Reporting on San Antonio’s Startups

Port San Antonio Robotics Company XYREC Wins Innovation Award

27May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Port San Antonio Robotics Company XYREC Wins Innovation Award

XYREC has won a prestigious award for its ground-breaking laser coating removal robot, a 72-foot-tall robotics system that uses a 20-kilowatt laser to remove paint from aircraft and other large pieces of equipment. The American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) announced the 13 winners of its 2021 Innovation Award earlier in May. ACT-IAC is a non-profit public-private partnership dedicated to improving government through the application of information technology, providing a forum for government and industry to collaborate on critical technology issues in the public sector. A panel of judges selected the 13 award winners from 169 nominations. The 13 companies include global industry leaders such as MITRE and Oracle and highlight technological advances in...

7 Startups Join VelocityTX Inaugural Bioscience Accelerator Cohort

26May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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7 Startups Join VelocityTX Inaugural Bioscience Accelerator Cohort

VelocityTX announced the bioscience startups that will participate in its inaugural BioGlobal Accelerator. A selection panel chose seven international and local early-stage bioscience companies from over 140 applicants to participate in the 16-week accelerator program. VelocityTX, a subsidiary of the Texas Research & Technology Foundation (TRTF), strives to support the development of early-stage life science and technology companies in San Antonio. The new BioGlobal Accelerator is designed to help local, national, and international companies with innovative, scalable business ideas accelerate the launch of their business, VelocityTX vice president for global development David Fonseca said. The program will run from July to October 2021. A panel of local industry experts from bios...

Dura Software Acquires Workforce Optimization Software Company DVSAnalytics, Inc.

25May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Dura Software Acquires Workforce Optimization Software Company DVSAnalytics, Inc.

Dura Software, a holding company specializing in acquiring and operating hyper-niche software products, acquired DVSAnalytics, Inc., an industry leader in developing workforce optimization solutions for contact centers. DVSAnalytics is Dura's sixth acquisition to date. DVSAnalytics provides software tools for the contact center space in the telecommunications sector, especially in demand as more employees work from home since the pandemic's start in 2020. "We believe our business model will enable the DVSAnalytics team to accelerate the development and growth of its workforce optimization platform," Dura Software CEO Paul Salisbury wrote in a statement released Tuesday. "Their highly reliable solution and strong reputation for delivering great customer outcomes across multiple indus...

FoodTech Startup Grain4Grain Raises $775K, Joins Food Innovation Fund

13May

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FoodTech Startup Grain4Grain Raises $775K, Joins Food Innovation Fund

Food tech startup Grain4Grain has raised $775,000 in pre-seed equity funding from the Kroger Co. Foundation and Village Capital, Broadway Bank, and existing Texas-based private investors who supported the startup in their angel round. On Thursday, the Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation announced its second Innovation Fund cohort of startups to receive funding for innovative new consumer products made with surplus food or food byproducts and technologies that advance the upcycled food industry. In collaboration with Village Capital, the largest supporter of impact-driven, seed-stage startups globally, the Foundation selected the San Antonio-based Grain4Grain as one of 10 Fund participants from a pool of more than 145 applicants. As craft beer brewing grows in popularity, ...

Austin-Based Notley Expands Programs to San Antonio

7May

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Austin-Based Notley Expands Programs to San Antonio

Notley, a philanthropic organization that leverages funding from traditional investments in real estate, venture funds, startups, and donations to support social impact innovation, has set its sights on San Antonio. Founded by BuildASign co-founder Dan Graham, nonprofit executive Lisa Graham, and entrepreneur Matt McDonnell, Notley is a new type of philanthropic entity that brings entrepreneurial thinking and approaches to connecting for-profit and nonprofit spaces. Notley has run Philanthropitch San Antonio for the past three years, a fast-pitch competition created for nonprofits. This year’s event will be held at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on October 12 with support from the Mays Family Foundation. Read more: Youth Code Jam Pitch Perfect at Philantropitch San Antonio ...

