Would you ever guess that making changes to a software application is difficult for the app maker? Updates are so common, that doesn’t seem likely. Yet the process that allows a software developer to update an app remains arduous, difficult, and time consuming, even as software development has progressed in the last 15 years, according … Continue reading “Austin’s Datical Gets VC Cash to Manage Databases for App Updates”
Author: David Holley
David is the national correspondent at Xconomy. He has spent most of his career covering business of every kind, from breweries in Oregon to investment banks in New York. A native of the Pacific Northwest, David started his career reporting at weekly and daily newspapers, covering murder trials, city council meetings, the expanding startup tech industry in the region, and everything between. He left the West Coast to pursue business journalism in New York, first writing about biotech and then private equity at The Deal. After a stint at Bloomberg News writing about high-yield bonds and leveraged loans, David relocated from New York to Austin, TX.
He graduated from Portland State University.
Next Buyer Up: Pivot3 Buys Colorado-Based SanDisk Spinout, NexGen
A wild ride for Louisville, CO-based NexGen Storage, a computer data storage company, is continuing. NexGen is being acquired by Pivot3, another data storage operator based in Austin, TX. The companies didn’t release terms of the acquisition, and the deal is expected to close in February. But it comes only a year after NexGen was … Continue reading “Next Buyer Up: Pivot3 Buys Colorado-Based SanDisk Spinout, NexGen”
With $5M Funding, Waldo Photos Aims to Find You in Pictures
[Corrected 2:58 p.m., 1/22/15. See Below.] The prevalence of social media and smartphones has made photo-taking, from food to friends to the ever-indulgent selfie, a bit of an exercise in futility. How do people keep track of all these photos of themselves, especially when someone else takes them? An Austin, TX, company called Waldo Photos is … Continue reading “With $5M Funding, Waldo Photos Aims to Find You in Pictures”
From California to New York, Fintech Finds Loans for Almost Anyone
From small business loan makers to algorithm-based lenders, the fintech arena is producing alternative lending options for practically every type of consumer and small ventures. Since small business and consumer lenders OnDeck and Lending Club opened up the flood gates with initial public offerings in late 2014, the world of online and tech-based lending has … Continue reading “From California to New York, Fintech Finds Loans for Almost Anyone”
Same Twist, New Funding: Gene Synthesizer Raises $61M Series D
Twist Bioscience is reeling in millions more in funding as the company, which has developed a process of manufacturing synthetic DNA, plans to expand in the U.S. and internationally. Based in San Francisco, Twist announced a $61 million Series D round of funding alongside a piece of debt financing for as much as $20 million. … Continue reading “Same Twist, New Funding: Gene Synthesizer Raises $61M Series D”
New Head of Techstars in Austin Prepares for First Class
Amos Schwartzfarb is only a few weeks away from the start of another Techstars program in Austin, TX, but this one is a bit different for him. A co-founder and executive of multiple companies, including Austin’s BlackLocus and Joust Inc., Schwartzfarb has been a mentor at Techstars since it started in Austin in 2013. When … Continue reading “New Head of Techstars in Austin Prepares for First Class”
OurCrowd-Xconomy Study Documents Growth in Equity Crowdfunding
In a short few months, the number of people who can invest in equity crowdfunding will dramatically increase. In October, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a framework for allowing individual investors to participate in the new form of financing, which had previously been restricted to wealthy accredited investors. Those new rules go into … Continue reading “OurCrowd-Xconomy Study Documents Growth in Equity Crowdfunding”
Euclid Analytics Pushes Customer Data Tracking Forward With $20M
[Updated 1/14/15, 12:45 p.m. See below.] Most cell phone users have received some sort of “push” text message, whether it’s a warning of a flash flood from a government agency or an unwanted pitch from a marketer who somehow got your personal information. As cell phones have become ubiquitous, more companies are attempting to glean information … Continue reading “Euclid Analytics Pushes Customer Data Tracking Forward With $20M”
With Tensha Purchase, Roche Interest in Bradner Startups Continues
Roche may have a new investment plan: Where James Bradner has been, it follows. The Basel, Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant announced this morning that it has bought Tensha Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based company founded by Bradner, a physician-scientist who is now the president of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. Tensha is developing treatments for cancer … Continue reading “With Tensha Purchase, Roche Interest in Bradner Startups Continues”
