Pivot3 Obtains $55,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=457cb792-167a-49e1-8afb-831fd52ede63 Date 3/9/2016 Company Name Pivot3 Mailing Address 221 West 6th Street Austin, TX 78701 USA Company Description The result was our patented vSTAC OS (Virtual Storage and Compute), which dramatically increases scale-out performance while driving down complexity and costs. Over the last decade, we have built relationships with 2,000 forward-thinking customers … Continue reading “Pivot3 Obtains $55,000,000 New Round”

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”

PledgeMusic Acquires Set.fm for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6be70898-87cb-4073-83da-6ff29a298696 Date 3/8/2016 Company Name Set.fm Mailing Address 2301 Alta Vista Ave. Austin, TX 78704 USA Company Description Set.fm is built by music lovers for music lovers. Our free app helps working musicians tap into additional revenue streams. With Set.fm, artists can instantly capture, promote, and sell recordings of their live performances. … Continue reading “PledgeMusic Acquires Set.fm for Undisclosed Sum”

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”

InCube Labs Startup Fe3 Plans Iron-Delivering Patch For Anemia

San Antonio — Mir Imran, the founder and CEO of InCube Labs, has more than 200 patents to his name and has created more than 20 companies through InCube, a healthcare-focused research and development business that invents new technology with the goal of spinning them into separate businesses. Maybe, then, it’s not surprising that Imran … Continue reading “InCube Labs Startup Fe3 Plans Iron-Delivering Patch For Anemia”

Stealthy MIT Spinout Ribon, Led by a Sanofi Vet, Takes Aim at Cancer

Two years ago, AstraZeneca became the first company to win approval of a new type of cancer drug known as a “PARP” inhibitor. A lot of competition has followed suit, and now it looks as if a new startup from MIT called Ribon Therapeutics—headed by a former Sanofi executive and backed by three different venture … Continue reading “Stealthy MIT Spinout Ribon, Led by a Sanofi Vet, Takes Aim at Cancer”

Fe3 Medical Secures $11,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ada7d3c-19a6-4171-91ac-d7fb487f6805 Date 3/3/2016 Company Name Fe3 Medical Mailing Address 12500 Network Blvd. San Antonio, TX 78249 USA Company Description Fe3 is an early stage company developing a novel transdermal therapy for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia. The approach and technology for Fe3 was developed at InCube Labs, a multi-disciplinary life sciences … Continue reading “Fe3 Medical Secures $11,000,000 Series B Financing”

Trinity Entrepreneur Program Grows Alongside San Antonio Startups

San Antonio — At a small university just north of downtown San Antonio, there are a few dozen students that, every semester, everyone expects will fail. Don’t worry, it’s nothing nefarious. For the students studying at Trinity University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, experiencing a failure is almost a requisite for someone who wants to … Continue reading “Trinity Entrepreneur Program Grows Alongside San Antonio Startups”

FAST Act Offers More Goodies to Emerging Growth Companies

Once again proving that you can’t judge a gift by its box, emerging growth companies (EGCs) received a pleasant, but oddly wrapped, surprise in December with the enactment of a new law authorizing spending on highway and transit projects. Although adopted with less fanfare than the JOBS Act, the new FAST Act (that’s short for … Continue reading “FAST Act Offers More Goodies to Emerging Growth Companies”

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”

PawnGuru Takes Process of Buying, Selling, and Negotiating Online

Anyone who has watched “Hardcore Pawn”—the reality show set in Detroit that follows the Gold family, owners of American Jewelry and Loan—knows that getting a fair price for the stuff they want to sell can be a challenge. One has to first bring an item to pawn that is considered attractive to pawnshop owners, and … Continue reading “PawnGuru Takes Process of Buying, Selling, and Negotiating Online”

UnaliWear Obtains $3,400,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4b3e31bb-399f-48c8-8769-f1b580b8b7c5 Date 3/2/2016 Company Name UnaliWear Mailing Address Undisclosed Austin, TX 78703 USA Company Description Focus groups have called UnaliWear OnStar for People because we provide discreet support for falls, medication reminders, and a guard against wandering in a classically-styled watch that features an easy-to-use speech interface rather than buttons. Unlike traditional … Continue reading “UnaliWear Obtains $3,400,000 Seed Round”

Austin Biotech Savara Nets $20M in Series C for Phase 3 Study

Austin — [Corrected 3/1/16, 11:27 p.m. See below.] A year after releasing results from a Phase 2 clinical trial, Savara Pharmaceuticals has announced $20 million in Series C funding that it will use to take its inhaled version of an antibiotic to Phase 3. Savara, based in Austin, TX, plans to begin enrollment in the Phase … Continue reading “Austin Biotech Savara Nets $20M in Series C for Phase 3 Study”

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”

Replay Technologies Obtains $13,500,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3527f984-ec86-422d-be9b-dbffb382cd7d Date 3/1/2016 Company Name Replay Technologies Mailing Address 2561 N. Harwood St. Dallas, TX 75201 USA Company Description Our vision is to power the next big revolution in video by using our proprietary freeD technology to create novel viewing experiences. We believe that ultimately the viewing experience of most broadcast related … Continue reading “Replay Technologies Obtains $13,500,000 Series B Funding”

Savara Pharmaceuticals Garners $20,000,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2146957c-c922-43df-aa53-22de29afbd8f Date 3/1/2016 Company Name Savara Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 900 S. Capital of Texas Highway Austin, TX 78746 USA Company Description Savara is a pharmaceutical company developing novel respiratory therapeutics utilizing our proprietary NanoCluster dry powder aerosol drug delivery platform.The aerosols are assembled directly from nanoparticles of an existing therapeutic and delivered … Continue reading “Savara Pharmaceuticals Garners $20,000,000 Series C Round”

As Industry Booms, Dev Bootcamp Adds Seattle, Austin, Washington DC

After spending their first nine weeks working remotely and part-time, the first 18 students to enroll in Dev Bootcamp’s inaugural San Diego program for Web developers are moving downtown this week. They begin the immersive phase of their vocational training today in “full-stack” Web development, with new equipment that Dev Bootcamp has installed in their … Continue reading “As Industry Booms, Dev Bootcamp Adds Seattle, Austin, Washington DC”

HeatGenie Secures $558,524 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7fc2fd2f-5611-43bf-a75b-5bc3eeb3195c Date 2/29/2016 Company Name HeatGenie Mailing Address 3913 Todd Lane Austin, TX 78744 USA Company Description Our vision is to make self heating packages an integral part of consumer’s lives and in doing so become the largest commercially successful self-heating technology in the world. Website http://www.heatgenie.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “HeatGenie Secures $558,524 New Funding”

Exact Sciences Axes Lung Cancer Partnership With MD Anderson

After less than a year, Exact Sciences has terminated a partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center aimed at developing blood-based diagnostic tests for lung cancer. The decision to nix the agreement was mutual, MD Anderson’s Sam Hanash said in an e-mail to Xconomy. Hanash is a physician and researcher at the … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Axes Lung Cancer Partnership With MD Anderson”

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”

BioAffinity Aims to Revive Cancer Diagnostic in San Antonio

San Antonio — For bioAffinity, a company that relocated its diagnostic research program to San Antonio two years ago, the proof is in the sputum. BioAffinity, the maker of a diagnostic test that is currently focused on lung cancer, aims to use its technology to identify whether cells in a person’s sputum are cancerous, thus indicating … Continue reading “BioAffinity Aims to Revive Cancer Diagnostic in San Antonio”

The Road to Safe, Secure Driverless Cars

The development of autonomous vehicles promises a future of safe and efficient roads, unimpeded by distracted, impaired, aggressive, or deliberately speeding drivers. But to achieve this, the companies involved in developing driverless cars will have to navigate significant obstacles. The transition from personally controlled to automated vehicles can be likened to the shift that occurred … Continue reading “The Road to Safe, Secure Driverless Cars”

DBmaestro Receives $3,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7da1bbd0-643d-48a7-90bc-6ff06d492aee Date 2/25/2016 Company Name DBmaestro Mailing Address 1302 Waugh Drive Houston, TX 77019 USA Company Description DBmaestro is a pioneer and a leading DevOps for database solution provider. Its flagship product, DBmaestro TeamWork, enables Agile development and Continuous Integration and Delivery for the Database. Website http://www.dbmaestro.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “DBmaestro Receives $3,000,000 Series A Funding”

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”

Dyson, Maeda, Jepsen, & More at Our Napa Summit–Request Your Invite

Forget for a moment our truly mind-blowing presidential possibilities. Consider instead the wellspring of innovators and innovation out there, and you’ll feel better about the future, no matter where your political anxieties lie. And then imagine coming to Napa in mid-May to join Xconomy at our most special event—where you will enjoy first-hand interaction with … Continue reading “Dyson, Maeda, Jepsen, & More at Our Napa Summit–Request Your Invite”

Real Receives $6,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e79812ff-1980-41b4-9db4-3abbe3c74b0c Date 2/24/2016 Company Name Real Mailing Address 5100 Westheimer Rd. Houston, TX 77056 USA Company Description Technology has changed the face of real estate. We have responded by creating a different kind of brokerage. A brokerage that gives you the latest tools, helps you be more productive, and puts more of … Continue reading “Real Receives $6,000,000 New Funding Round”

