No one foresaw 2020 being the scary and confounding roller-coaster it has become. But innovators, by their nature, know how to improvise.
We’ve seen a lot of that so far this year, with outcomes both brilliant and frustrating. While many startups have laid off or furloughed workers, others have experienced enormous gains as consumer habits and the economy ebb and flow during the Covid-19 pandemic.
That’s why this year’s Austin Inno on Fire awards are a little different. The Fire awards were designed to highlight local startups that have had a remarkable year. There are many of those. But we’ve also added a category called Covid Innovators to recognize the startups, nonprofits and people who rose to the challenge in unique ways. And we’ve emphasized the roles that several local startups and organizations have taken on in response to racial injustice and police brutality.
So, what exactly makes a company or individual on fire? Inno recognizes people and companies that have had a banner year — often based on new funding, recent product launches, big hires, and of course, innovative approaches to addressing the pandemic. The companies on the list range from early-stage startups to companies that IPOed this year. Winners are organized into 10 categories — B2B Software, CPG, Covid Innovators, Social Impact, Cybersecurity, EdTech, HealthTech, Lifestyle, Real Estate Tech and Community Builders, which includes nonprofits, firms supporting startups and startup or VC initiatives focused on Austin.
Winners were sourced by nominations and local reporting, and were selected by the Austin Inno editorial team. In the coming weeks, we’ll spotlight a few of these companies in stories and in our newsletter, The Beat.
To help celebrate this year's winners, Inno invites you and your team, friends, family—and anyone interested or invested in Austin startups—to join us for our Inno on Fire virtual event on Dec. 2. During the show, we’ll announce the 10 Inno Blazers, the top-performing companies from each category that are chosen by a panel of local judges who are well-versed in the Austin ecosystem. RSVP to the event here.
Alright, let’s gather around and explore the Fire companies of 2020.
Software
BigCommerce - Founded in 2009 and making Austin its headquarters in 2011, e-commerce platform BigCommerce has been one of Austin's most exciting companies to see grow up. This year, they completed a wildly popular IPO in August that saw the price of its shares more than triple on its first day of trading from a base price of $24. In September, the price hit $81.75, and it was around $96 in mid-October. While no longer a startup, few companies in Austin were as on fire as BigCommerce.
Mobile Tech RX - This auto reconditioning software startup has found an interesting niche providing back office automation for the car repair business. Last year, it secured a $4.2 million series A led by Silverton Partners. And in 2020, it announced it had completed more than $1.7 billion in invoices on its platform. The company, founded in 2014 by Eric Garves and Daimen Simmons, now has 30 full-time employees and was an early supporter and signee of an open letter condemning racism and standing in solidarity with the Black community.
Invoiced - As a bootstrapped startup, Invoiced hasn't been breaking big funding news. But it has quietly locked in powerful partnerships with finance giants including American Express, while also offering a free version of its accounts receivable software to nonprofits as a way to help during the pandemic.
The Zebra - Auto insurance comparison startup The Zebra started 2020 with a $38.5 million round of funding that later grew to $43 million. In June, its co-founder and CMO, Joshua Dziabiak, stepped away from day-to-day operations to focus on a new startup. But the company didn’t slow down. In October, it reported it reached profitability and is nearing a $100 million run rate, reporting $6 million in net revenue in May and $8 million in September as it looks to branch out into homeowners insurance comparisons.
WastePlace - Even before a series A funding round, WastePlace is talking about reaching profitability. Founders Gary and Rachel LaBreck launched the business in 2016 to help property owners find better prices on removing junk and renting dumpsters. So far, it has secured about $3 million in funding, including backing from uShip founders Matt Chasen and Jay Manickam.
CPG
Tecovas - It's not easy to make it as a boot company in Texas. The market might seem flush with leather if you stroll through a Western store. But Tecovas has carved out a significant slice of the market with its boots and leather goods. In 2020, it has continued to launch new brick and mortar stores nationally, including a shop in Houston and one in Nashville. That all came on the heels of a $15 million round that followed a $24 million round in 2019.
