Austin’s Famigo Helps Parents Police Kids’ Internet, App Browsing

Software to keep the Internet kid-friendly is a big business. One Austin startup wants to bring those guardrails to the app store as well. Famigo has developed software that outfits mobile devices with a vetted app directory culled from among the millions available on both Apple and Android systems. “It locks down the devices and … Continue reading “Austin’s Famigo Helps Parents Police Kids’ Internet, App Browsing”

TX Roundup: New funding for FieldAware, Sandlot Solutions, & Oyokey

Here is the latest innovation news from around Texas. —Tom Goodman, product development officer for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, was in Houston Wednesday speaking to a meeting of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs. Goodman, who took his position at CPRIT the past March, gave the group a general overview the grant … Continue reading “TX Roundup: New funding for FieldAware, Sandlot Solutions, & Oyokey”

Austin Identity Management Software Maker SailPoint Sets New Course

Many startups grow by gobbling up competitors or by becoming part of a bigger company. Austin, TX-based SailPoint is pursuing a strategy that allows it to do both. On Wednesday, the maker of identity management software announced it sold a majority stake to Thoma Bravo, a private equity firm located in Chicago and San Francisco. … Continue reading “Austin Identity Management Software Maker SailPoint Sets New Course”

Neelan Choksi on Tasktop’s VC Round and Austin “Growing Like a Weed”

Tasktop Technologies wants to help improve the operations of the brains behind technology companies: the staff that makes the software. What Tasktop does is develop tools for customers that allow their developers to make software more efficiently. With the dozens of tools now in use for each part of the software development process, organizations are … Continue reading “Neelan Choksi on Tasktop’s VC Round and Austin “Growing Like a Weed””

Austin Firms, Dallas’ Health Wildcatters Startups Raise Funds

School’s out for summer, and the temperatures around Texas are rising. Instead of taking that as a cue to slow down, the state’s startups continue on a brisk pace with several new funding announcements. —TurnKey Vacation Rentals announced Tuesday it has raised $3 million in seed funding from Silverton Partners, an Austin, TX, venture capital … Continue reading “Austin Firms, Dallas’ Health Wildcatters Startups Raise Funds”

Austin’s Step One Aims to Put the Customer in Charge of Customer Care

Calling customer service—or navigating the maze of an online help desk—is among the most frustrating chores for consumers who are dealing with product problems. Turns out, it’s not that much fun for the companies either. One Austin startup says its software can make the experience better for all. “There are typical things that people call … Continue reading “Austin’s Step One Aims to Put the Customer in Charge of Customer Care”

Austin’s SpareFoot, ‘Hotels.com of Self-Storage,’ Gets $10M to Grow

As a college junior in 2008, Chuck Gordon was headed to Singapore for a study abroad program but, first, he needed to find a place to store his stuff. Storage units near his school, the University of California at Los Angeles, were going to cost him about $1,000. “My dad told me he was not … Continue reading “Austin’s SpareFoot, ‘Hotels.com of Self-Storage,’ Gets $10M to Grow”

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”

LiveOak Ventures’ Launch Points to Stronger Texas VC Climate

Two years ago, Venu Shamapant, Krishna Srinivasan, and Ben Scott, all veteran venture capitalists in Austin, decided to follow their own entrepreneurial path and launch a new VC firm. “It was absolutely the hardest environment to raise a fund in,” Shamapant says. “People were running away from non-liquid asset classes post-bubble. That, coupled with a … Continue reading “LiveOak Ventures’ Launch Points to Stronger Texas VC Climate”

Pingboard Secures $1,250,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4dcfc023-c583-40c8-9d60-912626fe3928 Date 1/17/2014 Company Name Pingboard Mailing Address 701 Brazos St. 5th Floor Austin, TX 78701 Company Description You are the backbone of the office. We know how important your job is. You are the key to company culture. You connect people. You make sure we have everything we need to get … Continue reading “Pingboard Secures $1,250,000 Seed Funding Round”

The Zebra Lands $3,000,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=06bd886f-6df3-4dd7-99c8-24ee05463d93 Date 12/10/2013 Company Name The Zebra Mailing Address 301 Chicon St. Austin, TX 78702 Company Description The Zebra simplifies car insurance by allowing drivers to anonymously compare dozens of insurance companies in real-time. Drivers begin seeing estimated quotes with as little as two pieces of information. Real-time updates provide a transparent … Continue reading “The Zebra Lands $3,000,000 Seed Financing”

New Austin Fund to Focus on Early Stage Technology Startups Locally

Silverton Partners, an Austin venture capital firm, announced today it has launched a new $75 million fund. The fund, which is the firm’s fourth, will focus on making early-stage seed investments in technology companies in the Austin area. It’s a market that is especially attractive to Silverton’s group of investors, many of whom are repeat … Continue reading “New Austin Fund to Focus on Early Stage Technology Startups Locally”

TrendKite Obtains $1,200,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ac4d9824-5a5a-445e-8e3f-7f6e951827ac Date 8/21/2013 Company Name TrendKite Mailing Address 701 Brazos Street Austin, TX 78701 Company Description TrendKite is an Austin, Texas based company that was founded in 2012 with the mission to help organizations better understand what the world thinks of them and react accordingly. Website http://www.trendkite.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “TrendKite Obtains $1,200,000 Series A Funding Round”

