San Antonio—NuPak Medical, a contract manufacturer of medical devices, has been purchased for an undisclosed amount by its largest customer, Denville, New Jersey-based Katena Products. The news of the acquisition was first reported by the San Antonio Business Journal. NuPak, which was founded in San Antonio in 1997, manufactures medical products such as dental implants, … Continue reading “San Antonio Medical Device Contractor NuPak Sold to NJ-Based Katena”
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.
Globalscape Adds Software to Compete in Crowded SaaS Data Business
San Antonio—Transferring data among software programs is becoming increasingly important as more companies use products such as Salesforce (NYSE: [[ticker:CRM]]) and Hubspot (NYSE: [[ticker:HUBS]]), marketing and sales data collectors that don’t necessarily integrate information from different sources easily. Companies that help businesses transfer data between software programs, using application program interfaces and sometimes more advanced … Continue reading “Globalscape Adds Software to Compete in Crowded SaaS Data Business”
SparkCognition Boosts Series B to $32.5M, And Other Texas Fundings
Austin—[Updated 6/26/17, 9:55 a.m. See below.] SparkCognition, a company that uses machine learning software to monitor clients’ infrastructure and technology for malfunctions and other problems, has boosted its Series B round of funding to $32.5 million. The round was led by Verizon Ventures, the venture capital arm of telecom company Verizon. The company had previously … Continue reading “SparkCognition Boosts Series B to $32.5M, And Other Texas Fundings”
Chinese Pharma Licenses Two Drugs from UT Schools For $4.5M Upfront
San Antonio—A Chinese pharmaceutical company is licensing two experimental drugs from two University of Texas research institutions for an initial $4.5 million upfront payment. The Texas institutions could receive more money if the drugs meet clinical and regulatory goals. UT Health San Antonio and UT Health Houston announced today they are selling the global license for … Continue reading “Chinese Pharma Licenses Two Drugs from UT Schools For $4.5M Upfront”
RealCo Accelerator Startup Dauber Gets $1.1M for Trucking Tech
San Antonio—[Updated 6/23/17, 10:34 a.m. See Below.] Dauber, a trucking-focused app maker that’s working with the San Antonio-based RealCo startup program, has raised $1.1 million in seed funding from RealCo, angel investors, and people in the trucking industry. Dauber makes apps that lets construction trucking companies track shipments, track and analyze data such as load information, and … Continue reading “RealCo Accelerator Startup Dauber Gets $1.1M for Trucking Tech”
With $23M, Flagship-Backed Sigilon Protects Protein-Producing Cells
Companies have been trying for years, if not decades, to find a way to encapsulate cells for therapeutic use in a way that protects them from the body’s reactions. Sigilon Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based biotech, announced today it has raised $23.5 million from Flagship Pioneering to take its technology to clinical trials. The company has … Continue reading “With $23M, Flagship-Backed Sigilon Protects Protein-Producing Cells”
Expanding Teladoc Adds Network, Tech With $440M Best Doctors Deal
Dallas—In Teladoc’s acquisition of Boston-based Best Doctors—a $440 million cash-and-stock deal that the companies announced Monday—Teladoc (NYSE: [[ticker:TDOC]]) is gaining a business that lets it offer more specialization in its telemedicine services. Best Doctors connects individuals who have tough decisions to make about treatments—or who want a second opinion about a diagnosis—with top-rated doctors worldwide. … Continue reading “Expanding Teladoc Adds Network, Tech With $440M Best Doctors Deal”
UT Health Cancer Center Hires Rare Blood Cancer Expert as Director
San Antonio — The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has hired a new director for its UT Health Cancer Center: Ruben Mesa, a researcher who has lengthy experience testing treatments for rare blood cancers. Mesa is joining the UT Health Cancer Center from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Arizona, where he … Continue reading “UT Health Cancer Center Hires Rare Blood Cancer Expert as Director”
