This year has been tough. But at NTX Inno, we feel fortunate to work in a collaborative and connected tech and startup scene like DFW.
So as we head into a new year, we’re looking back at some of our greatest hits of 2020, local stories spanning profiles of the upcoming generation of founders and dives into the autonomous driving scene to M&A news and local serial entrepreneur and celebrity Mark Cuban.
Please sit back and take a trip down memory lane, and check out our 10 most-read stories, starting with No.10 and working up to the most popular story of 2020. Together, they paint a portrait of the trends shaping the local ecosystem.
10. Mark Cuban-backed startup raises $500M to launch 3D-printed rockets
Since he became one of the first investors in rocketry startup Relativity Space, Dallas serial entrepreneur Mark Cuban has watched the company grow into one of the largest players in the private space industry.
Relativity’s most recent raise came this in November, with the company announcing a $500 million Series D round, which brings the startup’s valuation to more than $2 billion. Tiger Global Management led the round. And like nearly every round that Relativity has raised, Cuban was among the 16 other investors on the round.
9. Health care startup plans new HQ in McKinney, hires alongside pandemic pivot
Accelerated by the pandemic, a local startup is pivoting its focus and looking to grow its team alongside the increasing demand for health care professionals in many parts of the country.
With grant money through the McKinney Economic Development Corporation’s Innovation Fund, LocuMatch, a software platform that connects health care workers with hospitals and other medical facilities, is moving its headquarters from Health Wildcatters to the city with plans to hire to accommodate its expansion.
8. Government launches $25M initiative aimed at entrepreneurs to help pandemic
The U.S. government is looking for innovative minds to address the pandemic's economic and safety issues.
In October, the Economic Development Administration launched the $25 million Scaling Pandemic Resilience Through Innovation and Technology, or SPRINT, Challenge, calling on entrepreneurs and innovators to submit projects for funding to help respond to the current crisis or help prepare for and prevent another in the future.
7. Plano tech company launches smart collar for dogs with help of Cesar Millan
Most people have seen a Facebook or Instagram post about a friend getting a new dog at this point in the pandemic. And while those four-legged friends bring entertainment and joy, they also bring a set of challenges in training and care.
And with the current crisis continuing to drive demand for new pets, Plano-based Halo is launching its smart collar device, combining the asset tracking tech with the canine behavioral wisdom of Cesar Millan, to help train and keep their dogs safe.
6. Perfect fit: Dallas wardrobe startup recently valued at $4M acquired by New York company
A little more than a year after re-launching, a local e-commerce startup is making its exit.
Dallas-based Rent My Wardrobe, an online marketplace for users to rent out their clothes and accessories, has been acquired by Wardrobe, a New York startup operating in a similar space and focused on luxury clothing and sustainability.
5. The autonomous truck stop? DFW emerging as hub as yet another firm looks to step up
The Dallas area is getting the driverless trucking industry's attention – and yet another company is looking to expand in the region.
More key players in the market invest in the region as they see opportunities to try out their technology in North Texas. That often means setting up operations and hiring local folks for the autonomous vehicles, or AVs, as they travel on nearby roads.
4. Denton looks to create startup hub with moves to create over 150 jobs
With new grant funding, a Denton startup is looking to grow. And it’s looking to help expand the entire city’s tech and startup ecosystem as it does.
In a funding initiative designed in tandem with leaders in the local scene, the city of Denton awarded its first-ever Entrepreneurship Economic Development grants at a city council meeting last week. Focused on creating more density in the startup community locally, a $106,500 performance-based grant to IoT company TeamofDefenders, and another $243,500 grant was awarded to VR startup From the Future.
3. The 21 North Texas startups to watch in 2021
Through the pandemic and pivots, the North Texas tech scene continues to emerge as a growing hub of startup activity. The year sees large later-stage funding rounds, exits, IPOs and even a new unicorn coronation.
However, as we head into a new year, it’s the up-and-coming generation of startups that we’re looking at for our annual Startups to Watch feature. With some hot off a seed or Series A funding and others bootstrapping or still stealthily plugging away, this list focuses on the companies who you may not have heard of yet but are likely to see in headlines in 2021.
2. Local biotech company plans merger with Plano drug development company to fight HIV
With its eyes on curing HIV, a local biotech company merges with a Plano firm to ramp up drug development and testing.
Rockwall-based BioClonetics Immunotherapeutics has signed a non-binding letter of intent to merge with drug development company Enzolytics to study the effects of treating HIV by combining their drug therapies.
1. On the rise: Meet NTX Inno's 2020 25 Under 25
For young entrepreneurs, the challenges of building a startup or creating new technology include the long hours of coding, developing and building a deck, often while navigating college classes or their entry to the business world. However, this year is unlike any other. Now, companies they help run and decisions they make affect the livelihoods of others. And some of the technology they create has the ability to impact communities around the world.
To highlight the young entrepreneurs and leaders making the biggest impact in the local ecosystem aged 25 or younger, NTX Inno has put together a list of the region's brightest minds. This year’s list was chosen based on nominations and Inno’s editorial selection process.
Pro tip: You can check out last year’s list of most-read stories here.
