Texas-Squared Startup Newsletter #230

Texas Startup News, Opinion & Events in the Lone StartUP State
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SXSW March 13 - 22 Countdown 46 Days

SXSW VIP Insiders Guide 2020 - www.bitly.com/sxswvip

This is a work in progress as it's being updated from 2019 - The VIP Guide is the most comprehensive list of official and unofficial events during SXSW geared towards business professionals. Please send me events you'd like to promote during SXSW - marc+sxsw@tsquaredagency.com

Edge Computing: Vapor IO Raises $90M From Berkshire Partners and Crown Castle - Link

- American Inno’s Brent Wistrom

• Austin's Vapor IO raises $90 million to expand computing platform - Link
  - Austin American-Statesman's Lori Hawkins

"Essentially, it’s the type of network service that’s required to build out 5G networks, enable autonomous vehicles and power next generation applications that will react magnitudes faster than today’s. And Vapor IO just announced a financial boost that will help it become a foundational player in the industry.

The startup, which hasn’t previously disclosed its funding, announced Wednesday it has closed a $90 million Series C funding round led by Boston-based private equity titan Berkshire Partners and Houston-based cell phone tower and wireless communications giant Crown Castle. The round was first announced in 2018 and now has been expanded.." - Brent Wistrom

MassChallenge Texas in Austin Launch 2020

MassChallenge Texas in Austin Launch 2020
Wednesday, January 29, 2020 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM CST
South Congress Hotel
1603 South Congress Avenue Austin, TX 78704
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• Video: Fire Breaks Out During Firefly Aerospace Rocket Test North of Austin - Link
• 5 Austin Startups Emerge for the 2020 SXSW Pitch Competition - Link
  - Austin Inno's Brett Wistrom - Subscribe Here
• Austin-based robotics company named 1 of 6 companies in FAAR Cohort for Army Capability Accelerator - Link
  - KVUE.com
• Hypergiant Is Using AI And Algae To Take on Climate Change - Link
  - Forbes’ Sandra Ponce de Leon
• Austin Announces Winners of City:One Challenge - The winners, Good Apple and Tappy Guide, will split $150,000 - Link
• A Q&A With Workology's Founder & Chief Innovation Officer On Podcasting, Employee Retention And Meaningful Leadership - Link
  - Allwork.Space
• Austin will not pay to test for marijuana, effectively decriminalizing small amounts of pot - Link
• ULI panel pushes real estate partnerships to help preserve, create arts spaces - Link
• Ellis attempts to get scooters and other contaminants out of city waterways - Link
• Monetizing the carbon cycle may lead to ecological solutions - Link
• Austin may get an economic development corp. - Link
• Downtown to grow in a new direction - Link
  - Austin Monitor
• Career consultants help job seekers beat AI robot interviews - Link
• Unsplash is the secret weapon for seekers, and creators of unique images - Link
• There is honor in your job, be proud of that - Link
• Instagram’s false information flagging may accidentally shut down artists - Link
• How becoming better listeners eliminates our culture’s growing isolation - Link
• Asking the wrong questions can ruin your job opportunity - Link
• AdvoCare MLM was painted as a pyramid scheme! Well color me surprised - Link
• How many hours of the work week are actually efficient? - Link
• Why receiving big funding doesn’t guarantee startup success - Link
• AB5 bill Is hurting the people It’s trying to protect - Link
• Could Facebook’s newest censorship tactic decimate an entire industry? - Link
• Bose is closing their retail stores, but we haven’t heard the last of them - Link
  - American Genius
• Austin’s data.world Finds Success as a B Corp Bringing Together Data Users on its Global Platform - Link
• Literati Co-Founder Jessica Ewing Says She is Focused on Raising a Generation of Readers who like Print Books - Link
• Austin’s BuildGroup Launches Open.Exchange to Bring Transparency to the Fundraising Process for Investors and Entrepreneurs - Link