Exosome Diagnostics Closes $60M Series B for Liquid Biopsy Test
It may have taken a couple of years, but Exosome Diagnostics has finally raised the money it said it wanted to potentially launch its liquid biopsy-based diagnostic test. Exosome announced today it has closed a $60 million Series B round of funding, money that it is putting toward getting its first oncology products on the … Continue reading “Exosome Diagnostics Closes $60M Series B for Liquid Biopsy Test”
Flash Sale: Web Retailer Gilt Groupe Sells to Hudson Bay for $250M
Discount fashion and merchandise retailer Gilt Groupe has sold itself in a fitting fashion: to Hudson Bay Co. for $250 million, a price tag that is a steep discount to the hefty billion-dollar valuation it once held. Hudson Bay, the operator of department store brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, is trying to build on … Continue reading “Flash Sale: Web Retailer Gilt Groupe Sells to Hudson Bay for $250M”
With $100M, Guardant Health to Expand Reach of Blood Test for Cancer
We’ve all heard that dust is at least partly made up of dead skin cells. However true or untrue that may be, living tissue that is growing rapidly, such as a cancerous solid tumor, does indeed shed dead cells. When a person has a tumor that is growing, it sheds dead cells and their contents—including … Continue reading “With $100M, Guardant Health to Expand Reach of Blood Test for Cancer”
With $28M Series C, Silvercar Tightens Ties With Audi
Silvercar, the car rental startup that leases silver Audi automobiles through a mobile app and online, has raised $28 million led by a corporate sponsor that isn’t too much of a surprise: Audi. Silvercar plans to use the Series C funding to expand into Las Vegas, the company’s 12th, and to improve its digital and … Continue reading “With $28M Series C, Silvercar Tightens Ties With Audi”
Organizing Made Easier: VolunteerSpot CEO on Plans to Expand
It’s easy to ignore the effort that volunteers and coordinators put in to make events go off seamlessly. It’s an often thankless job filled with spreadsheets, clipboards, and seemingly endless e-mail chains. One Austin, TX, company has developed an online and mobile tool to try to make the work a little easier. VolunteerSpot, a six-year-old … Continue reading “Organizing Made Easier: VolunteerSpot CEO on Plans to Expand”
Denver-based Faction Doubles Down on Expansion After $6M Round
For Faction, a Denver-based company that offers private, public, and hybrid cloud computing services, running over budget has been a good thing, according to CEO and founder Luke Norris. Faction exceeded its revenue and growth targets for the year—and likely will again next year—partly because the company has added more customers than it expected, Norris … Continue reading “Denver-based Faction Doubles Down on Expansion After $6M Round”
Targeting Experience Spenders, Everfest Co-CEO Talks Festival App
People are spending more money on experiences than things nowadays. Over the last few years, it’s been one of the more popular trends to cover—and is particularly relevant now given the holiday season. That experiential spending is at the core of Everfest, an Austin, TX, startup that aims to be the online center of festivals … Continue reading “Targeting Experience Spenders, Everfest Co-CEO Talks Festival App”
Digital Publisher Purch Buys Mobile Shopping App ShopSavvy
Digital publisher Purch has made good on its promise to make acquisitions, announcing today that it bought mobile shopping app ShopSavvy for an undisclosed price. That’s the fourth acquisition the company has made in the last 12 months, putting to work a $135 million Series C funding it received in June led by Canso Investment … Continue reading “Digital Publisher Purch Buys Mobile Shopping App ShopSavvy”
Nearing Break-Even, Continuum Analytics Takes $10M Debt Financing
After doubling the size of its staff to 145 and almost tripling its customer base this year, Austin, TX-based data insights provider Continuum Analytics is preparing itself for the possibility of making enough revenue to break even in 2016, according to co-founder and CEO Travis Oliphant. The four-year-old company announced this week that it has … Continue reading “Nearing Break-Even, Continuum Analytics Takes $10M Debt Financing”
With $5M for Open-Source Mapping Tools, Boundless to Make New Hires
The market for mapping tools like geographic information systems (GIS) is pretty well established and entrenched, especially when you consider that the largest company, Esri, controls more than 40 percent of it. Boundless Spatial, a New York-based startup that spun out of a nonprofit in 2013, has raised a Series B round of more than … Continue reading “With $5M for Open-Source Mapping Tools, Boundless to Make New Hires”
With $6M Funding, TINYpulse Developing Employee Review Product
