Kaizen is the Japanese business philosophy of continuous improvement as practiced by the Toyota manufacturing system.
John Winner first learned about kaizen in 2009 while a student at the University of Texas at Austin. The idea resonated with him and in 2018, Winner named his company Kizen, a domain name one “a” short of kaizen. He bought the domain name from a self-proclaimed Prince in the Philippines.
Kizen has created the Kizen Operations Cloud, which contains a company’s data and makes it available to operations teams to build applications without coding.
Typically, companies have data about customers stored in 50 different places, Winner said. And 68 percent of all data in organizations is lost or used, he said. Kizen can help them harness that data for actionable insights and customer service and to drive sales and revenue, he said.
“We believe firmly the companies that can properly leverage data in the future will drive the highest customer satisfaction and greatest revenues and success,” Winner said.
Kizen also offers the Kizen Sales CRM that helps accelerate sales as it automates up to 10 hours worth of non-selling activities a week, giving salespeople more time to focus on high-value tasks.
Since Kizen launched in September 2021, the company has sold more than 400,000 user licenses. Its customers include one of the world’s largest banks and dozens of mid-market customers in over a dozen different industries including healthcare, manufacturing, fintech, and real estate.
And recently, Kizen announced the closing of a $12 million seed round. Kizen plans to use the funds raised on sales and marketing and business intelligence tools. The capital raise was funded by private investors, including several former C-level executives from Dell, Whole Foods, AT&T, Accenture, and Citibank.
Kizen has 38 employees around the United States, South America and Ukraine, Winner said. It has an office in the Arboretum with a dozen employees and the company is hiring sales, marketing and developers.
Over the past decade, Winner saw a lot of disparate and disconnected tools that companies use to try to solve problems. If those tools are connected together, they work better, and solve problems faster and more effectively, he said. That’s what Kizen does.
Winner is from South Florida where he started a few companies before going to college. He decided to base Kizen in Austin because he thinks it’s one of the best ecosystems to start a business.
“You need to have the ability to have team members that have experience building enterprise technology that can scale to millions of users,” he said. Austin also has a lot of entrepreneurial resources and mentors. Kizen has several mentors from Dell, Winner said.
“Austin has been a truly special place to incubate,” he said.
Colossal Biosciences, the company bringing the wooly mammoth and thylacine back to life, Tuesday announced it is spinning out a new venture: Form Bio.
The new company will develop and sell a computational life sciences software platform. Form Bio has raised $30 million in Series A funding led by JAZZ Venture Partners with participation from Thomas Tull, Colossal lead investor.
Form Bio plans to use the funds to further develop its software platform that allows scientists to manage large datasets, process data, visualize results and collaborate with peers. It also plans to hire staff across all business functions, said Kent Wakeford, Form Bio’s Co-CEO and Co-Founder.
“An important area of focus for Form Bio are machine learning models created for cell and gene therapy companies that are proven to optimize the safety, efficacy, and manufacturability of constructs for the next generation of drugs for human health,” Wakeford said. “This new product feature has the potential to radically reduce costs while enhancing speed and safety of cell and gene therapies that come to market in the future.”
Colossal Biosciences was co-founded with Professor George Church of Harvard University to apply cutting-edge advancements in synthetic biology to address issues of loss of biodiversity, species preservation, and restoration, Wakeford said.
“To advance these objectives, Colossal developed a software platform to expedite the discovery process for CRISPR gene editing and genome assembly,” Wakeford said. “We quickly realized that the platform and machine learning models we created not only advance Colossal’s mission of engine extinction but are also directly beneficial to the entire field of synthetic, biology innovation including bio-manufacturing of medicines, biomaterials, biofuels, recyclable plastics, and food alternatives.”
Form Bio has the potential to play a central role in helping companies working on life-enhancing innovations to reach their greatest breakthroughs faster, Wakeford said.
“By spinning out Form Bio, the company is able to raise capital, build out dedicated teams, and make the platform available to the broader synthetic biology ecosystem, all while creating shareholder value for the Colossal investors,” he said.
Form Bio was co-founded by Ben Lamm, Andrew Busey, and Wakeford.
