As more tech companies establish themselves across a broad landscape of industries — and embrace a wider hiring reach thanks to remote and hybrid work models — new tech hubs are making their presence known across the country.
One such hub has made its home Dallas, Texas.
CB Insights’ State of Venture report shared that from Q3 to Q4 in 2021, Dallas’ tech funding shot up by 500 percent, reaching a remarkable $1.927 billion. And last year alone, 13 Dallas-area companies ranked on Deloitte’s Fast 500 List. To say it was a big year for tech in the Lone Star State feels like an understatement.
In the auto and transportation industries, Car Capital Technologies’ gained a $150 million investment, while Alto welcomed $45 million in Series B funding. Growth in healthtech saw companies like TimelyMD and Rosy Wellness receive a $60 million investment and $2 million in seed funding, respectively. But that’s not where funding stopped — from insurtech and fintech to cybersecurity and e-commerce, significant investments and funds were distributed to companies changing the tech landscape with their innovative work.
To properly ring in 2022, Built In rounded up 22 of the most watch-worthy Dallas startups headquartered locally and founded within the last five years. Read on to learn about the work they’re doing, how their passion for tech is leaving a lasting impact on their industries and why we can’t wait to see what they get up to this year.
What they do: Born out of a need to address — and improve — the safety, quality and consistency of rideshares, Alto offers a more luxurious, personalized rideshare experience. Not only is their app design elegant and streamlined, but they also operate with a dedicated fleet and employee drivers.
Year founded: 2018
Why we’re watching: With last summer’s Series B financing boost of $45 million, Alto plans to go all-electric by the end of 2023. In the meantime, they’re expanding into additional markets, including Washington D.C. and Silicon Valley.
What they do: AmplifAI is an artificial intelligence-driven people enablement platform that helps hybrid teams go above and beyond by using data to inform and improve their performance, productivity and engagement. Notable clients include The Home Depot, Upwork, Samsung and more.
Year founded: 2016
Why we’re watching: Following a 2019 seed round funding of $3.9 million and a user base that grew tenfold through 2021, AmplifAI later raised $18.5M in Series A funding, which will allow them to improve their software and further expand internationally.
What they do: Securing life insurance for you or your family doesn’t have to be a long, difficult or overwhelming task. The team at Bestow is helping people on a daily basis by building technology to make life insurance more accessible and easier to buy.
Year founded: 2016
Why we’re watching: After going on a hiring spree last year, insurtech unicorn Bestow also successfully acquired Centurion Life Insurance Company. Before closing out 2021, they partnered with Equitable to launch Term-in-10SM, a digital term life insurance offering.
What they do: Grapevine-based Car Capital provides dealerships with proprietary software — including their Dealer Electronic Auto Loan System — as well as the capital to instantly approve consumer car purchases without the strain of credit history getting in the way of securing a loan.
Year founded: 2020
Why we’re watching: Car Capital just locked in a $150 million, three-year credit investment and a $6.12 million equity investment.
What they do: IOOGO knows that nobody likes the stress and pressure of navigating finances, which is why they offer simplified business solutions — including accounting and tax preparation — to individuals and small businesses alike. For accounting professionals, IOOGO’s unique technology and financial expertise are game changers.
Year founded: 2017
Why we’re watching: Last summer, IOOGO launched a CFO program to support and guide growing businesses through strategic financial leadership.
What they do: Kanarys founders Mandy Price, Star Carter and Bennie King are taking a data-driven approach to diversity, equity and inclusion. By providing organizations with the tools — and the transformation — needed to improve DEI, the team at Kanarys enables workplaces to be proactive in detecting and addressing potential DEI issues, thereby creating long-lasting change.
Year founded: 2018
Why we’re watching: Kanarys made history in 2021 with a $3 million seed round of funding. According to Crunchbase data, Price and Carter are now two of 25 Black female founders to have raised at least $4.6 million in venture capital.
