Texas-Squared Startup Newsletter #254

16 min readJul 19, 2020

Texas Startup News, Opinion & Events in the Lone StartUP State
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Gregslist of Software Companies — Austin | Dallas Fort Worth

BigCommerce Files to Go Public

- Techcrunch’s Alex Wilhelm

“As expected, BigCommerce has filed to go public. The Austin, Texas, based e-commerce company raised over $200 million while private. The company’s IPO filing lists a $100 million placeholder figure for its IPO raise, giving us directional indication that this IPO will be in the lower, and not upper, nine-figure range.” — Techcrunch’s Alex Wilhelm

Association for Corporate Growth Austin / San Antonio & TeXchange Austin Present

The Road To Recovery

Jon Nash talks with Dave Lawson about his predictions regarding business fallout from the current quarantine crisis.

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Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 3:00 PM — 4:00 PM (CDT)
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Founder’s Compass Town Hall Information Meeting
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2020 MassChallenge Showcase Lookbook — Link
GoFundMe: Silicon Hills News Operating Expenses — Link
Travis County Commissioners Give the Green Light for Economic Incentives to Lure the $1.1 Billion Tesla Gigafactory to the Austin Area — Link
- Silicon Hills News’ Laura Lorek
HireBetter — HireBetter Names New CEO As Co-Founder Steps Aside — Link
Grief Wellness Startup Eterneva Adds $3M To Seed Round — Link
– Crunchbase News’ Christine Hall
Travis Schwab of Eventus Systems on Rapidly Growing a Startup While Navigating Long Sales Cycles — Link
- finservMarketing
Announcing 3rd & Lamar’s Rooftop Live — Link
- 3rd & Lamar
Army Futures Command announces Austin-based software factory — Link
- KVUE
Amazon to create 1,000 new jobs in Pflugerville, Texas as it opens new fulfillment center — Link
- MarketWatch
Why Customer Retention Is So Important For A Recurring Revenue Business — Link
- Consero Global
Hat Trick! Renzoe Box achieves three major milestones amidst COVID-19 — Link
Austin woman Deb Gabor shamed for PPP loan she never applied for, tied to Horseshoe Bay Resort — Link
- KXAN Austin
Music Commission looks at Black cultural district, music fund based on equity — Link
- Austin Monitor
Almost there: Travis County OKs Tesla incentives, hoping to snag $1.1 billion ‘Gigafactory’ for Austin — Link
KUT/KUTX asking for voluntary furloughs, early retirement to stave off $1M shortfall next year — Link
Indeed tells employees they can work from home until July 2021 — Link
- Austonia
Power of DNA to Store Information Gets an Upgrade — Link
New Cobalt-Free Lithium-Ion Battery Reduces Costs Without Sacrificing Performance — Link
- University of Texas
Startups in Houston and Austin team up on touchless vital monitors for Covid-19 — Link
Indeed won’t require employees to return to offices until July 2021 — Link
ToyPrints blends STEM education with 3D printing mask extenders for essential workers — Link
Report: Fewer VC deals in Austin in Q2 — Link
BigCommerce plans a big IPO — Link
— Austin Inno’s Brett Wistrom — Subscribe Here
How will pausing the reopening of states impact the recovery of the economy? — Link
6 tips to easily market your side hustle — Link
You can pivot your business in the middle of a pandemic — you have to — Link
Basic tips on how to handle common (and ridiculous) interview questions — Link
How can a small business beat a large competitor moving in next door? — Link
Google bullies Europe with its data access to show it’s not a monopoly — Link
How a newly funded coffee delivery startup is thriving during COVID — Link
Walmart+ hopes to beat Amazon at their own game — Link
Elon Musk wants to connect your brain to a computer this year — Link
Metrics that SaaS startups should track to achieve growth — Link
Walmart teams up with ThredUp: The online market for second-hand fashion is heating up — Link
Pierre Laguerre makes history by being the first Black man to raise max crowdfunding amount in one week — Link
Amazon sellers’ information will now be available to stop scams — Link
Working from home could be permanent for many after COVID — Link
Could TikTok soon be banned in the U.S for privacy breaching? — Link
Clyde helps smaller brands to offer product protection programs — Link
- American Genius
Social Solutions Hiring Up to 50 People as Company Adds Key Executive… — Link
Travis County Approves Tax Breaks for Tesla’s Next Gigafactory — Link
Dating App heybaby Launches to Bring Parents and Wannabe Parents… — Link
How to Be an Effective Self-Advocate, According to Women in Tech — Link
How Cognite Is Implementing Anti-Racist Actions in the Workplace — Link
Weekly Refresh: PRESERVED’s New App, DocuSign Acquired Liveoak, and… — Link
- BuiltinAustin
Pandemic makes startup’s robots hot commodity for hospitals — Link
Texas schools get OK to stay virtual longer; $200M set aside to buy tech — Link
Biotech CEO explains how he’ll use fresh $9M — Link
CPG accelerator SKU to launch Dallas-area program this fall — Link
HumanCo makes first acquisition since emerging from stealth — Link
Journal Profile: Tony Montero leads Uchi, other high-end restaurants through pandemic — Link
Mighty Swell scores deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Link
How P. Terry’s has stayed ahead of disaster during pandemic — Link
Son of Sport Clips founder takes reins as company weathers pandemic — Link
What’s next for Tesla’s proposed Austin factory on zoning, housing and more — Link
Dell exploring potential spinoff of 81% ownership of VMware — Link
Tech giants continue to push back reopening offices — Link
VC investment hasn’t plunged in Austin area but fewer deals being done — Link
BigCommerce’s IPO plans become public — Link
Magnitude Software adds former Google director to executive team — Link
Austin company pioneers way to monitor seniors’ vital signs without physical contact — Link
Proposed Austin budget: 3.5% tax increase, $11.3M less for police — Link
Coronavirus surge is killing America’s small businesses — Link
In the money July 13: 7 companies score funding, from tech to CPG — Link
Why an Australian unicorn expanded to Austin during a pandemic — Link
- Austin Business Journal
Austin’s BigCommerce files paperwork for IPO — Link
Army Futures Command plans Austin-based software unit — Link
Austin tech firm Green Revolution Cooling raises $7M — Link
Dell weighs spinning off ownership stake in VMWare — Link
Austin’s Eterneva, which makes diamonds from cremated ashes, raises $3 million for expansion — Link
- Austin American-Statesman