With the launch of Form Bio, Wakeford will transition from Colossal’s Chief Operating Officer to Form Bio Co-CEO, where he will work alongside Co-CEO Busey and support Colossal’s CEO and Board of Directors in an Executive Special Advisor role. Former Biolabs Chief Operating Officer, Adam Milne, has also joined Colossal as its new Chief Operating Officer.
Form Bio’s primary offices are in Austin and Dallas. The company has 40 employees with plans to expand to 75 by the end of 2023 with the majority of those in Austin, Wakeford said.
“Form Bio is the missing piece in scientific discovery,” Lamm, Colossal Co-Founder and CEO, said in a statement. “When you have a big scientific endeavor like de-extincting a species, you not only need the smartest scientists in the world, you need powerful software, much of which simply hasn’t existed until now. After reviewing everything available on the market, we chose to create our own software solution. Now, we want to share this modern, comprehensive platform with the broader community to impact other areas of scientific innovation, including human health.”
Form Bio’s customers are cell and gene therapy companies, as well as other biotech companies that use advanced molecular biology to develop advanced biologics such as mRNA-based drugs and CRISPR therapeutics and that includes Colossal, Wakeford said.
“Other synthetic biology companies and the research community will also benefit from using the Form Bio platform,” he said.
“Computer-aided design, fabrication, testing analyses, and machine learning are key to the future of bioengineering in general and specifically the restoration of endangered and extinct genetic diversity for keystone species in vital ecosystems. Form Bio is the software critical to paving the way. As scientist-engineers we need these pipelines and look forward to faster breakthroughs in scientific discoveries and applications, now that software has caught up with science,” said Colossal Co-Founder Church, Professor at Harvard Medical School and MIT and director of Synthetic Biology at the Wyss Institute in Boston.
This is the first spin-out from Colossal, but the company expects to spin out other ventures in the future, Lamm said.
Earlier this month, the White House announced an Executive Order creating the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative, along with multi-billion dollars of funds to support the initiative, said Wakeford.
“The U.S. bioeconomy is currently valued around $1 trillion dollars and expected to grow to over $30 trillion dollars over the next two decades,” Wakeford said. “Form Bio’s platform and machine learning technology will help propel this rapidly growing industry and advance scientific innovation throughout Texas and the rest of the country.”
A humanoid robot named Apollo is being created by Apptronik in partnership with NASA.
Austin-based Apptronikannounced Tuesday that it is working with NASA to accelerate the commercialization of Apollo.
Apptronik’s has completed a prototype of Apollo and plans to begin delivering the robot next year.
Apollo is a general-purpose robot that is cable of doing a wide range of tasks in dynamic environments in industries ranging from logistics, retail, hospitality, aerospace, and beyond, according to the company.
Apptronik first began working on humanoid robots in 2013 when it worked on NASA’s Valkyrie Robot. NASA has now selected Apptronik as a commercial partner to launch a new generation of general-purpose robots, starting with Apollo.
“Continued investment from NASA validates the work we are doing at Apptronik and the inflection point we have reached in robotics. The robots we’ve all dreamed about are now here and ready to get out into the world,” Jeff Cardenas, CEO, and co-founder of Apptronik, said in a news release. “These robots will first become tools for us here on Earth and will ultimately help us move beyond and explore the stars.”
In addition to NASA, Apptronik is also working with automotive makers,, major transportation and logistics companies, and government agencies
Apptronik also selected Austin-based argodesign as its partner in designing Apollo.
Apptronik, founded in 2016, spun out of the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.
Female founders have traditionally had a much tougher time raising capital than their male counterparts.
And while there have been a lot of pitch competitions, media articles, and focus on the problem, startups led by women still receive a tiny fraction of the overall V.C. dollars invested every year. In fact, last year, startups led by a sole female founder received 2.3 percent of total capital invested in U.S. venture-backed startups in 2021, according to Pitchbook. And only 14.8 percent went to companies co-founded by women.
But things are starting to look up for female-founded companies in Austin.
“The Southwest, led by Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Phoenix, has seen explosive growth in capital raised by female-founded startups in recent years,” according to PitchBook data.
“Austin, the Texas state capital, has seen female-founded startups raise more than $2.8 billion since the start of 2020, a 161% increase from its 2008 to 2019 total,” according to PitchBook.
Here are 15 venture-backed female-founded startups in the Austin area to watch.
