Tech roundup: Uber expansions, Pivot 3 merger and more

Pivot 3 acquires Louisville’s NextGen

Louisville’s NexGen Storage joined forces with Austin’s

in a move announced earlier this week. The data storage companies’ deal is expected to be finalized by the end of February. The deal was encouraged by Pivot3’s venture capital backers, who are expected to make an additional investment when the deal has been finalized. [Press release]

Team Chaos releases NBA Breakaway

On Tuesday, Austin’s Team Chaos, a game development company headed by Zynga veteran Andrew Busey launched NBA Breakaway — a basketball-themed collectible card game — in the iOS app store. Players will build their benches with more than 650 player cards based on real players in the NBA. The card selection will be updated season by season. [BusinessWire]

Uber now offers 24/7 carpool service

Uber’s carpool service is now available around the clock in Austin. It was previously only available Thursdays through Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. The service aims to increase the efficiency of vehicles on the road as well as the earning system for drivers. They make more with multiple passengers in the car, even though each passenger pays 25 percent less than they would for an Uber X. [Austin Inno]

UberEats expands hours and options

Uber is revamping its lunch delivery service with a standalone app and more availability throughout the day, around the Austin area and nine other cities. The service is currently free and offers a rotating menu. Drivers will soon be able to choose whether to deliver food, which will earn them delivery fees that will vary by city. [The Wall Street Journal]

Forbes taps Austin as America’s next boomtown

This week, Forbes named Austin as the number one city in the country with the best odds of prosperity in the next decade, beating out 53 of the country's largest metropolitan areas. Austin ranked number one among tech hubs — that is, cities with booming tech sectors, higher incomes, and surging numbers of younger, educated people. [Culturemap]

The Zebra raises $17M Series A

The Zebra this week announced the close of a $17 million Series A, thanks in part to a cold email to Mark Cuban that resulted in a $3 million leading investment. Other investors included Mike Maples Jr. (of Twitter and Lyft), Simon Nixon (of Moneysupermarket), Silverton Partners, and new investors Daher Capital and Ballast Point Ventures. The company has raised $21 million to date. [Built In Austin]

CSID offers all employees 12 weeks paid parental leave over 6 months

This week, Austin-based CSID took a stand on the issue. The company, which offers a software-driven fraud protection service, now offers momsand dads 12 weeks of time off, paid at 100 percent of their usual compensation. Here’s the kicker: They can distribute the leave over a six-month time period, since babies are still tough after the first three months. [Built In Austin]

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