Austin Weekly Deal Highlights(6-17-18)

Austin Weekly Deal Highlights

Austin Weekly Deal Highlights for June 17th, 2018

From: “Mason Rathe” <[email protected]> on behalf of “Mason Rathe” <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, 17 June 2018 22:11
To: [email protected]
Subject: Austin Weekly Deal Highlights 6-17-18

Austin Weekly Deal Highlights for June 17th, 2018 by Mason Rathe

So much for a summer slowdown. Fundraising announcements across the board this week, from notable seed rounds for Eventador and Strangeworks, to BuildGroup splashing in with their $330M fund announcement. Check these highlights, then get back to your lazy Sunday watching the pros struggle at the US Open and feeling slightly better about your own golf game. Happy Father’s Day!

Austin Fundraising Activity

  • BuildGroup, a software holding company, announced the close of a $330M fund. BuildGroup plans to invest in a total of 10 to 12 companies and has already put $57M into four companies
  • Medici, a telemedicine platform, raised $22M from a group of individual investors. The company last raised $24M in 2016.
  • Ambiq Micro, maker of microcontrollers that work in wearables, chip cards and IoT devices, raised an $11.4M Series E from undisclosed investors. The company has raised over $90M to date according to Pitchbook.
  • Strangeworks, a quantum computing platform, formally announced its $4M Seed Round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
  • Boomerang’s, a producer of meat and vegetable pies, raised $4M from Solamere Capital, Echo Capital, and current investors. The company had previously raised over $9M, according to Pitchbook.
  • Eventador, a managed data streaming platform, raised a $2.5M Seed Round led by LiveOak Venture Partners. The company has raised $3.8M to date from investors including Deep Space Ventures, RSH Ventures, Capital Factory, and Keshif Ventures.
  • Knocki, a home IoT device created by Swan Solutions, raised $1.67M from Seed Sumo and DDC Ventures. The company has raised $3.5M to date
  • Knowingly Corp (Knowlingly Holdings), an internet publishing company that owns tech news site GigaOm, raised $7.5M, per $1.2M and $6.3M SEC filings.
  • Me & the Bees Lemonade, the producer of ready-to-drink bottled lemonade, raised $1.98M of angel funding, according to Pitchbook. Previously, the company raised $810k in 2017.
  • SioTex, developer of an ecofriendly silica for industrial fluids, raised $1.32M of angel funding. The company has raised over $7M to date from several Texas based angel networks.

Austin M&A Activity

  • Civitas Learning an Austin education technology company, acquired ClearScholar, an Indianapolis-based student engagement startup. No financial details were shared. According to Pitchbook, Civitas has raised more than $60M to date, and ClearScholar has raised $1.25M to date
  • Energy SaaS and data analytics company Drillinginfo acquired 1Derrick and PLS’s research and database business which will expand the firm’s market analysis and deal valuation products. Terms were not disclosed.
  • Asure Software (NASDAQ:ASUR), the developer of human resources software, has completed its purchase of the source code from HRnext Holdings, a developer of human resources management software product, for an undisclosed amount.

Other Relevant Deal Activity

  • Brand Foundry, a consumer-focused VC with an Austin office, participated in the $24M Series B for Lola, a New York-based online platform for feminine care products.
  • Dell Technologies Capital led a $16M round for Yugabyte, which develops cloud-based, distributed database software.
  • Dallas-based mobile device security software developer Zimperium acquired Mi3 Security, a developer of application security tools, for an undisclosed amount. Zimperium has raised over $60M to date
  • Dallas-based Arcade, a sales solution for retailers that gamifies employee goals, raised a $750k Seed Round led by Austin-based ATX Seed Ventures, bringing its total funding since 2015 to $1.2M.
  • Arovia, a Houston-based manufacturer of portable computer screens, raised $590k from Keiretsu Forum, Houston Angel Network and other undisclosed investors.
  • Triseum, a Bryan-based online game-based learning platform, raised $510k of convertible debt financing from undisclosed investors.

Austin People

  • Hostway a hybrid multi-cloud hosting provider, hired Patrick Emerson as SVP of worldwide sales. Previously, Emerson was with Austin-based Zenoss.
  • Vytalyx a blockchain-based health care platform, added Asad Mahmood as a strategic advisor. Asad is a Cryptocurrency Investor, ICO Advisor and a Watson AI and Blockchain Engineer at IBM. The company raised $580k over the past year

Austin News

  • Capital Factory and the Dallas Entrepreneur Center held their Grand Opening of their coworking and event facility in Dallas.
  • Asure Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASUR), a leading global provider of human capital management (HCM) and workplace management software, is offering 2M new shares of its common stock in a move to raise about $35M. The shares were priced at $17.50.
  • Factom, a startup using blockchain for data security, received a $192K award from the Department of Homeland Security. Factom last raised an $8M Series A in 2017.
  • Physical resource management software developer Accruent opens operations office in New Orleans, plans to hire 350.
  • Recent graduate of Techstars Austin, The Waggle Company, a Charlotte-based dog walking startup, is changing its name to Skipper and is officially opening an Austin office.
  • Datical, an Austin startup that helps other businesses wrangle code, moves HQ as hiring ramps up.
  • Austin among final 5 candidates for Army’s high-tech Futures Command site.

Upcoming Events

Thank you!
Mason Rathe
Phone: (713) 824-4079
Twitter: @mason_rathe
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