Founder: Co-FoundersDr. Andrea Thomaz and Dr. Vivian Chu
What it does: Diligent Robotics is developing a suite of artificial intelligence that enables robots to collaborate with and adapt to humans in everyday environments.
President Joe Biden declared the Pandemic is officially over in an interview on 60 minutes Sunday and Silicon Hills News agrees.
That means Silicon Hills News is hosting in-person events again.
Welcome back! Before the pandemic, Silicon Hills News hosted monthly lunch and learns at Galvanize, special events like ContentATX, Space ATX, BlogItSA, and our annual calendar party.
Now Silicon Hills News is hosting a monthly series of fireside chats called BigIdeasATX. The first one took place at Strangeworks on August 25th and featured Will Hurley, founder, and CEO of Strangeworks, and Katie Lewis, founder, and CEO of DMass. They talked about quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and other technology trends in Austin. The event was possible thanks to our sponsors: Solwey, which can create custom-tailored e-commerce systems, innovative social networks, event management systems, fintech applications, CRMs, and more. And Perkins Coie Law Firm, which is ranked by Fortune as one of the 100 best companies to work for. The firm is known for its entrepreneurialism, innovation, diversity and inclusion, and collegiality.
The next BigIdeasATX2 will be held at OJO Labs on Sept. 29th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event features John Berkowitz, serial entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of OJO Labs, and Beth White, Founder and CEO of MeBeBot. Sponsors for the event include Solwey, Decent, and Unnanu. There are still a handful of tickets left to attend the event and one sponsorship slot available.
In October, Silicon Hills News will host two events. The first, BigIdeasATX3 will feature Shubhi Rao, founder, and CEO of Uplevyl, and Riana Lynn, founder, and CEO of Journey Foods. It will be a highly curated group of women in tech, CEOs, funders, founders, and C-Level executives. The event will take place on Oct. 26th.
In addition, BigIdeasATX4 will take place on Oct. 28th and will feature some more entrepreneurs from our 2022 Tech Calendar. Details to be published soon.
Stay tuned in by subscribing to our newsletter. Silicon Hills News will be announcing more events soon.
Electric bikes, buses, trucks, trains, cars, drones, electric charging stations, smart cities, and a focus on sustainability and lessening the environmental impact of transportation.
All of those topics and more will be explored at the second annual Move America conference, which is coming back to Austin at the Palmer Events Center on Sept. 27 and 28th. Tickets cost $995, and free tickets are available to those who work in the government sector.
The event features almost 400 speakers including opening keynote speakers: Linda Zhang, Chief Engineer, F-150, Ford Motor Company, and Teague Egan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EnergyX,
To kick off the event, a panel of speakers will talk about accelerating mobility startups from O to 100 including Tobias Lescht, director of EV Infrastructure and Energy, Revel, Sahil Segal, portfolio engagement director, Frontier Fund, Toyota Ventures, and Alex Mitchell, senior vice president, market transformation, LACI.
Also, on day one in the morning, another keynote is Scaling with speed: lessons in accelerated e-mobility deployments featuring Jeff Nieman, senior vice president, operations initiatives with Hertz, and Vic Shao, Chief Executive Officer of bp pulse fleet.
A highlight in the afternoon is a talk by Alex Rodrigues, Chief Executive Officer of Embark Truck. He is speaking on Making Trucking More Efficient with Self-Driving Technology at 2:05. In February, Silicon Hills News did a video interview with Rodrigues for Move America. We talked about the company’s autonomous truck technology which is being used to move goods from Houston to San Antonio. For more on the interview, watch the video.
Uploaded by MOVE: Mobility Re-Imagined on 2022-02-21.
On day two, Karl Popham, manager of electric vehicles and emerging technologies, Austin Energy, kicks off the day with the opening keynote, followed Kent Helfrich, chief technology officer, VP Global R&D, General Motors, talking about investing in next-generation batteries that will lower EV costs.
Day two also features Austin Mayor Steve Adler talking about the advances and challenges in designing smart cities.
And at 11:30 a.m., Matt Chasen, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Austin-based LIFT Aircraft, and Martin Salinas, Chief Operating Officer of AFWERX, will talk about the development of dual-use aerial mobility vehicles.
