Hyde Park Venture Partners lands $65M funding
Early-stage venture capital firm Hyde Park Venture Partners is launching a second fund to focus on Series B rounds, the company announced this week. The $65 million funding also comes with new advisors, including Rockfish Interactive’s Dave Knox and Todd Richardson, formerly of ExactTarget. [Built In Chicago]
City of Chicago installs first Array of Things devices to track city stats
The city of Chicago is like a living, breathing being. And now it’s getting a city-sized Fitbit. City officials installed the first of many “Array of Things” devices this week. The boxes include air-quality sensors, temperature gauges and even low-resolution cameras to track traffic on streets and sidewalks. Two nodes went up this week, with 500 expected across the city by the end of 2018. [Chicago Tribune]
Amazon to bring brick-and-mortar store to Lakeview
Amazon is delivering a store to Chicago. The internet retail giant is opening a bookstore in the Southport corridor, following its initial foray into physical retailing in Seattle (above) last year. The store will offer books at the same price as they’re offered online, but customers will have to use their phone to find out what that price is. Amazon products like the Kindle, Fire TV and Echo will also be available for purchase. [DNAInfo Chicago]
SIM Partners adds Uber integration
SIM Partners is allowing clients to draw in customers with easy rides. The company has integrated with the Uber API to allow businesses to add a “Ride there with Uber” button on mobile-optimized location pages. The button is designed to convert more online views into sales for brick-and-mortar businesses and other physical stores. [Press release]
University of Illinois’ big data project scores $110M grant
The University of Illinois project Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment, known as XSEDE, got a $110 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding will help it continue to coordinate large computational researcher projects with institutions from around the country. [TechCrunch]
Washio halts on-demand cleaning service
On-demand dry cleaning service Washio has ceased operations. The Santa Monica-based company that started service in Chicago two years ago is shutting down. The startup had raised $14 million for a handful of celebrity investors, but failed to gain enough traction in the crowded market. Big names are also moving in, including the launch of Tide’s Spin service. [Chicago Inno]
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Chowly integrates with Toast’s POS to make online orders more streamlined
Some on-demand delivery services have made things complicated for many small eateries. One point of friction is getting those orders into point-of-sales systems. Chicago-based Chowly is integrating its tools into Toast’s POS software to streamline the process, the Chicago-based company announced this week. [Press release]
Drive Capital brings Midwest-focused $300M fund to life
Columbus, Ohio-based Drive Capital, which has invested in companies like Kapow, Hologram and Channel IQ, is bringing a new $300 million fund online that will focus on growing the Midwest’s startup scene. Not only will Drive’s fund help existing companies located outside America’s coastal regions, but it will also encourage promising startups to move to the Midwest to be closer to customers. [Chicago Tribune]
VoIP provider Telnyx kicks off global expansion with Equinix partnership
Telnyx is bringing its wholesale VoIP service to Europe and Asia thanks to a partnership with California-based Equinix. Telnyx will deploy its system in Equinix nodes in London and Hong Kong for more stable service. [Press release]
Motorola Solutions settles into West Loop digs
Communications technology maker Motorola is wrapping up its move from Schaumburg to the West Loop this month, with CTO Paul Steinberg along with engineering and development teams moving in this week. The new location, occupying the top six floors at 500 W. Monroe St., helps Motorola attract more talent to its team. [Chicago Tribune]
Images via listed companies, Computation Institute, Shutterstock
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