SAN ANTONIO

In This Together San Antonio — Link
Michael Girdley’s Four for Friday Podcast — Link
Texas Biomed Focuses on Efficacy Ahead of Speed in COVID-19 Treatment R&D — Link
USAA Extends ‘Work From Home’ as Valero Returns to the Office and Others Wait it Out — Link
Mayor Talks Economic Recovery With Chamber of Commerce — Link
Small Business Owners Flock to City’s Recovery Grant Program — Link
Rackspace Readies Long-Awaited Return to Public Market, Eyes Nasdaq — Link
Big Bucks: Businesses Owned by Wealthy San Antonians Get Millions in Forgivable Loans — Link
- Rivard Report
SA biotech eliminating about 100 jobs — Link
Best Places to Work: Broadway Bank not defined by size, but its talent — Link
Best Places to Work: Building success starts with strong work culture — Link
Best Places to Work: Möbius Partners perfects its workplace culture — Link
Best Places to Work: Kairoi Residential offers fresh take on company culture — Link
Best Places to Work: Building success starts with strong work culture — Link
SABJ announces the 2020 Women’s Leadership Awards honorees — Link
HOLT CAT names new chief information officer — Link
SA sports agency to gain New York presence with merger — Link
Want more diversity? Some experts say reward CEOs for it — Link
Black business owners had a harder time getting federal aid, a study finds — Link
Tech groups and 18 states take on Trump over foreign student visas — Link
Have a new business idea? ACBJ, Global Silicon Valley launch free startup bootcamp — Link
Online roundtable to feature experts on cybersecurity in health care — Link
When scholars collaborate with tech companies, how reliable are the findings? — Link
- San Antonio Business Journal

