Austin—Sputnik ATX, a startup accelerator that launched last year, has picked a group of five startups that will be the second class of businesses to run through the program. The early stage companies include a software-as-a-service business that connects teachers with jobs at school districts, a cosmetics maker, and other software companies (read about each … Continue reading “Sputnik ATX Picks Five Startups In Second Austin Accelerator Class”
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.
Drug Developer Kiromic Declines San Antonio’s Cash Offer for HQ Move
San Antonio — [Updated 7/23/18, 6:10 p.m. See below.] The board of directors for Houston-based immunotherapy biotech Kiromic has decided against taking a $200,000 investment from San Antonio-based economic development group, which would have required the company to relocate to San Antonio. Kiromic won’t relocate it’s headquarters to San Antonio—for the time being, at least, … Continue reading “Drug Developer Kiromic Declines San Antonio’s Cash Offer for HQ Move”
Best Friday Reads: Social Media Rules Us All, and Mints Billionaires
Humans have had a drastic physical evolution recently—one that has notably taken only a few years. While the evolution from hunched primates to homo sapiens took tens of millions of years, we needed only about a decade to develop an arched neck that is perennially looking down at a smartphone—presumably one with a social media … Continue reading “Best Friday Reads: Social Media Rules Us All, and Mints Billionaires”
Broadcom Eyes CA Technologies for $19B After Trump Axed Qualcomm Bid
Semiconductor maker Broadcom, which ended its effort to buy competitor Qualcomm earlier this year, has a new target: New York-based business software maker CA Technologies. The pair announced Wednesday that Broadcom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVGO]]), which moved its headquarters from Singapore to San Jose, CA, earlier this year, plans to pay $18.9 billion in cash for CA … Continue reading “Broadcom Eyes CA Technologies for $19B After Trump Axed Qualcomm Bid”
Hype―and Skepticism―Remains for Dell’s Return to the Public Market
Austin—The possibility that Dell might return to the public markets has been talked about for months, if not longer. It became more realistic in February, when the Round Rock, TX-based company told securities regulators it was considering a public offering or a reverse merger with VMware, the publicly traded company of which Dell owns 81 … Continue reading “Hype―and Skepticism―Remains for Dell’s Return to the Public Market”
Echoing National Trend, TX Startups See More VC Dollars, Fewer Deals
San Antonio — More dollars, fewer deals. That’s been the trend in Texas, as well as for the nation as a whole. Venture capital firms have invested money in companies across the U.S. during 2018 at a level that is on pace to break the record-breaking total invested last year (the most since the dot-com era, … Continue reading “Echoing National Trend, TX Startups See More VC Dollars, Fewer Deals”
Are You a SaaS Startup? Private Equity May Soon Be Coming For You
[Updated 3:16 p.m. See below.] More money than ever is flowing into software companies that offer anything from niche applications to more general cloud storage services, customer relationship tools, and more. So far this year, the amount of venture capital funding invested in these software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses tops $12 billion, according to data compiled by … Continue reading “Are You a SaaS Startup? Private Equity May Soon Be Coming For You”
Best Reads for Casual Friday: Cybersecurity (And Some Amazon, Too)
You’ve made it to Friday—it’s time to take a step back, prepare for a relaxing weekend, and read a few stories about the endless ways in which your personal information can be stolen. OK, maybe it’s better to spin it like this: Here are some of the most interesting reads from this last week on … Continue reading “Best Reads for Casual Friday: Cybersecurity (And Some Amazon, Too)”
The Key to A Clean Energy Economy? Incubators, Deals, & Attention
San Antonio—[Updated 6/29/18, 1:52 p.m. See below.] Businesses and individual consumers are increasingly tapping into solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources, in part thanks to the scientists and engineers who are developing new and more efficient ways of utilizing these energy sources. Renewables accounted for about 11 percent of overall energy consumption in the … Continue reading “The Key to A Clean Energy Economy? Incubators, Deals, & Attention”
New Round Boosts Lyft Valuation to $15B, But Uber Still Looms Large
Ridesharing service Lyft has upped its valuation by about $3.5 billion after adding a $600 million round of funding, which the company said Wednesday morning was led by previous investor Fidelity Management & Research. The new funding round gives Lyft a $15.1 billion post-money valuation, the company said in a blog post. That’s up from … Continue reading “New Round Boosts Lyft Valuation to $15B, But Uber Still Looms Large”
How the Rise of Beijing and Shanghai Tech May Impact Silicon Valley
