Category: Texas

SearchTower Secures $25,000 Seed Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=25b1fe88-526a-4b46-bd66-51bf8139f2b1 Date 2/24/2014 Company Name SearchTower Mailing Address 2556 Elm Street Dallas, TX 75226 Company Description SearchTower can securely and inexpensively host your documents, or you can maintain the documents within your intranet or public corpus and SearchTower will simply provide its indexing and searching capabilities. Website http://www.searchtower.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction … Continue reading “SearchTower Secures $25,000 Seed Financing Round”

Nexiden Secures $25,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cd782548-df16-4e27-98ec-7d2825b6d3ff Date 2/24/2014 Company Name Nexiden Mailing Address Undisclosed Plano, TX 75093 Company Description Early stage start-up company focusing on awesome software security solutions for user authentication and transaction authorization. We are changing the username/password paradigm by getting rid of both. We leverage state-of-the-art encryption technologies to make our solution an order … Continue reading “Nexiden Secures $25,000 Seed Round”

PledgeCents Receives $25,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=51fa0c7b-561d-41fe-92cb-8275866577d9 Date 2/24/2014 Company Name PledgeCents Mailing Address 5504 Morningside Dr. Houston, TX 77005 Company Description PledgeCents allows schools and educators (k-12 public/private/charter) from around the world to use a safe, secure, and easy platform to raise funds for any school need (i.e. Field Trips, Supplies, Sending a Sports Team to a … Continue reading “PledgeCents Receives $25,000 Seed Round”

GruupMeet Lands $25,000 Seed Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f31a37c6-8a67-4f92-8c05-a2c8df7dcb63 Date 2/24/2014 Company Name GruupMeet Mailing Address 9540 Garland Rd. Dallas, TX 75218 Company Description We help create new opportunities through meeting engagement and event technology solutions. GruupMeet is an event planning and shared communication platform for seamless group airport arrival meet and greet experiences. Website http://www.gruupmeet.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction … Continue reading “GruupMeet Lands $25,000 Seed Funding”

Akros Techlabs Secures $25,000 Seed Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b1553b93-83e7-4c24-a5a7-dabc37c50f8f Date 2/24/2014 Company Name Akros Techlabs Mailing Address 22136 Westheimer Pkwy. Katy, TX 77450 Company Description AkrosMFA is an innovative, patent-pending, multi-factor authentication system that uses readily available devices such as mobile phones and PDAs for secure multi-factor authentication. Website http://www.akrostechlabs.com Transaction Type Accelerator Transaction Amount $25,000 Transaction Round Seed Proceeds … Continue reading “Akros Techlabs Secures $25,000 Seed Round”

WhichBox Media Secures $25,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a9b95e1c-fe29-4070-accf-fc6f73f45062 Date 2/24/2014 Company Name WhichBox Media Mailing Address 2707 Bomar Ave. Dallas, TX 75235 Company Description whichbox is all media content creation, content management, social networking, social media and user generated content, ad-serving, e-commerce, delivery to any tablet device, multi domain management, and more: all wrapped in one. Website http://www.whichboxmedia.com Transaction … Continue reading “WhichBox Media Secures $25,000 Seed Funding Round”

WhatsApp, $19 Billion, and the Unreal Economy of Silicon Valley

Facebook announced Wednesday that it will acquire mobile messaging provider WhatsApp, a five-year-old startup in Santa Clara, CA, for $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in stock, and another $3 billion in restricted stock units. So, $19 billion when all’s said and done. The deal is eyebrow-raising on any number of levels. What made WhatsApp … Continue reading “WhatsApp, $19 Billion, and the Unreal Economy of Silicon Valley”

Seno Medical Instruments Secures $39,000,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e7eea1bd-0774-4f2a-a721-78bbe7852b4b Date 2/21/2014 Company Name Seno Medical Instruments Mailing Address 5253 Prue Road San Antonio, TX 78240 Company Description Seno Medical, Inc. was formed to commercialize a new modality in cancer screening and diagnosis: opto-acoustic imaging. Unlike most screening techniques, which rely on anatomical imaging, Seno’s goal is to bring functional imaging … Continue reading “Seno Medical Instruments Secures $39,000,000 Series C Financing Round”

What Does $19B Buy? Market Validation for Text Messaging

When Facebook acquired WhatsApp last night, most of the initial headlines focused on the value of the deal and overall shock at how big the number actually was. Examples ranged from “Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion in deal shocker” (Reuters) to “Stunner: Facebook to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash, stock” (Forbes). … Continue reading “What Does $19B Buy? Market Validation for Text Messaging”

Are Universities Creating Too Many Biotech Startups?