  - Silicon Hills News' Laura Lorek [Congrats to Laura on her fifth year anniversary of SHN!]
• Feb 4 at Austin Forum: Health Tech - Link
• 10 SXSW Sessions to Honor MLK Day - Link
• 10 Ways to Use Attendee Services - Link
• Plan Your Travels to SXSW 2020 with Hitch - Link
• Meet the 50 Startup Finalists for SXSW Pitch 2020 - Link
• Achieve Your Self-Improvement Goals at the Wellness Expo - Link
• Second Round of Mentors from Tech, Film & Music Industries Announced - Link
• Now Announcing Focus15 Sessions for the 2020 SXSW Conference - Link
  - SXSW’s Hugh Forrest
• Alumna Brené Brown to Deliver UT Austin Commencement Keynote Address - Link
• 311 app now allows cyclists to report parking obstructions in bike lanes - Link
• Co-op provides affordable course materials to students - Link
• Physics professor wins Wolf Prize for twistronics research - Link
• Women’s March encourages diversity, civic engagement - Link
• SafeHorns competes for prize money to build police call boxes in West Campus - Link
• UT scientist works with NASA to find first habitable zone - Link
• 3M Half Marathon shows off Austin - Link
• UT School of Architecture ranked No.1 for programs with under 100 graduates - Link
• The Onion co-founder talks comedy, fake news - Link
• WalletHub study names Austin best college town in US - Link
• UT Libraries introduces new library service platform - Link
• Dating app Swoovy allows potential couples to connect though service - Link
• Ranch Hand co-owners talk business, McCombs, how their food is more than just salad - Link
  - University of Texas
• Engineering Leaders Discuss the Best Programming Languages to Learn - Link
• Best Books On Artificial Intelligence 2020: 13 AI Titles To Know - Link
• Austin Startup Finalists for SXSW Pitch 2020 Announced - Link
• Edge Computing Startup Vapor IO Raises $90M in Extended Series C - Link
• CPABC: Four things you need to know for this tax season - Link
• Weekly Refresh: Cloudera's New CEO, Big Funding News and More - Link
  - BuiltinAustin
• Journal Profile: Why Carey Smith started Unorthodox Ventures after a $500M exit - Link
• New Austin firm Unbundled Capital invests $7M in Plano company - Link
• Brett Hurt's Data.world showcases how businesses can be recognized for ethical practices - Link
• RigUp poised for huge growth in 2020 after massive fundings - Link
• Austin's pro golf tournament getting swankier; Chip & Joanna Gaines bring their flair to new VIP area - Link
• Firefly responds to rocket test fire, investigates cause - Link
• Firefly inks another deal for flights to space; Rocket test failure prompts evacuation - Link
• Person to know in Austin tech this week: Steve Kramer - Link
• How Elizabeth Christian Public Relations handled a co-founder's retirement - Link
• Austin: Please stop throwing scooters in Lady Bird Lake, creeks - Link
• Austin to give more than $1M to chambers of commerce, but funding may be tweaked next year - Link
• ABJ to highlight future of fastest-growing big city in US with Austin 2040 - Link
• Ford, Austin City Hall fund traffic-fighting startups - Link
• Startup to provide Austin school district with virtual doctors - Link
• Leaving California: Why companies are fleeing to places like Texas - Link
• In the money Jan. 20: $71M raised by Austin-area startups - Link
  - Austin Business Journal
• FUNDING FLOW: In 2019, big deals drove Austin VC funding to a two-decade high - Link
• Austin jobless rate hovers near 20-year low - Link
• Austin to study impact of litter, scooter dumping in waterways - Link
• Austin scheduling startup Kronologic wants to revolutionize the sales calendar - Link
• Startup Spotlight: Austin's Moon Ultra aims to make mark with mobile lighting device - Link
• What to know about Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace - Link
• Trudy’s restaurant chain files for bankruptcy - Link
• Financial giant Citadel Securities picks Austin for tech hub - Link
• Survey company QuestionPro moves HQ from California to Austin - Link
  - Austin American-Statesman