On Sept. 28th at 12:30 p.m. in the Energy and Charging Theater, Silicon Hills News is moderating a panel on “How data and AI are changing the mobility landscape.” The panel features Tim Haille, executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Daniel Spahr, COO of Stream Analyze, and Helena Kazi, Founder, and CEO of Giganomics.
Silicon Hills News has a limited number of tickets available here. Once those are full, Silicon Hills News readers can get 50 percent off a ticket using the code SPKREF50.
Michael Ramirez is the founder and CEO of Austin-based evisio, a search engine optimization software company.
Evisio helps agencies, marketers, SEO consultants, and businesses of all sizes improve organic search results, no matter their level of SEO knowledge. It takes the guesswork out of SEO by giving users strategic insights and actionable tasks that can be assigned to team members right inside of evisio.
By bringing all parts of the SEO process together in one powerful platform, evisio makes SEO simple and easy.
Ramirez is originally from San Antonio. He is Mexican American with deep roots in Texas and grew up on San Antonio’s West Side and graduated from Lanier High School. He studied at the University of Texas at San Antonio for two years before transferring to and graduating from The University of Texas at Austin.
“So that’s what brought me out here 16 years ago,” Ramirez said.
While attending UT Austin, he studied advertising and specialized in digital media.
“That’s when I first heard about SEO – back in 2007-2008,” Ramirez said.
In the summer of 2008, Ramirez landed his first internship at a digital marketing company in Georgetown, TX as an SEO specialist. As an intern, he remembers working on reciprocal link-building campaigns and a lot of other tactical SEO work. However, he never lost sight of the bigger opportunities Google was creating in this rapidly growing field.
“I really was inspired by and loved the idea of this new, massive channel – Google – and that it was the entryway to the Internet,” Ramirez said. “That was the place you had to be to be found and get traffic.”
“I was so in awe of the creative process and the art and science around the field,” Ramirez said.
After completing his summer internship, Ramirez worked full-time for the agency in Georgetown for three years. However, in 2012 the company fell on hard times and announced it would be laying off employees, Michael being one of them, before closing its doors a few months later.
Before severing ties completely, Michael took a chance and negotiated with one of the partners to contract him to fulfill the remaining SEO contracts. And it worked. Michael took on the remaining contracts and launched his SEO agency, SearchRPM.
While running his agency, Michael quickly realized the challenges of selling, managing, and executing SEO services. Prospective clients didn’t trust SEO companies due to the lack of transparency in the services being provided, managing a team of technical and creative contractors was difficult, tactical solutions would remain untouched inside multiple project management systems, Google Docs and Sheets for months, and this made it extremely difficult for the agency to scale.
That experience led to the product birth of evisio in 2017, an SEO management platform. Michael’s vision was to bring SEO together in one place. Evisio gives agencies and consultants a central hub for automated auditing, analyzing, organizing, and executing tasks to increase efficiency and accountability. It’s a software-as-a-service business model with monthly subscriptions starting at $79 for a basic plan up to $499 for a custom plan.
Evisio is in a hot market. The global market for SEO agency services market is expected to grow from $42 billion in 2021 to $51.2 billion this year at a compound annual growth rate of 22 percent, according to a report on ResearchAndMarkets.com. The market is expected to reach $109 billion in 2026 with a compound annual growth rate of almost 21 percent.
Not to mention the pandemic led to an increase in business from everyone going online, Ramirez said.
Evisio is a bootstrapped venture that launched to the public five months ago and is actively seeking new customers. Michael is focused on investing in technology and building the best product for his customers.
“The goal is to make it one of the most competitive SEO tools in the industry,” Ramirez said.
For more information, listen to the Ideas to Invoices podcast with Michael Ramirez below. Or visit evisio.co or contact them at hello@evisio.co
Michael Ramirez is the Founder and CEO of Austin-based evisio, which focuses on search engine optimization. Evisio helps agencies, marketers, SEO consultants, and businesses of all sizes get results, no matter your level of SEO knowledge.
Austin had a record-breaking year with startup activity overall on the rise.
In 2021, companies in the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area raised $4.9 billion in venture capital in 387 deals, more than double the $2.3 billion raised in 2020, according to Pitchbook-National Venture Capital Association Venture Monitor data.