Bruce Booth, the biotech venture capitalist known for his social media savvy, sent a Tweet last month that caught my eye. He tweeted in reference to the number of academic spinoffs reported in the 2012 AUTM Licensing Survey Report, “What % biotech? My bet, ~ half.” Extrapolating from Top U.S. universities, institutes for life sciences in … Continue reading “Are Universities Creating Too Many Biotech Startups?”

Omni Water Solutions Lands $3,353,960 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bbd1ebbc-eabb-40ed-9e2c-42db8faed522 Date 2/20/2014 Company Name Omni Water Solutions Mailing Address 4007 Commercial Center Drive Austin, TX 78744 Company Description Omni Water Solutions is an emerging technology company, which specializes in developing and deploying mobile water treatment platforms for water re-use. Through its patent-pending Octozone automation technology, Omni’s platforms are able to treat … Continue reading “Omni Water Solutions Lands $3,353,960 New Round”

OrderMyGear Obtains $550,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=192493ba-acaa-4a57-b321-645d3aa69c7e Date 2/20/2014 Company Name OrderMyGear Mailing Address Undisclosed Dallas, TX 75211 Company Description OrderMyGear.com was founded by Kent McKeaigg in 2008, but you could say Kent was born into the sales business. His father has been a sales rep for more than 35 years. As a child, Kent watched his dad … Continue reading “OrderMyGear Obtains $550,000 New Funding”

This Ain’t Like Dusting Crops, Boy. Oh, Wait…Actually, It Is.

Awhile back I blogged about Ashwin, one of my ex-students wanted to raise a seed round to build Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) with a hyper-spectral camera and fly it over farm fields collecting hyper-spectral images. These images, when processed with his company’s proprietary algorithms, would be able to tell farmers how healthy their plants were, … Continue reading “This Ain’t Like Dusting Crops, Boy. Oh, Wait…Actually, It Is.”

Intel Survey: Americans Skeptical, Yet Hopeful, About Smart Cities

Intel thinks it’s only a matter of time before cars, streets, highways, buildings—in short, most parts of the urban infrastructure—get a brain upgrade. And naturally, it expects that Intel chips will be powering much of the new smarts. But the Santa Clara, CA-based semiconductor giant knows that public fears about sensor networks and large-scale data … Continue reading “Intel Survey: Americans Skeptical, Yet Hopeful, About Smart Cities”

Rice’s OwlSpark Creates Network of University-based Accelerators

Accelerators help startups succeed by leveraging their networks of successful entrepreneurs and investors, whose advice can be catalysts for growth. Now, Rice University’s OwlSpark accelerator wants to create its own network, one that can help make it—and other university programs—better at boosting student-run startups. “We plan to create a comprehensive database of university accelerators and … Continue reading “Rice’s OwlSpark Creates Network of University-based Accelerators”

Tumor Cells’ Weird Appetites for Amino Acids Are Aeglea’s Targets

Researchers are always looking for the Achilles’ heel of cancer—some weakness in tumor cells that can be attacked by drugs while leaving normal cells unharmed. Austin, TX-based Aeglea BioTherapeutics is trying to exploit a vulnerability that might make it possible to starve certain cancers to death. In some tumors, the cells can no longer make … Continue reading “Tumor Cells’ Weird Appetites for Amino Acids Are Aeglea’s Targets”

Balancing Power Between Biotech and Big Pharma Benefits Both

Xconomy’s Luke Timmerman recently suggested that biotechs’ IPO option has shifted the balance of power between Big Pharma and biotech closer to parity, and the big guys have lost (or at least loosened) their iron grip on venture-backed biotech. As he put it, The power dynamic between the two parties is the closest it’s been … Continue reading “Balancing Power Between Biotech and Big Pharma Benefits Both”

Sprinklr Acquires Dachis Group for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=92992161-6186-4f49-9e0e-7c9e35bc1495 Date 2/19/2014 Company Name Dachis Group Mailing Address 515 Congress Ave Austin, TX 78701 Company Description Dachis Group has developed an approach to help businesses create and capture value from emerging trends in technology, society and the workplace. Website http://www.dachisgroup.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Sprinklr Acquires Dachis Group for Undisclosed Sum”

