Photo Credit: Yiming Chen, Getty Images
YIMING CHEN
At the end of every month, we recap the biggest tech and startup happenings in Rhode Island. We have an archive of past roundups here. To get this info weekly (Tuesday afternoons, to be exact), sign up for the Rhode Island Inno Beat newsletter.
Let’s take a look.
- EMoney, a company that creates planning software for financial professionals, has opened the doors to its new office in Providence. The main draw to Rhode Island was the state’s support for startups, said Tessa Raum, eMoney’s head of people experience. Add several local colleges and universities to the mix, and Providence is swimming in potential eMoney employees.
- The University of Rhode Island will receive $94 million over five years from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after being chosen as the site of the organization’s new ocean exploration institute, Providence Business News reports.
- Brown University is opening the school’s new Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship and students are stoked. Located at 249 Thayer St. on College Hill, Brown is leasing three floors from Capstone Properties and the Discovery Group.
- Three new companies are recipients of Innovation Vouchers, Providence Business News reports. Facilitated by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, the Innovation Voucher program was created to increase research and development work in the Ocean State. In its fourth year, the program provides enterprises employing less than 500 workers with grants of up to $50,000 for research and development work with a Rhode Island research facility, university or medical center. Rite-Solutions, Tank Vision and Tran-Tex most recently received funding.
- The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation’s new CMO is Heather Evans, Providence Business News reports. Prior to taking the role, Evans worked at Northwestern Mutual in Providence. She is also a trustee at the Providence Preservation Society and the Rhode Island Historical Society.
- The Lt. Governor's Entrepreneurship Challenge, a pitch contest geared toward Ocean State high school students, had its finalists compete in the second annual event on May 18. Ultimately, nine students across five teams placed, winning $12,000 in scholarships. Their business plans distinguished them from an initial pool of 30 applicants, who participated in the challenge's first round. First place and a $5,000 scholarship went to Providence Detailing by Alejandro Martinez and Laila Martin of The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center
- Newport-based innovation hub Innovate Newport hosted Rhode Island Inno’s 2019 Startup to Watch, an event that boasted nearly 200 guests. Four of the featured startups — Mighty Well, Power Docks, Medley Genomics and Vadati VR — took to the stage to discuss their entrepreneurial journey thus far. See all of the 19 startups to watch here.
- Providence will be the new home of Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc., the company that owns Twin River Casino, Tiverton Casino Hotel and other casino properties across the country, The Providence Journal reports. 100 Westminster St.'s 10th floor will host the company, which expects to wrap up the move by mid-June.
- Rhode Island became the first state to have a dedicated cybercrime hotline, Patch.com reports. Spearheaded by Democratic Congressman Jim Langevin and funded with more than $282,000 of federal dollars, the resource aims to help Rhode Islanders better report cyber crimes such as identity theft, cyberstalking and more.
- Seek Capital, a Los Angeles-based startup loan provider, found the Providence metro area has the third-highest concentration of solely female-led startups in the country. It came behind Austin, Texas and St. Louis, Mo. in the 20-city rankings. Hartford, Conn. ranked just behind Providence at number four. Together, the two metros were the only regional representation on the list.
