Southern Methodist University

Digital Seat Media Aims to Expand Beyond the Stadium as it Eyes New Funding

by | May 3, 2022
The Fort Worth-based startup already engages with fans at college and NBA games and PGA Tour events. Now, as it raises a $5 million funding round to accelerate its growth, it's seeking to move beyond sports contests and into big concert events, a Digital Student service, and even suicide prevention.

Dallas Innovates talked to Co-Founder and CEO Cameron Fowler about his vision for his technology as an "all-in-one solution."
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SMU Lands One of its Largest Gifts Ever to Fund Entrepreneurship
by | Apr 28, 2022
William Spears, founder and CEO of Dallas-based sustainability solutions firm Cenergistic, has given SMU the largest donation from a non-alum in its more than century-long history.

The gift will be used to set up the William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership within the Cox School of Business, as well as the Spears Accelerator, to help get student- and faculty-formed businesses off the ground, and other entrepreneur-supporting efforts.
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Retail, Tech, and Innovation Leaders Join North Texas AR Startup’s New Advisory Board
by | Apr 6, 2022
Spacee, a computer vision- and AI-powered augmented reality company, has unveiled a new three-person advisory board in a moment that founder and CEO Skip Howard calls “critical.”
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Real Estate Expert Joins SMU, Crow Holdings to Provide Industry Research to the Region
by | Mar 11, 2022

Mark Roberts is taking his expertise in the real estate space to two local organizations.

A fellow at the Real Estate Research Institute, Roberts has been jointly hired by Dallas real estate investment and development firm Crow Holdings and the SMU Cox School of Business’ Robert and Margaret Folsom Institute for Real Estate as a director of research....

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West Dallas STEM School Inspires Toyota’s $110M ‘Driving Possibilities’ Program

by | Mar 3, 2022
The program is based on the success seen at the West Dallas Stem School—supported by around $5 million in donations from Toyota and a collaboration between Dallas ISD and SMU. Now Toyota is taking the STEM-focused educational model across the country, to help prepare students in pre-K through 12th grade for the workforce, while providing a variety of other community engagement activities.
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SMU Study Uses Drones and Machine Learning to Find ‘Infrastructure Desert’ Neighborhoods in Dallas
by | Feb 22, 2022
The study by a team of SMU civil engineering researchers was supported by a five-year, $584,000 National Science Foundation grant. The team hopes that their study will lead to equitable improvements in the identified neighborhoods—with better groceries, internet access, noise walls, crosswalks, hospital access, bike trails, and more.
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Bioplastic Product Startup lands $3.25M Seed Round
by | Feb 8, 2022
Two former SMU golf teammates hated paper straws—and got to work. In 2020, the duo launched PlantSwitch, a B2B business offering plastic alternative products with just three clients. Since then, the company has grown fast, adding D2C business and hundreds of clients that include distributors such as Sysco and Ben E. Keith.
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Local Startup Aims to Save Peoples’ Sight with Video Games
by | Feb 7, 2022
McKinney-based BALANCED Media|Technology, SMU, and the Retina Foundation of the Southwest are collaborating to commercialize technology to fight age-related macular degeneration. Using a crowdsourced video game, players help the team create new data sets out of captured retinal images, helping to lead to potential breakthroughs in detection and treatment.
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SMU Collaborates on High-Res Cameras That See Around (and Through) Hidden Objects

by | Dec 2, 2021
Southern Methodist University and Northwestern researchers are working on technology that lets cameras record holograms of objects beyond the line of sight. The technology has defense, hazard identification, and medical applications.
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$11.5M NVIDIA Collaboration Will Put SMU ‘in the Fast Lane for Artificial Intelligence’
by | Nov 11, 2021
SMU is investing $11.5 million into a powerful new supercomputing research system featuring an NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD. Connected with the NVIDIA Quantum InfiniBand networking platform in SMU's data center, it will produce a theoretical 100 petaflops of computing power—enabling the university's network to perform "a blistering 100 quadrillion operations per second." The new capability will supercharge SMU's AI and supercomputing exploration, boosting North Texas' growth as a technology hub.
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SMU Professor Gets $315K Grant To Create New Disaster Evacuation Models
Catastrophes like Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey can cause massive human misery and death. With the National Science Foundation grant, SMU Professor Halit Üster will explore ways to use data to help move millions safely out of harm's way—with enough supplies available to meet their needs.
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Former SMU Basketball Player Launches Purpose-Driven Apparel Line
by | Nov 5, 2020
Jarrey Foster's One Zero Athletics—named for his SMU jersey—aims to foster the relationship between mental and physical health. He teamed up with Dallas entrepreneur Andrew Gautreaux, the CEO of Legacy Exploration, to launch the first collection.
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SMU Venture Capital Event Aims to Connect Innovators With VC Leaders

by | Oct 1, 2020
Entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, and others can register now for VC University LIVE where they can unlock their venture finance skills and build their networks in Dallas and beyond.
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Kendra Scott Partners with Dallas’ Balfour in its First-Ever Brand Collaboration
by | Aug 27, 2020
The company wants to “reinvent tradition” by teaming up with powerhouse brand Balfour, the more than 100-year-old premier class jewelry provider, while also pivoting its GEMs program.
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SMU-Hosted VC University LIVE is a Crash Course on How Venture Capital Works. Scholarships Remain, But Deadline Looms
by | Aug 26, 2020
Women and minorities, who are underrepresented in the venture capital industry, can apply for scholarships. Deadline for the virtual fall program is Friday, August 28.
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Women Who STEAM Awards Luncheon to Honor Eight Diverse Local Female STEAM Leaders
by | Aug 19, 2020
The event benefits The Dallas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated's STEAM Academy for middle and high school girls of color as well as its scholarship program.
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