Software startups from Houston to Australia Dominate New Surge Class

Houston cleantech accelerator Surge kicked off its third class Monday, with startups that aim to source and sell energy capacity and digitize oilfield operations, among other innovations. Surge, which launched three years ago, is the nation’s only accelerator geared to the cleantech sector. It has catered to startups in upstream imaging and modeling, digitizing operational … Continue reading “Software startups from Houston to Australia Dominate New Surge Class”

Molecular Diagnostics Are in a Rut. The Industry Needs the FDA

Some of the more exciting ideas in biotech are coming up in molecular diagnostics. There’s cool science at work. A number of tests have potential to cut down on overtreatment, reduce waste in healthcare, and give physicians clever new ideas on how to help patients. But this industry, which accounts for less than 2 percent … Continue reading “Molecular Diagnostics Are in a Rut. The Industry Needs the FDA”

15 Places to Turn for Technology News That Really Matters

Nobody on their deathbed says they wish they’d spent more time reading tech blogs. Don’t get me wrong: It’s great that consumers and entrepreneurs have so many places today to get news about the world of Internet startups, mobile devices, software, and venture investing. Back in 1998-2001, the last time things were this crazy in … Continue reading “15 Places to Turn for Technology News That Really Matters”

Houston’s 2nd.MD Digitizes Second Opinions to Empower Patients

Entrepreneurs often have very personal reasons for setting up shop. Clinton Phillips’s motivation was his daughter having a stroke at birth—and nobody realizing it until months later. “When a baby’s bundled, you don’t notice that they’re not moving around or kicking as they should be,” he says. Four months later, he and his wife noticed … Continue reading “Houston’s 2nd.MD Digitizes Second Opinions to Empower Patients”

Bit9 Buys Carbon Black, Gets $38M to Try to Win Security Arms Race

2014 is shaping up to be the year of cybersecurity. Or lack thereof. It seems every week we hear about a new data breach or major hacking operation. And every week there seems to be a new tech company trying to solve these problems. Bit9 is not one of them. The Waltham, MA-based company has … Continue reading “Bit9 Buys Carbon Black, Gets $38M to Try to Win Security Arms Race”

Precision Medicine Healthcare Summit, Feb. 21: Saver Rate Ends Today

We’re just a week away from “Precision Medicine to Precision Management,” where we bring together healthcare investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators in an exclusive, invitation-only discussion that brings together advances in Big Data, mobile technology, and genomics. Healthcare—how it’s developed, delivered, and consumed—is being transformed from the lab bench to the ER. Yet one question that … Continue reading “Precision Medicine Healthcare Summit, Feb. 21: Saver Rate Ends Today”

Revionics Obtains New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b5391b47-06cd-4f8a-8a76-21f01a9f7423 Date 2/13/2014 Company Name Revionics Mailing Address 5000 Plaza on the Lake Austin, TX 78746 Company Description Revionics is a leading provider of End-to-End Merchandise Solutions, including shopper-centric assortments, micro and macro space allocation, pricing, promotions and markdowns. Revionics solutions improve retailer sales, profits, and customer loyalty through sophisticated consumer-demand intelligence … Continue reading “Revionics Obtains New Round”

YEVVO Lands $3,700,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c76cfc4e-39ec-4323-978f-580864f2f99c Date 2/13/2014 Company Name YEVVO Mailing Address Undisclosed Austin, TX 78701 Company Description The company operates a platform for live social video broadcasting. Website http://www.yevvo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,700,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes The $3.7 million in funding will enable the product to scale in meeting … Continue reading “YEVVO Lands $3,700,000 Series A Financing Round”

Flipping the Flipped Classroom

Two of the hot topics in education in the last few years have been Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC’s) and the flipped classroom. I’ve been experimenting with both of them. What I’ve learned (besides being able to use the word “pedagogy” in a sentence) is 1) assigning students lectures as homework doesn’t guarantee the students … Continue reading “Flipping the Flipped Classroom”