Boston’s PillPack Launches Software to Automate Prescription Process
It’s undeniable that managing medications can be a burden, especially if you’re prescribed to take multiple drugs every day. PillPack, a three-year-old startup based in the Boston area that mails prescription medications to patients across the country, has built software that it says makes the process of filling prescriptions, monitoring insurance claims, and eases communications … Continue reading “Boston’s PillPack Launches Software to Automate Prescription Process”
San Antonio’s Xenex Debuts Hospital-Cleaning “Pod” After Adding $38M
San Antonio — Xenex Disinfection Services, a healthcare company that raised $38 million in February, is now selling a new device for its machine that rids hospital rooms of infection-causing bacteria and viruses: a portable “pod” in which equipment can be disinfected. Xenex’s primary product is a technology called the LightStrike Robot that uses pulses … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Xenex Debuts Hospital-Cleaning “Pod” After Adding $38M”
San Antonio Aims to Tap Into Air Force’s Prominence in Cybersecurity
San Antonio—Anyone who has heard of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Raytheon probably knows the federal government spends billions of dollars every year on defense. And while much of that funding goes toward buying missiles, planes, and ships, cybersecurity is gaining greater importance. President Trump’s budget proposal includes a $3 billion boost to cybersecurity funding … Continue reading “San Antonio Aims to Tap Into Air Force’s Prominence in Cybersecurity”
Athenahealth Gets Personal Assistant, A.I. With $63M Praxify Buyout
Athenahealth is further building out its suite of applications and programs that help physicians and patients interact with electronic medical records with its largest acquisition since 2013, announcing today that it has bought Palo Alto, CA-based Praxify Technologies for $63 million. With Praxify, Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]) is getting a company that has built … Continue reading “Athenahealth Gets Personal Assistant, A.I. With $63M Praxify Buyout”
San Antonio’s Geekdom Fund Adds to Investments With $20M Second Fund
San Antonio—The Texas IT-focused venture capital firm Geekdom Fund has closed a $20 million fund, which it started raising last year. The San Antonio venture firm was founded in 2014 by Michael Girdley, Don Douglas, Mike Troy, and Cole Wollak, and closed its first fund at $3.4 million in 2015. Geekdom Fund has always invested … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Geekdom Fund Adds to Investments With $20M Second Fund”
Austin Startup Everfest Raises $3.6M From Live Nation, ATX Seed
Austin—Everfest, a festival-focused startup based in Austin, TX, has raised a $3.6 million Series A round of funding from Live Nation Entertainment and ATX Seed Ventures. The company says it plans to use some of the money for product development, marketing, and new hires. Founded in 2014 by former uShip executives Paul Cross and Jay … Continue reading “Austin Startup Everfest Raises $3.6M From Live Nation, ATX Seed”
Internet-Connected Jewelry Maker WiseWear Joins XPRIZE Competition
San Antonio—WiseWear, a San Antonio tech company that makes an Internet-connected jewelry line, is one of 38 groups in the U.S. competing during the next year for a women’s safety-focused XPRIZE worth $1 million. WiseWear is seeking to design a system that costs less than $40 and can help women respond to potential threats. The … Continue reading “Internet-Connected Jewelry Maker WiseWear Joins XPRIZE Competition”
With Gene Therapy for Diabetes, San Antonio Researcher Eyes Funding
San Antonio — Most diabetes treatments work by giving the body the insulin it needs to break down sugar. But that approach deals with the symptoms of diabetes. In recent years, scientists and companies have taken aim at the root cause of the condition by attempting to stimulate or replace the cells in the pancreas responsible … Continue reading “With Gene Therapy for Diabetes, San Antonio Researcher Eyes Funding”
Uber, Lyft Return to Austin With Tech Edge, But Upstarts Grew Roots
