Beach Breeze
We’re back with a new edition of the “Postcard From...” series from other startup ecosystems from around the state right back where it started 365 days ago—with Jim Roberts in Wilmington. Jim gives you the full scoop on the 9-1-0’s startup scene, which you can also find daily on his new site 91omg.biz. Read the “Postcard” here.
Getting Test-y
While Covid-19 testing has become more readily available and efficient after a very rocky start, it’s still not as easy as, say, buying a pregnancy test at your local drug store and getting results within minutes without any need for medical training or high-tech equipment. If Sherwood Yao, the CEO of Cary’s AtomBioworks, has his way, that’s going to change pretty soon. By blending computer science with chemistry and even using a mobile phone, AtomBio’s still-under-development test uses tech to bring sophisticated science straight to the consumer in a quick, easy-to-use package. You can read our full story here.
Teaming Up
Hey, was somebody talking about K4Connect? Oh, right, me, re: Pete Meets. Well, K4Connect is teaming with another Raleigh startup, Bandwidth—or has Bandwidth graduated from startup status?—to deliver a newly enhanced “hotline” at the senior living facilities that use K4Connect’s tech solutions. K4 is leveraging Bandwidth’s API and telecom platform to create the hotline, which is comprised of recorded phone messages to keep residents, staff, and family members up to speed on the latest community news and policies. TechWire has more details.
Teaming Up, Pt. 2
Triangle tech granddaddy SAS is partnering with Microsoft to more tightly integrate SAS’s AI and analytics with Microsoft Azure cloud solutions. SAS believes the partnership is a “milestone,” and for something to qualify as a milestone for SAS at this point is pretty big news indeed. The move means SAS can confidently stake its claim as a cloud-based company, which should keep it at the very forefront of AI and analytics for years to come.
Teaming Up, Pt. 3
While these days folks are (understandably) concerned about picking up Covid-19 at the grocery store, you’re more likely to be affected by old-fashioned E. coli or some other contaminant in meat, lettuce, or other fresh foods. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s true. But Durham startup FoodLogiQ has partnered with three other large food traceability companies to improve the tracking of the entire food supply chain from the “farm to the fork.” That way if there is an issue, investigators can quickly pinpoint the source.
FoodLogiQ worked with IBM Food Trust, ripe.io and SAP on a three-month proof-of-concept study to see if the quartet could share data in a standardized way, and will soon move to the second phase of the multi-step process in Q3. TechWire has more details.
Finders Fee
New York-based Onna, which has a growing Triangle presence in Cary, yesterday announced a $27M Series B financing. Onna is a “knowledge integration platform” that enables enterprise customers to integrate workplace apps including Slack, Dropbox, Gsuite, Salesforce and many more. Hey, if it helps me remember where I saw a particular nugget among Slack, my email, a Google doc or sheet, or in a fevered dream and then retrieve it, I’m all in.
Co-zy Space
If you’re a Goldilocks-eque co-working tenant—“this one is far too large, that one doesn’t have enough kombucha”—here’s some good news: there’s another new local entrant in the co-working wars. Building1 is opening on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, pitching “small” and “manageable” as among its selling points.
It's The Rules
It’s been weeks since we’ve mentioned any rankings, which comes perilously close to breaking regulations of the newsletter union. So here are two lists with fairly self-explanatory headlines: 1) Raleigh ranks No. 5 for ‘highest-earning’ female entrepreneurs in US; NC ranks No. 15; 2) Tech industry: Raleigh, Durham among top 10 cities considered most likely to recover from pandemic.
Extra Bit
Two quick events to note: 1) If you’re thinking of changing careers to become a programmer, check out Momentum’s virtual open house with past grads at 7pm tonight. 2) On Saturday from 12-1, All In For Raleigh will hold a livestream fundraiser that will feature musical performances, a live illustration segment for kids and much more. The proceeds will support Raleigh businesses affected by the pandemic. Click here for more details and to register.
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