?? Southern Startup Report: July 23 - August 10, 2020

The Southern Startup Report is a twice-monthly, curated newsletter covering the latest tech startup happenings in the American Southeast. It is produced by LookFar, a New Orleans-based software development studio, and Club Discovery, a co-working space for innovators, entrepreneurs and technologists in the heart of New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood. Learn more about sponsoring the SSR or subscribe here to get the SSR delivered to your inbox.

Long-time Southern Startup Report supporter Jim Roberts wrote a wrap-up of the recent DIG SOUTH Virtual Tech Summit, highlighting keynote speaker Cassandra Worthy's call to action to let this crazy year "be the fertilizer for growth."

Startups across our region continue to grow in spite of this year's challenges, with Cary, N.C.-based Epic Games bringing in a whopping $1.78 billion in funding recently. (Creating one of the world's most popular games, Fortnite, certainly doesn't hurt.)

Build In SE is launching a new Ecosystem Curator Program and they're looking for Southeast-based startup community builders to rep cities across our region. (Atlanta, Birmingham, and Raleigh are already spoken for.)

LookFar's own home base, Club Discovery, recently got a writeup in Biz New Orleans magazine: 

~ Mallory Whitfield, Editor of the Southern Startup Report for LookFar, a New Orleans-based software development studio.

New Orleans, LA - The Crescent City's first ever co-working space, Launch Pad, recently announced the closure of its New Orleans location as well as its Memphis location. The sixth annual Startup St. Bernard pitch competition went virtual recently, with substance use and mental health practice CORE taking top prize. Camelback Ventures, which supports early-stage, underrepresented entrepreneurs, has received a multimillion-dollar donation from MacKenzie Scott. Education software company SchoolMint is moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Lafayette, Louisiana. Local biotech company MDR Logix is showing positive results in the fight against COVID-19, while startup DigiTHERM has developed a new infrared body temperature scanning kiosk. Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios game development camp will be held virtually starting next month, registration is open until August 14. Propeller has announced their 2020 Impact Accelerator class of local entrepreneurs who are working to tackle disparities in community economic development, education, food, health, and water. 

Atlanta, GA - Atlanta-based payments technology company InComm is teaming up with PayPal and Venmo to bring new touch-less checkout tools to CVS pharmacies across the country. Atlanta voice recognition startup TQIntelligence is joining Google's new accelerator for Black founders, and 26 Atlanta-area Black-owned businesses have been chosen to receive $10K grants from WeWork. Atlanta Inno recently hosted their 2nd annual 50 on Fire awards virtually, unveiling their 10 Inno Blazer winners: BELAY, Worthpoint, Collab Capital, Sifted, Bark, Greenlight, Axis Replay, BioIQ, Mailchimp, and Cloverly. Atlanta's Kabbage is launching new business checking accounts, while LendingPoint is partnering with eBay to provide small business loans to eBay sellers. The city is also home to a new startup studio investing in Southeast companies: Outlander Labs.

Austin, TX - Austin edtech startup Upswing has been selected to join the inaugural cohort of Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders. Silicon Valley-based VC firm Breyer Capital has announced plans to open a new office in Austin, and Tesla has officially picked Austin for their new Cybertruck factory. Austin ecommerce platform BigCommerce recently went public, with shares soaring on the first day of trading. One Austin startup recently acquired another: ZenBusiness has purchased fintech platform Joust for an undisclosed amount.

Dallas, TX - Later this month, the sixth annual Dallas Startup Week goes virtual with over 100 sessions across 16 tracks, plus the Women of Innovation Summit, the Corporate Startup Innovation Summit, Disrupt Dallas, and the annual State of Entrepreneurship gathering; learn more & register. Dallas will host another major virtual event starting next month: Venture Dallas 2020 will be a 34-day virtual experience connecting startups and investors via a curated networking platform; applications are now open to participate. Dallas startups Kanarys and ShearShare have both been picked to join Google's inaugural Black founders accelerator; the two companies were also among the startups that received investments during the recent Minority Entrepreneurship Institute Texas Showcase. Health care delivery startup CourMed has plans to expand thanks to a grant from the McKinney Economic Development Corporation’s Innovation Fund.

Nashville, TN - Nashville's 36|86 Festival, which takes place August 17-28, recently announced the addition of country superstar Garth Brooks to the speaker lineup of their interactive entrepreneurship event; the six startup finalists that will pitch for $50K-$150K from LaunchTN's Impact Fund have also been announced. The 10-day virtual conference will feature feature 40+ sessions covering topics ranging from early-stage founders & capital, music tech & digital media, to healthcare innovation. LaunchTN's recent Southeast Capital Call virtual event drew nearly 70 participants, including investors from around the Southeast. Nashville startup Decode Health has developed an AI platform for predicting emerging trends in the COVID-19 outbreak. Chattanooga-based freight data and analytics startup FreightWaves is now among the top 10 companies to raise venture capital in Tennessee.

