April was a slow funding month for Dallas-Fort Worth tech companies, with only a handful of new venture capital rounds announced. The three disclosed tech funding rounds totaled $220.1 million, which is just shy of the $245 million generated by the top five funding rounds in March. Read on to learn about the local companies that are growing and hiring.
Honorable mention: Undisclosed, April 12
HundredX raised an undisclosed Series D round, bringing its total funding to date to more than $80 million. The Series D was backed by high-profile names, such as Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt and Charles “Chuck” Schwab. HundredX has created a database of millions of consumer experiences, which it uses to generate strategic insights for business executives.
Honorable mention: Undisclosed, April 5
Jaunt Air Mobility, a maker of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, received an undisclosed amount of funding from former Air Canada CEO Calin Rovinescu and Mitch Garber, a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken hockey team. Jaunt Air Mobility is developing aircraft for defense, air taxi and cargo transportation.
#3. $2.3 million, April 20
HacWare, which North Texas native Tiffany Ricks founded in Dallas in 2019, raised a $2.3 million seed round for its automated cybersecurity training technology. HacWare’s technology integrates with a company’s software to send out simulated attacks, which companies can then use to identify which employees need cybersecurity training. HacWare is based in NYC and Dallas, according to the company’s website.
#2. $2.8 million, April 5
Skyllful, which provides on-demand technology training for companies’ front-line workers, raised $2.8 million. The company will use the funding to grow its business operations and expand its reach.
#1. $215 million, April 12
Critical Start raised more than $215 million from Vista Equity Partners. The Plano-based cybersecurity firm has developed a managed detection and response (MDR) platform that helps companies identify, assess and respond to cyber threats in real-time. The company said it will use the funding to scale the breadth and depth of its MDR offerings, reach a wider range of customers and grow its team of roughly 250 employees by 35 percent this year.
