While we’re primarily focused on the Twin Cities innovation economy, we also have our eyes on all of the startup and tech activity happening throughout the entire Midwest. Here are the major tech fundings, acquisitions, mergers, moves, and IPOs that went down in the region in December. See all Midwest Reports here.
1/3: Waukesha, Wisconsin-based PhishLine, a SaaS platform for social engineering simulation and training, was acquired by Barracuda Networks, a leader in security, application delivery and data protection solutions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
1/4: Chicago-based NextCapital, a provider of a personal benchmarking tool that helps users and clients clearly understand how investments are performing, raised a $30 million Series C from Oak HC/FT, with participation from Manulife Financial, Transamerica Ventures, Vermont Seed Capital Fund and Route 66 Ventures.
1/5: Chicago-based digital transformation agency HS2 Solutions has acquired LunaMetrics, a Pittsburgh-based analytics and digital marketing strategy consultancy.
1/6: Chicago-based VillageMD, a provider of data, resources and clinical decision support for primary care physicians, raised $80 million in funding from Athyrium Capital Management.
1/8: Indianapolis-based private equity firm Centerfield Capital Partners raised $310 million for its fourth fund, according to an SEC filing.
1/10: Ann Arbor, Michigan-based SkySpecs, an autonomous drone solution, creating easier, faster & more efficient ways for enterprises to inspect critical infrastructure, raised an $8 million Series B from Statkraft Ventures, UL Ventures, Capital Midwest, Venture Investors, and Huron River Ventures.
1/11: Milwaukee-based TAI Diagnostics, a biotech startup focused on providing a non-invasive and highly sensitive diagnostic test to monitor transplant patients, raised a $10 million Series A. Investors were not disclosed.
1/12: Chicago-based Evive, a provider of enterprise benefits engagement software, raised a $43 million round of funding from private equity investment firm Susquehanna Growth Equity.
1/18: Chicago-based delivery logistics startup Bringg raised $12 million, bringing its total Series B funding to $22 million. Investors in the round included Salesforce Ventures, automotive investor Shmuel Harlap and real estate and shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. The company says the new funding will help the company expand its international presence. Bringg now has $31 million in total funding, according to Crunchbase.
1/18: Columbus, Ohio-based Pillar Technology Group, a tech consulting firm, raised an undisclosed amount of funding from NewSpring Mezzanine.
1/18: Chicago-based Sun Trading, a high-frequency trader, was acquired by Hudson River Trading. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
1/19: Northbrook, Illinois-based Unitas Global, a provider of managed hybrid cloud solutions for the enterprise, raised a $10 million round from Boathouse Capital, with participation from return-backer MK Capital.
1/20: Detroit-based online furniture company Floyd Inc. raised a $5.6 million Series A from Beringea.
1/20: Birmingham, Michigan-based real estate private equity firm Bloomfield Capital raised $100 million for its third fund, according to an SEC filing.
1/23: Chicago-based The Planet Group, a provider of outsourced human capital and consulting services to the life sciences, energy and engineering markets, was acquired by NYC-based private equity firm MidOcean Partners.
1/24: Indianapolis-based Springbuk, a provider of employer-facing health intelligence software, raised a $20 million Series B from HealthQuest Capital and Echo Health Ventures, with participation from Lewis & Clark Ventures and Elevate Ventures.
1/24: Indianapolis-based Zylo, an enterprise SaaS optimization platform, raised a $9.3 million Series A from Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Salesforce Ventures and the Slack Fund. Existing investors High Alpha Capital, GGV, SV Angel, and Hyde Park Venture Partners also participated in the Series A.
1/24: Dayton, Ohio-based Cognovi Labs, a provider of real-time social data analysis, raised a $2.3 million seed round. Ikove Venture Partners led the round, with participation from HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York and Bossa Nova Investimentos.
1/24: St. Louis-based ClubReady, a golf and country club management platform, was acquired by Clubessential, a Cincinnati-based provider of services and software for private clubs. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
1/24: Maestro Health, a Chicago-based employee benefits startup, has been acquired by French insurance provider AXA Group for $155 million. Maestro’s platform allows businesses to customize their own HR suite, offering personalized benefits solutions to businesses of all sizes. Its platform currently serves more than 500 groups, including Aramark, Mazda and Giordano’s Pizza. Founded in 2013 by Rob Butler, Maestro has been one of Chicago’s fastest growing startups. It now has more than 300 employees, and it has raised over $50 million in venture funding from Oak HC/FT and SV Health Investors.
1/25: Kirkland, Illinois-based venture capital firm Energy Innovation Capital raised over $130 million for its debut fund, per an SEC filing.
1/26: Cleveland, Ohio-based private equity firm Blue Point Capital Partners LLC raised $700 million for its fourth fund, according to an SEC filing.
1/27: Chicago-based Packback, a provider of artificial intelligence software for college courses, raised a $4.2 million Series A from University Ventures, with participation from Mark Cuban, Wintrust Ventures, and Wildcat Capital.
(Image via Wiki Commons. Data culled from Inno reporting, Fortune's Term Sheet newsletter, Axios' Pro Rata newsletter, SEC filings and more)