Let’s Grow North Texas Business — Link
Apply to Health Wildcatters Accelerator 2020 — F6S — Link
13 Finance Technology Companies In Dallas To Know — Link
- BuiltIn
Decentralized software startup Shardus looks to bring blockchain to the masses — Link
Invene moves HQ to McKinney following MEDC grant — Link
Dallas’ NuVinAir launches coronavirus-killing disinfectant — Link
Report: Q2 VC funding continues to fall in North Texas amid pandemic — Link
INC Beauty brings entrepreneurial education and style to the doorstep — Link
Silicon Valley biotech startup CAGE Bio expands to UNT HSC at Fort Worth — Link
- North Texas Inno’s Kevin Cumming
EY Announces 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year Finalists — Link
A Fight for Funding: Women Entrepreneurs Continue to Battle Sexist Stereotypes — Link
- D Magazine
DI People: Signify Health, MediaKind, Sabre, Envy Gaming, and More Make Executive Moves — Link
From Tanks to Teleportation: Defense Innovation Unit Partners on Podcast About National Security and Commercial Tech — Link
Q+A: PepsiCo Foods North America’s Joan Cetera on Frito-Lay’s Local Community Efforts — Link
Impact Ventures’ Inaugural Startup Accelerator: Meet Exgratias, a Financial Platform for Entertainment Gig Workers — Link
Dallas-Fort Worth’s Growing Tech Workforce and Degree Completion Make it a Top Tech Market, CBRE Report Says — Link
Five Impact Organizations Move to the Water Cooler at Dallas’ Future-Focused Pegasus Park — Link
UTD Venture Development Center-Based Healthcare Startup Relocates HQ to McKinney — Link
Dallas-Based Manufacturing and Development Company Hires Roger Raley As President — Link
Lights, Camera, Climate Action: Environmental Documentaries Directed By UNT Professor Wins Six Telly Awards — Link
First Look: Amazon Picks Las Colinas as the First Location for its New Neighborhood Health Center Pilot Program — Link
Food and Hunger Relief: Nonprofits Discuss Why Need Will Be Long‑Lasting — Link
Dallas Invents: 139 Patents Granted for Week of June 30 — Link
Dallas Invents: Patents Granted in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington — Link
Capital 54: New Dallas Family Office Opens, Appoints Former YPO Global President as CEO — Link
Business $ense Bootcamps: Comerica and The DEC at Redbird Partner on Virtual Series For Small Businesses — Link
Tech Titans’ Grand Challenge to Award $5K to Entrepreneurs for 5G-Enabled Solutions — Link
Paul Quinn College Launches 36‑Month Urban Scholars Degree Program for High-Achieving Students Who Want to Make a Difference — Link
LiftFund’s Women’s Business Center DFW Launches COVID‑19 Business Resiliency Program — Link
Three Dallas-Headquartered Companies Make Deloitte and Wall Street Journal’s Best Managed Companies List — Link
Pegasus Park: Lyda Hill Philanthropies Unveils Details of 23-Acre Hub for Biotech Innovation, Social Impact in Dallas — Link
- Dallas Innovates
Texas Instruments — under pressure from COVID-19 — may be doing better than expected, analysts say — Link
Form D Friday: Luther King Capital Management raises $352 million — Link
Why has demand for new PPP loans slowed down? DFW bankers weigh in — Link
The Dallas area lands in top 5 for technology labor force, report says — Link
CPG accelerator SKU to launch Dallas-area program this fall — Link
Molson Coors invests in Fort Worth brewery, hard seltzers — Link
Roundup of deals and dollars: Satori Capital invests in Fort Worth firm — Link
Even amid COVID-19, software company RealPage exceeds its rosiest forecast — Link
Should companies bring employee COVID-19 testing in-house? This small DFW business is trying it out — Link
RealPage CFO resigning after getting post early last year — Link
New CEO ready to take Envy Gaming to next level as he brings ‘real passion’ for market — Link
Q&A: SMU Cox School of Business professor and economist discusses local impact of downturn — Link
The data center market — while tumultuous — saw an increase under COVID-19 (and 2020 could be strong) — Link
Entrepreneur eyes community investment through majority stake in Plano firm — Link
California company relocates headquarters to Dallas area as it looks to expand reach — Link
CRE investor expands, relocates headquarters to Grand Prairie — Link
North Texas’ venture investments drop amid COVID-19 in second quarter — but it could have been worse — Link
ROBO Global CEO discusses AI index and the firm’s strategy going forward — Link
Unlocked: Meet our 2020 Women in Business honorees — Link
Railroad Commission of Texas prioritizes drones, technology in fiscal 2021 — Link
- Dallas Business Journal