BOLD BAND Smartwatch Garners $200,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4a17609e-ac97-4682-801e-0717fe5fd73c Date 2/12/2014 Company Name BOLD BAND Smartwatch Mailing Address Undisclosed Houston, TX 77339 Company Description The BOLD BAND can be your GSM Mobile Phone by SIMcard, GPSlive navigator, HRate & Fitness trainer , Connect to Social sites, and REPLACE any Bulky Cell. Website http://www.boldbandwatch.com Transaction Type Crowdfunder Transaction Amount $200,000 Transaction … Continue reading “BOLD BAND Smartwatch Garners $200,000 New Financing”

Uplogix Receives $2,425,101 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=84bed4e7-ce73-43a9-a898-100ac6b3d6d7 Date 2/12/2014 Company Name Uplogix Mailing Address 7600B N. Capital of Texas Hwy. Austin, TX 78731 Company Description Uplogix is the leading provider of Enterprise Edge Management solutions. Website http://www.uplogix.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $2,425,101 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. Contact technology … Continue reading “Uplogix Receives $2,425,101 New Funding Round”

Layered Technologies Receives $2,829,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=42e4247f-333b-4e20-85ca-2f85aa856185 Date 2/12/2014 Company Name Layered Technologies Mailing Address 5068 W Plano Parkway Plano, TX 75093 Company Description Layered Technologies, Inc. is a leading global provider of on-demand hosting, utility computing solutions and Web services. By providing high quality technology, infrastructure and support we enable customers to forego capital expenses and save … Continue reading “Layered Technologies Receives $2,829,000 New Financing”

makexyz Obtains New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b09c49bd-b971-46be-b408-ff1fe847eacc Date 2/12/2014 Company Name makexyz Mailing Address Undisclosed Austin, TX 78702 Company Description We have one goal at makexyz: to help people make stuff. We link people who need something made with 3D printers and CAD designers in their neighborhoods. Website http://www.makexyz.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round … Continue reading “makexyz Obtains New Funding Round”

Algae Biomass Advocates Push Past Exuberance, Aim for Sustainability

Ice shut down Houston for the second time in five days recently, a weather event that, in its sheer strangeness, seemed a fitting backdrop for a gathering of alternative fuel advocates in Big Oil’s backyard. I drove on an unusually empty Interstate 45 to Montgomery, TX, about 60 miles north of Houston, where the leaders … Continue reading “Algae Biomass Advocates Push Past Exuberance, Aim for Sustainability”

Space Toilets, Astronoms: Houston Hackers Join to Innovate for NASA

It’s not a stretch to say that NASA is on the vanguard of innovation. Still, even an innovative pioneer occasionally could use a little help from friends. This past weekend, more than 100 hackers—including one man who came down to Houston from Michigan—spent 36 hours at Rice University’s BioScience Research Collaborative tackling challenges aimed at … Continue reading “Space Toilets, Astronoms: Houston Hackers Join to Innovate for NASA”

The Young and Proven Biotech VCs From 2012. Where Are They Now?

One of the old saws in journalism is to “follow the money” when you’re looking for a story. But sometimes you learn even more by following the people. The people, in this case, are biotech venture capitalists. Regular readers of this column know that biotech VC has been going through a historic shakeout the last … Continue reading “The Young and Proven Biotech VCs From 2012. Where Are They Now?”

InfiniDB Secures $7,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=328df4c1-b6e0-4f7e-9681-01dae563957b Date 2/10/2014 Company Name InfiniDB Mailing Address 2801 Network Blvd Frisco, TX 75034 Company Description InfiniDB provides database appliances for information processing applications. Website http://www.infinidb.co Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor McDonnell Ventures

Austin’s Lumos Pharma Gets $14M for Creatine Disorder Therapy

A malfunctioned gene, a blocked pathway, and a lifetime of neurological and behavioral problems. That’s the reality for about 42,000 people in the U.S. with creatine transporter deficiency, a metabolic disorder people are born with. Austin, TX-based Lumos Pharma believes it has a therapy that could turn this debilitating disease into a more manageable condition. … Continue reading “Austin’s Lumos Pharma Gets $14M for Creatine Disorder Therapy”

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Samantha? The Lessons of “Her”

Warning: Extensive plot spoilers. Like any effective science fiction movie, Spike Jonze’s Her has sparked a lot of important conversation and criticism, about everything from user-interface design to misogyny in filmmaking. But the reviews I’ve read all seem to miss one key point. Considered as a product, not a person (and we’ll get back to … Continue reading “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Samantha? The Lessons of “Her””

