From: Mason Rathe
Sent: Sun, 19 Nov 2023 16:55:42 +0000
To: [email protected]
Subject: Austin Weekly Deal Highlights – Nov. 19th, 2023
Sent: Sun, 19 Nov 2023 16:55:42 +0000
To: [email protected]
Subject: Austin Weekly Deal Highlights – Nov. 19th, 2023
Austin Weekly Deal Highlights
November 19th, 2023
Good morning boys and girls, back again with your Austin Weekly Deal Highlights! Nice little week on our hands… after $225M exit, TrendKite co-founder is back at it with $6.4M for new media startup Handraise. Virdee also announced a fresh new Series A! But with the good, there is some bad.. after going public in 2020, electric trucking company Hyliion has announced it is laying off 2/3 of its workforce. Be sure to check out all the highlights below, and have yourself a happy Thanksgiving!
Vela Wood is proud to be celebrating our 15th anniversary. Check out our 15-year report highlighting our growth and contributions to the startup community.
Austin Weekly Deal Activity
- Virdee, a virtual reception and user engagement platform for the hospitality industry, raised $12.4M Series A led by Moneta Ventures. DJR Enterprises, Silverton Partners, Alumni Ventures, Capital Factory, Koch Real Estate Investments and other undisclosed investors also participated in the round.
- Handraise, a company enabling brands to increase the impact of their press coverage, raised $6.4M in seed funding led by Silverton Partners, with additional participation from Floodgate, Bill Wood Ventures, Firebrand VC, Aperiam Ventures, Active Capital, Sputnik ATX VC, Capital Factory, and a handful of angel investors.
- Gratia Health, an incentive compensation platform for healthcare employers to effectively attract, motivate, and retain their care providers, raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding in a deal led by ScionHealth and JumpStart Capital.
Austin News
- Austin startups raise $105M as funding deals start to rebound
- Hyliion Holdings, a public company based here in Austin, is giving up on making hybrid electric powertrains and will lay off 175 employees — twothirds of its workforce — as it pivots to develop a business around fuelagnostic generator technology it purchased from GE Aviation.
- Samsung Austin Semiconductor Donates $1 Million to Taylor ISD for a Career and Technical Education Center
- SXSW’s $380M economic impact shows return to prepandemic heights
- Aceable, a digital education platform, has announced the appointment of Kevin Morris as chief product officer and Neil Seth as chief technology officer. Seth brings over 20 years of leadership experience stemming from companies such as Dropoff and Gamefly. Morris is well-known for his leadership at companies such as Indeed, Khoros, Spredfast, and Bazaarvoice.
- UT Austin Named No. 2 Institution for Entrepreneurship Studies
- Mark Willis to return as CEO of Keller Williams
- Self-driving car company Cruise temporarily ramps down operations in Austin
Thank you!