Hiring: Capital Factory Venture Associate, Houston — Link
BBL Ventures Energy & Industrial Tech Challenge — Apply by July 18th — Link
TMCx Fall 2020 Program — Apply
Biomedical Engineering Researcher Receives $5 Million Grant To Further Cancer Studies — Link
- Texas A&M University Today
Techxans Helping Techxans ft. Medical Informatics Corporation — YouTube — Link
Flood-focused startups pitch at virtual event held by Houston’s new resiliency innovation hub — Link
Here’s how much house you can buy in Houston for $250,000 — Link
5 most popular innovation stories in Houston this week — Link
Houston venture capital group enters into new era with rebrand — Link
Startups raise funds, Houston biz contest opens apps, and more innovation news — Link
Houston expert: How COVID-19 fast-tracked real estate technology — Link
Overheard: International startup accelerator shares advice for Houston companies navigating COVID-19 era — Link
New product sold in Houston gets EPA approval as eco-friendly, coronavirus-killing car cleaner — Link
Entrepreneur hopes to bring microbiology into the future with her Houston-based, pandemic-founded startup — Link
Rice University physicists granted $1.3 million to continue study on dark matter — Link
Startup aims for goal of connecting Houston sports community — Link
Now is the time to expand machine learning, says Houston researcher — Link
Houston entrepreneur plans to revolutionize and digitize the energy industry — Link
University of Houston designs device that instantly kills COVID-19 — Link
3 Houston innovators to know this week — Link
- InnovationMap’s Natalie Harms / Culture Map Houston
Tale of the tape: Sticky bits make better batteries — Link
When many act as one, data-driven models can reveal key behaviors — Link
Rice lab helps power electric car research — Link
Global health students’ innovation not stopped by COVID-19 — Link
Changing CEO before IPO may raise valuation — Link
President announces fall semester plans — Link
- Rice University
New University of Houston research suggests improved air filtration may help fight Covid — Link
- KFDM-TV News
Startup nonprofit Impact Hub Houston joins Downtown Launch Pad, launches new type of membership — Link
Houston’s largest VC fundraises in Q2 included Liongard, ThoughtTrace, Quidnet Energy — Link
Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail project just got easier to build, but hurdles still remain — Link
Founder of Houston law firm Susman Godfrey dies — Link
Two Houstonians charged with PPP-related fraud — Link
Op-ed: Time to walk the walk in the fight for equality — Link
Texas Bankers Association, LiftFund launch small business grant program -Link
with the technical skills needed to thrive — Link
Applications open for $30M Harris County Small Business Recovery Fund small business grant program — Link
- Houston Business Journal
Got a business idea but no idea how to start? — Link
SpaceX Crew Dragon, NASA astronauts will return to Earth Aug. 2 — Link
James Webb Space Telescope to launch on Halloween 2021 — Link
How to see a comet that won’t return to Earth for 6,800 years — Link
NASA OIG report scrutinizes Orion’s cost overruns and… — Link
Humans aren’t the only ones who practice social distancing — Link
Texas lab testing COVID masks for frontline workers — Link
- The Houston Chronicle’s Andrea Lienfelder / Techburger Blog’s Dwight Silverman
The Future Arrived Ahead of Schedule — Link
- McAllen Chamber of Commerce