SAN ANTONIO

• San Antonio Needs a Venture for America Community Director — Here’s Why - Link
• A Big Partnership for Higher Ed Data Analytics, Enflux Partners with ExamSoft - Link
• San Antonio Startup Events for the Week of January 27, 2020 - Link
  - San Antonio Startups
• Final Sponsor Payment Will Fund San Antonio Bike Share Through April - Link
• America’s Most Powerful Medical-Debt Collector - Link
• Palo Alto College Becomes Second Texas College to Offer Winemaking Degree - Link
• SA2020 Launches Yearlong Engagement Tour Ahead of Rebranding - Link
• Bird, Razor Last Companies Standing As Scooter Craze Fades - Link
• Bexar’s Eye: A Body of Knowledge in School’s Real and Virtual Anatomy Labs - Link
  - The Rivard Report
• Air Force veteran advances local cybersecurity workforce - Link
• A plane crash took his parents, siblings and his legs — now this exec is sharing his story of survival - Link
• San Antonio firm named in federal bribery case - Link
• Westside Development Corp. CEO stepping down to become chamber executive - Link
• Nuts and bolts of investing in Opportunity Zones - Link
• The Texas high schools sending the most students to Harvard, Princeton and MIT - Link
• Denim Group wins first military contract - Link
• Cisneros: ConnectSA has $1.3B plan to improve local transportation - Link
• PAX co-founder, local developers on what makes SA’s gaming convention special - Link
• Three SA companies score high in LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies - Link
• SA startup teams with Dallas education tech company to improve academic data analytics - Link
• Toyota getting into air taxis with nearly $400M investment in growing space - Link
• Classic Austin burger chain expanding to San Antonio - Link
  - San Antonio Business Journal
• Local Real Estate Software Giant Acquires Dallas Tech Firm Modern Message - Link
• AI Startup BoodsKapper Announces Partnership Outside of Texas - Link
• Plano-Based DoctorLogic Closes $7M Series A for Healthcare-Focused Marketing Platform - Link
• Dallas Customer Support Startup Expands Technology - Link
  - NTXInno’s Kevin Cummings
• NuvoDesk Coworking, Arlington's Newest Coworking Space, Offers Grand Opening Specials - Link
• Fort Worth’s coffee shop scene is having a major moment - Link
  - The Dallas Morning News
• UNT’s College of Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism is Overhauling Denton Square - Link
• Q+A: How Fidelity’s Head of Talent Management Flips the Script on HR Tech - Link
• Discovery: NASA Selects UTA Team to Examine ‘Space Weather,’ UTD Research Focuses on Chronic Pain - Link
• Trend Micro Takes on ‘Patent Trolls’ Through LOT Network - Link
• Real Estate Tech Companies RealPage and Modern Message to Merge - Link
• Date Gone Wrong: Match Group’s New Safety Tech Gives Tinder a Panic Button, and More - Link
• Follow the Money: DoctorLogic Raises $7M; RealPage and Geoforce Make Acquisitions - Link
• EarthX Teams Up with National Geographic for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day - Link
• Dallas’ On The Road Lending Receives Up to $10M from Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group - Link
• Burgeoning Startup Companies Continue Alcon’s Legacy in Life Sciences - Link
• The (Alcon) Family Tree: How One Company’s Roots Led to a DFW Life Science Legacy - Link
• Dallas Invents: 109 Patents Granted for Week of Jan. 14 - Link
• Dallas is No. 3 Among Global Data Center Markets, C&W Study Says - Link
• Australian 3D Metal Printer Maker Opens First U.S. Location in Allen - Link
• Plano’s DoctorLogic Announces $7M Series A Round - Link
• DI People: Sally Beauty, Allie Beth Allman, Bottle Rocket, and Stryve Make Leadership Moves - Link
• California Tech Firm Tanium Leases Office Space in Addison for Expansion - Link
• Uber Starts its Hiring Process in Dallas - Link
  - Dallas Innovates
• New Report: DFW Is Less Affordable Than NYC. Why? Blame Car Culture. - Link
• A Recycling Initiative Is Coming to DFW. Will It Do Any Good? - Link
• Alright, Alright, Alright: Are We Witnessing a McConaissance 2.0? - Link
• Texas Marijuana Laws in 2020: Lots of De Facto, Not Much De Jure - Link
• After FDA Crackdown on Juul, Disposable Knockoffs Take Over - Link
  - Dallas Observer
• Dallas’ Annual Report Underscores the Need for Better Data - Link
• North Texas Commission Foundation’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit Is Back - Link
• With a Park, LandDesign Says it Will Transform Dallas Mall into a Community - Link
• The Future of Video Production: Whoever Tells the Best Story Shapes the Culture - Link
• A Deep-Dive Analysis of the Marketing Blurb for The Stack in Deep Ellum - Link
• Dallas Mavericks Ink Multiyear Deal With Fin-Tech Firm Chime - Link
• Suite Talk: Craig Hall of HALL Group and VARIDESK’s Jason McCann - Link
  - D Magazine
• Meet the 2020 40 Under 40 honorees - Link
• Meet the final group of our 2020 40 Under 40 honorees - Link
• Coldwell Banker president explains how the brokerage is battling ‘disruptors, discounters, interlopers' - Link
• Why 2020 is setting up to be a banner year for shakedown cybercriminals - Link
• DFW posts worst year in key area of data center use since 2014 amid supply surge, report says - Link
• Form-D Friday: Largest Texas-based independent insurance firm raises $6.8 million - Link
• Roundup of recent deals and dollars: Eastport agencies merged into $500 million company - Link