Replacing employees is an expensive endeavor. To replace a high-level salaried worker, it can cost a company as much as 60 percent of the outgoing employee’s pay, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. TINYpulse, a Seattle-based startup that aims to help companies monitor and improve employee engagement, has received $6 million in Series … Continue reading “With $6M Funding, TINYpulse Developing Employee Review Product”
With Pinterest as Model, RealSavvy Builds Real Estate App For Agents
Apps and web tools for the real estate market abound, from basic ones like Trulia or Zillow mortgage calculators to tools that help buyers find more details about the home they may purchase. An Austin, TX-based company called RealSavvy is building a mobile tool that targets real estate agents rather than buyers, attempting to help … Continue reading “With Pinterest as Model, RealSavvy Builds Real Estate App For Agents”
Welltok Bolsters Growth With $45M Funding, Silverlink Acquisition
Health IT company Welltok is capping a busy two-year streak of acquisitions and financing with another deal. The Denver-based maker of software that aims to keep users healthy is acquiring Burlington, MA-based Silverlink Communications for an undisclosed price. Welltok has raised a $45 million round of venture capital to help make the deal happen. The … Continue reading “Welltok Bolsters Growth With $45M Funding, Silverlink Acquisition”
Bee App Offers Mobile Banking for Underserved Communities
Banks have long been looking to innovate in an industry that doesn’t change much and, in recent years, has been shrinking. Almost 1,900 bank branches closed in the U.S. in the years after the financial crisis between 2008 and 2013, according to data from Bloomberg News and the U.S. Census. New York-based One Financial Holdings, … Continue reading “Bee App Offers Mobile Banking for Underserved Communities”
From Adviser to CEO: Morris Miller on Xenex’s Disinfecting Robots
When Xenex Disinfection Services was first launching, Morris Miller was an adviser to the company’s founders. Given his experience as a co-founder and former CEO of Rackspace, (NYSE: [[ticker:RAX]]), the San Antonio, TX-based cloud computing giant, Miller would provide insight into building a business from Xenex’s key product, a robot that uses pulses of xenon-based … Continue reading “From Adviser to CEO: Morris Miller on Xenex’s Disinfecting Robots”
TwoXAR Grabs $3.4M for Algorithm-Based Drug Discovery
One of the most frustrating aspects of drug discovery is the years spent testing drug candidates in the lab against various diseases they could treat. A new startup that received a $3.4 million seed round from Andreessen Horowitz has developed a method of expediting the process using algorithms. Palo Alto, CA-based TwoXAR is using computations … Continue reading “TwoXAR Grabs $3.4M for Algorithm-Based Drug Discovery”
Clovis Oncology Shares Plummet on FDA Request for More Data
Clovis Oncology has hit another bump in the road—causing the company’s stock to fall to its lowest price since 2013—in developing a therapy for a type of lung cancer that pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is also targeting. The Boulder, CO-based company announced today that potential approval may be delayed because Clovis must now submit additional clinical … Continue reading “Clovis Oncology Shares Plummet on FDA Request for More Data”
Flagship Merges Biofuel Maker Red Rock with R&D-Focused Joule
Flagship Ventures is combining a biofuels business that it first invested in eight months ago with a renewable fuels maker that it created eight years ago. The reason? To have one project that should generate cash in the near term (from the more recent investment) under the same roof as the more innovative long-term investment, … Continue reading “Flagship Merges Biofuel Maker Red Rock with R&D-Focused Joule”
With Secure Data Storage Tool, Neone Focuses on Selective Sharing
[Updated 11/17/15, 8:36 a.m. See below.] Internet security can seem a distant, extraneous issue until it directly affects you, in the form of something like stolen credit card information or a photo that goes public when you didn’t intend it to. For the founder of Austin, TX-based Neone, the issue of security extends beyond merely shared … Continue reading “With Secure Data Storage Tool, Neone Focuses on Selective Sharing”
MiRagen Lands $41M for MicroRNA Drugs in Cancer, Fibrosis
MiRagen Therapeutics is now ready to move into clinical development, backed by a $41 million financing round that will support trials of a pair of drug candidates for fibrosis and hematological cancers. MRL Ventures and JAFCO led the Series C investment for the Boulder, CO-based company. MiRagen has developed therapies that use microRNAs—single-stranded RNA molecules … Continue reading “MiRagen Lands $41M for MicroRNA Drugs in Cancer, Fibrosis”
Expedia Buys Austin’s HomeAway for $3.9B
HomeAway, the provider of an online marketplace for vacation rentals, has sold to Expedia for $3.9 billion in cash and Expedia stock, the third multibillion-dollar deal involving an Austin, TX, company this fall. Seattle-based Expedia set HomeAway (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AWAY]]) in its sights because it has been seeking a way to enter the “alternative accommodations” sector … Continue reading “Expedia Buys Austin’s HomeAway for $3.9B”