A few trends Silicon Hills News has detected in Austin in recent years include a rise in real estate tech companies, a cluster of insure tech companies, new space startups, and more female-founded startups and BIPOC-founded startups. And the trend of companies relocating to Austin from other cities continues.
The city is also a hotbed of activity in consumer packaged goods, medical technolgy, fintech, artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, blockchain and big data.
What it does: Beth White, founder, and CEO of MeBeBot, created a virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence that can answer frequently asked questions for companies.
Why it’s hot: MeBeBot has amazing customers: Epicor, e2open, Ziff Davis (includes Spiceworks, RetailMeNot, IGN, etc.), HireVue, Abrigo, CrowdStreet, Terminal, Massage Envy, Toyota Insurance Management Solutions, Care.com, and IGT. Over 22,000 global employees are paid users and adoption has accelerated as more companies have gone to remote or hybrid offices.
Funding: The company has raised $2.5 million in seed stage funding.
What it does: Riana Lynn co-founded Journey Foods in 2018. Journey Foods has created a machine learning-powered software platform for food companies. Its enterprise technology improves product monitoring and development for CPG companies, ingredient suppliers, and manufacturers.
Why it’s hot: The supply chain management market was valued at $18,699.45 million in 2020 and is projected to reach $52,632.37 million by 2030, registering a CAGR of 10.7%, according to Allied Market Research.
What it does: ConverseNow’s voice AI technology has reshaped the future of restaurants; whereby virtual assistants automate the order-taking process so overburdened staff can turn their attention to fulfillment and in-person service.
Why it’s hot: The company has customers in 40 states and more than 1,200 restaurants. It works with brands such as Domino’s Pizza, Fazoli’s, and Blake’s Lotaburger. Its recent funding allows it to meet explosive demand by deploying in new locations at scale.
What it does: Uplevyl launched in November of 2021 to provide an app and digital platform to help women elevate their professional, personal and financial lives and advance a sustainable ecosystem of self-directed growth and accountability.
Why it’s hot: Shubhi Bhonsle-Rao, Uplevyl’s founder and CEO, is a former senior executive with Alphabet, Tesco, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Ford Motor Company, among others. She also sits on the board of directors of Open Lending, Center for Global Development, and International Center for Research on Women and is an honorary advisory council member of the Federal Reserve San Francisco. On Silicon Hills News’ Ideas to Invoices podcast, Rao said she wanted to build a digital product for women that used technology and data for good.
What it does: Will Hurley, David Cardona, and Justin Youens founded Strangeworks to humanize quantum computing and make it accessible to everyone. By guiding companies through the confusion of quantum computing, Strangeworks helps accelerate the integration of this new technology in corporations, universities, and enterprises.
Why it’s hot: Quantum Computing is the next big thing. “In 2021 alone, announced investments in quantum-computing start-ups have surpassed $1.7 billion, more than double the amount raised in 2020. We expect private funding to continue increasing significantly as quantum-computing commercialization gains traction,” according to McKinsey & Company research firm.
What it does: dMASS is a social impact startup using A.I. to help companies accelerate innovation and unlock growth by saving material, energy, and water throughout manufacturing and supply chain operations. dMASS’s A.I. was built in partnership with a Fortune 100 Life Sciences company, and the platform connects the dots between global innovation patterns and trends, and unexpected opportunities.
Why it’s hot: Sustainability and supply chain management are the focus of most companies today. “Supply chains have always been critical but often operated behind the scenes. The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing disruption changed that, revealing the importance of supply chains to a much wider audience,” according to PwC. “The pandemic also accelerated the need to update and upgrade supply chains in an increasingly digital world.”
What it does: Literati is a modern book distributor and curator focused on matching every child with the right book.
Why it’s hot: The U.S. book market was $36.7 billion in 2021 and it is projected to continue to grow at a 2.2 percent compounded annual growth rate through 2030. The online book market is growing even faster and consumers are looking for curated sources to find new books as the brick-and-mortar stores continue to consolidate.
What it does: Loop Insurance uses AI technology, big data, and telematics to create more fairly priced insurance products.
