Reporting on San Antonio’s Startups

New Cyber, IT Training for Military Launches in San Antonio

25May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

New Cyber, IT Training for Military Launches in San Antonio

San Antonio has gained another cybersecurity and information technology (IT) training program for military members. The Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) program opened in March at the Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Campus located at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA). The training is designed to provide service members the critical technology skills required for high paying science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers before transitioning to civilian life.The class capacity for each MSSA program is 25 to 30 students in each cohort. Microsoft has launched 14 MSSA programs nationally including in San Antonio and expects to graduate approximately 1,000 students annually across all locations once at full capacity. Students may select one 18-week program or two ni...

Houston Bioscience Company Considering Move to San Antonio

24May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

Articles, Featured

Houston Bioscience Company Considering Move to San Antonio

Houston-based bioscience company Kiromic Inc. is evaluating plans to move its headquarters and business operations to San Antonio, pending local incentive approvals. Founded in 2012, Kiromic is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing the next generation of immunotherapy treatments for cancer and other diseases. The company is currently raising $12 million through a Series A round of financing. As part of the proposed relocation, the company plans to create at least 20 jobs in San Antonio, continue drug research and development, establish drug manufacturing and complete Phase I/II clinical trials for some initial cancer drugs. The company has been considering the move for several months. Its senior leadership, company president Scott Dahlbeck and chief executive offic...

Port San Antonio Opens First Phase Of Project Tech

24May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Port San Antonio Opens First Phase Of Project Tech

From the third floor of the newly finished building, one has an unimpeded view of Tech Port SA’s expansive terrain.Increasingly, Port San Antonio is using “Tech Port SA” in its communications to describe itself and the latest developments from Port-based companies. The subtle rebranding in progress reflects its vision to act as a nexus for technological innovation across various industries.As local stakeholders toured the state-of-the-art facility Tuesday, the official opening of the Port’s first specialized cyber-capable building reinforced its commitment to a tech-heavy future.The just-completed building broke ground almost a year ago. The 90,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility can be customized to meet specific needs of the growing number of cyber operations at the...

Startups Share Best Practices for Hiring Interns

17May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Startups Share Best Practices for Hiring Interns

Memorial Day isn’t just the unofficial start of the summer season. It signals the beginning of summer internships for many college students, especially entrepreneurially minded ones.One source of interns for San Antonio companies comes from Trinity University’s Students + Startups program. Various startup companies in downtown San Antonio are in the process of onboarding interns for the summer. Thanks to a grant from the 80/20 Foundation and in partnership with Geekdom, a downtown co-working space, students receive a $4,000 stipend and one hour of class credit in exchange for 10 weeks of full-time experience working at a startup.Programs like Students + Startups makes using subsidized interns an attractive option for cash-strapped startup founders. Many early-stage companies, howev...

Smart Wearables Startup WiseWear Auctions R&D Equipment May 22

15May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Smart Wearables Startup WiseWear Auctions R&D Equipment May 22

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late February, the time has come for one innovative local company to close its doors. San Antonio-based tech startup WiseWear is selling its intellectual property, as well as its advanced technical equipment in online auctions.Heritage Global Partners is overseeing the auction of WiseWear's intellectual property, while Tranzon Asset Strategies is auctioning the company’s tangible assets. The auction listing reflects the company’s comprehensive in-house fabrication capabilities for product design and fabrication as well as specialized testing equipment.WiseWear’s 5,000 square foot space is located in the heart of San Antonio ’s medical district at 5828 Sebastian Place. Those interested in acquiring the startup’s high-tech equipmen...

VelocityTX Puts Ambitious Plans into Action for Innovation

10May

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VelocityTX Puts Ambitious Plans into Action for Innovation

The latest architect renderings of the new home for VelocityTX , an innovation hub to be located in the former Merchants Ice building, was only one of Texas Research and Technology Foundation's (TRTF) announcements. TRTF president and CEO Randy Harig updated over 200 attendees gathered at the foundation’s quarterly Emerging Venture Pipeline event Thursday on its latest efforts in fostering San Antonio's innovation. Updates covered the spectrum of technology, life science, clean energy, and student entrepreneurship developments, as well as the launch of VelocityTX's programs.The first building to be completed in the Merchant Ice complex will be VelocityTX's new headquarters, with groundbreaking expected sometime in the next three weeks, Harig said. The building should be finished someti...

Co-working Spaces, Startup Programs, and Investors in San Antonio

4May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Co-working Spaces, Startup Programs, and Investors in San Antonio

San Antonio is experiencing a boom in startup activity. The downtown co-working community at Geekdom has grown to over 1,700 members since it opened its doors in 2011. Newly announced programs for entrepreneurially minded founders include incubators, pre-accelerators, accelerators, even a civically engaged residency program with the City of San Antonio.To help you keep track, let's look at the three basic categories of resources any startup founder will eventually look for when starting a business: co-working spaces, startup programs, and investors in San Antonio. San Antonio Co-Working Spaces What are the different options for co-working spaces in San Antonio? San Antonio has a variety of available co-working spaces that suit a founder's needs for location, access, budget, benefits...

Blue Duck Launches Transportation Sharing Startup with Dockless Scooters

1May

By Iris GonzalezNo Comments

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Blue Duck Launches Transportation Sharing Startup with Dockless Scooters

The next wave of transportation innovation is coming, and it’s originating from a San Antonio-based startup. Blue Duck Scooters will soon offer rentable electric-powered scooters at college campuses and city downtowns, with the imminent launch of its first 1,000 scooters in San Antonio’s urban areas “within days,” according to Blue Duck co-founder and president Eric Bell. The company tested its dockless scooters at SXSW in March and at the SA Tech Trek last week during Fiesta.Read more: SA Tech Trek Brings Fiesta to San Antonio’s Downtown Tech DistrictA user downloads the free Blue Duck Scooter app to locate the nearest scooter, then scans its QR code to unlock and rent it. Each scooter weighs 24 pounds and when fully charged, has a range of 18 miles at a maximum speed of about 16 ...

SA Tech Trek Brings Fiesta to San Antonio’s Downtown Tech District

24Apr

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SA Tech Trek Brings Fiesta to San Antonio’s Downtown Tech District

SA Tech Trek was bigger this year, with more startup companies, more stops, and more people who came to check out San Antonio’s growing startup scene. The tech-oriented Fiesta event designed to showcase San Antonio’s tech ecosystem drew larger than expected crowds of local entrepreneurs and visitors curious to visit startup companies in the downtown tech district.Tech Bloc and Geekdom co-hosted the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s second SA Tech Trek, with AT&T serving as the event’s title sponsor. In 2017 SA Tech Trek logged over 1,000 total entrepreneurs, executives, students and tech employees visiting startups in the Rand Building on 110 E. Houston Street and the Vogue Building on 600 Navarro Street. Geekdom estimates 2018 turnout will be almost double, given that registration...

An Innovative Winch, AR App, and Medical Device Win UTSA CITE Competition

24Apr

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An Innovative Winch, AR App, and Medical Device Win UTSA CITE Competition

Just outside the entrance to the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) Convocation Center, UTSA mechanical engineering students Caleb Lansdale, Kris Carlton, Yannis Routsas, and Marcus Haraway stood next to a truck explaining their innovation to Alamo Angels director Chris Burney.The team of student mechanical engineers devised a vehicle-mounted electric winch with a universal design that can be used with any vehicle. Their patented winch spools the line cleanly onto the drum every single time, preventing costly cable tangles that are the leading cause of expensive winch motor failure.Undergraduate students pitched their innovative prototypes to business leaders for a chance to start their own companies Tuesday at the annual UTSA Center for Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneur...