Category: Texas

As Boomers Gray, Kegels Aren’t Just for Women Anymore

As many as a third of American men and women suffer from incontinence, and Austin, TX-based Consortia Health wants to bring stateside a method used by patients around the world. Consortia, which was founded three years ago, provides physician groups with equipment and nurses trained in guiding patients through pelvic floor exercises, also known as … Continue reading “As Boomers Gray, Kegels Aren’t Just for Women Anymore”

Venture Investing Hits Record $19B in Second Quarter

[Updated 7/17/15, 7:40 a.m. See below.] There’s plenty of talk about a potential bubble in the market, whether in tech, biotech, or elsewhere. True or not, one fact that’s real is that there is plenty of money flowing into startups. The second quarter of 2015 produced the highest level of venture funding since at least 2010, and possibly … Continue reading “Venture Investing Hits Record $19B in Second Quarter”

Zebra Imaging Receives $2,300,193 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=02a664b3-2434-41df-ac5c-41b73032804a Date 7/16/2015 Company Name Zebra Imaging Mailing Address 9801 Metric Blvd. Austin, TX 78758 USA Company Description Zebra Imaging develops digital hologram technology that provides high-resolution 3D images in monochrome or color without distortions. Website http://www.zebraimaging.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,300,193 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were … Continue reading “Zebra Imaging Receives $2,300,193 Seed Round”

Tango Analytics Secures $30,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e472e91e-0def-4259-884f-b7aa00640c51 Date 7/16/2015 Company Name Tango Analytics Mailing Address 6225 North State Hwy 161 Irving, TX 75038 USA Company Description Tango transforms challenging business situations by unearthing hidden customer and location opportunities for our diverse roster of location-centric clients, including North America’s largest retailers and restaurant chains. Website http://www.tangoanalytics.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Tango Analytics Secures $30,000,000 New Funding Round”

Malauzai Software Obtains $10,999,998 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7b0e4227-b32f-4ccd-8702-e4f9d4074842 Date 7/16/2015 Company Name Malauzai Software Mailing Address 9020 Capital of Texas Highway Austin, TX 78759 USA Company Description Malauzai Software Inc. was formed in 2009 to participate in the mobile banking revolution. We build mobile banking SmartApps for community banks and credit unions for use by their customers and members. … Continue reading “Malauzai Software Obtains $10,999,998 New Financing Round”

Ziften Secures $24,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=33943bc4-7b24-4b73-b033-0d5801ba5c3d Date 7/15/2015 Company Name Ziften Mailing Address 2700 Via Fortuna Austin, TX 78746 USA Company Description Ziften is the first software vendor to control what runs and how it runs on enterprise Windows desktops and laptops. With extensive experience deploying behavioral software to more than 150 million systems worldwide, Ziften has … Continue reading “Ziften Secures $24,000,000 New Round”

Shelfbucks Obtains $683,750 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bbfe2f79-2402-4a52-aecf-dd470cf91cdc Date 7/15/2015 Company Name Shelfbucks Mailing Address 401 Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701 USA Company Description Shelfbucks aims to level the playing field between physical and online retail. We will revolutionize the brand to consumer channel through mobile. Website http://www.shelfbucks.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $683,750 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Shelfbucks Obtains $683,750 New Financing Round”

Milestones Of Innovation 10: First Close-Up Of A Planet

Today, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, after more than nine years, 3 billion miles, and a brief view of Jupiter’s moon Io, is scheduled to capture the first close-up pictures from the distant minor planet Pluto and its flock of moons. It’s a fine way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this kind of high-tech virtual … Continue reading “Milestones Of Innovation 10: First Close-Up Of A Planet”

P97 Networks Garners $1,054,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=40ec6bd7-caee-4feb-b11e-1d05543ae6a7 Date 7/14/2015 Company Name P97 Networks Mailing Address 10333 Richmond Ave. Houston, TX 77042 USA Company Description At P97 Networks we understand the power of mobile applications and the endless possibilities they offer. We look at mobile payment solutions as a way to create a meaningful relationship between company and consumer, … Continue reading “P97 Networks Garners $1,054,000 Series A Financing”