Austin—[Updated 5/25/17, 4:42 p.m. See below.] A year after Uber and Lyft had a bad breakup with Austin, the software companies are returning to town Monday. That’s thanks to Texas state law makers who last week approved legislation that wiped out the city-imposed restrictions that caused Uber and Lyft to leave in the first place. … Continue reading “Uber, Lyft Return to Austin With Tech Edge, But Upstarts Grew Roots”
Rackspace Buys Boston Area’s TriCore in Largest-Ever Acquisition
San Antonio—Rackspace has acquired a Norwell, MA-based company called TriCore Solutions that the cloud computing giant says is its largest acquisition ever, both financially and by the number of employees. The news comes less than a year after Rackspace itself was bought for $4.3 billion by Apollo Global Management, a New York-based private equity firm that … Continue reading “Rackspace Buys Boston Area’s TriCore in Largest-Ever Acquisition”
Constellation Reboots With Eye On Immuno-Oncology, Hires New CEO
[Updated 5/25/17, 12:44 p.m. See below.] Constellation Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, MA-based biotech that up until 2015 had a sprawling alliance with Genentech, has made sweeping changes this morning. The firm has replaced its president and CEO, will transition its chief scientific officer out of his position in July, and is now embarking on a new … Continue reading “Constellation Reboots With Eye On Immuno-Oncology, Hires New CEO”
New Rackspace CEO Joe Eazor Previously Held Roles at EarthLink, EMC
San Antonio—Cloud computing company Rackspace has a new CEO: Joe Eazor, who was most recently the CEO of EarthLink, the company best known for providing dial-up Internet since the 1990s. Eazor is replacing Taylor Rhodes, who left Rackspace this month to take the top job at Chicago-based software company SMS Assist. Rackspace President Jeff Cotten, … Continue reading “New Rackspace CEO Joe Eazor Previously Held Roles at EarthLink, EMC”
Rackspace’s Former CEO Rhodes Takes Top Job at Chicago’s SMS Assist
San Antonio—Taylor Rhodes, the former Rackspace CEO who resigned at the beginning of this month, is taking the helm of a Chicago-based company, SMS Assist, which has software that aims to help large business chains manage maintenance and property management services for their buildings. Rhodes had served as the CEO of San Antonio-based Rackspace since … Continue reading “Rackspace’s Former CEO Rhodes Takes Top Job at Chicago’s SMS Assist”
Elliott Buys Into Health IT Firm Athenahealth, Sends Stock Soaring
Finding a healthcare company with the right technological know-how can be an attractive investment opportunity. That’s the thinking behind a move announced this morning by activist investor Elliott Associates, which bought a 9.2 percent stake in Boston-area health IT company Athenahealth (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]). The news sent Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth’s stock up more than 22 percent … Continue reading “Elliott Buys Into Health IT Firm Athenahealth, Sends Stock Soaring”
With Ransomware Concerns Fresh, Cybersecurity Firms Tap VC Funding
While a wave of cyber attacks like the coordinated “WannaCry” virus may be bad for business, it’s no secret that it means good business promotion for the cybersecurity industry. As cybersecurity stocks rose across the board Monday after a weekend full of hacks, a variety of startups rode the wave of interest in Web security … Continue reading “With Ransomware Concerns Fresh, Cybersecurity Firms Tap VC Funding”
UT Health San Antonio Lands $9.1M Grant to Study Drug Resistance
San Antonio — A group of scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is starting research projects funded by the National Cancer Institute that use data collection and computational analysis to study why breast and prostate cancers can progress and why they resist anti-hormone therapies. The goal of the 5-year, … Continue reading “UT Health San Antonio Lands $9.1M Grant to Study Drug Resistance”
WiseWear, Maker of Iris Apfel Tech Jewelry, Still Testing Med Device
San Antonio—WiseWear has attracted plenty of international attention for its effort to sell a chic wearable device. Vogue, Slate, and InStyle, among other publications, wrote about the company’s Internet-connected jewelry in 2016 after WiseWear began working with a team of prominent designers, including documentary subject Iris Apfel, to bring a fashionable aesthetic to the tech … Continue reading “WiseWear, Maker of Iris Apfel Tech Jewelry, Still Testing Med Device”