Made In - Known for selling restaurant-grade pots and pans to home chefs, Made In this year built out a new product line — flatware, plates and glasses. The company, founded by Chip Malt and Jake Kalick, continues to be one of Austin's most recent consumer product success stories.
Golden Ratio - Golden Ratio launched its tea-like coffee with a caffeinated splash this year, garnering attention in Forbes, CNN and Tribeza. It also landed a co-packing agreement with NuZee for custom packaging in single-serve pouches. While coffee is an old school drink, founder Clark Nowlin has put an innovative spin on it by providing a drink with less acidity. The startup has raised some angel funding from local CPG leaders, but has otherwise been self-funded.
Good Apple - Good Apple's produce delivery service launched almost a year ago, but it really hit its stride during the pandemic — both as an option for shoppers avoiding stores and helping families in need. Good Apple works to source produce from within a 180-mile radius of Austin. And it landed $75,000 from Ford Motor Company's City:One Challenge program.
ATX KIT - Launched as a way to support fellow CPG startups, ATX KIT started selling its bundles of local CPG products in April. Founded by entrepreneur Christa Freeland and Snack Jack co-founder Julian Dussan, the company has worked with Snack Jack, Stroop Club and roughly 15 other startups to try to keep sales flowing during the pandemic.
Covid Innovators
Armbrust American - Surgical mask-making startup Armbrust American quickly ramped up production of its masks at its high-tech manufacturing facility in Pflugerville earlier this year as the pandemic set in. It landed multimillion-dollar contracts to supply masks to Texas school teachers, as well as the Illinois Department of Human Services. Founded by OwnLocal founder Lloyd Armbrust, the company quickly became one of the U.S.'s biggest surgical mask producers in a matter of months.
ReturnSafe - Founded by Austin serial entrepreneur Tarun Nimmagadda, ReturnSafe this summer launched a contact tracing and health monitoring app to help businesses get back to work. Since launching its app, the startup has landed accolades from Redstone Presbyterian SeniorCare, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, among other organizations.
Mellie Price - Mellie Price is among the most well-known leaders in the Austin startup community, as well as managing director of the Texas Health CoLab and executive director of commercialization at Dell Medical School. She was among the first in the Austin startup scene to launch a supply-gathering effort to get masks and other PPE equipment to frontline workers. Price’s initial efforts soon began to meld with other community groups and institutions, including Dell Medical School and Austin Public Health, and she shifted focus to working with Babson Diagnostic on a new Covid-related project.
Austin Emergency Supply Foundation - To date, Austin Emergency Supply Foundation has raised at least $3.3 million in donations, landed $250,000 worth of ventilators and secured 4.3 million surgical masks, 2,000 thermometers, 600,000 pairs of exam gloves, 11,000 respirators, 10,000 face shields and 50,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. The foundation donated some of its initial mask supplies to Cap Metro bus drivers – both for the drivers and to hand out to riders. It provided 320,000 masks to the city and its emergency responders. And it teamed up with local construction unions in May to distribute 100,000 masks to workers across the city.
UT's Texas Innovation Center - The Texas Innovation Center at UT has launched at least three projects aimed at reducing the impacts of the virus, including an automated bag breathing unit, a Covid-19 modeling consortium and peer-to-peer collaboration tools.
Social impact
ICON - This 3D printing company is one of just a few startups that have made our Fire list more than once. It's because it continue to wow us with 3D-printed homes, which it is making for low-income and homeless communities, as well as for potential use in space. Yes, space. The company, founded in 2017 by CEO Jason Ballard, Alex Le Roux and Evan Loomis, raised a $35 million series A led by Moderne Ventures in April. It also teamed up with the Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit to 3D print a structure used to hide military vehicles at Camp Pendleton in California.
Notley Ventures - Notley Ventures, a venture capital firm co-founded by Dan and Lisa Graham that invests in organizations committed to positive social change, this year launched Notley Tide to funnel donations to social justice organizations in the wake of George Floyd's death at police hands. It's one of several initiatives the organization has played a role in, including partnerships with Women@Austin and DivInc, as well as education programs, the Catalyst Games and Philanthropitch.