Neos Therapeutics, Maker of ADHD Drug Delivery System, Files IPO

Neos Therapeutics, a Dallas-area biotech company, has filed to go public. The company plans to raise about $60 million by offering four million shares at a price range of $14 to $16 in an initial public offering. At the midpoint of the range, it would command a fully diluted market value of $220 million, according … Continue reading “Neos Therapeutics, Maker of ADHD Drug Delivery System, Files IPO”

Five Lessons Every App Startup Should Learn

Mobile devices create plenty of pitfalls for entrepreneurs. The nuances of nailing not only the on-screen user experience, but the broader experience of integrating a piece of software into one’s everyday life dramatically increases the risk of failure. As a mobile entrepreneur, you have more variables that you need to test and control in your … Continue reading “Five Lessons Every App Startup Should Learn”

Bio2 Medical Obtains $4,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d16d5c40-585e-49bc-9191-1a500642e651 Date 7/13/2015 Company Name Bio2 Medical Mailing Address 18618 Tuscany Stone San Antonio, TX 78258 USA Company Description Develops medical devices for the treatment of pulmonary embolism. Website http://www.bio2medical.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. Contact technology … Continue reading “Bio2 Medical Obtains $4,000,000 New Financing Round”

Tech Bubble Talk Focuses on IPO Dearth, Overpriced Rounds, and China

The question is no longer whether we are in a tech bubble—we are—but rather what it all means for the future. And maybe the near future. Everyone seems to agree the market conditions are very different from 2000, but so what? Uber’s valuation is north of $40 billion, and the company is losing money as … Continue reading “Tech Bubble Talk Focuses on IPO Dearth, Overpriced Rounds, and China”

21st Century Cures Act Passes House, Now Must Navigate Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives took a big step this morning toward major changes in the federal government’s relationship to biomedical research, funding, and regulation. The chamber passed the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill championed early on by a Democrat and a Republican, by a vote of 344-77, an astonishing percentage in this age … Continue reading “21st Century Cures Act Passes House, Now Must Navigate Senate”

With PCSK9’s Origins In Mind, Sanofi Has UT Join Funding Program

International drug maker Sanofi has created a program to fund early drug discovery research at universities, and the Paris-based firm said today The University of Texas System is now on board, bringing the program’s total to seven institutions. Many successful or promising drugs stemmed from early work at universities, including a next-generation cholesterol-lowering treatment that … Continue reading “With PCSK9’s Origins In Mind, Sanofi Has UT Join Funding Program”

New Motive Accelerator Targets Real Estate Startups in Dallas

Dallas has a new startup accelerator—this one to boost innovation in real estate. “If you look at the last few years of tech development and adoption, a lot of it is around the physical space and geolocation,” says John Backes, co-founder of the new Motive accelerator launching in the fall. “We want to create a … Continue reading “New Motive Accelerator Targets Real Estate Startups in Dallas”

“Global Health” Must Mean Global Health

The research community and pharmaceutical industry have made many life-saving and life-improving advances in global health over the past 20 years, and that’s certainly life-affirming news. But the time has come to ask ourselves a very pointed, and perhaps uncomfortable, question: “Are we defining ‘global health’ the right way?” And, more specifically, “How do we … Continue reading ““Global Health” Must Mean Global Health”

For Biotech Cowboys, It’s No Ride Into The Sunset

[Corrected 7/8/15, 3:48pm. See below.] Some people who’ve made it big in biotech drive fast cars. Some take outlandish vacations. Some don’t take any vacations at all. (I’m sure you know the type.) But for a few San Francisco Bay Area biotech veterans, the reward for a long, successful career is the chance to swap … Continue reading “For Biotech Cowboys, It’s No Ride Into The Sunset”

Green Park & Golf Brings Swedish Medtech “Cooling Cap” to Dallas

Dallas’s Green Park & Golf Ventures has invested $850,000 in a Swedish medtech firm, which will now open its U.S. headquarters in the North Texas city. Dignitana has developed a scalp-cooling system that, when used during chemotherapy, can reduce hair loss. The product is already in use in Europe, Latin America, and Australia, the venture … Continue reading “Green Park & Golf Brings Swedish Medtech “Cooling Cap” to Dallas”

Intern Season is Here—But Companies Need A Better Hiring Strategy

It’s summer and that means intern season is in full swing. According to a recent Washington Post piece by Jeffrey Selingo, “More than 70 to 80 percent of new hires at big companies like Facebook, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and eBay come through their internship programs now, compared to about half or less just a decade ago.” … Continue reading “Intern Season is Here—But Companies Need A Better Hiring Strategy”

Google’s Self-Driving Car Roams, and Maps, the Streets of Austin

Now, this might make Austin, TX, traffic more bearable. Google said Tuesday that it has been testing its self-driving car in the Texas state capital in recent weeks, the first spins outside the company’s Mountain View, CA, headquarters. (The Lexus RX 450h is not exactly driverless; two Google employees are in the car at all … Continue reading “Google’s Self-Driving Car Roams, and Maps, the Streets of Austin”

Roundup: Water Innovation, RevTech, RideScout, & Money for Startups

The end of the 4th of July long weekend means we can start the third quarter in earnest. Let’s kick things off with the latest innovation news from Xconomy Texas: —Accelerate H20, a San Antonio-based accelerator promoting technologies related to what it says is Texas’s $9 billion water market gathered last week in Austin for … Continue reading “Roundup: Water Innovation, RevTech, RideScout, & Money for Startups”

Biopharmaceutical Haiku, Round Two

Ebola doctors Heroic efforts admired Angels of mercy!   Genome sequencing Compare normal with patient Secrets revealed   Next-gen sequencing One big issue still out there Interpretation   Republicans rule Eye Affordable Care Act Newly covered screwed?   2.3 percent Medical devices tax Soon to disappear?   Advertised widely Personalized medicine More substance, less hype … Continue reading “Biopharmaceutical Haiku, Round Two”

Why I Killed Noncompetes at My Startup—And You Should, Too

There’s a battle brewing in Boston that every local startup founder and employee is closely watching, but the outcome will have implications far beyond Massachusetts. As our state legislature weighs several bills that would ban noncompete agreements, the New England Venture Capital Association (NEVCA) and many entrepreneurs, including myself, are arguing that the time is … Continue reading “Why I Killed Noncompetes at My Startup—And You Should, Too”

Dallas’s KeepTrax Offers Travelers a Diary for the Digital Age

The family vacation has gone digital. KeepTrax, a Dallas-based mobile app, is an online travel diary, aiming to make sense of all the various photos and check-ins we post online. Founder and CEO Kedar Benegal says he wants to remember the places he travels to on trips, but he found that social media sites require … Continue reading “Dallas’s KeepTrax Offers Travelers a Diary for the Digital Age”

rewardStyle Receives $15,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b8e6599e-03a2-43ea-90cc-1f1cb889df46 Date 7/2/2015 Company Name rewardStyle Mailing Address 4514 Travis St. Dallas, TX 75205 USA Company Description rewardStyle is an invitation-only monetization tool for premium style publishers. Baxter Box and Amber Venz Box co-founded rewardStyle in June of 2011. Website http://www.rewardstyle.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Series A … Continue reading “rewardStyle Receives $15,000,000 Series A Financing”

Dallas’s RevTech Announces Startups for New Accelerator

Dallas’s RevTech accelerator—formerly known as VentureSpur—has announced the startups that will make up its first class as a retail- and restaurant-focused program. The five startups are working on innovations related to gambling, loyalty marketing, digital printing, and other industries. Each will receive $40,000 in seed capital and participate in a 14-week program at the Dallas … Continue reading “Dallas’s RevTech Announces Startups for New Accelerator”

TelaDoc Secures $156,750,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4aeefc65-7eef-4cc8-ad9d-021929016515 Date 7/1/2015 Company Name TelaDoc Mailing Address 1945 Lakepointe Drive Lewisville, TX 75057 USA Company Description TelaDoc, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC) performs several tasks as a business associate of the TelaDoc Physician Association (PA). TelaDoc, Inc. is not licensed to practice medicine and must contract with one or more professional associations and/or … Continue reading “TelaDoc Secures $156,750,000 New Financing”

Austin’s RideScout Buys Ticketing App GlobeSherpa

RideScout, an Austin, TX-based transportation app, announced Tuesday that it has acquired GlobeSherpa, a ticketing app based in Portland, OR. GlobeSherpa operates a mobile book-and-pay service in three U.S. cities: Portland, San Francisco, and Chicago. RideScout was founded four years ago as a one-stop-shopping app to access transportation options, including bike-share services, taxis, buses, and … Continue reading “Austin’s RideScout Buys Ticketing App GlobeSherpa”

Texas Roundup: SXSW, SparkCognition, TMCx, & Austin’s Biotech Scene

Here is the latest innovation news in Texas: —Officials with South By Southwest were in Houston recently drumming up support for the upcoming V2V event in Las Vegas next month, as well as launch the Panel Picker program for next year’s next year’s festival. The program is the process by which a large number of … Continue reading “Texas Roundup: SXSW, SparkCognition, TMCx, & Austin’s Biotech Scene”

Five Obstacles That Impede Startup Innovation

If you’re building a startup, chances are that you’re aspiring to innovate – to create something new or do something differently. In fact, innovation and entrepreneurship go hand in hand. However, many startups unwittingly create obstacles that hamper innovation in their organization. What are some of those obstacles and how can you avoid them? Fear … Continue reading “Five Obstacles That Impede Startup Innovation”

Milestones of Innovation 9: Early Bird On Station

Fifty years ago, on June 28, 1965, an exotic device named Early Bird made it possible to transmit an uninterrupted live television show across the Atlantic from Europe to America or vice versa. This event, a landmark on the way to today’s interconnected world, happened less than 40 years after the first radio-telephone conversations between … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 9: Early Bird On Station”

Out of the Digital Health Fog, More Investments Are Coming in 2015

Venture capitalists have been talking up the rewards of digital health for some time now, and we are certainly putting our money where our mouth is. Record-breaking dollars continue to flow into health care IT startups. According to Rock Health, digital health saw over $4B in funding in 2014, more than doubling funding from 2013 … Continue reading “Out of the Digital Health Fog, More Investments Are Coming in 2015”

How Your Startup Can Run With Unicorns

Have you noticed those unicorns outside your office? Recently, there’s been an uptick in the all-important $1 billion “unicorn” valuation for startups in the tech industry. In the VC-funded startup community, the young companies receiving such valuations are in the media daily. When an entrepreneur considers her unicorn counterparts, it’s not hard to see why … Continue reading “How Your Startup Can Run With Unicorns”

Security Startup SparkCognition Uses AI to Protect Connected Devices

When trying to solve a problem, people often disregard possible solutions because they don’t seem to make sense. But in doing so, their brains may prevent them from solving certain problems—in particular, those that involve vast amounts of data. That’s part of the premise on which SparkCognition’s business is built. “My mind, because of common … Continue reading “Security Startup SparkCognition Uses AI to Protect Connected Devices”

Admittance Technologies Receives $3,896,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b0c7055e-90a1-4634-a150-ace44841c647 Date 6/25/2015 Company Name Admittance Technologies Mailing Address 3925 West Braker Lane Austin, TX 78759 USA Company Description Admittance Technologies is committed to improving the quality of life of patients with heart disease through innovative electrical engineering solutions. Website http://www.admittancetechnologies.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,896,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Admittance Technologies Receives $3,896,000 New Round”

It’s Elementary: At TMCx, Grade School Students Pitch Health IT Innovations

The Texas Medical Center has said that its accelerator TMCx aims to boost fledgling healthcare startups. On Tuesday, the young inventors getting a boost were aged eight and nine. About 100 students from the British International School of Houston had a demo day at TMXc pitching health IT innovations such as a wearable to detect … Continue reading “It’s Elementary: At TMCx, Grade School Students Pitch Health IT Innovations”

Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage

By now you’ve had a day or two to meet Exome, Xconomy’s new place for all things life sciences, health, and biotech, which launched Monday. Let me amend that. Some things are new, which I’ll get to in a moment, but some things remain the same: the reporting and analysis you expect from me, Ben … Continue reading “Introducing Exome, Xconomy’s New Home For Biotech and Health Coverage”

