Crazy week of fundings brings in nearly $300M to Austin tech
Since Tuesday of last week, 13 Austin tech companies have brought in new fundings totalling close to $300 million. The biggest rounds include Dosh’s $40 million last Tuesday, DISCO’s $83 million on Thursday, Billd’s $60 million on Tuesday and RigUp’s $60 million later that same day. What a time to be alive.
TrendKite acquired for $250M
Cision finalized its acquisition of Austin-based TrendKite for $250 million last week. As part of the acquisition, TrendKite CEO Erik Huddleston will step into the role of Cision president. TrendKite will continue to operate as a standalone application and will become part of Cision Communications Cloud products in the future. TrendKite launched in 2013 and provides big data analytics to help analyze, predict and enhance the reach of public relations campaigns. [Press Release]
Certain Affinity announces Toronto expansion
Certain Affinity, an Austin-based independent game developer, announced on Wednesday its expansion plans into Canada. The company is opening its second development office in Toronto to support its Austin team in creating two original titles, including a science fiction-themed cooperative first-person shooter called “Last Expedition.” Certain Affinity will also begin opening up its North Central Austin office for upcoming gaming-related community events. [Press Release]
Path Forward enters Austin with Returnship program
Path Forward’s Returnship program will begin in Austin, following successful rollouts in Silicon Valley, Denver, New York and Los Angeles. The organization connects companies with a diverse talent pool of professionals actively seeking to return to work after taking time off to act as a caregiver. The inaugural Austin round will include Path Forward partners Cloudflare, Medallia and Return Path. [Press Release]
The Riveter kicks off 2019 expansion plans with Austin location
The Riveter, a Seattle-based, women-led coworking community, announced that it will open an Austin location this spring, following news that it raised $15 million. The new location will be set at 1145 W. 5th St. and include features from its other locations like hot and dedicated desk spaces, private offices and event rooms. Following Austin, The Riveter plans on opening additional locations in Dallas, Denver, Portland, Ore., Minneapolis – St. Paul, and Atlanta in 2019. [GeekWire]
Evonik purchases 3D materials startup Structured Polymers
New Jersey-based Evonik shared last week that it has completed the acquisition of Structured Polymers, an Austin-based startup specializing in the creation of 3D printing materials. Vikram Devarajan, Jim Mikulak and Carl Deckard co-founded Structured Polymers in 2012 to commercialize new polymer powders for additive manufacturing processes. Evonik first became affiliated with the startup through a 2017 venture capical investment. [Press Release]
FlexFleet lands seed funding, changes name
Following a $2.1 seed investment from Foundamental Capital, FlexFleet has rebranded as Trelar Logistics. The company’s construction logistics marketplace connects suppliers, contractors, supply chain logistics, and finance and insurance services to operate more efficiently. The startup launched in 2018 and will use the funding for product development, strategic partnerships, marketing and to hire locally. [Press Release]
