April was a busy month for Austin tech companies and startups. We tracked 14 key hires across the local ecosystem during the month, including a new CEO.
Check out the top hires from the past month below, and sign up for the Beat newsletter to get daily updates on personnel moves, fundings and much more on the startup scene.
NeuraLight, a startup based in Austin and Tel Aviv that has an AI-powered platform to accelerate drug development for neurological disorders, said April 5 that it added Vivian DeWoskin as chief commercial officer. She was previously vice president and head of strategy at Komodo Health, a life sciences software company.
NeuraLight emerged from stealth in 2021 with $5.5 million in funding. It went on to raise a $25 million series A round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies last June. Last month, the startup won the 2023 SXSW Innovation Award in the "Health and MedTech" category.
SubjectWell, an Austin startup that has a marketplace to source patients for clinical trials, has a new CEO. The company said April 6 that Fred Martin was appointed to the top post, replacing co-founder and former CEO Ivor Clarke, who shifted to the chief operating officer role. Martin was most recently COO at Medrio. Prior to that, he was VP of product management at Sigmacare, and he has also held posts at PointClickCare and Premier Inc.
Last fall, SubjectWell raised $35 million in series B funding led by Palo Alto firm Asset Management Ventures. The startup has raised $46.8 million since its founding in 2012, according to Crunchbase.
Austin-based IT management company NinjaOne said April 6 it added Joe Lohmeier as its first global channel chief. He was most recently worldwide VP of sales and channels at Austin-based Vyopta. Before that, he was global channel chief at Avaya and was a VP of virtual sales at VMware. NinjaOne was founded in 2013 and is led by co-founder and CEO Sal Sferlazza and co-founder and Chief Financial Officer Christopher Matarese. Last month, the company appointed Robert Gibbons as chief technology officer.
Early last month, Austin-based blood testing startup Babson Diagnostics won the 2023 Inno Madness bracket challenge. On April 10, the company added Dr. Andrew Carroll, a family physician and clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, as a clinical advisor. Carroll is also founder, owner and medical director of Atembis LLC in Chandler, Arizona.
Austin's FileCloud, which has a content collaboration platform, said April 11 it appointed Jason Dover as chief product officer, a newly created role. He was most recently VP of product strategy at Progress Software. Before that, he led the product strategy at Kemp Technologies. FileCloud has raised a total of $40 million, including a $30 million series A round in 2021, according to Crunchbase.
Round Rock-based electric air core motor maker Infinitum said April 11 it appointed Bob Brown as CFO. He was most recently CFO at AEye Inc. Prior to that, he was CFO at Velodyne LiDAR Inc. and VeriSilicon Holdings Co. Ltd., according to his LinkedIn page. The news comes about five months after Infinitum, led by CEO Ben Schuler, secured a $30 million investment, bringing its total funding to $168 million.
Austin-based marketing and digital transformation company CourtAvenue said April 12 it appointed David Dettmer as CTO. He was most recently executive vice president of product and engineering at Rev.com. Before that, he was VP of product and engineering at Austin-based Main Street Hub. He is also the author of "Raising Engineers, A Founders Guide to Building a High-Performing Engineering Team."
Austin digital collaboration company Vyopta Inc said April 18 it added Jason White as VP of global sales and Thom Everett as an executive advisor. White was previously sales leader at Auditmation and was a global solution consultant with Planview. Everett was previously chief sales officer at Planview and VP of sales at Compuware. Founded in 2007, Vyopta has raised $25 million in funding, including an $8 million round in 2021, according to Crunchbase.
Optii Solutions, a hotel operations software company, said April 19 it appointed Jami Poe as senior director of sales for North, Central and South America. She was most recently VP of sales at Lodgistics. Prior to that, she had roles at ALICE, TravelClick and Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. Optii, led by CEO Katherine Grass, was founded in 2006. It raised about $8.5 million before being acquired in 2021 by hotel operator MCR for an undisclosed amount.
Austin-based venture capital firm Elsewhere Partners appointed Rita Selvaggi as an operating partner. She was most recently CEO of Elsewhere portfolio company ActivTrak, and she continues to be executive chair of the board there. Before that, she was CMO at cybersecurity company AlienVault, which was acquired by AT&T in 2018, and senior VP of marketing at SolarWinds. She's also on the board of BackBox and Vyopta.
Elsewhere Partners, led by founder and partner Chris Pacitti, invests in software companies outside of traditional venture capital hubs. Last May, the firm closed on its second fund with $175 million.
Austin-based hemp products company Indoor Harvest Corp. added Trevor Smith as CFO and COO. He succeeded CFO Leslie Bocskor, who is CEO and chairman of the board. Smith was previously performing financial due diligence at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Austin-based marketing management software maker Uptempo said April 25 it added Eric Grunden as its new chief customer officer. He was previously CCO at ResMed and held executive roles at Civitas Learning and Greenway Health. Uptempo, led by CEO Mirko Holzer, was created last year when BrandMaker, Allocadia and Hive9 merged as one brand.
Moov, operator of a used semiconductor manufacturing equipment marketplace that's based in Arizona and Austin, said April 27 it promoted to Nicholas Griffith chief technology officer, a new role at the company. He had been head of technology since 2020, and his promotion makes him the first addition to the C-suite since the company was founded in 2017. Prior to Moov, Griffith, who is also an angel investor, was co-founder and VP of engineering at 36 Labs.
Austin-based customer engagement company Khoros said April 27 that it added Lindsay Sanchez as its new CMO. She was most recently VP of marketing and acting VP of digital sales at Citrix. Prior to that, she was CMO at Kore.ai. Khoros also noted she has a background in team sports, coaching and mentorship.