Resourcing Edge Human Resources Lands $3,650,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=567374e1-8a4d-454c-939a-edcddec8b351 Date 2/7/2014 Company Name Resourcing Edge Human Resources Mailing Address 1309 Ridge Road Rockwall, TX 75087 Company Description It’s ironic — the more a company succeeds at its core business, the more it generates the need for time- and resource-consuming functions related to its employees. Website http://www.resourcingedge.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Resourcing Edge Human Resources Lands $3,650,000 New Funding”

Sometimes It Pays to Be A Jerk

The concepts in my Lean LaunchPad curriculum can be taught in a variety of classes–as an introduction to entrepreneurship all the way to a graduate level “capstone class.” I recently learned being tough when you select teams for a capstone class pays off for all involved. Here’s why. Our Lean LaunchPad class requires student teams … Continue reading “Sometimes It Pays to Be A Jerk”

Precision Medicine Healthcare Summit on Feb. 21: Here’s the agenda

Let’s get personal: about medicine, healthcare, and how it’s delivered, that is. Join us for “Precision Medicine to Precision Management,” where we will bring together healthcare innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors who will share how they are transforming the way our care is being developed and consumed. This elite, invitation-only summit will feature an interactive discussion … Continue reading “Precision Medicine Healthcare Summit on Feb. 21: Here’s the agenda”

Heads Up, Silicon Valley: UT Innovators Headed Your Way, Want Cash

For years, Silicon Valley capital has come to Austin in search of innovation. Now, a group of University of Texas professors are headed there to showcase campus-based innovations they think are worthy of investment. UT has some embedded help familiar with the local terrain: the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Texas Exes alumni … Continue reading “Heads Up, Silicon Valley: UT Innovators Headed Your Way, Want Cash”

5 Practical Tips for Startups to Develop a Solid Brand Reputation

Every company wants to build a strong brand. However, for startups in today’s crowded marketplace, it can be quite challenging to get a brand noticed and recognized. I believe it’s always a good idea to study the best brands in the world, and see how they do things. So here are a few key tips … Continue reading “5 Practical Tips for Startups to Develop a Solid Brand Reputation”

Lumos Pharma Receives $14,000,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dc2347c1-2b6f-4f19-96e1-e6d51a311358 Date 2/6/2014 Company Name Lumos Pharma Mailing Address Undisclosed Austin, TX 78701 Company Description Lumos Pharma, based in Austin, Texas, is an early stage biotechnology company created to develop and commercialize a novel treatment for the rare disease Creatine Transporter Deficiency. Website http://www.lumos-pharma.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $14,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Lumos Pharma Receives $14,000,000 Series A Funding”

Not All Student Entrepreneurs Drop Out

Today’s generation of students has a high exposure to the Internet, smartphones, social and many other technologies from a very young age. It is not uncommon to see college students tinkering with technology, starting digital startups, and making millions (and occasionally even billions). Some drop out of school to build their business, but not all. … Continue reading “Not All Student Entrepreneurs Drop Out”

Austin’s ClearBlade Seeks to Better Connect Mobile and Enterprise

On TV commercials, the Geico insurance pig touts how easy it is to check on claims via an app on his tablet. But getting to that one-click functionality requires costly specialized software, says Eric Simone, a longtime Austin developer. That’s because large companies like those in insurance or banking must develop mobile apps that can … Continue reading “Austin’s ClearBlade Seeks to Better Connect Mobile and Enterprise”

Austin’s Capital Factory, VC Firms Launch New Funding Match

Capital Factory in Austin today announced an investment matching program with two venture capital firms that could bring in an additional $100,000 for startups. The program requires that a startup joins the Austin-based co-working space and incubator, and that the entrepreneurs can convince two Capital Factor partners to personally invest $25,000 each. Then, Capital Factory … Continue reading “Austin’s Capital Factory, VC Firms Launch New Funding Match”

London Medtech Firm Buys Austin’s ArthroCare for $1.7B

Smith & Nephew, a London-based medical technology business, announced today it has purchased ArthroCare, an Austin medical device company, for $1.7 billion. The deal, which is one of the biggest for a Texas company this year, shines a spotlight on a growing medical device industry in Austin, which is usually more known for its IT … Continue reading “London Medtech Firm Buys Austin’s ArthroCare for $1.7B”