Austin’s tech scene kept it weird last week, including everything from an off-road vehicle IPO to a breed-specific pet food company. Catch up on the Austin tech news you may have missed with Built In Austin’s weekly refresh.
Effective Spend moved to the ‘Butter Half’ building. Everyone knows the iconic “You’re My Butter Half” mural on the side of the building at 2000 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The mural was painted to draw attention and donations to the United Way for Greater Austin, which sold the building last month to Effective Spend, a digital marketing agency that has grown its local presence from 28 to 53 employees in less than four years. [Built In Austin]
Alpha Paw caught $8M. The Austin-based, father-and-son-founded Alpha Paw offers breed-specific pet products designed by experts and veterinary professionals. The company plans to use the funds to continue to expand its product line, including a line of wellness subscription boxes. [TechCrunch]
Austin tech quote of the week
Lendflow pulled in $10.8M. The Series A round brings the Austin fintech company’s total outside funding raised to more than $13 million. Lendflow allows vertical SaaS companies to build or embed financial products within their ecosystem, providing financial tools that are industry-specific and expanding access to small and medium-sized businesses that may not qualify for loans at traditional financial institutions. The company plans to hire 25 employees in the next three months. [Built In Austin]
Volcon ePowersports closes IPO. The Austin-based company claims to be the first all-electric, off-road-only powersports manufacturer. During the initial public offering, Volcon sold more than three million shares of common stock at a public offering price of $5.50. The gross proceeds of the offering were $16.6 million before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses. The company announced in June that it had raised $17.5 million. [Volcon]
