Followed by a busy week at South By Southwest, catch up on the latest tech news in Silicon Hills, including funding rounds and Austin being named the best tech city (which most already knew). Keep reading to find out more. This is the Built In Austin weekly refresh.
Austin claimed the title of best tech city in the U.S. CompTIA, a nonprofit IT trade association, published its Tech Town Index. The report evaluated metropolitan areas that have a big tech presence and factored in the cost of living, the number of IT jobs and projected growth over the next year and next five years. From a list of 20, Austin ranked as the best tech city for the third year in a row. This is due in part to the nearly 64,500 tech job posted last year. [Built In Austin]
FLASH raised $250M. FLASH is a cloud-based platform for parking garages that turns “parking assets into multi-purpose mobility hubs.” FLASH became a unicorn after a $250 million funding round led by Vista Equity Partners. The company has plans to hire over 200 new employees this year and is actively hiring. [Built In Austin]
Rumble gained $15M. Rumble allows companies to find all devices and inventory within their own network without extra security or credentials. Rumble raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Decibel Partners. The funding will allow Rumble to expand its go-to-market and engineering teams. [Built In Austin]
AUSTIN TECH QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Loveseat got $7M. Loveseat is an e-commerce marketplace for returned or overstock furniture that users bid on to purchase. The startup gained $7 million in a Series A round that will go toward expanding into more markets, hiring executives and transitioning to a direct-sourcing model. Loveseat also has plans to open more locations in Texas, Florida and the Bay Area. [Built In Austin]
Capital Factory opened a new hub. Capital Factory teamed up with Guinn Partners to open a hub in Austin called the Center for Autonomous Robotics. The hub is for startups to develop autonomous vehicles and drones. Located just southwest of the Pennybacker Bridge, the hub has a big backyard and is almost fully booked with 30 startups that will use the space. [Austin Inno]
Invicti hired a new CRO. Invicti Security allows companies to scan their web footprint for security threats or vulnerabilities. Invicti announced it hired Steven Fitz as its new chief revenue officer. Fitz has over 25 years of experience working with global tech companies. In addition to this news, Invicti is expected to increase its employee headcount up to 40 percent this year. [PR Newswire]
Restore Hyper Wellness partnered with Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow. Restore Hyper Wellness, a provider of holistic wellness treatments, partnered with Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow, who are now both investors and brand ambassadors. Former NFL quarterback Tim is also an entrepreneur, author and football analyst. Demi is an entrepreneur and influencer. The partnership will allow for more awareness about Restore Hyper Wellness and its mission. [Business Wire]