JUST - Nonprofit entrepreneurial support organization JUST sprang into action to help founders when the pandemic set in, creating a $1 million emergency loan fund for women founders impacted by Covid-19. The organization is led by co-founder and CEO Steve Wanta.
The Helper Bees - Austin startup The Helper Bees has positioned itself at the intersection between insurance companies and families that need long-term care. Its software and services drive down claim costs, as well as match people with in-home caregivers based on their needs and personalities. This summer, the company raised a $6 million series A funding round led by Austin-based Silverton Partners. The Helper Bees was founded in 2015 and launched in 2017 by CEO Char Hu, CPO Eric Corum and CTO Danny Lynch. It reported its revenue grew eight-fold over the past 12 months, though it didn't cite specific figures.
Biomedical Music Solutions - Biomedical Music Solutions helps people with mobility challenges stop using walkers and canes and gain more independence using its Movement Tracks Project. Its algorithm applies personalized music parameters to retrain the brain through iterative biofeedback. It reports that trials tested the solution on people with Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, stroke, osteoarthritis and dystonia, and three of the independent studies have been published in global neurology journals.
Cybersecurity/security
SpyCloud - SpyCloud closed its series C, a $30 million round led by Centana Growth Partners, this year. That came after it tripled revenue in 2019, and grew to 70 employees with a goal of adding 30 new people with the new funding. In the early days of the pandemic, SpyCloud identified 136,000 new websites with Covid themes, many of them with questionable security certificates and potentially designed to steal from consumers.
Ontic - While most of Inno's focus is on cybersecurity, physical security startup Ontic Technologies has had a strong year, closing a $12 million series A round in April, bring its total raised to about $18 million. More recently, it brought on Scott Shepherd, who previously worked at ScaleFactor and Khoros, as its first chief legal officer. And it added former Walmart general counsel Tom Mars to its advisory board.
Spyderbat - Fueled by a $4.2 million investment led by Austin's LiveOak Venture Partners, local cybersecurity startup Spyderbat has had a year of growth. The company, founded by TippingPoint and Click Security alums Marc Willebeek-LeMair and Brian Smith, aims to track intrusions and cut down on the time it takes to investigate what happened. Most recently, Spyderbat appointed cybersecurity veteran John McHale to its board of directors.
Praetorian - Cybersecurity company Praetorian has been on the Inc. 5000 list seven years in a row. But it has had a big year, adding several new executives to its team and closing a $10 million series A round led by Bill Wood Ventures and McKinsey & Company. Meanwhile, it added SailPoint Technologies executive Cam McMartin to its board of directors.
Athena Security - Athena Security is one of just a few companies to have made this list in years past — and we've included them this year because of their nimble move to launch temperature detection in response to the Covid-19 outbreak. While it's not alone in using the technology, it has pressed aggressively to expand its reach and teamed up with Envoy on office systems. The startup, founded in 2018 by former Revel Systems founders Lisa Falzone and Chris Ciabarra, raised a $5.5 million round in 2019.
EdTech
Upswing - With a goal of helping more college students succeed, Upswing has partnered with dozens of universities and locked in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and several other well-known backers. This year, the startup, founded by CEO Melvin Hines, was selected by Google for Startups Accelerator for Black Founders for its inaugural class.
Literati - Last year, book subscription and book club startup Literati raised a $12 million round. This year, it became a strong example of how to keep workers safe and navigate business opportunities during a pandemic. The company introduced hazard pay — a 35% pay boost for fulfillment center employees. After initially focusing on kids, it has more recently added an adult book club and partnered with NBA star Steph Curry, international activist Malala Yousafzai and Richard Branson, among others, on curated book lists.
OnlineMedEd - Austin clinical learning platform OnlineMedEd raised a $5 million funding round this summer that including backing from a long list of physicians and health firms. Founded in 2014 and led by CEO Jamie Fitch, the startup has grown to serve more than 350,000 monthly active users, a big boost from the 200,000 it had before the pandemic.
QuickStart - QuickStart, an Austin-based IT workforce readiness platform that provides certification training, this year closed a $10 million round of funding to build up its web dev, data science and cloud computing bootcamps and certification programs. The company, led by CEO Ed Sattar, also launched its DataScienceAcademy.io workforce certification program this year.
