startup

Plano Information Security Startup Raises New Funds Amid Growing Global Threats

by | Jun 1, 2022
In about 24 months, Plano-based Tentacle has grown from an "idea sketched out on a PowerPoint deck to a valuable enterprise application that's able to solve real problems," says founder and CEO Matt Combs. 

Now a new investment by Providence Strategic Growth will help the cybersecurity startup expand both its functionality and market position, after a 105% surge in ransomware attacks and a 350% increase in social engineering attacks in 2021.
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‘Affecting Every Aspect of Our Society’: McKinney Startup Aims to Identify Mental Health Issues
by | May 31, 2022
Many who are diagnosed with a mental health condition had no idea the symptoms they suffered were related to mental health. McKinney-based Connected Mind aims to change that with technology that screens people for the most common types of mental health conditions. “It's like being interviewed by a psychologist, but it's a computer,” says CEO and CTO Christian Lehinger.
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Fort Worth Immunotherapy Startup Gets $1.8M Grant Ahead of First Clinical Trials
by | May 12, 2022
AyuVis, an immunotherapy startup, is set to get a $1.8 million Small Business Innovation Research grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The funding will support the pre-clinical research of its drug candidate to treat the second-leading cause of death in premature babies.

Founder Suchismita Acharya calls the timing "perfect."
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With $4M in Funding, Dallas Startup Aims to Streamline the Hiring Process
by | May 11, 2022
Dallas-based software startup HireLogic aims to improve the job interview process with its AI- and machine learning-powered platform, designed to help automate the screening process. Its CEO says he wants to help companies "gain insights from interview data to make faster, better hiring decisions."
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NFL and PGA Stars Join $12.5M Raise for Plano-Based Workout Tech Startup

by | May 10, 2022
Plano-based digital fitness systems startup OxeFit has announced new funding from backers including PGA golfer Dustin Johnson and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

That brings OxeFit's total funding to more than $35 million, including existing backing from current and former Dallas Cowboys players Dak Prescott, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, and Blake Jarwin.
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The Shadow CEO: Entrepreneur startup tips
The Shadow CEO:
Determining Startup Valuation
by | May 10, 2022
Entrepreneur, investor, and corporate governance authority Dennis Cagan shares insights on seldom-taught things an entrepreneur needs to know about equity and governance—before making needless mistakes—in The Shadow CEO series.

Part 8: Determining Valuation
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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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Startup Connecting Students to HBCUs Moves from California to McKinney
by | Apr 28, 2022
HBCU HUB, a startup focused on connecting students to recruiters at historically Black colleges and universities, is moving its headquarters to McKinney with the aid of grant funding from the McKinney Economic Development Corporation’s Innovation Fund.
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Dallas Fintech Gig Wage Helps Freelance and Contract Workers Find Financial Stability

by | Apr 4, 2022
“Our mission is economic empowerment, period.” says Craig Lewis, Gig Wage founder and CEO. The Dallas 1099 payroll solutions company collaborated with Green Dot and nonprofit Commonwealth on a study of what types of 'financial interventions' help provide financial security to a fast-growing non-traditional workforce in the gig economy. Empowerment starts with understanding, Lewis says. "We want to get involved to start to set the tone on what that understanding should be, so that we can replicate it at scale.”
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Why A Payments Platform Moved its Global HQ to Dallas, with Plans to Become a Unicorn
by | Mar 17, 2022
Jordan Olivas moved from Texas to Pakistan to launch QisstPay, a one-click checkout platform. Today it processes about 10% of all e-commerce transactions in that country—and Olivas has moved its global HQ to North Texas.

Qisstpay expects to process more than $1 billion in payments this year. With $15 million raised in October and U.S. expansion underway, the startup is now aiming for another raise. “I want to be a unicorn by the end of 2022,” Olivas told us.
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Dallas-based Fashion Tech App Launches to Connect Brands, Consumers Via Digital Content
by | Mar 15, 2022
Orma, a new app from Dallas-based fashion tech platform MakersValley, lets businesses bring the kind of content found on a social media feed or online shopping experience into brick-and-mortar retail. We talked with the team about helping both luxury Italian brands and smaller U.S. brands to connect with their customers, as they gear up for growth and a $1 million seed funding round.
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‘A Healthy Eating Ecosystem’: Dallas Startup Aims to Help People Stay Healthy While Eating Out and In
by | Mar 9, 2022
The personalized meal planning startup, bitewell, is launching soon in Dallas with an app that offers "menu transparency" on around 600 local restaurants to help users find meals that meet their needs. It also offers a wide range of recipes for making personalized meals at home.

“Our mission as a business is to make healthy eating simple and accessible for all,” says co-founder and CMO Samantha Citro Alexander. Next up: Chicago, and then the world, the team says.
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Alto Expands Service to Silicon Valley as It Builds a New Dallas HQ and Aims to Go All‑Electric

by | Mar 8, 2022
Dallas-based ridesharing company Alto is entering its sixth market, after launching in Dallas and expanding to Houston, L.A., Miami, and Washington, D.C. With $60 million in funding since its 2018 launch, CEO Will Coleman talks about building a new HQ in the Dallas Design District, aiming to be in 25 metros over the next few years, and planning to be 100% electric by end of 2023.
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Follow the Money: Blue Star Invests in Payments Unicorn, Ryan Scoops Up Property Tax Firm in All-Local Deal, and TPG Co-Leads $160M Investment in Video Game Developer
by | Mar 8, 2022
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.
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Dallas Sports Analytics Startup Raises $3.5M to Predict the Next Play in the Game
by | Mar 3, 2022
Dallas-based nVenue, a real-time B2B sports prediction platform, breaks games down into thousands of "micro bet" moments—with a single baseball game offering 15,000 "betting opportunities." After providing its live tech feed during NBC MLB broadcasts last season, it's now widening its focus to the NFL, the NBA, and other sports—and looking to scale its offering.
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DI People: Techstars, Critical Start, VolunteerNow, Corganics, and More Make Moves
In this week's roundup of hires, promotions, and accolades in North Texas, you'll also find news from the Richardson Chamber, PICKUP, BPS Technology, the Frontiers of Flight Museum, UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth, and Giving DNA. Plus, Governor Abbott appoints three North Texans to the Governor's Commission for Women.
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