Circular Energy Lands $3,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=152d28b7-7026-4c0a-a720-03fbcd7a95b3 Date 6/24/2015 Company Name Circular Energy Mailing Address 11002-A Metric Blvd. Austin, TX 78758 USA Company Description Circular Energy is the leading, full-service solar design-installation company in Texas. Homeowners and commercial property owners trust the Circular Energy team to help reduce their energy bills and their dependence on the volatile electricity … Continue reading “Circular Energy Lands $3,000,000 New Financing Round”

U.S. IPO Activity Loses Steam to PE Deals in First Half of 2015

In the strange times category of today’s innovation news, a preview of IPO activity through the first half of 2015 suggests that market bubbles don’t always rise. In fact, the total number of IPO deals and proceeds actually sank through the first half of 2015, with 101 IPOs raising total proceeds of $19.7 billion, according … Continue reading “U.S. IPO Activity Loses Steam to PE Deals in First Half of 2015”

Houston Dares to Challenge the Bicoastal Model of Biotech Growth

World-class universities, prominent medical institutions, a talented workforce, access to capital and favorable geography are critical factors required to stimulate and support a dynamic regional bioscience industry. Some might believe that these factors only converge along the coasts of New England and California, and many new and growing biotech companies may feel that they are … Continue reading “Houston Dares to Challenge the Bicoastal Model of Biotech Growth”

Austin Makes Strides in Building a Robust Biotech Innovation Community

Austin, TX, has made its mark as a tech hub but lately the city’s life sciences community is gaining some critical mass. One of the primary factors? The installation of the new Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. “I think the medical school is going to definitely drive momentum in our … Continue reading “Austin Makes Strides in Building a Robust Biotech Innovation Community”

Welcome To The Sharing Economy. Cancer Researchers Are Next.

We’re sharing everything these days. Rides. Spare rooms. Pictures of things wrapped in bacon. Our thoughts, 24 hours a day. Next up: Cancer data? It can’t come soon enough for Charles Sawyers. Sawyers is one of the world’s most decorated cancer researchers, and his long resumé includes crucial work that helped make imatinib (Gleevec) one … Continue reading “Welcome To The Sharing Economy. Cancer Researchers Are Next.”

Dropoff Secures $7,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2c926dec-0ae8-4139-969c-c2c474743cb9 Date 6/23/2015 Company Name Dropoff Mailing Address 800 Brazos St. Austin, TX 78701 USA Company Description Dropoff has continued to provide Central Market with expedited and reliable service, while exceeding our expectations in their timeliness. Their drivers are always courteous and go above and beyond the needs of our business. Website … Continue reading “Dropoff Secures $7,000,000 Series A Financing”

Arena Online Receives $750,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6cf38428-7c7e-4675-80b2-c6ca252efde0 Date 6/23/2015 Company Name Arena Online Mailing Address Undisclosed Houston, TX 77021 USA Company Description Arena Online’s mission is to bring tournament gaming to eSports players who ordinarily wouldn’t be able to compete for cash prizes. Their dedication to creating something original extends into their plans to always provide equal pairings, … Continue reading “Arena Online Receives $750,000 Seed Financing”

SoftNAS Lands $5,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bd7acb69-acff-4aa0-afe3-df0e00f11730 Date 6/23/2015 Company Name SoftNAS Mailing Address 9211 West Road Houston, TX 77064 USA Company Description SoftNAS offers an exciting new low cost storage software solution that combines cloud and on-premise data onto a unified storage operating system. It is fast, reliable, easy to access and use, and works with the … Continue reading “SoftNAS Lands $5,000,000 New Financing Round”

Transforming Health Care for Those Who Need it Most

Like other engaged consumers, my family of athletes tries out many of the new healthcare related wearables and apps. From counting steps to counting calories, there is a site or app out there for everything we do. But it’s not my immediate family that can benefit most from these tools. Today, devices are bought and … Continue reading “Transforming Health Care for Those Who Need it Most”