Austin Weekly Deal Highlights(1-6-19)

Austin Weekly Deal Highlights

Austin Weekly Deal Highlights for January 06, 2019

From: “Mason Rathe” <[email protected]>
Sent:Monday, 07 January 2019 00:42
To: [email protected]
Subject:Austin Weekly Deal Highlights 1-6-19

Austin Weekly Deal Highlights

By Mason Rathe – January 6, 2019

Subscribe to this Newsletter

Welcome back everyone! Time to turn those auto replies off (I get all of them) and crank things into gear! This week we saw emergency mass notification software provider AlertMedia reel in a $25M round, and also, with several notable funding and M&A announcements, we see you Dallas.

Austin Financing Activity

  • AlertMedia, a mass communication software provider, raised a $25M Series C from JMI Equity, with plans to add 70 employees and increase its international footprint. The company has raised approx. $42M to date from investors including NextCoast Ventures, Silverton Partners, and ATX Seed Ventures.

Austin Financing Activity

  • Dell Technologies officially became a public company again on Friday after a five-year hiatus from Wall Street. The company (NYSE: DELL) acquired Dell-VMWare Tracking through a $24 billion cash-and-equity reverse merger, resulting in the combined entity trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DELL with a $35B market cap. The company was last acquired by Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners through a $24.9 billion public-to-private n 2013. Taking over an existing listed stock allowed Dell to avoid the usual IPO process and questions or pressure regarding the company’s debt. Silver Lake is retaining its 24 percent piece of Dell. 3 things to know as Dell returns to stock market
  • Phunware, a mobile app management and analytics company, began publicly trading on Nasdaq on Thursday after a reverse merger with Athens, Greece-based Stellar Acquisition III. The deal values Phunware at $301M. The combined company will take on Phunware’s name and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker name “PHUN.” Phunware has raised over $100M to date.
  • WGVS Holdings, an entertainment platform offering a wide range of videos, raised $6.75M of angel funding from undisclosed investors, according to Pitchbook.
  • QuickStart Learning added approx. $2.8M in new equity funding. Led by CEO Ed Sattar, the Austin-based company has created an online portal for training information technology workers. The new money came from nine investors and was part of a $5.5M round reported in May that included Moneta Ventures and Sattar Ventures.

Austin M&A Activity

  • Medici, an Austin telemedicine platform simplifying interactions between doctors and patients, acquired Austin-based telemedicine/videoconferencing software provider Chiron Health for an undisclosed amount. This is less than two months after making its first buyout, DocbookMD. Medici has raised over $50M to date from investors including Dell, Publix and Swordfish Investments. Chiron Health has raised approx. $7M from investors including Revolution, Capital Factory, and Floodgate Fund.
  • Luminex Corporation (NAS: LMNX), which makes a variety of biological tests, has closed its previously announced deal to buy MilliporeSigma’s flow cytometry portfolio for $75M. Luminex says the deal will bring $40M to $50M in new revenue to the company this year.

Other Regional Deal Activity

  • YourCause, a Plano -based enterprise philanthropy company was acquired by BlackBaud (Nasdaq: BLKB), from Providence Equity Partners, for approx. $157 million.
  • Envy Gaming, a Dallas-based e-sports gaming team and organization, raised a $20M Series B from YouTube gaming personality Preston Arsement.
  • Baicells, a Plano-based a developer of LTE, 5G “small cell” technology, raised $14.55M Series B from Qualcomm Ventures.
  • Healthline Solutions, a Richardson-based developer of applications for healthcare inventory and supply chain management, was acquired by California’s-based Medsphere Systems Corporation, for an undisclosed amount.
  • Payer Compass, a Plano-based provider of healthcare reimbursement solutions, was acquired by Spectrum Equity and Health Enterprise Partners, for an undisclosed amount.
  • Phynd Technologies, a Dallas-based provider information management system, raised $8.2M of venture funding from Invest Nebraska
  • Tot Baby, a Dallas-based marketplace offering products and content for moms and their children, raised $3.4M of debt financing.

Austin People

  • RetailMeNot, the digital coupon marketplace, announced Marissa Tarleton, who has been CMO since 2015, will be CEO. She replaces founder and CEO Cotter Cunningham, who is becoming chairman of the company. She’ll report to Erik Prusch, the new CEO of Harland Clarke Holdings, which acquired RetailMeNot in 2017 for $630M. Cunningham will also take on a new role with MacAndrews & Forbes, owner of Harland Clarke Holdings and RetailMeNot, working on new emerging technology ventures and initiatives.

Austin News

  • Herb Kelleher, the famed co-founder and chairman emeritus of Southwest Airlines, passed away on Jan. 3 at the age of 87.
  • Austin’s top-performing stocks of 2018
  • Austin’s 2019 economic outlook: Still strong, but could slip from ’18 pace
  • The Austin Economic Development and Austin Resource Recovery departments announced a partnership with the Austin Technology Incubator to launch a new Circular Economy Incubator
  • Austin may influence San Antonio’s tech sector in 2019
  • Resource management software provider Accruent is opening a 350-person office in New Orleans. The first 150 employees will move there in the first quarter of this year. Accruent was acquired by Fortive (NYS: FTV) for $2B in September.
  • Whole Foods and Amazon are planning a major expansion–driven by Amazon’s “Prime Now” delivery service–in the Idaho, Wyoming, and Southern Utah, as well as other parts of the Rocky Mountain region, as part of a major expansion of its services.
  • Allen, Texas-based WatchGuard Video, which develops mobile and body camera systems for the law enforcement community, has withdrawn its plans for an IPO. The company had hope to raise as much as $75M on NASDAQ
  • Brett Hurt, CEO of data.world and cofounder of Bazaarvoice – The Entrepreneur’s Essentials
  • Austin dating app Bumble partners with tennis star Serena Williams on women-first marketing campaign
  • UT Austin Research in the News: Top Stories from 2018

Upcoming Events

Thank you!
Mason Rathe
Twitter: @mason_rathe

LiveOak Venture Partners

Think you might be a fit for LiveOak, if I missed a deal, or have feedback, you can reach me at [email protected] If your company is recruiting for a senior level position, happy to include a shout-out.

View on Web | Subscribe to this Newsletter
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
This email was sent to [email protected]
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
Austin Weekly Deal Highlights · Austin, Texas · Austin, TEXAS 78731 · USA