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ICYMI 2021: The Q3 Archive

You’ve found Dallas Innovates’ archive of news briefs from July to September 2021.
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Invited CEO on Dallas as a ‘Golf Mecca,’ the $100M BigShots Golf Expansion, and How Tech Is Changing the Game
by | Sep 27, 2021
Dallas-based Invited is the #1 owner and operator of private golf and country clubs in the U.S. CEO David Pillsbury tells Dallas Innovates the trend toward tech and golf entertainment is attracting millennials, "democratizing" the sport, and growing his business. Now an $80M arrangement with VICI Properties is fueling a "steep" growth curve for Invited's BigShots venues.
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Changemakers Will Explore Transformational Leadership and Innovative Strategies at Virtual Summit
by | Sep 23, 2021
The free, half-day event focuses on the power of positive change and navigating these uncharted times. Capital One's Reimagine Communities Summit features a keynote from Valerie Jarrett, former senior advisor to President Obama, along with insights from a diverse cross-section of innovators, industry disruptors, and content experts.
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DFW Goes LEGO Crazy: From the Perot Museum to a 12-Year-Old Cedar Hill NASA Intern to a STEM-Loving Dallas Tech Star and More
by | Sep 16, 2021
Clack your way down this page to see the Perot Museum's LEGO skyscrapers; Arlington's viral, eye-popping LEGO city budget video; a 12-year-old LEGO-obsessed NASA intern prodigy; a "tech is sexy" Dallas native who starred on FOX TV's "LEGO Masters," and more!
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Fort Worth TV Star and Hotelier Jonathan Morris Is an Entrepreneur’s Entrepreneur

by | Sep 2, 2021
The charismatic host of "Self-Employed" on Chip and Joanna Gaines' new TV network didn't set out to be a celeb. But with new episodes streaming and the opening of his boutique Hotel Dryce, the spotlight is on the business owner of Fort Worth Barber Shop and The Lathery. He says interest in starting businesses has never been stronger. Morris talks about his opportunity with Magnolia Network, and how representation matters, in both business and media.
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First Look: Drive Shack Opens Its Debut Puttery Location Friday at Grandscape in The Colony
by | Aug 31, 2021
Puttery's "modern spin" on putting features 20,700 square feet of entertainment—with four wildly creative 9-hole "golf courses" on two floors, three bars, an outdoor terrace, and multiple lounges and seating areas.
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Dallas’ Prebiotic Pop Brand Raises $13M From CAVU Ventures and Celebs Like Halsey, Russell Westbrook, and More
by | Aug 30, 2021
Poppi continues to get the Hollywood treatment after signing a deal with Rohan Oza on "Shark Tank" in 2018. Some big pop culture names—The Chainsmokers, 24kGoldn, Kygo, Kevin Love, Ellie Goulding, Olivia Munn, and Nicole Scherzinger—are joining in the beverage brand's latest funding round, along with Oza's CAVU Ventures and a group of social media influencers.
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Dallas’ MyndVR and Healing HealthCare Systems Offer Virtual Escapes for Seniors and Care Home Residents
by | Aug 27, 2021
Dallas-based MyndVR, a leading provider of virtual reality solutions for seniors and “active agers,” has partnered with Healing HealthCare Systems to offer Continuous Ambient Relaxation Environment VRx (C.A.R.E.) to residents who use the MyndVR system at senior and memory care communities, assisted living centers, hospice care, and in the home. 

Using gaze-based navigation with VR headsets, users can interact with the immersive C.A.R.E. VRx app, which blends voice-based, guided imagery with 360-degree visuals of forests, lakes, beaches, and more.
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Irving-Based Nexstar Media Acquires Digital Political News Platform The Hill for $130M

by | Aug 23, 2021
Irving-based Nexstar Media has acquired The Hill, one of America's leading political digital media platforms, for $130 million. The Hill attracted 48 million average monthly users and 2.2 billion total pageviews in 2020, according to Comscore. It also had 914 million video views on Twitter.
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Dallas’ Flite Golf and Century Golf Pair Up As a Driving Range and Entertainment Twosome
by | Aug 13, 2021
Get your slice ready. Dallas companies Flite Golf and Century Golf have teamed up to bring gamification tech to golf ranges and golf entertainment venues—with help from Senior Advisor Ken May, former CEO of Topgolf, Drive Shack, and FedEx Office.
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Dallas Gets Tastier: Sweet Tooth Hotel To Open New Experiential Art Exhibit in Allen
by | Aug 12, 2021
Step into the past at Sweet Tooth's newest exhibit at Watters Creek, Rewind: A New Immersive Art Experience. Expect everything from a vintage video store full of VHS tapes to the newly created Rainbow Cave.
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7-Eleven Sends Slurpee Into Space, Achieving Ultimate Triumph of Humankind’s Attempts to Conquer the Cosmos
by | Aug 11, 2021
The brave semi-frozen beverage was launched by Irving-based 7-Eleven from one of its stores in Saginaw, Michigan, to honor that state's record Slurpee consumption. The innovative marketing stunt also demonstrated the last-mile benefits of 7-Eleven Delivery.
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Influencer Innovator LTK Launches Self-Serve Marketing Platform

by | Aug 3, 2021
The self-service expansion gives brands of all sizes and budgets hands-on access to LTK’s proprietary retail performance data for influencer campaigns. Dallas-based LTK—formerly known as rewardStyle & LIKEtoKNOW.it—expects to open the platform to its full 5,000 brands this year.
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Topgolf Names New COO of U.S. Venues, New CMO, and New Chief People Officer
by | Aug 2, 2021
The leadership moves are part of Topgolf's drive toward continued expansion. They follow Friday's news that former Topgolf COO Craig Kessler had been named CEO of Dallas' Buff City Soap.
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Former Topgolf COO Craig Kessler Named New CEO of Dallas’ Buff City Soap
by | Jul 30, 2021
Kessler helped Topgolf triple in size to nearly $1 billion in revenue, growing its venues from 25 to 70. Now he's bringing his track record of experiential innovation and franchise-building to the world of plant-based personal care.
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‘Age of Empires’ Legend Wants to Make Dallas the Center of the Gaming Universe
by | Jul 29, 2021
PeopleFun Founder and CEO Tony Goodman says his company has experienced explosive growth with mobile games like Wordscapes. In 2020, PeopleFun nearly doubled its staff over seven months, and that growth has only continued in 2021, says Goodman—who wants to make Dallas a destination for the gaming industry.
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