When it comes to startup tech hubs, U.S. cities from San Francisco to Austin to Boston come first to mind. But that is starting to change, as Asian cities—particularly in China—are snapping up more tech venture capital funding and exits, according to a new report from CB Insights. Silicon Valley tech startups pulled in the … Continue reading “How the Rise of Beijing and Shanghai Tech May Impact Silicon Valley”
With AppNexus Acquisition, AT&T Stakes Claim in Adtech, Analytics
[Updated 3:51 p.m. See Below.] AT&T is buying advertising tech company AppNexus in a deal reportedly worth around $1.6 billion. The telecom giant plans to add AppNexus to an advertising and analytics business that it created last year. The purchase shows AT&T’s (NYSE: [[ticker:T]]) interest in better utilizing its vast amounts of customer data so … Continue reading “With AppNexus Acquisition, AT&T Stakes Claim in Adtech, Analytics”
Lockheed Martin Opening Cybersecurity Office for DoD in San Antonio
San Antonio—Lockheed Martin, the largest U.S. government contractor, is announcing today it is moving into a 15,400-square foot cybersecurity facility at Port San Antonio in hopes of landing a large contract with the Department of Defense. The move by Lockheed (NYSE: [[ticker:LMT]]) is part of its effort to get its hands on a contract worth … Continue reading “Lockheed Martin Opening Cybersecurity Office for DoD in San Antonio”
Some of the Best Reads for Casual Friday: Artificial Intelligence
Fridays can be the most productive work day, as you look to shore up everything before the weekend starts. Or, maybe instead, it’s a day filled with long lunches and listless Internet surfing, as you seek out all the interesting articles you missed during the week. Fear not: Xconomy has done the work for you, … Continue reading “Some of the Best Reads for Casual Friday: Artificial Intelligence”
Same SaaS, New Acquisition Model: Q&A With Dura’s Paul Salisbury
San Antonio—Dura Holdings is trying to put a different spin on the model of acquiring and improving a business that has either underperformed or may have room to grow. San Antonio-based Dura buys software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies with recurring revenue and seeks to cut operating costs or improve simple things like marketing and sales processes, in … Continue reading “Same SaaS, New Acquisition Model: Q&A With Dura’s Paul Salisbury”
LoftSmart Adds $12.9M for Student Housing Review and Rental Software
LoftSmart, a website that helps college students find off-campus housing, has raised $12.9 million in an equity funding round, according to a securities filing. New York-based LoftSmart lets students search for and review properties typically rented by students, leaving feedback in each apartment building’s listing on amenities, problems, or other details that might help college … Continue reading “LoftSmart Adds $12.9M for Student Housing Review and Rental Software”
CarePredict Set to Buy IP of San Antonio’s WiseWear From Bankruptcy
San Antonio—The intellectual property of WiseWear, the bankrupt company that sold fashionable wearable devices, may be sold to the new employer of WiseWear founder Jerry Wilmink. CarePredict, a Plantation, FL-based business that sells wearable devices and software to assisted living facilities for monitoring residents, bid $110,000 to buy the intellectual property assets of WiseWear, according … Continue reading “CarePredict Set to Buy IP of San Antonio’s WiseWear From Bankruptcy”
Austin’s Ambiq Micro Adds $11M for Energy-Efficient Microcontrollers
Austin—Ambiq Micro, which makes energy-efficient chips and sells them internationally, has raised $11.4 million in an equity funding round, according to a securities filing. The company may raise up to $20 million, the filing says. Austin, TX-based Ambiq sells low-powered microcontrollers to companies such as Huawei Technologies and Fossil Group (NASDAQ: [[ticker:FOSL]]) for Internet of … Continue reading “Austin’s Ambiq Micro Adds $11M for Energy-Efficient Microcontrollers”
Mindstrong Adds $15M for Tech That Predicts Mental Health Changes
Mindstrong Health, a technology company that wants to help treat neurological conditions by tracking a person’s smartphone use, announced this morning it has closed a $15 million Series B round of funding. The Palo Alto, CA-based company is using the new money to move its product forward commercially on two paths. First, Mindstrong is partnering … Continue reading “Mindstrong Adds $15M for Tech That Predicts Mental Health Changes”
San Antonio Considers $750K Package to Woo E-Commerce Firm THG
San Antonio—Cities across the country are offering Amazon billions of dollars in incentives to locate its second headquarters there, from Maryland’s $8.5 billion in tax breaks and credits to Atlanta’s reported offer of $1 billion and the title of mayor for Jeff Bezos for a nearby town. As for San Antonio? City leaders didn’t even … Continue reading “San Antonio Considers $750K Package to Woo E-Commerce Firm THG”
As Lockheed Ups Its VC Fund to $200M, San Antonio Has an Opportunity
San Antonio—The venture capital arm of Bethesda, MD-based security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin is doubling the size of its venture capital arm to $200 million for investments in sensor technologies, autonomy, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity—news that is sure to attract pitches from cities and companies nationwide. It has certainly piqued interest in San Antonio, … Continue reading “As Lockheed Ups Its VC Fund to $200M, San Antonio Has an Opportunity”
PhyzData Adds $2.5M for Specialty Pharma Data Analytics Software
San Antonio—PhyzData, a digital healthcare analytics company that provides physicians, patients, and pharmaceutical companies with information about biotech drug prescriptions, has raised another $2.5 million, according to a June 1 securities filing. Based in San Antonio, PhyzData has now raised about $4.5 million since the start of 2017, according to paperwork submitted to the SEC … Continue reading “PhyzData Adds $2.5M for Specialty Pharma Data Analytics Software”
Why Microsoft Bought GitHub for $7.5B, and What Developers Think
Since Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, the company’s dedication to cloud computing and developer-focused software products has been palpable. Nadella was executive vice president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group before taking the helm of the entire business. And revenues for the company’s cloud computing services, such as Microsoft Azure, … Continue reading “Why Microsoft Bought GitHub for $7.5B, and What Developers Think”
Rackspace Veterans Reunite Years Later for Pingboard Seed Round
San Antonio and Austin—Almost two decades after Bill Boebel and Pat Matthews began a startup career that led to founding e-mail service Webmail.us, which was sold to cloud computing giant Rackspace in 2007, the college friends are working together again. Matthews’s new venture capital firm, San Antonio-based Active Capital, is leading a $2.5 million investment … Continue reading “Rackspace Veterans Reunite Years Later for Pingboard Seed Round”
Eying Clinical Trials, Shattuck Labs Adds $46M for Immunotherapy R&D
Austin — [Updated 5/30/18, 11:08 a.m. See below.] Shattuck Labs, a biotech that licensed technology from cancer drug developer Heat Biologics, added a cash windfall right before the holiday weekend—a $46.6 million equity round of financing, according to a May 25 securities filing. Austin-based Shattuck has an experimental immunotherapy in preclinical development that it believes can … Continue reading “Eying Clinical Trials, Shattuck Labs Adds $46M for Immunotherapy R&D”
Immunotherapy Biotech Kiromic Considers San Antonio Move for Cash
San Antonio — [Updated 5/31/18, 4:20 p.m. See below.] Kiromic, a Houston-based biotech company with artificial intelligence software that it’s using to develop two experimental cancer immunotherapies, may move to San Antonio—if it gets $200,000 from a city-operated economic development group. The money isn’t free. In exchange, Kiromic will give the San Antonio Economic Development Corporation—an … Continue reading “Immunotherapy Biotech Kiromic Considers San Antonio Move for Cash”
A.I. for Healthcare Gets Even More Crowded as GV Invests in Owkin
More money continues to flow into startups seeking to harness the massive amount of data available in healthcare using artificial intelligence and machine learning. This time, GV, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet, is adding about $7 million to the Series A round for Owkin, bringing its total funding to $18 million. Owkin, … Continue reading “A.I. for Healthcare Gets Even More Crowded as GV Invests in Owkin”
San Antonio Program for “Pre-Incubator” Startups Reveals First Class
San Antonio — Two Texas startup programs are teaming up to run a “pre-incubator” for startups that are still developing their business ideas. Called the Velocity360 program, the incubator is run over eight weeks by VelocityTX and its partner, EPIcenter. Entrepreneurs will work with VelocityTX and EPIcenter once a week on the viability of their ideas … Continue reading “San Antonio Program for “Pre-Incubator” Startups Reveals First Class”
Rackspace Acquires RelationEdge, Adding to IT Customer Management
San Antonio—Cloud computing giant Rackspace has acquired a company that helps other businesses implement and use the Salesforce software. The deal expands Rackspace’s focus on helping companies use software and computing services, including those of cloud computing businesses it historically considered competitors. Rackspace paid an undisclosed amount for RelationEdge, a San Diego-based software-as-a-service provider focused … Continue reading “Rackspace Acquires RelationEdge, Adding to IT Customer Management”
Stem Cell Maker StemBioSys Closes $4.3M Financing for New Products
San Antonio—StemBioSys has closed a $4.3 million Series B round of funding about two years after the company started raising it, according to regulatory filings. StemBioSys began raising the Series B round in 2016, when it initially filed securities documents that showed it had pulled in $2.7 million. The company took its focus off of … Continue reading “Stem Cell Maker StemBioSys Closes $4.3M Financing for New Products”
