Every month, we recap the biggest tech and startup happenings in Rhode Island. (To get this info every Tuesday, sign up for the Rhode Island Inno Beat newsletter.)
Let’s dive in.
Over the past two years, Anchor and Hope, a winery based in Rumford, has acquired a loyal following, according to owners James Davids and Marissa Stashenk. Utilizing Mainvest, an investment company headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, members of the community have helped raise $140,000 towards a new tasting room and event space. The couple announced plans in early May to use 4,000 square feet of the space's current 15,000 square feet to be dedicated for the tasting room.
At the start of May, the Rhode Island Collection, a combination child care, workspace and gym based out of Middletown, announced it had closed its seed round, raising $2.6 million from six investors. According to company founder Britt Riley, the funds from this round will allow the Haven Collection to build the foundation for its next stage of growth, which will include new club locations.
Last month, DataSpark, an organization that has assisted policymakers in state and local governments, community leaders in nonprofits and academic researchers across the country, but most notably at home in Rhode Island, announced a new initiative to study 'brain drain' in the Ocean State. Data Spark will be teaming up with New Jersey and Virginia to create the multi-state postsecondary report for New England and the Mid-Atlantic and plans to securely link education and employment records cross-state and “explore to what extent postsecondary graduates work out-of-state following graduation.”
In May, maternal health company Maternova spoke to RI Inno about its plans to expand sales and licensing of new technology. After kicking off Series A fundraising in late April, Maternova founder Meg Wirth said she’s excited about what it will mean for the company.
On May 20, brand new start up and app, Dibbs was recognized as a "Startup of the Year" by Annual American Business Awards. The Newport-based business has moved buying and selling products and services in the construction and real estate marketplace online with their app.
May marked a new round of funding for The Wanderlust Group. Hot off a $30 million Series C funding round, TWG is scaling its leadership team with three new positions. The new hires will be working on TWG's flagship app, Dockwa, which lets users reserve space at their local marina among other abilities.
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