Every month, startups hit the Austin tech scene in droves. Some launch their services in the surrounding area, while others set up shop with new offices. Here are four tech companies that recently launched — or are on the brink of going live— in Austin.
Founded in Colorado in 2016, Blinker announced its arrival in Texas at the end of July to enter the country’s second largest car market. The auto startup allows users to buy, sell, finance and refinance a car simply through the snap of a photo over its app.
At last year’s SXSW, Blinker was named the 2017 SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards for the New Economy category.
“People want to finance their car just as easily as they can book a house on Airbnb,” said founder and CEO Rod Buscher in a statement. “We offer car loans that are competitive, transparent and easy to complete from anywhere – all in the Blinker app. Car-owners can refinance an existing loan in minutes – all on their mobile device. No banks, no dealerships.”
A new savings app went live this week in Austin with the launch of Skout Deals. The location-based app features over 50,000 daily deals from major retailers like Petsmart, Best Buy and Steve Madden as well as from local businesses.
According to the company, the average savings per deal is around 47 percent, with a minimum savings of 25 percent. In addition to Austin, the e-commerce startup also went live in Oklahoma City, Tucson and Dallas.
Boston-based craft beer and liquor delivery startup Buttery launched in Austin this week. The Android app offers libation delivery within an hour.
Through Buttery, users can select a store to order from and access its real-time inventory while searching for local, craft and hard-to-find products. Products can then be delivered or picked up.
Operating out of both Seattle and Austin, Global Dog’s app is for dog lovers across the world. The app is expected to go live this August and allows users to buy and sell gently used dog items across the Global Dog marketplace (think Facebook’s market but for dogs). It also features an Instagram-inspired photo and video feed, where users can share updates and comment on one another’s posts. For adoptions and interested foster parents, Global Dog’s app includes a pet finder tool to locate poochies locally and abroad.
Images provided by company websites and Shutterstock.
Know of any upcoming launches in Austin? Tell us or tweet @BuiltInAustin.