The Stress of Running a Venture Backed Startup — SEO’Brien’s Paul O’Brien — Link
The Data-Driven Tech Engine at the Heart of Hollywood’s Content Factories — WSJ’s Christopher Mims — Link
Alexa von Tobel’s Three Rules for Raising Money — Inc. Video — Link
Professional networking tips for the age of remote work and social distancing — Link
VideoPeel, a Lehi, Ut.-based video testimonial platform, raised $1.5 million of funding. Active Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Next Coast Ventures, and eonCaptial.
What Accelerators Are Learning From ‘Virtual’ Cohorts During COVID-19 — StartUp Beat — Link
Facebook alum Dave Morin starts rolling fund Offline Ventures — Business Insider — Link
The 50 Most Profitable Companies In America, Visualized — Digg — Link
Fundraising 101: How to trigger FOMO among VCs — TechCrunch — Link
Clearbanc wants to give founders an inside look at startup valuations — Business Insider — Link
Agglomerators vs. Specialists — next big thing — Link
VC Brad Feld has a new book — and some advice — for startups trying to deal with the unknowable — TechCrunch — Link
Maynard Webb says fundraising founders should not panic — Link
The Changing Landscape of Influencer Marketing in 2020 and Beyond — Find Your Influence — We Make Influencer Marketing Easy — Link
TEXGHS — Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium — Supporting innovations to fight this pandemic — and the next one — Link
Stewart & Stevenson’s Apollo ABVM Receives Emergency Use Authorization from U.S. Food and Drug Administration NYSE:KEX — Link
The Courage to Raise an Entrepreneur — Link
From Twenty Minute VC to 20VC, Harry Stebbings launches a micro VC off the back of his popular podcast — TechCrunch — Link
Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders — Link
2020 Review of Invoiced — CPA Practice Advisor — Link
Lendio, Web.com Team Up To Help SMBs Access Loans — PYMNTS.com — Link
Lessons from running a successful niche newsletter — Simon Owens’s Tech and Media Newsletter — Link
50 lessons learned from writing 50 newsletters — Ness Labs — Link
The Power Of The Pivot — Link
Runway — The Startup Cash Planning Tool by LTSE — Link
11 Benefits of Telemedicine to Private Physician Practices — Link
Future Of Work: Rural Coworking as a Gravity Center for Economic Activity — Jamie Orr — Link
The Ultimate SaaS Pricing Resources Guide — OpenView Labs — Link
Why Startups Should Launch Quietly — Link
Former Tinder VP Jeff Morris Jr. opens up Product Club, an accelerator meant to stay small and focused — TechCrunch — Link
How Remote Work Could Destroy Silicon Valley — by Steve LeVine — Jul, 2020 — Marker — Link
Predictions, Prognostications, and The Future — Feld Thoughts — Link
Getting Attention — From Home — Ell Thoughts — Link
The Greatest Sales Deck I’ve Ever Seen — by Andy Raskin — Mission.org — Medium — Link
Back to SPAC — Witty Wealth — Link
The Hard Truth of Working At a Startup — by Dave Bailey — The Founder Coach — Link
Meet 10 startups in the new Techstars Atlanta 2020 class — Link
Meet Techstars LA 2020 Class — dot.LA — Link
Largest Black-Led VC Firm Base10 Doubles Size of Latest Fund — Bloomberg — Link
6 Reasons Why Product Managers Must Master the Ability to Write — Product School — Link
How To Be Ready To Go Public Following The COVID-19 IPO Pause — Link
A Pitch Deck Masterclass. Lessons for founders from reviewing… — by Samantha Wong — Jun, 2020 — Blackbird — Link
A Former Tech CEO Uses Permanent Capital to Build Lasting Businesses — Link
Maintaining an Ecosystem in the Time of uncertainty — July 15 — General Assembly — Link
First venture capital fund led by women of color — Business — miamitimesonline.com — Link
Kraettli L. Epperson of Vigilant Aerospace Systems — The Tech Tribune — Link
Updating Your Seed Investors — Board Deck & Update Email Templates — NextView Ventures — Link
How today’s fastest growing B2B businesses found their first ten customers — Issue 33 — Lenny’s Newsletter — Link
Fundraise From Home — Link
Copy Paste List — Quick, unformatted, copy and paste-able lists of everything — Product Hunt — Link
Why you should be more unlikeable — Link
How Storytelling Can Help Build An Innovation Culture — Link
Don’t Ask Investors to Change. Change Policy. — by Samer Yousif — Jul, 2020 — Medium — Link
Clearlake, Insight, Vista and other private equity firms create 50 new board roles for diverse candidates — Mergers & Acquisitions — Link
Coronavirus Conversations With One of America’s Richest Men — Bloomberg — Link
Welcoming Cotter Cunningham as an NCV Entrepreneur in Residence — Next Coast Ventures — Link
PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor 2Q 2020 — Silicon Valley Bank — Link

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Monday, July 20, 2020 at 11:15 AM
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Austin Chamber of Commerce’s Mid-Year Economic Update
Tuesday, July 21, 2020 11:00 AM — 12:00 PM
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The Road to Recovery: What To Expect From Business In 2020 And Beyond
Thursday, July 23, 2020 3:00 PM — 4:00 PM CDT
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Tuesday, July 21st, 2020 at 5:00 PM
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Texas-Squared Startup Newsletter #254

BigCommerce Files to Go Public

Association for Corporate Growth Austin / San Antonio & TeXchange Austin Present

The Road To Recovery

Founder’s Compass Town Hall Information Meeting

Written by Marc Nathan