What companies are finding funding or having a big exit? From startup investments to grants and acquisitions, Dallas Innovates tracks what’s happening in North Texas money every Thursday. Sign up for our e-newsletter to stay in the loop.
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Studio Movie Grill gets $100M investment for growth
Studio Movie Grill, the Dallas-based movie theater-dining chain with 32 locations, said it has received a $100 million strategic from TowerBrook Capital Partners.
The investment will help Studio Movie Grill accelerate its growth as it continues plans to open more locations across the nation, Restaurant Business reported.
First opened in 1993, Studio Movie Grill’s menu features chicken, burgers, bowls, and other items. The company has 333 screens in California, Texas, Florida, and a few other states.
The investment came from TowerBrook’s Structured Opportunities Fund.
Rent My Wardrobe closing on $1M in seed funding round
Dallas-based and female-founded mobile app maker Rent My Wardrobe told Dallas Innovates that is working to close on $1 million of a seed round with a $4 million cap from a network of angel investors and family offices.
The company was to hold its official launch party Thursday as part of Dallas Startup Week.
“I’m proud to be founded in and launch in Dallas where the men are not stepping aside… but stepping up to the plate and including women buisness leaders in the conversation and treating us with the upmost dignity and respect as ladies,” CEO and founder Rachel Sipperley told us. “I have felt enormous respect and encouragement for the men in Dallas and want to celebrate the strides we are making for female-founded statups here. Our brand mission is to empower women and girls to become their own entrepreneur.”
The funding will give Rent My Wardrobe eight to 12 months before gearing up for a Series A round, and will help expand its team and product to prepare for national scaling. The company plans on launching in Austin and Houston before the end of the year.
This comes after Rent My Wardrobe last summer secured $100,000 in funding from Court and Kam Westcott, who is known as a cast member of the Real Housewives of Dallas. The app maker released a new product for inventory uploads in late January, the company told Dallas Innovates.
Geoforce gets $5M in funding to boost product delivery, growth strategies
Geoforce, a Plano-based provider of field-asset tracking solutions, has received $5 million in working capital financing from Denver-based CIBC Innovaton Banking.
According to PE Hub, Geoforce uses hardware and software solutions to aid companies in the transporation, energy, and services sectors to track their large assets around the world.
Geoforce said it will use the funds to accelerate product delivery and to execute on client growth strategies, PE Hub said.
RevTech announces investments in Theatro, Glass-Media
Dallas-based seed fund and venture capital retail accelerator RevTech Ventures announced that it has invested in Theatro and in Glass-Media, both of which are headquartered in Dallas.
Theatro provides in-store mobile workforce communication and management solutions for retailers, as well as wearable computer, communication, in-door location, and analytics services.
Glass-media offers end-to-end, digital point-of-presence marketing solutions for brands and retailers with a physcial footprint.
“After raising a second Follow-On Fund, RevTech Ventures is excited to have the capacity to invest throughout a company’s lifecycle,” said Jonathan Fine, vice president of business development at RevTech. “Both Glass-Media and Theatro are more mature companies than RevTech typically initially invests in but we have been tracking both of these opportunities as we’ve gotten to better know the founders over the past few years.”
Fine said RevTech believes both companies “have huge growth potential and we are excited to be a part of their journeys.”
Lavabit gets seed round funding from investor
Lavabit, the Dallas-based provider of encrypted email services, announced it raised an undisclosed amount in a seed funding round.
According to Crunchbase, the investor in the round is Dean Bartosh, a Wisconsin angel investor.
Lavabit is a privately-held company that was founded in 2004 by Ladar Levinson.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Authentix acquired UK-based Security Print Solutions
Authentix, the Addison-based authentication and information services provider, has acquired Security Print Solutions Limited through its United Kingdom based entity, Authentix Limited.
Security Print Solutions is based in the United Kingdom, and provides high security print solutions to a wide base of global clientele.
“This strategic acquisition expands our portfolio of security technologies to grow our support in tax recovery programs for governments as well as increasing the scope of offerings for our brand protection clients,” Authentix CEO Kevin McKenna said in a release.
Authentix said that SPS will remain a stand-alone entity retaining its respective brands. Authentix provides advanced authentication solutions for governments, central banks, and commercial products, ensuring local economies grow, banknote security remains intact, and commercial products have robust market opportunities. It has offices in North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa serving clients worldwide.
BAG Corp. acquires performance fabrics company
Richardson-based BAG Corp. has acquired Propex Foreign Holdings, a maker of performance fabrics.
BAG is a bulk handling and supply chain solutions provider. Propex Foreign Holdings is a subsidiary of Mexico-based Propex Global.
“Propex Foreign Holdings leadership position in performance fabrics and the implicit supporting infrastructure were key elements in identifying the obvious, vertical integration value for BAG Corp,” said Robert Conley, president and CEO of BAG Corp. “Having completed the acquisition, BAG Corp is now able to provide the highest quality FIBC products in North America, in combination with a substantially decreased lead time for those products.”
Irving’s FleetPride acquires Patriot Truck and Trailer
Irving-based FleetPride Inc. has acquired the assets of Patriot Truck and Trailer, which is headquartered in Texarkana, Arkansas.
Patriot was founded by Doug Cummings in 2003, and serves the Ark-La-Tex area with fleet maintenance, repair, and parts for all types of heavy-duty trucks and trailers. Wit the acquisition, customers in Texarkana will gain additional access to FleetPride’s array of products, national footprint, and supply chain, including daily replenishment from FleetPride’s Dallas distribution center, according to a release.
Founded in 1999, FleetPride said it is the nation’s largest distributor of truck and trailer parts in the independent heavy-duty aftermarket channel. It operates more than 270 locations in 46 states.
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R E A D N E X T
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Five local winners received up to $200,000 in funding to activate their solutions throughout North Texas.
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Two nonprofits will each receive $250,000 in grant funding. The Capital One grants are part of a $3.5 million commitment to 12 nonprofit organizations.
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To prevent suicides, hunger, and learning issues, Rhithm's emojified bio-social assessments app lets kids say how they feel.
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Women entrepreneurs in North Texas and across the U.S. have long faced challenges in finding funding for their businesses. Now Bank of America is stepping in to help "bridge the capital gap" with its new Access to Capital platform. The online resource educates women entrepreneurs on ways they can fund their businesses, and covers more than 350 sources of capital.
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Evolon Technology develops proprietary tech that turns surveillance video into real-time actionable information. CEO Kevin Stadler says market and tech trends are "creating a perfect storm" for the fast adoption of innovative security systems to protect an organization's critical assets and infrastructure.