BioAffinity Seeking $5M for Cancer Diagnostic, Adds Board Member
San Antonoio — BioAffinity, the maker of a cancer diagnostic test, has added Peter Knight, who was the chief of staff for Al Gore when he was in Congress, to its board of directors and is in the process of raising a $5 million Series B round of funding, according to CEO Maria Zannes. The San … Continue reading “BioAffinity Seeking $5M for Cancer Diagnostic, Adds Board Member”
Austin’s NarrativeDx Adds $1.1M for Hospital-Improvement A.I. Tool
Austin—NarrativeDx, a startup whose software helps hospitals analyze patient feedback to improve or prevent problems related to their experiences, has added about $1.1 million in an equity financing, according to a federal securities filing. The Austin, TX-based company says it uses natural language processing and machine learning software to collect and analyze patient feedback about … Continue reading “Austin’s NarrativeDx Adds $1.1M for Hospital-Improvement A.I. Tool”
Logo-Building Business Tailor Brands Rides A.I. Wave to $15.5M
Tailor Brands, an artificial intelligence startup that creates logos and develops brands for businesses, has raised a $15.5 million Series B round of funding, bringing its total financing amount to $20.6 million, according to a news release. The company, which has offices in New York and Tel Aviv, plans to use the money to make … Continue reading “Logo-Building Business Tailor Brands Rides A.I. Wave to $15.5M”
Rapamycin Holdings Plans Tests of Old Immune Drug in Prostate Cancer
San Antonio — Executives at Rapamycin Holdings believe a decades-old drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection could find a new use as a treatment for prostate cancer, and hope to begin a clinical trial as soon as this summer. San Antonio-based Rapamycin Holdings has developed a new formulation of the drug, also called rapamycin, which … Continue reading “Rapamycin Holdings Plans Tests of Old Immune Drug in Prostate Cancer”
San Antonio University Takes Aim at Gap in Cybersecurity Workforce
San Antonio—The University of Texas at San Antonio plans to open a new cybersecurity center that its leaders hope will draw interest from organizations looking for prospective employees, including both private companies and the federal government. Called the National Security Collaboration Center, it will be a physical space that aims to be a central gathering … Continue reading “San Antonio University Takes Aim at Gap in Cybersecurity Workforce”
For Disaster Recovery, San Antonio’s EPIcenter Seeks Tech Solutions
San Antonio—Matthew Marchetti did what any good leader will during a time of difficulty. As dozens of requests for help poured in from victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston last year, Marchetti and a few fellow vigilante rescuers decided to organize that scattered information into one single place: a website where people in need could … Continue reading “For Disaster Recovery, San Antonio’s EPIcenter Seeks Tech Solutions”
San Antonio Startup Adds Funding to Treat PTSD with Magnetic Field
San Antonio—An imaging researcher who hopes to improve a method of treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder has raised a round of funding to support a clinical study for his San Antonio company’s medical device. The business, Cerebral Magnetics, told federal securities regulators on April 9 it was seeking $1 million in an equity round … Continue reading “San Antonio Startup Adds Funding to Treat PTSD with Magnetic Field”
Flexera Buys MetaSaaS for Austin Startup’s SaaS Management Tool
Austin—A two-year-old tech startup that helps businesses manage their subscriptions to software-as-a-service applications has sold to software and security manager Flexera. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Austin, TX-based MetaSaaS helps companies track the use of software-as-a-service, or SaaS, programs, and offers them help determining whether to stay subscribed based on how customers interact or … Continue reading “Flexera Buys MetaSaaS for Austin Startup’s SaaS Management Tool”
PayPal Headlines Dosh’s $44M Payday for Advertising-Rebate Business
Austin—Dosh, a fintech and advertising startup that gets consumers cash back on certain purchases, has raised a $44 million Series A round of funding from some big-name investors, including PayPal. Dosh, founded in 2016, has had an active start to 2018, after launching last year. The Austin, TX-based company’s app has added 3 million new … Continue reading “PayPal Headlines Dosh’s $44M Payday for Advertising-Rebate Business”
After Facebook: Launch Seeks Social Startups With Focus on Privacy
The Facebook and Cambridge Analytica data scandal may be the most prominent controversy the social networking company has had, but Jason Calacanis appears to call Facebook the “dark side” of social media for more reasons than that. Calacanis is an angel investor and founder of San Francisco incubator Launch, which announced last Friday it has … Continue reading “After Facebook: Launch Seeks Social Startups With Focus on Privacy”
San Antonio Healthcare Group Plans Boot Camp for Healthtech Startups
San Antonio—A life sciences professional development and advocacy group in San Antonio, The Health Cell, is hosting a three-day boot camp for researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs who want to start or join a healthtech company. The event is taking place from Friday, May 11 to Sunday, May 13, and will offer prospective executives mentorship and … Continue reading “San Antonio Healthcare Group Plans Boot Camp for Healthtech Startups”
Life Sci Veteran Garabedian Talks Up Biotech Accelerator in Texas
San Antonio — For early stage researchers at universities and other institutions, the idea of finding enough money to bring a drug or medical device to market can seem daunting, if not entirely hopeless. Grants and angel networks can cover some preclinical funding, and big venture capital firms are there to pour tens of millions … Continue reading “Life Sci Veteran Garabedian Talks Up Biotech Accelerator in Texas”
Pivotal Notches $555M IPO to Boost Enterprise Software in the Cloud
Pivotal Software is the latest to jump into an improving public market for tech companies—the San Francisco-based software business is raising $555 million in its initial public offering today. Pivotal said it priced 37 million shares for $15 apiece in the offering, in the middle of its expected range. The IPO still leaves Dell Technologies … Continue reading “Pivotal Notches $555M IPO to Boost Enterprise Software in the Cloud”
Easy Expunctions Wins $100,000 San Antonio Investment Competition
San Antonio—Easy Expunctions, a Texas startup that moved its business for expunging criminal records to San Antonio from Austin in 2016, has won a local startup pitch competition hosted by Capital Factory and Geekdom and, along with it, a $100,000 investment. Easy Expunctions beat out five other San Antonio tech companies Tuesday for the 1 … Continue reading “Easy Expunctions Wins $100,000 San Antonio Investment Competition”
San Antonio Startup Leaptran Develops Machine-Learning Energy Tech
San Antonio—A pair of San Antonio researchers have created a startup that aims to reduce the cost of energy consumption for commercial buildings using solar power and machine learning technology. Called Leaptran, the young startup plans to help commercial building owners, such as at a university or warehouse, use solar panels to soak up and … Continue reading “San Antonio Startup Leaptran Develops Machine-Learning Energy Tech”
With Competition Rising, Dropbox Now a Public Company After $756M IPO
[Updated 3/23/18, 3:35 p.m. See below.] Dropbox has raised about $756 million in its public market debut after pricing its IPO at $21 per share, according to news reports citing sources familiar with the matter. It’s the largest initial public offering for a U.S. tech company since Snap’s $3.9 billion offering a year ago. That … Continue reading “With Competition Rising, Dropbox Now a Public Company After $756M IPO”
San Antonio Bioscience and Technology Development Group Replaces CEO
San Antonio — [Updated 3/22/18, 11 a.m. See below.] The first CEO of VelocityTX, an emerging technology and startup resource center in San Antonio, has left the organization less than a year after he joined. Jorge Varela decided to pursue other interests, according to a press release from VelocityTX. A spokeswoman wouldn’t provide further detail. Varela … Continue reading “San Antonio Bioscience and Technology Development Group Replaces CEO”
CytoBioScience Raises $1.5M for “Intended Merger,” Document Says
San Antonio — [Updated 3/23/18, 4:58 p.m. See below.] CytoBioScience, a bioscience company that canceled plans to merge with a publicly traded business last year, made new merger plans this week, which the company revealed publicly Friday. Fort Collins, CO-based WestMountain Co. merged into CytoBioscience on March 19, according to a document filed with the SEC … Continue reading “CytoBioScience Raises $1.5M for “Intended Merger,” Document Says”
Inclusion Gets Real: A New Level of Diversity Discourse at SXSW
Austin—There’s no question that humans have plenty of biases that carry on from generation to generation, from sexism to racism to homophobia. Those problems have carried over to machines, too—bias in the data fed to computer algorithms is an issue that comes up often. Former Stanford computer science professor Daphne Koller recalled an anecdote she … Continue reading “Inclusion Gets Real: A New Level of Diversity Discourse at SXSW”
Geekdom and Alamo Angels Offer “Pre-Accelerator” to Local Startups
San Antonio—Co-working space Geekdom and angel network Alamo Angels are launching a “pre-accelerator” program that gives mentorship and advice to San Antonio startups, which the organizations hope will help position young businesses to be accepted into accelerator programs or attract early stage investments. Startups don’t have to pay to participate in the program, which is … Continue reading “Geekdom and Alamo Angels Offer “Pre-Accelerator” to Local Startups”