Why it’s hot: “According to a December 2021 LexisNexis Risk Solutions survey of U.S. consumers, 71% are interested in the of use telematics-enabled usage-based insurance (UBI) for purposes of discounts. However, consumer adoption remains much lower, presenting a significant opportunity for both consumers and insurers.”
What it does: Founded in September of 2020, Cart.com makes eCommerce software and provides services to scale businesses online
Why it’s hot: The eCommerce software and platform market had a market value of US$ 3.81 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% from 2022 to 2032, reaching a value of US$ 12.37 billion, according to Fact.MR
What it does: Eterneva celebrates remarkable people and pets by turning their ashes into diamonds.
Why it’s hot: Cremation rites are also projected to reach 78 percent by 2040, which is leading consumers to break with old funeral traditions, according to Adelle Archer, Eterneva Co-Founder and CEO.
What it does: Eventus is a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions.
Why it’s hot: The Global Trade Surveillance Systems Market size is expected to reach $5. 6 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 18. 9% CAGR during the forecast period, according to ReportLinker.
What it does: The Guild is a hospitality company that offers full-building management and turns upscale apartments into tech-enabled hotel suites.
Why it’s hot: The travel and tourism market is projected to reach $175.4 billion in 2022. Revenue is expected to grow at nearly 5 percent per year through 2026 and reach $211.1 billion by 2026, according to Statista market research firm. The market’s largest segment is hotels with a projected market value of $99.69 billion in 2022.
What it does: Autonomous Linen Management Platform for Hoteliers that Reduces Expenses and Operating Costs by up to 40%
Why it’s hot: Laundris was awarded a patent on the technology behind its commercial laundry system. “The market size, measured by revenue, of the Industrial Laundry & Linen Supply industry is $17.2 billion in 2022,” according to IBISworld. The market is expected to increase by 8.4% in 2022.
What it does: ICON is a construction technology company that uses 3D robotics, software, and advanced materials to build houses and other structures.
Why it’s hot: There’s a nationwide housing shortage and ICON has a solution. It has teamed up with Lennar, one of the nation’s leading homebuilders, to build the largest community of 3D-printed houses to date using ICON’s robotics, software, and advanced materials. The 100-home community broke ground this year and is being codesigned by architecture firm, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.
What it does: Diligent Robotics is developing a suite of artificial intelligence that enables robots to collaborate with and adapt to humans in everyday environments.
Why it’s hot: The Industrial Robotics Market was worth around $41.7 billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to about $81.4 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 11.8 percent over the forecast period, according to Zion Market Research.
What it does: CesiumAstro builds high-throughput, plug-and-play active phased array communication payloads for airborne and in-orbit platforms. Cesium’s full-stack, multi-mission hardware and software products enable a range of commercial and defense objectives.
Why it’s hot: The space industry is booming.Citi expects the space industry to reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by 2040, with launch costs dropping 95% to unlock more services from orbit,” according to CNBC.
What it does: Homeward enables homebuyers to make all-cash offers and buy a new home before they sell their old one.
Why it’s hot: U.S. housing gained a record $6.9 trillion in 2021, nearly doubling what was previously the largest annual gain of $3.7 trillion in 2005. The full U.S. housing stock is now worth $43.4 trillion, according to a Zillow report. And even though it has cooled recently as interest rates have risen, it is still expected to continue to grow at a record pace, according to Zillow.
What it does: OJO has created a free assistant that handles queries from homebuyers.
Why it’s hot: The housing market nationwide has been white hot for the past few years and only recently began to slow down a bit with interest rates rising. OJO Labs ranked 365 on the 2022 Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies with a 1,650 percent growth rate.
What it does: SparkCognition is an AI technology startup operating machine learning software to analyze increasingly complex data stores.
Why it’s hot: The global artificial intelligence market was valued at nearly $59.7 billion in 2021 and is estimated to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 39.4 percent to reach $422.37 billion by 2028, according to the Zion Market Research firm.
What it does: Self Financial is a fintech startup that helps customers build credit and save money. It provides tools necessary for building on-time payment history and responsible use of credit, in collaboration with issuing banks services for those who are new to credit or who might not have access to traditional financial products.
Why it’s hot: The market size stood at $112.5 Billion in the year 2021. The Global Fintech Market size is expected to reach $332.5 Billion by the year 2028 and is expected to grow to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 19.8% during the forecast period, according to Vantage Market Research Firm.