Denver’s Havenly Raises $7.5M for Flat-Fee Interior Design Site
A Denver-based startup called Havenly is adding interior design to the ever-growing list of personalized and on-demand services that startups are offering, from car rides to home cleaning to new clothing. And Havenly now has Series A funding to help it build out its interior design offerings, having received $7.5 million from the Foundry Group … Continue reading “Denver’s Havenly Raises $7.5M for Flat-Fee Interior Design Site”
With $50M Funding, Handy Focuses on Existing Markets
For New York-based Handy, which offers on-demand cleaning and other home contract services, density has been key to its growth. The company thinks of that density in two ways: Like any business, it wants to attract as many customers as possible. But Handy is also seeking to have as many contractors who clean apartments—a service … Continue reading “With $50M Funding, Handy Focuses on Existing Markets”
Skills Fund Aims to Be Accreditor, and Creditor for Coding Schools
The creation of Skills Fund, the Austin, TX-based startup that makes loans to people enrolling in coding and Web development bootcamps, started with two ideas. The first is that students should have access to loans that are easy to understand and that state the terms of the loan—such as knowing exactly what interest rate they will … Continue reading “Skills Fund Aims to Be Accreditor, and Creditor for Coding Schools”
SolarWinds Bought for $4.5B in Austin’s Second Megadeal
Austin, TX has attracted attention for its rapid population growth in recent years. But after SolarWinds (NYSE: [[ticker:SWI]]) announced the region’s second multibillion-dollar deal this month, megamergers may be turning into Austin’s calling card. Private equity firms Thoma Bravo and Silver Lake Partners are taking Austin-based SolarWinds private in a deal valued at $4.5 billion. … Continue reading “SolarWinds Bought for $4.5B in Austin’s Second Megadeal”
After EMC News, Michael Dell Plans Boston Home Purchase
A week after Round Rock, TX-based Dell announced it would buy EMC for $67 billion in the largest technology deal in history, founder and CEO Michael Dell says he is making another purchase: a new house in Massachusetts, where EMC is headquartered. Dell told Fortune at the annual Dell World event that he hopes to … Continue reading “After EMC News, Michael Dell Plans Boston Home Purchase”
Welltok Buys Children’s Health Tool Zamzee From HopeLab
Welltok has acquired a health tool for children and their families called Zamzee that it plans to incorporate into its health optimization software called CaféWell. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Zamzee attempts to engage children through games, allowing them to use an activity tracker as they attempt to complete challenges that require physical activity. … Continue reading “Welltok Buys Children’s Health Tool Zamzee From HopeLab”
Denver’s ReadyTalk Launches Mobile Video Conferencing Tool
The list of video chatting options just got longer. ReadyTalk, a Denver-based audio- and Web-conferencing service provider, is launching a new mobile-focused product that targets small businesses and millennials. The move is an attempt to land customers who might otherwise use competing services, like Google Hangouts. ReadyTalk announced today that it has opened a public … Continue reading “Denver’s ReadyTalk Launches Mobile Video Conferencing Tool”
To Curb Brain Damage, Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals Energizes Cells
One of the most devastating things about stroke and head trauma is that the damage to the brain often doesn’t end when the initial injury does. Though time really does heal many wounds, brain injuries can get progressively worse in the hours and days after a trauma, as changes in blood flow and other processes … Continue reading “To Curb Brain Damage, Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals Energizes Cells”
More Mergers After Dell-EMC? Maybe Not Best Option for Competitors
Buyouts like Dell’s $67 billion blockbuster purchase of EMC may not be the best, or the most likely, way for competitors to keep pace with the new IT behemoth. Rajiv Garg, an assistant professor at The University of Texas at Austin’s information, risk, and operations management department, discussed the deal and its potential fallout with … Continue reading “More Mergers After Dell-EMC? Maybe Not Best Option for Competitors”
Infinite IO Chief: Dell’s $67B EMC Deal Makes It ‘One-Stop Shop’
The monumental Dell-EMC merger is a sign that, among other things, Dell can now be a competitor to the likes of Hewlett-Packard and IBM in selling everything from servers to storage to networking. While Dell may have already offered those services, EMC makes its storage offering “premier,” according to Mark Cree, the CEO and founder … Continue reading “Infinite IO Chief: Dell’s $67B EMC Deal Makes It ‘One-Stop Shop’”