Vivify Health Receives $10,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c970106-1056-49ad-a9f5-89d9b84b1255 Date 2/24/2016 Company Name Vivify Health Mailing Address 7201 Bishop Rd. Plano, TX 75024 USA Company Description Vivify Health was founded by a team with over 150 years of experience in healthcare IT innovation, including the first touchscreen EMR, deployed in over 400 hospitals and serving nearly 50,000,000 patient visits. Website … Continue reading “Vivify Health Receives $10,000,000 New Round”

In Election Year, Houston Tech Ecosystem Works On Civic Engagement

Houston — Andrew Douglass has voted in each election—from the high-profile presidential contests to more obscure local referendums and council races—since he was able to at age 18. Now he’s using his expertise as a freelance Web developer to make it easier for others to vote, too. “I’ve tried to be very civic minded,” he says. Douglass, … Continue reading “In Election Year, Houston Tech Ecosystem Works On Civic Engagement”

San Antonio’s Girdley Finds Spark in Startup Seed Investments

San Antonio—Michael Girdley is an investor in early stage technology companies who, most recently, was the CEO of his family’s San Antonio fireworks business, Alamo Fireworks. There must be some kind of joke there, right? “Explosive returns?” Girdley suggests. Puns aside, Girdley is one of the founding members of the Geekdom Fund, a venture capital … Continue reading “San Antonio’s Girdley Finds Spark in Startup Seed Investments”

Realizing the Return on Digital Health Technologies

A “Wired for Health” study recently reported by The Scripps Translational Science Institute in San Diego poses a significant challenge for those working to realize the potential of digital health technologies. The Scripps team has been investigating the relationship between wireless health-monitoring technologies, healthcare costs, and outcomes in patients with chronic disease. After equipping one cohort of patients … Continue reading “Realizing the Return on Digital Health Technologies”

Austin’s Lucid Aims to Make Artificial Intelligence More Human

Austin — Many of the advances in artificial intelligence have focused on the numbers, algorithms, and patterns that help computers to predict human behavior. An Austin, TX, company wants to connect that approach to one that uses more human-like reasoning, as well. “The ‘thinking like a human’ part is much more difficult to build,” says … Continue reading “Austin’s Lucid Aims to Make Artificial Intelligence More Human”

Investor Survey, Part 2: A Pair of Seattle VCs on 2016 Themes

Will a new crop of Seattle startups rise to world domination? Will virtual or augmented reality applications create the next powerhouse tech company? Those are two of the overriding hopes and ambitions emerging from the Seattle segment of my informal cross-country survey of leading investors as I seek to unearth core investment themes and premises … Continue reading “Investor Survey, Part 2: A Pair of Seattle VCs on 2016 Themes”

Finding Innovation in the Modern Data Center

The modern data center is going through a period of transition. Traditional data center infrastructures are increasingly giving way to disruptive and innovative technologies such as cloud computing and hyperconvergence. Business demands and IT challenges are forcing executives to take a longer look at investments that will accelerate innovation, provide a competitive advantage, and achieve … Continue reading “Finding Innovation in the Modern Data Center”

ModoPayments Receives $2,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b3b56f3b-288a-4b2b-b18f-b6fef2d4d892 Date 2/22/2016 Company Name ModoPayments Mailing Address 204 S. Cottonwood St. Richardson, TX 75080 USA Company Description Modo takes monetary value from just about any source, and can deliver it to just about any destination. Website http://www.modopayments.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “ModoPayments Receives $2,000,000 New Funding Round”

Tech Bloc Aims to Elevate San Antonio’s Role in Tech Innovation

San Antonio—Even if it seems unlikely, there is a common thread in these events: a women’s luncheon, a report on whether a city should annex county land, rallies for workers, startup competitions, a railroad project. Each project is being spearheaded by Tech Bloc, a tech-focused nonprofit in San Antonio that aims to promote the local … Continue reading “Tech Bloc Aims to Elevate San Antonio’s Role in Tech Innovation”

Startups Vying for Bexar County Money in San Antonio Tech Contest

San Antonio—A week after Techstars Cloud showcased the 11 companies that were selected for its accelerator program in San Antonio, another group of five startups were picked to participate in a separate Alamo City competition inspired by Techstars. Called Tech Fuel, the competition asked each early-stage company to pitch a panel of judges on its … Continue reading “Startups Vying for Bexar County Money in San Antonio Tech Contest”

Vyopta Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e72c9de7-bcbc-4189-8bf0-2cdc09ff430b Date 2/19/2016 Company Name Vyopta Mailing Address 3755 South Capital of Texas Highway Austin, TX 78704 USA Company Description Vyopta is an analytics company that enterprises use to monitor, support, and optimize their video and unified collaboration systems. Website http://www.vyopta.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $5,000,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “Vyopta Obtains $5,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