What they do: United through a love of language, the Language Learning Market is a global online marketplace and directory for digital language learning resources, including lesson plans and educational games. Their platform allows educators and parents to purchase products, businesses to sell resources and products, and users to join their language-loving community.
Year founded: 2019
Why we’re watching: With sights set on growing their platform, CEO and founder Allison Monroe recently announced plans to open a $500,000 seed funding round effort.
What they do: Fueled by a passion for leadership and development, Leadr began with an idea shared between co-founders Chris Heaslip and Matt Tresidder: to develop software that would help one million people grow into leaders. The HR technology company provides people management software to transform workplaces by enabling employees on every level to pursue and thrive in leadership roles.
Year founded: 2019
Why we’re watching: Leadr not only grew their customer base and number of active users significantly in 2021, but with more than 50 full-time employees they became a mid-sized business. Following their $10 million Series A funding round last summer, Leadr expanded their product further into HR with LeadrHR and LeadrHealth.
What they do: Opting to overlook the limits of a credit score, Meritize instead evaluates an individual’s merit — through academic and military experience — to offer them better financing options, even without a co-borrower. Their mission is to support students, educators and employers in building skills-based training and careers.
Year founded: 2016
Why we’re watching: From a veteran-led flight school in San Diego to a wind energy technician training program, Meritize is partnering with fast-growing industries to bolster their skills-based mission.
What they do: What do you get when you combine technology, logistics and interior design? Proptech company Nickson, for one. From furniture and decor to housewares and technology, they’re making moves and relocations look easy by seamlessly providing every residential furnishing need on demand.
Year founded: 2016
Why we’re watching: Nickson has seen significant growth and demand through the pandemic. With support from Robbie Robinson — Obama’s former financial adviser who now invests in startups of color — Nickson completed a $12 million Series A funding round last summer. Next up: Founder and CEO Cameron Johnson looks to expand into additional cities.
What they do: With a team of restaurant and hospitality industry veterans, Plano-based OneDine is improving the service experience for both diners and servers with efficient, contactless tech solutions — whether guests are ordering on-site, curbside or from home.
Year founded: 2017
Why we’re watching: Despite the pandemic’s continued presence affecting the restaurant industry, the team at OneDine celebrated reaching 2.5 million users in one month last November.
What they do: Otto is on a mission to change car title lending by providing their users with accessible and affordable credit through the equity of their vehicle. With lower interest rates than your standard car title loans and without fees and overdraft charges, Otto aims to create sustainable credit while also eliminating the threat of predatory loans.
Year founded: 2020
Why we’re watching: Not only did Otto raise $4.5 million in a seed round of funding — with one of their investors including Mark Cuban — but their mobile platform is set to launch early this year.
What they do: Backed by NFL investors, OxeFit is bringing a strong presence to the fitness tech industry. Their strength training systems are powered by artificial intelligence, robotics and performance data, offering users a personalized and interactive exercise experience.
Year founded: 2019
Why we’re watching: Following their $12.1 million Series A and the release of a commercial smart fitness system called XP1, OxeFit brought their technology home at the end of 2021 with the launch of XS1 — the first interactive, at-home fitness system that combines strength, balance and cardio. It also boasts injury-preventing technology and real-time feedback.
What they do: Anchored to their purpose of building and growing authentic, meaningful workplace relationships, Preciate is redefining how we think of all things virtual socialization: meetings, networking, team building, onboarding and more. Their technology not only strengthens relationships by bringing people together through virtual events, but also through their employee recognition software.
Year founded: 2017
Why we’re watching: With remote work here to stay, so too are virtual events. After raising $4.6 million in seed round funding in early 2021, Preciate added new enterprise features and is continuing to grow their team.
What they do: Building a community around sexual health and wellness, Rosy Wellness’ platform offers women an accessible resource to ask questions and seek out holistic solutions to sexual problems. Their app provides educational video content, guided self-help classes, real-time access to coaches and more.