A Cloud Guru - No stranger to this list, A Cloud Guru this year launched its flagship cloud learning program, which was an extension of its 2019 acquisition of Linux Academy. It has exceeded an $80 million revenue milestone, and it recently added CFO John Ritchie and Chief People Officer Lorraine Vargas Townsend to its team.
HealthTech
Babson Diagnostics - 2020 has been a massive year for blood-testing company Babson Diagnostics. In mid-April, it launched its first Covid-19 antibody testing service in Austin. In May, it began a collaboration with Dell Medical School to study the immune response to Covid-19. In September, it announced $13.7 million in cumulative series A funding. And this fall, it named David Stein, the former head of global strategy and innovation at Siemens Healthineers, as its CEO, replacing Eric Olson, Babson’s founder and former CEO, who became chairman of the board and chief operating officer.
Everlywell - Everlywell, founded in 2015 by Julia Cheek, was among the first companies to develop an at-home Covid-19 test this year. The at-home health test kit startup announced the Covid test in mid-March, and it secured FDA emergency use authorization in May. In September, it named Andy Page, former CEO of Caption Health and former president of 23andMe, as company president.
Wheel - Wheel, founded by Michelle Davey and Griffin Mulcahey in 2018, is a telemedicine and physician-network. In January, it announced a $13.9 million series A funding. And it launched its at-home testing and care program people with Covid-19 or at high risk in March.
Decent - Founded in 2018, Austin health insurance startup Decent has raised more than $18 million, including a $10 million round led by QED Investors that came this September. Founder and CEO Nick Soman is focused on bringing its plans to tech startups and small businesses in Texas. And the startup has a partnership with the Texas Freelance Association.
TeleVet - Veterinary telemedicine startup Televet has been providing virtual pet care for years, but demand has climbed amidst the pandemic. It now has more than 6,500 veterinarians in its network. It landed a $2 million round in January — and a $5 million series A round in June. Then it launched its appointment scheduling and communication software, Clinic Connect, this fall. The company was founded by Steven Carter and Price Fallin in 2015.
Lifestyle
Tankee - Co-founders Gerald Youngblood, a former senior director at AMD, and Candice Youngblood, a former program manager for the Texas Association of School Administrators, created Tankee to provide a safe gaming video platform for kids. It provides safe streaming for children to watch creators, gamers and other entertainment. Earlier this year, the startup was awarded funding from the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund. And this fall Kidoodle.TV began using its content.
RVshare - RV rental marketplace RVshare came to near standstill when cities mostly shut down in the early days of the pandemic. But it saw business boom just as soon as people started getting back out in a distanced way. The company, dual headquartered in Austin and Akron, Ohio, recently raised a $100 million round of funding. The startup was founded by Mark Jenney and Joel Clark in 2013, and it is led by former HomeAway CRO Jon Gray.
Sourced Craft Cocktails - When 2020 began, Sourced Craft Cocktails was focused on providing cocktails to big clients like Facebook, Oracle and WeWork. When the pandemic hit, business stalled and the startup pivoted to creating and delivering premium craft cocktail experiences to consumers' doors. It became the exclusive alcohol provider for the 2020 Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic, helping deliver food and beverage packages to ticket holders to this live-streamed event. It also teamed up with Grey Goose and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships on an official cocktail. The startup almost double its projected revenue totals in 2020.
Your Fare - Your Fare, founded in 2015, is an online ordering management software startup focused on restaurants. In February, it raised $2.4 million in funding led by Band of Angels, as well as Nevada-based Sierra Angels, Austin-based Capital Factory, Houston-based Texas HALO Fund and Houston Angel Network. The company said it planned to expand its team and boost marketing to small- and medium-sized restaurant groups with 10 to 50 locations. Your Fare is led by CEO and co-founder Chris Monk.
Double A Labs - Double A Labs, founded by Amber Allen in 2013, has worked with Warner Bros. on an activation for “Ready Player One” at SXSW in 2018 and more recently on a video game for Katy Perry and on a virtual campus for Dell Technologies. It saw revenue grow 250% year-over-year through September, despite the pandemic.