Digital Health, Mobility Startups Among Focus for Hatch Finalists

[Updated, 5:56 pm. See below] Austin — The organizers of the Hatch Pitch startup competition announced Thursday the finalists for this year’s contest to be held next month. [An earlier version of this paragraph mistakenly implied that the Hatch competition was part of this year’s South By Southwest festival. The competition is scheduled to take place at … Continue reading “Digital Health, Mobility Startups Among Focus for Hatch Finalists”

A North Carolina High School that Spins Out Entrepreneurs

Over the years, many successful ventures have emerged from North Carolina’s rich concentration of university researchers. Some of the state’s innovators get an even earlier start: high school. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) began in 1980 as an innovation itself, founded as a public residential high school for academically talented high school … Continue reading “A North Carolina High School that Spins Out Entrepreneurs”

Austin Startup Vyopta Nets $5M Series A from AVX Partners

Austin, TX-based Vyopta, which provides a video conferencing system dashboard for businesses, has raised $5 million as the startup seeks to expand its reach. Vyopta helps businesses ranging from Stanford Health Care to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs better manage the many Internet-enabled conference calls their employees participate each year. Ivan Montoya, Vyopta’s vice … Continue reading “Austin Startup Vyopta Nets $5M Series A from AVX Partners”

Tour of Texas: Cars, Insurance, E-commerce & Cloud Demo Day

Greetings, readers. We’re mixing up the usual rotation of roundup news to bring you an innovation “Tour of Texas”—stories on venture capital activity, startup re-branding, e-commerce, and a study of entrepreneurship—from around the state’s major metro areas. Austin: —The Zebra has set its sights on the murky confines of the insurance industry. Founder Adam Lyons … Continue reading “Tour of Texas: Cars, Insurance, E-commerce & Cloud Demo Day”

Dallas Fintech Firm StoneEagle Raises $76M for Payments System

Dallas — A Dallas area fintech company has raised $76 million from San Francisco-based venture firm FTV Capital. StoneEagle Services sells virtual “credit cards” for business-to-business payments to the healthcare and automotive industries, among others. The idea is to digitize traditional processes, such as insurance company payments to healthcare providers or reimbursements for automobile warranty claims. “If … Continue reading “Dallas Fintech Firm StoneEagle Raises $76M for Payments System”

Dallas E-commerce Startup FanPrint Connects Athletes to Fans

Dallas — Jerseys of professional athletes, the player’s number featured prominently on the back, are a staple in sports memorabilia. But a Dallas startup wants to make those shirts more personal for those who are wearing them. FanPrint, which was founded in 2012, uses social media to market sports-themed apparel. About 80 percent of its … Continue reading “Dallas E-commerce Startup FanPrint Connects Athletes to Fans”

“Innovation” in a Competitive Startup Economy

Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults agree that we’re living in an age of significant innovation. Indeed, the pace at which new products and services are being developed is truly incredible. In 2014 alone, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted a record 300,678 utility patents – the most issued in a single year, ever. … Continue reading ““Innovation” in a Competitive Startup Economy”

Biotech’s Recent Headlines, Reimagined In Verse and On Stage

  Dear Theranos, I noticed recently that you’re looking for a writer to work in your Palo Alto office. Please don’t tell my bosses at Xconomy, but I’m throwing my hat in the ring. In your job posting, the final requirement in particular made me think I’d be a good fit: Bold experimentation in different … Continue reading “Biotech’s Recent Headlines, Reimagined In Verse and On Stage”

EnTouch Controls Obtains $8,000,000 Series C Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2a9619d7-e12f-4d82-8a77-0a7c333bf360 Date 2/16/2016 Company Name EnTouch Controls Mailing Address 661 N. Plano Rd. Richardson, TX 75081 USA Company Description With simple to use features, an intuitive full color touchscreen interface, and access through a standard web browser, the EnTouch EMS provides powerful control. Website http://www.entouchcontrols.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,000,000 … Continue reading “EnTouch Controls Obtains $8,000,000 Series C Round”

WigWag Obtains $3,175,436 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=953e544e-afe8-4b44-8c0e-2730b154fd8f Date 2/16/2016 Company Name WigWag Mailing Address 4009 Banister Lane Austin, TX 78704 USA Company Description WigWag delivers a powerful, simple platform to make connected devices more manageable, secure and automatic. Built on our open-source runtime devicesJS, the WigWag platform removes the complexities of competing Internet of Things (IoT) device protocols … Continue reading “WigWag Obtains $3,175,436 New Financing”

The Companies: San Antonio’s Techstars Cloud 2016 Demo Day Pitches

[Corrected 2/15/16, 2:15 p.m. See below.] San Antonio — One company lets you send encrypted, secure e-mails. Another finds the meaning in your mounds of unfiltered data. Saw a photo online of a dress that you loved but can’t find? At the Techstars Cloud Demo Day in San Antonio, there was a company that proposed … Continue reading “The Companies: San Antonio’s Techstars Cloud 2016 Demo Day Pitches”