Techstars’ Cohen on Promoting Diversity and Preparing for a Downturn
Techstars has made its views on diversity in the tech sector no secret. The Boulder, CO-based accelerator operator made commitments to the White House earlier this year, alongside various other prominent national organizations, to improve diversity in the industry by doubling the number of women or underrepresented minorities in its startup programs. Even more recently, … Continue reading “Techstars’ Cohen on Promoting Diversity and Preparing for a Downturn”
Social Media Gets Retailers’ Help to Make Users ‘Buy Now’
Online shoppers have been nudged and poked by companies like Google and Amazon for years to make purchases, with targeted ads based on recent online searches that offer the user the chance to buy the same or similar products. The use of “buy now” services are expanding rapidly, and companies like Twitter are leading the … Continue reading “Social Media Gets Retailers’ Help to Make Users ‘Buy Now’”
Driver-Monitoring App for Insurers Censio Rolls into $10M Series A
Censio, the Boston startup that recently announced a connected car app for insurance provider Progressive, has raised a $10 million Series A funding round to further develop its technology and fulfill the needs of its first partner. Founded in 2012 by a group that includes former Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith, Censio gathers data through its … Continue reading “Driver-Monitoring App for Insurers Censio Rolls into $10M Series A”
For Damaged ACLs, It’s Aperion and Pig Tendons to the Rescue
The premise of Aperion Biologics’ business is a bit of a no-brainer: Provide the market with a product used to repair anterior cruciate ligaments of the knee, because there is demand and not necessarily enough supply. The way the San Antonio, TX-based company does that is a bit more complicated. Aperion uses a patented process … Continue reading “For Damaged ACLs, It’s Aperion and Pig Tendons to the Rescue”
Need Customers? Thumbtack Got $125M to Help Small Business Find Them
Thumbtack, the rapidly growing online San Francisco-based service that lists for-hire professionals from various industries, has received a $125 million round of late-stage funding that it plans to use to improve its algorithm and add to its list of tools on the site, such as payments or scheduling. The round was led by Baillie Gifford, … Continue reading “Need Customers? Thumbtack Got $125M to Help Small Business Find Them”
TeamSnap to Add League Services, Double User Base After $10M Funding
TeamSnap has always done well at biding its time. The six-year-old Boulder, CO-based startup provides Web and mobile apps meant to help players, coaches, parents, and league officials, among many types of teams, manage everything from rosters to practices to game schedules. Rather than focusing on corporate partnerships or gaining users quickly for advertising purposes, TeamSnap … Continue reading “TeamSnap to Add League Services, Double User Base After $10M Funding”
Dallas-Based DriverUp Bolsters Lending Marketplace With $20M Series B
DriverUp, a Dallas, TX-based online market for investing in auto loans that launched in February, has received a $20 million Series B funding round that it plans to use to bolster its marketing and product development efforts. DriverUp provides investors access to loans used by consumers to buy cars. Those investors are typically groups such … Continue reading “Dallas-Based DriverUp Bolsters Lending Marketplace With $20M Series B”
Dallas Startup Vinli Creates Dashboard Tool for Connected Cars
[Corrected 9/21/15, 10:24 a.m. See below.] Vinli, a Dallas-based connected car device maker, is bringing a tablet-style dashboard product to market to be offered in new cars. The company offers a connected-car device, which users plug into a car’s diagnostic data port, that lets developers build apps for automobiles. A user can access any number of … Continue reading “Dallas Startup Vinli Creates Dashboard Tool for Connected Cars”
Waiting on a Legal Settlement? Mighty Offers Market for Cash Advances
An online marketplace called Mighty that helps people land advance payments on potential legal settlements, and models itself after fintech companies such as Lending Club, launches today with a $5.25 million Series A investment. The New York company’s funding round was co-led by Tribeca Venture Partners and IA Ventures, along with participation from New York … Continue reading “Waiting on a Legal Settlement? Mighty Offers Market for Cash Advances”
PeerIQ Keeps Wall Street’s Interest with Expanded Seed Funding
PeerIQ, the Wall Street-backed startup that analyzes risk in the peer-to-peer lending market and sells data about it to debt investors, is tacking on an additional $2.5 million to the $6 million it raised in an April seed funding round. The funding gives the New York-based company a couple of new investors—Victory Park Capital and … Continue reading “PeerIQ Keeps Wall Street’s Interest with Expanded Seed Funding”