Real Estate Tech
OJO Labs - OJO Labs had another big year in 2020, acquiring personal finance platform Digs and real estate search site Movoto, as well as launching its agent referral program. Plus, it secured a $62.5 million funding round. The startup, founded by John Berkowitz and David Rubin in 2015, uses AI and human intelligence to help people during the homebuying process.
Swivel - Swivel, founded by Scott Harmon, Wade Cohn and David Proft, closed its series A round earlier this year to expand its market presence and offer additional flexible lease terms. When the pandemic hit, the company pivoted to provide its SaaS-based digital office platform. Since then, it developed AgileView, an office leasing app, and AgileOffice, a workspace management app to help people safely return to work.
Elevate Growth Partners - Being able to lease the right office space without ever stepping foot in it is a big win these days, and commercial real estate startup Elevate Growth Parners has already done it several times. The company, founded by YouEarnedIt co-founder Kenny Tomlin and former SkylesBayne Principal Chris Skyles, launched its software product, ElevateIQ, recently and its founders say it's poised to be the next HomeAway-type success in Austin. It has raised $2 million from an impressive list of investors from the real estate and tech ecosystems.
Homeward - Earlier this year, Homeward raised $20 million in new equity funding to grow its business — and an additional $85 million in debt to help finance home transactions. The company, led by founder and CEO Tim Heyl, provides homebuyers the cash they need to buy a new home while guaranteeing the sale of their current home. The company said it plans to hire more than 70 employees in the next year or so.
The Guild - The Guild, which provides hotel-like stays at upscale condos, raised $25 million in January. But it was among Austin startups to lay off workers in the early days of the pandemic. Since then, it has bounced back, opening a new space atop a tower in Dallas and opening new properties in Cincinnati. Now, as it makes new hires, it is considering expansion in Denver, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia.
Community Builders
Austin Forum on Technology & Society - Knowledge is power, and the Austin Forum on Technology & Society has for years been providing a platform for top local thought leaders to share tech insights with the broader Austin community — for free. Its monthly panel discussions are no longer at the new downtown library due to Covid-19, but it continues to provide insightful content via Zoom, as well as its podcast. This year, the Forum featured several strong conversations about Covid-19, as well as diversity, inclusion and racial injustice. Meanwhile, it collects used digital devices to donate to low-income families in the community.
Eugene Sepulveda - A longtime civic and innovation leader, Eugene Sepulveda has bolstered Austin's community engagement, philanthropy and tech ecosystem. His work with Entrepreneurs Foundation helped raise money for the Stand with Austin Fund for musicians, artists and small business, as well as providing meals to frontline workers. Additionally, he worked with Notley to develop Notley Tide, which combats racial injustice.
Army Futures Command - After planting its headquarters in Austin, Army Futures Command has helped provide new avenues for all kinds of Austin tech companies and startups, in addition to hosting dozens of events to provide insights into how the military works with local innovators. This year, it collaborated with UT on the UT Austin Robotics Center of Excellence.
Women@Austin - Women@Austin, recently renamed as Beam, has been supporting local women founders for years, and in 2020 it made one of its biggest moves yet, launching the Beam Angel Network. The fund provides direct capital to early-stage, Texas-based, women-founded companies. It landed an initial $250,000 commitment from Notley, which was followed this fall by a $100,000 donation from Kevin McGibben, CEO of California-based Logic Monitor. It has also developed an extensive list of community partners.
Tech Can Do Better - Lawrence Humphrey and Moses Harris launched Tech Can Do Better earlier this year to provide fellow tech employees with best practices and proven roadmaps to improve diversity and inclusion in hiring and promotions at tech companies across the nation. It drew support and input from tech employees across Austin and nationwide, including at IBM where Humphrey and Harris work. Since the launch, they've also hosted virtual discussions to help tech workers of color and their allies promote more effective practices from within their organizations.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story listed an incorrect funding amount for The Zebra and an incorrect revenue figure for A Cloud Guru. An earlier version also misspelled the name of a company acquired by OJO Labs. The story has been updated.
