas-Based Rise”
Tour of Texas: Savara, Brainspace, JLabs, InCube, Trinity University
Happy Monday. Let’s start the week with a recap of the latest innovation news from around Texas, including new funding and support for startups and entrepreneurs, artificial intelligence, and a treatment for cystic fibrosis patients. Austin: —Austin’s Savara Pharmaceuticals has raised $20 million in Series C funding to further develop AeroVanc, what it says is … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Savara, Brainspace, JLabs, InCube, Trinity University”
Brainspace Aims to Harness “Collective Intelligence” of Businesses
Dallas — Software can do a lot of things, but can it read between the lines? That human ability to look for context and the sentiments that are not explicitly stated is the next frontier in “semantic search,” says Dave Copps, the founder and CEO of Brainspace, a machine-learning software startup. Current information-search techniques rely … Continue reading “Brainspace Aims to Harness “Collective Intelligence” of Businesses”
JLabs @ TMC Opens Houston Campus, Home to 21 Biotech Startups
Houston — Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s newest JLabs incubator opens in Houston today with a class of 21 resident biotech companies pursuing innovation in health IT, medical devices, and drugs. Called “JLABS @ TMC,” the facility is located within the Texas Medical Center’s Innovation Institute, which includes TMCx, the medical center’s life sciences accelerator. AT&T (NYSE: [[ticker:T]]) … Continue reading “JLabs @ TMC Opens Houston Campus, Home to 21 Biotech Startups”
Station Houston Aims to Boost Startups, City’s Tech Ecosystem
Houston — This week marks the launch of Station Houston, a new hybrid accelerator and co-working space aimed at boosting the city’s young technology companies. Station—so named as a homage the railroad companies that helped build a booming 19th-century Houston—is founded by Emily Keeton, a Houstonian who returned to the city after she sold her food … Continue reading “Station Houston Aims to Boost Startups, City’s Tech Ecosystem”
Roundup: Lucid, Honest Dollar, Hatch, UT Gaming Academy, & Civic Tech
Happy Friday, friends. Before you start your weekend planning, let’s take a look back at the innovation news from Xconomy Texas this past week. Featured innovation: —Austin, TX entrepreneur William Hurley found a surprising niche of customers while launching his fintech startup Honest Dollar last year: the footsoldiers of the gig economy. Now, in addition … Continue reading “Roundup: Lucid, Honest Dollar, Hatch, UT Gaming Academy, & Civic Tech”
Austin Fintech Startup Honest Dollar Finds Niche in the Gig Economy
Austin — At the helm of his fintech startup Honest Dollar, William Hurley noticed that a significant number of users who created accounts on the site dropped out in the middle of the sign-up process. Honest Dollar is a website that offers small businesses retirement plans for employees. The startup opened for business in earnest … Continue reading “Austin Fintech Startup Honest Dollar Finds Niche in the Gig Economy”