Year founded: 2018
Why we’re watching: Rosy Wellness has helped over 130,000 women across the U.S. and in 2021, its community grew to more than 3,900 healthcare professionals. By the end of the year, the company gained $2 million in seed funding and intends to put it toward furthering its mobile app and growing its team.
What they do: Informed by the experiences and feedback of automotive industry consumers, e-commerce platform RumbleON provides an efficient and trusted tech space where both consumers and dealers can interact with pre-owned recreation vehicles — whether they’re buying, selling, trading or financing.
Year founded: 2017
Why we’re watching: Only a few days into 2022, RumbleOn announced its physical expansion into Florida after acquiring a powersports retail location in Jacksonville. With another acquisition in the works — and a number already in the books — the company is continuing their ever-growing reach across the U.S.
What they do: Creating secure environments is front-of-mind at Forgepoint company SolCyber. The modern managed security service provider provides the tools, solutions and systems needed to prevent potential cyberattacks and breaches.
Year founded: 2021
Why we’re watching: Upon launching out of stealth mode last summer, SolCyber announced a Series A funding round of $20 million. Later in 2021, the cybersecurity company partnered with Area 1 Security to combine their tech powers.
What they do: There’s truly no time like the present for a tech company to turn their attention to the health and wellbeing of higher ed students. That’s why TimelyMD is dedicated to improving both physical and mental healthcare — and how accessible they are — by providing colleges and universities with customized student-first telehealth services.
Year founded: 2017
Why we’re watching: As college students continue to feel the physical and mental strain of the pandemic, the demand for streamlined access to healthcare remains steady. In addition to a $60 million investment from JMI Equity, TimelyMD won back-to-back awards from D CEO and Dallas Innovates — first with the “Achievement in Innovation” award at The Excellence in Healthcare Awards 2021, followed by the honor of “Innovation in Healthcare” at The Innovation Awards 2022.
What they do: TMGcore is developing and commercializing cutting-edge hardware and technology solutions — including two-phase liquid immersion cooling solutions — for data centers. Their Dallas location acts as a home base to conduct product research and development for their portfolio and product suite.
Year founded: 2018
Why we’re watching: TMGcore’s research lab recently shared promising results from a 2PLIC test, which is an exciting development in their pursuit toward utilizing environmentally-friendly fluids in the computing solutions industry.
What they do: Combining technology with manufacturing and logistics, Veryable’s on-demand, online marketplace connects laborers with manufacturers to mend a gap between operations and production demand. The platform offers flexibility and efficiency to both workers and the businesses that will employ them on an as-needed basis.
Year founded: 2017
Why we’re watching: After raising $31.9 million in Series A funding last summer, Veryable was named a ‘Startup Innovator of the Year’ finalist at D CEO and Dallas Innovates’ 2022 Innovation Awards.
What they do: Named after an innovative ancient Greek weapon, managed security service provider Zyston develops information security solutions to offer companies a line of defense — including their flagship product, InfoSec Program as a Service — from cyber threats. The company was founded by cybersecurity industry veterans Jonathan Steenland and Craig Stamm.
Year founded: 2016
Why we’re watching: With an uptick in cyberattacks through the pandemic, the team released an eBook providing relevant information on potential cyber threats to prepare for in an increasingly remote business landscape. Zyston was also named one of MSSP Alert’s “Top 250 Managed Security Service Providers” in 2021.
What they do: Inspired by the co-founders’ ongoing frustration with homeownership solutions, ZYYAH offers an easy, organized platform to streamline everything from home-related data and documents to insurance and mortgage. The Rockwall-based proptech and insurtech company simplifies the way homeowners manage their homes.
Year founded: 2018
Why we’re watching: What started as a self-funded endeavor, ZYYAH quietly raised nearly $10 million in 2021. After running a beta version of its home management app last year, the team officially launched the app in full in late January 2022.