What it does: data.world makes it easy for everyone—not just the “data people”—to get clear, accurate, fast answers to any business question. Our cloud-native data catalog maps your siloed, distributed data to familiar and consistent business concepts, creating a unified body of knowledge anyone can find, understand, and use.
Why it’s hot: The global big data analytics market size was valued at $240.56 billion in 2021. The market is projected to grow from $271.83 billion in 2022 to $655.53 billion by 2029, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate of 13.4% during the forecast period, according to Fortune Business Insights.
What it does: Aceable is an online education startup that offers state-approved driver’s education and real estate courses.
Why it’s hot: The global e-learning market was worth $215 billion in 2021. It is estimated to reach an expected value of $645 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 13% during the forecast period (2022–2030), according to Straits Research.
What it does: Zenbusiness offers business products and services that help business owners start, run, and grow a business.
Why it’s hot: People launching new businesses in the U.S. have reached all-time highs in the past couple of years. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 5.4 million new business applications were filed in 2021, surpassing the record set in 2020 of 4.4 million, according to NPR.
In Austin, 97 companies made the Inc 5000 2022 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country.
Overall, the Austin companies on the list had a 244 percent median growth rate, $5.3 billion in total revenue, and added 16,792 jobs. The list includes 28 newly founded companies and 69 repeat honorees.
AdOutreach, which helps companies with video marketing, topped the Austin list of fastest growing companies with a 6,052 percent growth rate in the last year. It ranked 60 overall on the Inc. 5000 list.
Webforce, an eCommerce and CRM company, claimed the second spot for Austin with a 6,009 percent growth rate. It ranked 62 overall on the Inc. 5000 list.
Homestead Brands, a firm that acquires, invests in, and scales e-commerce furniture brands, took third place with a 3,839 percent growth rate. It ranked 117 on the Inc. 5000 list.
Digital Thrive, a marketing firm, took fourth place on the Austin top ten list of fastest growing companies with a 3,056 percent growth rate. It ranked 168 on the Inc. 5000 list.
The rest of the top ten included Everly Health with 2,643 percent growth rate and 201 overall, Element 26 with 1,948 percent growth rate and 285 overall, Boostlingo with 1,820 percent growth rate and 312 overall, Cover Desk at 1,800 percent growth rate and 317 overall, Canopy Management with 1,758 percent growth rate and 325 overall, and OJO Labs with 1,650 percent growth rate and 355 overall.
Galvanize Austin sent an email to its members on August 17th to inform them it is closing its coworking operations on August 31st.
“I’m reaching out to inform you that Galvanize has made an immensely tough decision to sunset our coworking operations in Austin,” Lindsey Rohde, senior director of campus operations, wrote in an email to Galvanize members.
“This means our doors will be closing on Wednesday, August 31, 2022,” according to Rhode. “Galvanize is proud to continue serving students through our remote online Galvanize and Hack Reactor programs.”
“We fully acknowledge the sudden nature of this news; with that, we ask that you show our staff kindness through this transition,” she said.
Galvanize opened its Austin campus in the Northshore building at Second and Nueces It occupies three floors and has been home to dozens of companies. It offered coworking for $275 a month for open seating and $475 for a reserved desk and private suites for $650 a month. It offered members conference rooms, weekly mentors and workshops, free coffee, and snacks. It also rented offices to entire companies. In fact, Michael Lam and Ben Rubenstein started Opcity at Galvanize and later moved to larger headquarters and sold the company to Realtor.com.
Some of the companies currently based at Galvanize include Silicon Hills News, Kronologic, Lumen Insurance Technologies, Axiacore, and Steve Ward Media.
Galvanize, founded in 2012, has also been home to Hack Reactor programs and its instructors have taught students how to become coders and data scientists. In 2018, Galvanize bought San Francisco-based Hack Reactor, making it one of the largest coding programs in the country.
In January 2020, K12, a publicly traded learning company based in Herndon, Va., bought Denver-based Galvanize for $165 million in cash. At that time, Galvanize had eight campuses nationwide including Austin, Boulder, Denver, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Seattle.
Galvanize is also shutting down its Seattle location at the end of the month, according to a story in Geekwire.