FloatMe Closes $25 Million Financing Partnership with KSD Capital

6May

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FloatMe Closes $25 Million Financing Partnership with KSD Capital

Financial tech startup FloatMe closed a $25 million financing agreement with KSD Capital Thursday to help fuel the startup's growth and expand its product line. KSD Capital provides client banks with access to loan pools consisting of small business loans originated through online lending platforms such as FloatMe's micro-lending application. In December, FloatMe closed a $3.7 million seed funding round led by ManchesterStory, a leading firm focused on early-stage fintech and companies using technology to disrupt the insurance industry. San Antonio-based Active Capital, Denver-based SpringTime Ventures, and existing investors Drummond Road Capital and HTV Industries are among the 17 investors who participated in the seed round. Even before the pandemic, many Americans were living p...

Looking for a Co-Working Space in San Antonio? Here’s the Definitive List

4May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Looking for a Co-Working Space in San Antonio? Here’s the Definitive List

People in San Antonio are regaining interest in co-working spaces. The number of readers searching our Resources Guide specifically looking for co-working spaces has been steadily increasing since the beginning of 2021. Startups and smaller businesses are also looking for flexible leasing options, especially as more people are vaccinated (and tired of working from home). Co-working spaces have adapted for the most part by implementing sanitation protocols, crowd control strategies, and new layouts to meet the growing demand for co-working. If you're not ready to sign an expensive, long-term lease, you can find a co-working space in San Antonio that will suit your needs for location, access, budget, benefits, and vibe. And it's not just a desk in a common area anymore. San Antonio ...

Renovo Concepts Raises Series A Funding for Traumatic Brain Injury Device

29Apr

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Renovo Concepts Raises Series A Funding for Traumatic Brain Injury Device

Head injuries — whether from a fall, car accident, during sports, or on the battlefield — can happen to anyone at any time, causing a traumatic brain injury (TBI). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, little can be done to reverse the initial brain damage caused by swelling after head trauma. That's why one San Antonio medical device company is developing a way to reduce the damage caused by inflammation setting in after severe traumatic injuries to the brain. Renovo Concepts is commercializing its Mechanical Tissue Resuscitation (MTR) device. Surgeons use the device to prevent the secondary impacts from reduced blood flow and tissue death caused by inflammation in cases of severe traumatic injuries to the brain, heart, and spine. The Mechanical ...

Plus One Robotics Raises $33M for Expansion into Global Markets

27Apr

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Plus One Robotics Raises $33M for Expansion into Global Markets

Plus One Robotics, a San Antonio-based leading provider of vision software for logistics robots, closed a $33 million Series B funding round Tuesday. The funding will support Plus One’s ongoing expansion in the U.S. and Europe and product development driven by the global boom in e-commerce. McRock Capital, an industrial Internet of Things (IoT) fund and early-stage Silicon Valley venture capital firm TransLink Ventures, co-led the round. Existing investors joined automotive industry-focused BMW i Ventures and Kensington Capital Partners, along with innovation investors Perot Jain and Ironspring Ventures, to participate in the Series B round. Whitney Rockley of McRock Capital and Toshi Otani of TransLink will join Plus One's Board of Directors. The fundraising started just before t...

Alamo Angels Invests in UTSA Grad’s Affordable Prosthetic Startup Alt-Bionics

23Apr

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Alamo Angels Invests in UTSA Grad’s Affordable Prosthetic Startup Alt-Bionics

An engineering graduate has gone from a prototype bionic hand to pre-seed funding to produce an affordable medical device for the market in less than a year. Alt-Bionics announced Friday a $25,000 investment from Alamo Angels, a San Antonio-based accredited angel investor network. The funding gets Alt-Bionics closer to helping thousands of individuals access one of the most inexpensive prostheses available in the marketplace. "Alt-Bionics mission is to create highly affordable prosthetic devices for below-elbow amputees," founder and CEO Ryan Saavedra said. "We plan to expand our line of prosthetics over time to produce bionic upper and lower extremities." The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) electrical engineering graduate's robotic hand won second place at the univ...