Raleigh-Durham, NC - Cary's Epic Games (the interactive entertainment company behind Fortnite) has done it again, this time raising $1.78 billion in funding. Durham-based clean tech startup 8 Rivers Capital has recently won 7 federal grants totaling $30M, which it will use to continue building carbon capture technology. Durham venture capital fund IDEA Fund Partners has raised $120K in equity for its latest early-stage venture fund. Durham fintech startup LoanWell will be joining the inaugural Google for Startups Accelerator: Black Founders, while 7 Black-owned businesses from North Carolina have been awarded $10,000 grants from WeWork. The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) is launching GRO, a new 9-week incubator program for startups on October 5; applications are open through September 10.

Tampa, FL - Tampa startup mIQroTech, which uses hardware and software to predict oil and gas pipeline leaks before they occur, has been accepted to a national accelerator, the Chevron Technology Ventures Catalyst Program. UK tech firm iO Associates has plans to open their first office in the U.S. in Tampa, creating 40 jobs. Tampa's TypTap, which is a technology-enabled homeowners and flood insurance underwriter, is likely to be the area's next tech unicorn, with projections showing a valuation topping $1 billion by the end of 2020.

Atlanta, GA - Citiri - undisclosed

Atlanta, GA - Grubbly Farms - $2.9M Seed

Atlanta, GA - IRONSCALES - $8M Series B

Atlanta, GA - ModifyHealth - $2M Series A

Austin, TX - Ceresa - $1M Early Seed

Austin, TX - Spyderbat - $4.2M

Cary, NC - Epic Games - $1.78 Billion

Chapel Hill, NC - Altis Biosystems - $3.1M Seed

Charleston, SC - Palmetto - $29M Series B

Charlotte, NC - SandStar - undisclosed Series B+

Chattanooga, TN - FreightWaves - $37M

Columbia, SC - Obsidio - $3M

Dallas, TX - BALANCED - $3.5M Seed

Dallas, TX - Mountain Health Technologies - $1.5M Seed

Dallas, TX - Stride Funding - undisclosed

Dallas, TX - Taysha Gene Therapies - $95M Series B

Dallas, TX - The Quarterback Equalizer - $100K

Durham, NC - Modern Energy Group - $100M

Durham, NC - ServiceTrade - $30M

Gainesville, FL - Mattrix Technologies - $3M Series A1

Houston, TX - Retina-AI Health - $5.2M Series A

Houston, TX - Tvardi Therapeutics - $5M Grant Funding

Miami, FL - Expetitle - $850K Seed

Miami, FL - Hungry Bark - $2.1M

Miami, FL - SmartHop - $4.5M Seed

Orlando, FL - PureCycle Technologies - $1.45M

Raleigh, NC - Bryn Pharma - $11M

Raleigh, NC - SynchronoSure - $2.6M

Raleigh, NC - WalletFi - $85K

Tampa, FL - Immertec - $6M Series A

August 14 - Louisiana - Xbox Game Studios Game Camp Registration Deadline

August 14 - Nashville, TN - Pitch for Good: Woman Founders Edition Deadline

August 14 - Raleigh, NC - LexisNexis Legal Tech Accelerator Application Deadline

August 15 - Greenville, SC - NEXT Venture Pitch Application Deadline

August 16 - Baton Rouge, LA - Fall 2020 Delta I-Fund Application Deadline

August 18 - Chattanooga, TN - Startup Week Chattanooga: Event Host Application Deadline

August 21 - Baton Rouge, LA - Young Entrepreneurs Academy Application Deadline

August 21 - Chattanooga, TN - CO.STARTERS for Techies Application Deadline

August 24 - Dallas, TX - Tech Titans 5G Grand Challenge Application Deadline

August 28 - Atlanta, GA - Venture Atlanta Virtual Showcase Application Deadline

August 28 - Chattanooga, TN - CO.STARTERS Fall Cohort Application Deadline

August 31 - Durham, NC - NC IDEA MICRO Grant Application Deadline

August 31 - Durham, NC - NC IDEA SEED Grant Application Deadline

September 1 - Florida - "Financial Literacy for Kids" Synapse Challenge Application Deadline

September 1 - Deadline to Apply to Speak at Tech Inclusion

September 7 - Birmingham, AL - Fall 2020 Bronze Valley Accelerator Application Deadline