Newest Texas Angel Network Hosts Statewide Summit in San Antonio
San Antonio—Six months after the launch of San Antonio’s first angel network, the city is playing host to a statewide summit on angel investing Friday to help members of the network gain insight from other angel investors across Texas. The San Antonio Angel Network was officially launched by a group of local entrepreneurs and investors … Continue reading “Newest Texas Angel Network Hosts Statewide Summit in San Antonio”
Dell Technologies Goes Public About $100M Venture Capital Arm
Austin—[Updated 5/9/17, 10:58 a.m. See below.] Dell Technologies is publicly unveiling a venture capital investment arm that has been quietly investing in startups since the operation was run by EMC, the data storage giant that Dell agreed to acquire for $67 billion in 2015. Called Dell Technologies Capital, the investment arm plans to provide funding to … Continue reading “Dell Technologies Goes Public About $100M Venture Capital Arm”
Nipple Replacement Startup NovoThelium Sweeps Pitch Competitions
San Antonio — For breast cancer and trauma patients who need surgery, reconstructing the nipple and areola is an important and difficult part of that procedure. From skin grafts and prosthetics to tattoos and 3-D cellular printing, the ways to rebuild that tissue are numerous, but they often come with drawbacks. The surgically repaired skin can … Continue reading “Nipple Replacement Startup NovoThelium Sweeps Pitch Competitions”
Cytori Reboots Azaya Facility After Buyout, Looks for European Deal
San Antonio — Cytori Therapeutics is in the process of restarting a San Antonio manufacturing facility it gained in February when it acquired Azaya Therapeutics, the maker of nanoparticle-encapsulated generic drugs. The San Diego-based company now plans to find a European distributor for a drug that facility makes. Cytori (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYTX]]) is working to bring the … Continue reading “Cytori Reboots Azaya Facility After Buyout, Looks for European Deal”
Rackspace, Owned by Private Equity, Loses CEO to Cloud Tech Company
San Antonio—Rackspace’s CEO, Taylor Rhodes, is leaving his post for an unnamed, smaller tech company this month, the newest dramatic change for the cloud computing giant, which was sold to private equity investors for $4.3 billion in August. Rhodes had been at the helm of Rackspace since 2014 and led the company through rapid changes … Continue reading “Rackspace, Owned by Private Equity, Loses CEO to Cloud Tech Company”
Angie’s List, Grown in Indiana, Merging with Colorado’s HomeAdvisor
Two days after Angie Hicks, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of home services website Angie’s List, won an award for being a trailblazer in Indiana’s technology sector, her company announced it is heading down a new path. Angie’s List has agreed to be sold to Internet giant IAC, which will merge Hicks’s firm with … Continue reading “Angie’s List, Grown in Indiana, Merging with Colorado’s HomeAdvisor”
A New Mindset Could Overcome ‘Bogus Academic Person Business Model’
San Antonio — Academic research centers are perennially seeking new ways to get more work commercialized, from offices that are tasked with spotting marketable science to workshops meant to help scientists learn to think like entrepreneurs. But the problem may be that scientists at universities merely have different incentives than researchers in the biotech industry, … Continue reading “A New Mindset Could Overcome ‘Bogus Academic Person Business Model’”
Gates Foundation Leads $45.5M Round for Gerngross’s Biotech Arsanis
[Corrected 4/27/17, 11:57 p.m. See Below.] Arsanis, a Waltham, MA-based biotech co-founded by scientist and entrepreneur Tillman Gerngross to develop treatments for bacterial and viral infections, has raised a $45.5 million investment led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to finance a mid-stage clinical trial for its lead drug program. The Series D round of … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Leads $45.5M Round for Gerngross’s Biotech Arsanis”
Prytime Signs Military Distribution Deal with Combat Medical Systems