Texas Venture Capital Market “Weak,” But Still Shows Promise

[Corrected 5/24/13, 8:23 am. See below.] Blair Garrou came to Houston in 1996, intending to stay four years while his wife completed her degree in veterinary medicine at Texas A&M University in nearby College Station. He was working in the banking industry, focusing on energy, but as the price of oil fell to $10 a barrel … Continue reading “Texas Venture Capital Market “Weak,” But Still Shows Promise”

OutboundEngine Lands $1,600,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=28113bae-3f1b-44cc-aca9-c8cb580a7171&Preview=1 Date 11/14/2012 Company Name OutboundEngine Mailing Address 200 E. 6th St. Austin, TX 78701 Company Description OutboundEngine provides a hands-free marketing platform that puts your marketing on autopilot. Our SaaS-based platform delivers industry-focused content via email and social media on your behalf. Website http://www.outboundengine.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,600,000 … Continue reading “OutboundEngine Lands $1,600,000 Series A Financing”

CopperEgg Garners $2,100,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=27a02b57-108a-4a4e-b70e-e6c7e29f9222&Preview=1 Date 5/9/2012 Company Name CopperEgg Mailing Address 811 Trinity Austin, TX 78701 Company Description At CopperEgg, everything we do has meaning and a purpose. From naming our company to our approach to product development and our commitment to innovation, the CopperEgg team and our investors are committed to making a difference … Continue reading “CopperEgg Garners $2,100,000 Series A Financing Round”

Famigo Lands $1,000,000 Seed Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b66d2ca0-67b4-4681-aaf2-99668b07a040&Preview=1 Date 3/30/2012 Company Name Famigo Mailing Address Undisclosed Austin, TX 73301 Company Description We know parents are ridiculously busy, increasingly mobile, and generally just want things to work. That’s why we’ve developed Famigo.com and Famigo Sandbox. They’re both simply designed to make your life a whole lot easier and a bit … Continue reading “Famigo Lands $1,000,000 Seed Funding Round”

WP Engine Receives $1,200,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1bdc3a26-240c-4ef1-b6aa-3effff6ad072&Preview=1 Date 11/15/2011 Company Name WP Engine Mailing Address 701 Brazos St Austin, TX 78701 Company Description WPEngine offers a WordPress VIP-type experience for smaller-scale websites. The service includes top-notch support, one-click backups, optimization for speed and scalability, and security features that include automatic software upgrades. Website http://www.wpengine.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “WP Engine Receives $1,200,000 New Financing”

CopperEgg Receives $2,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9b30951e-e700-4602-b27c-32b1d644d0ef&Preview=1 Date 7/12/2011 Company Name CopperEgg Mailing Address 811 Trinity Austin, TX 78701 Company Description At CopperEgg, everything we do has meaning and a purpose. From naming our company to our approach to product development and our commitment to innovation, the CopperEgg team and our investors are committed to making a difference … Continue reading “CopperEgg Receives $2,000,000 Series A Round”

SpareFoot Lands $1,500,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5fcc7661-ca5c-4bf9-8aa2-798a948f0663&Preview=1 Date 3/7/2011 Company Name SpareFoot Mailing Address 720 Brazos Street Austin, TX 78701 Company Description The SpareFoot marketplace has storage listings of all shapes and sizes, with everything from the units at your local self-storage facility to the garage, bedroom or parking spot at your neighbor’s house. In the same way … Continue reading “SpareFoot Lands $1,500,000 Series B Round”

Socialware Secures $3,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d170bfbe-2e20-4a31-9dcc-76b838fae08e&Preview=1 Date 2/9/2011 Company Name Socialware Mailing Address 6500 River Place Blvd Building V Austin, TX 78730 Company Description Socialware bridges the gap between the enterprise and social networks to transform the way that companies and their employees engage, connect and communicate with clients, partners and one another. Our solutions allow companies … Continue reading “Socialware Secures $3,000,000 New Funding Round”

Socialware Receives $2,200,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9d22c857-cd14-4cef-bb97-eec00a55dd23&Preview=1 Date 6/30/2010 Company Name Socialware Mailing Address 6500 River Place Blvd Building V Austin, TX 78730 Company Description Socialware bridges the gap between the enterprise and social networks to transform the way that companies and their employees engage, connect and communicate with clients, partners and one another. Our solutions allow companies … Continue reading “Socialware Receives $2,200,000 New Funding Round”

SpareFoot Obtains $2,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=11409850-2cd7-4439-b60b-3d1a05149690&Preview=1 Date 6/21/2010 Company Name SpareFoot Mailing Address 720 Brazos Street Austin, TX 78701 Company Description The SpareFoot marketplace has storage listings of all shapes and sizes, with everything from the units at your local self-storage facility to the garage, bedroom or parking spot at your neighbor’s house. In the same way … Continue reading “SpareFoot Obtains $2,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Javelin Semiconductor Receives $6,200,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=569da885-69ae-473a-8b9d-54cb204cec84&Preview=1 Date 2/26/2010 Company Name Javelin Semiconductor Mailing Address 3801 S. Capital of Texas Highway Austin, TX 78704 Company Description Javelin Semiconductor develops mixed-signal CMOS ICs for wireless communications. The company is based in Austin, Texas, a recognized center of mixed-signal semiconductor design talent. Backed by leading technology investors, Javelin was founded … Continue reading “Javelin Semiconductor Receives $6,200,000 Series B Funding”