September 7 - Durham, NC - NC IDEA LABS After Hours Application Deadline

September 10 - Research Triangle Park, NC - GRO by CED 9-week Incubator Program Application Deadline

September 15 - Dallas, TX - Venture Dallas 2020 Startup Applications

September 17 - Florida - Florida Venture Forum Early Stage Capital Conference Presenter Application Deadline

September 30 - Miami, FL - HI-HERImpact Miami Virtual Pitch Competition Application Deadline

October 30 - Austin, TX - SKU Consumer Products Accelerator Application Deadline

November 9 - United States - MIT Solve Reimagining Pathways to Employment in the US Challenge Deadline

open deadline - Atlanta, GA - Startup Runway Applications

open deadline - Atlanta, GA - Apply to the Silicon Road Retail Accelerator

open deadline - United States - Lightship Capital Twitch Pitch Virtual Pitch Contest Applications

open deadline - Dallas, TX - The DEC Network Fast Start Mentoring Program Application for Mentors and Mentees

Until further notice, all events listed below will take place virtually. Below you'll find the date, host organization & their location, and a link for more information. To let us know about an upcoming virtual event, or a rescheduled in-person event, please email mwhitfield @ lookfar.com

August 11 - Capital Factory (Austin, TX) - LGBTQ+ in Tech Summit

August 11 - Valor Ventures (Atlanta, GA) - Building Your Startup's Board

August 11 - Dallas, TX - Tech Phenomenon: Tech and Innovation Experiences

August 12 - The Enterprise Center (Chattanooga, TN) - Building Inclusive Startup Ecosystems

August 12 - The Ion (Houston, TX) - Managing Your Digital Presence in a Post-COVID Era

August 13 - Capital Factory (Austin, TX) - Intro to Fundraising & Ask Me Anything with David Matthews & Jill Klinvex

August 13 - Houston Exponential (Houston, TX) - HTX TechList Launch Event

August 15-16 - Boss Women Media (Dallas, TX) - The Black Girl Magic Summit Virtual Event & Pitch Competition  

August 17-28 - Launch TN (Nashville, TN) - 36|86 Goes Global: A Fully Interactive Digital Experience

August 18 - Self Made Sisters USA (Tampa, FL) - Webinar: Hiring + HR Strategies for Your Startup

August 18 - Synapse (Tampa, FL) - Accessing Federal Resources to Battle COVID

August 18 - Capital Factory (Austin, TX) - Intro to the Texas Startup Scene & Ask Me Anything

August 18 - TheVentureCity - Term Sheets for Early Stage Startups

August 19 - Innovate MS (Jackson, MS) - Webinar: Securing your Data without Sacrificing Convenience

August 20 - NTX Inno (Dallas, TX) - NTX Inno on Fire Inaugural Awards Celebration

August 20 - The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (Nashville, TN) - Pitch for Good: Woman Founders Edition

August 20 - Valor Ventures (Atlanta, GA) - Learnings from 100 VC Financings in the Southeast

August 20 - Tampa Bay Wave (Tampa, FL) - Summer Tech Diversity Pitch Night

August 26 - Valor Ventures (Atlanta, GA) - Does Valuation Matter?

August 30 - September 3 - Dallas, TX - Dallas Startup Week 2020

September 2 - Innovate MS (Jackson, MS) - Webinar: Procuring Technology for Your Business

September 3 - Innovate Mississippi (Jackson, MS) - CONNECT: Networking for Entrepreneurs

September 8 - Southeast Life Sciences (Atlanta, GA) - Medtech Women Conference

September 9 - Valor Ventures (Atlanta, GA) - Startup Runway's 9th Showcase

September 12-13 - Knoxville, TN - The Maker City Summit

September 15-17 - NEXT Venture Pitch (Greenville, SC) - NEXT Venture Pitch 2020 Conference

September 15-October 18 - Dallas, TX - Venture Dallas 2020

October 1 - Innovate Mississippi (Jackson, MS) - CONNECT: Networking for Entrepreneurs

October 13-15 - Tech Inclusion 2020

October 14-15 - Florida Venture Forum (Tampa, FL) - 2020 Early Stage Capital Conference

October 19-23 - Chattanooga, TN - Startup Week Chattanooga Goes Virtual

October 21-22 - Venture Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) - Venture Atlanta Live Online

The Southern Startup Report is a twice-monthly, curated newsletter covering the latest tech startup happenings in the American Southeast. It is produced by LookFar, a New Orleans-based software development studio, and Club Discovery, a co-working space for innovators, entrepreneurs and technologists in the heart of New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood. Learn more about sponsoring the SSR or subscribe here to get the SSR delivered to your inbox.

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