San Antonio — Prytime Medical Devices has signed a deal that would have Harrisburg, NC-based Combat Medical Systems distribute and sell the company’s medical device, a catheter that can be used to control hemorrhaging, to the U.S. military and federal government. Prytime, which is headquartered near San Antonio in Boerne, TX, sells a catheter that can … Continue reading “Prytime Signs Military Distribution Deal with Combat Medical Systems”
Insight Partners Buys Data Backup Business Spanning From Dell EMC
Austin—Spanning, software data backup service owned by Dell EMC, is being sold to New York-based private equity firm Insight Venture Partners. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The newly independent company is changing its name to Spanning Cloud Apps, according to a prepared statement. The company will continue to be based in Austin, TX. Dell … Continue reading “Insight Partners Buys Data Backup Business Spanning From Dell EMC”
ZappRx Gets $25M to Push E-Prescription Tools for Specialty Meds
[Corrected 4/20/17, 9:15 a.m. See below.] ZappRx, a Boston-based startup trying to streamline the process of ordering and refilling specialty medications, has raised a $25 million round of funding led by Seattle venture capital firm Qiming US Healthcare Fund. Notably, GV, the venture capital arm of Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOGL]]), is participating in the … Continue reading “ZappRx Gets $25M to Push E-Prescription Tools for Specialty Meds”
Phoenix Shops Its Cancer Drug as Potential Alzheimer’s Treatment
San Antonio — George Perry, a scientist at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has long proposed that drug developers and researchers need to look earlier into the roots of Alzheimer’s disease. Over more than two decades, Perry has studied the possibility that diseases like Alzheimer’s may get their start because the body produces too … Continue reading “Phoenix Shops Its Cancer Drug as Potential Alzheimer’s Treatment”
Factom, Blockchain-Based Records Startup, Adds to Series A Funding
Austin—Factom, an Austin, TX-based company that uses blockchain technology to secure and verify data such as public records and business documents, nearly doubled its Series A funding round to more than $8 million. Factom, founded in 2015, announced it had raised a $4.2 million Series A funding in October, led by Tim Draper, the noted … Continue reading “Factom, Blockchain-Based Records Startup, Adds to Series A Funding”
AVX Partners Makes Fourth Growth Investment, in Canada’s Tasktop
Austin—AVX Partners, the small growth-stage venture firm that sprouted from Austin Ventures in 2015, has made its fourth investment: in Tasktop, a Vancouver, BC-based software maker. Tasktop is getting $11.6 million in new funding in a round led by AVX, which contributed $8 million. Filling out the round were Austin Ventures and Vancouver-based Yaletown Partners, which … Continue reading “AVX Partners Makes Fourth Growth Investment, in Canada’s Tasktop”
Pipe Leak Detection System Employs Machine Learning to Limit Errors
San Antonio—Even as Donald Trump is executing orders to roll back environmental regulations, numerous technology researchers are developing new systems that may aid oil and gas businesses in better detecting leaks that lead to emissions—including one on the west side of San Antonio. The Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) is developing a machine learning system that … Continue reading “Pipe Leak Detection System Employs Machine Learning to Limit Errors”
Gedeon Richter Gets Ex-U.S. Rights for Evestra Urological Product
San Antonio — Women’s health company Evestra has licensed some of its commercialization rights for an unspecified female urological product to its existing partner Gedeon Richter, a Hungarian specialty pharmaceutical company. Evestra says Richter gained the rights for certain areas outside of the U.S. Richter is giving San Antonio-based Evestra an undisclosed upfront payment that’s helping … Continue reading “Gedeon Richter Gets Ex-U.S. Rights for Evestra Urological Product”
Venture Firm’s Incubator Watershed Buys Biomedical Product Developer
San Antonio—Watershed Idea Foundry, a life science incubator operated by a San Antonio venture capital firm, has acquired a similar product development and commercialization business, Encinitas, CA-based Additive Innovations. Watershed, which offers startups services such as proof-of-concept testing and prototype manufacturing in exchange for equity, is keeping its name but making Additive’s founder Nick Cordaro … Continue reading “Venture Firm’s Incubator Watershed Buys Biomedical Product Developer”
Ottobock Buys Boston-Based “Active” Prosthetic Maker BionX
BionX Medical Technologies, a Boston-area company that makes a prosthetic foot and ankle product that uses robotics technology, has been acquired by Ottobock, a German prosthetics company with North American headquarters in Austin, TX. The deal was announced earlier this month. Financial terms weren’t disclosed, so it’s hard to tell how good an outcome it … Continue reading “Ottobock Buys Boston-Based “Active” Prosthetic Maker BionX”
With $60M Fund, “Anti-VC” Scaleworks Looks to Buy Software Startups
San Antonio—[Corrected 4/10/17, 1:27 p.m. See Below.] For many entrepreneurs who leave their business, investing is an easy next step. That’s what Lew Moorman did after he left Rackspace in 2013. But he didn’t like it. “I found myself not enjoying my day. I was spending all my time hearing pitches, and then doing very high-level … Continue reading “With $60M Fund, “Anti-VC” Scaleworks Looks to Buy Software Startups”
Coffee Meets Bagel Starts Premium Model to Push In-App Currency
Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel is launching a premium service that gives subscribers information about their potential suitors’ activities and makes it easier for them to access and spend the in-app currency that makes the company money. The premium subscription costs $34.99. Coffee Meets Bagel doesn’t charge for its basic services, but it does let … Continue reading “Coffee Meets Bagel Starts Premium Model to Push In-App Currency”
Promising Cash for Consumers, Startup Dosh Plans Break Out of Beta
Austin—A new startup that claims it can get consumers cash back on their purchases—and bring its customers more business in the process—has raised $2 million in new seed funding and is preparing to launch out of beta testing. Called Dosh, the company has raised $6 million in total seed funding but isn’t yet naming its … Continue reading “Promising Cash for Consumers, Startup Dosh Plans Break Out of Beta”
Tech in the Trump Era: Regulating Privacy, Immigration, Ethics
Austin—From personal privacy to managing the technology that one day could take our jobs, finding the right approach to regulating technology is a more prominent subject now than seemingly ever, especially given the steady stream of proposals being pushed by the new White House administration. Those speaking at South by Southwest over the last week … Continue reading “Tech in the Trump Era: Regulating Privacy, Immigration, Ethics”
Gender at South By Southwest: Harassment, VC Jobs, & Hard Choices
[Angela Shah contributed to this report.] Austin—If there was a common theme among the gender-focused panels at South by Southwest, it might be the disbelief that we still need to discuss the importance of having women in tech. But considering the current occupant of the Oval Office, popular ride-sharing companies that back supervisors accused of … Continue reading “Gender at South By Southwest: Harassment, VC Jobs, & Hard Choices”
BioAffinity Secures $150K Investment from San Antonio-Run Biz Group
San Antonio — An economic development organization run by the city of San Antonio is committing $150,000 to bioAffinity, betting that the young company can advance its technology and add more jobs. The company is developing a diagnostic agent that aims to literally highlight cancer cells in patients sputum—basically phlegm that’s coughed up from the … Continue reading “BioAffinity Secures $150K Investment from San Antonio-Run Biz Group”
Capital Factory Starts Mobility Accelerator with Daimler’s Moovel
Austin—Capital Factory is launching a new accelerator program with moovel North America, which is part of a company founded by Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler AG, for startups that have technology targeting the transportation sector. Called MobilityX and based at Capital Factory’s co-working space in Austin, TX, the accelerator aims to give Daimler input, connections, and potential … Continue reading “Capital Factory Starts Mobility Accelerator with Daimler’s Moovel”