It's Peak 2020 that 1) yesterday saw the biggest software IPO in history; 2) the startup's name is Snowflake. Of course today the backlash is already starting with shares diving at the opening bell. Because you knew views would quickly become polarized.
Digital Divide
As many schools have largely gone to entirely virtual learning for the time being, it’s greatly exacerbated an issue that was already significant—the digital divide. Namely, the division between the haves and have-nots when it comes to access to computers and reliable, high-speed internet in the home. Our Suzanne Blakespoke to officials at the Durham Public Schools Foundation, Wake County Schools’ WakeEd Partnership, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools to find out what’s being done across the Triangle to deal with these issues during the pandemic and beyond. Read our full story here.
Healthy Eating
We all know we should eat our veggies and whole grains (I’d recommend against too many foodstuffs made with white flour, but I’m not the boss of you). RTP-based SoilMetrix intends to do its part to keep those goodies headed to your plate, while simultaneously protecting the environment. SoilMetrix’s SaaS solution provides digital augmentation tools to complement physical soil sampling with virtual soil sampling, enabling farmers to better manage their soil to increase productivity in a sustainable way. SoilMetrix is led by CEO Shane Hand and is a spinout from Ag TechInventures, founded by Triangle Tech Legend (as named by WRAL TechWire) Karen LeVert. Read our full story on SoilMetrix here.
Know Your ABCs
Sticking in spinout-land, the UNC spinout startup ABC Insights has been acquired by Maryland-based HelloCampus, reports TBJ. (No, they won’t say how much it was for.) ABC Insights helps colleges and universities make financial and spending decisions by comparing them to peer institutions. The startup also went through the Launch Chapel Hill accelerator. Like ABC Insights, HelloCampus started life within a university—in its case, the University of Maryland. The combined company will be led by HelloCampus’ CEO and will keep its HQ in Maryland, but “plans to grow its footprint in Chapel Hill.”
Tantal-izing Deal
Raleigh-based smart-utility-grid tech company Tantalus Systems has entered into an agreement to merge with Vancouver, Canada-based RiseTech Capital Corp. Founded in 1989, Tantalus provides electric and water utilities with “smart grid” solutions for advanced metering, demand management and response, and conservation. The Tantalus team will remain in place and lead the combined company. TechWire has more details.
Blasting Off
Today’s TBJ has a story on Morrisville-based JupiterOne, which sounds like a movie from the Wachowskis but is actually a cybersecurity startup. In fact my sources say that GrepBeat is working on a feature on JupiterOne as we speak. (If you’re the writer in question: stop reading this and get cracking!) But here are a few spoilers: JupiterOne began two years ago as part of Morrisville-based LifeOmic, a software company focused on the healthcare industry, before spinning out as a standalone startup. Now it has inked a $19M Series A led by Bain Capital Ventures and is in rapid growth mode. Sure, but can they dodge bullets like Neo?
Back To School
Michael Chasen, the former CEO of Raleigh-based drone startup PrecisionHawk, has returned to his edtech roots. The Washington Business Journal reports that Chasen. who left PrecisionHawk in January, has raised $16M in funding to build a new edtech product that would be used in tandem with the Zoom platform. Earlier in his career Chasen was the Co-Founder and President of edtech biggie Blackboard.
#ThemToo
WRAL TechWire ran a pretty disturbing story this week on the results of a survey by Women in Tech of 1,003 women tech employees, startup founders and investors. Among other things, the study found that nearly 50 percent have experienced harassment, a figure that’s barely budged since 2017 despite the raised awareness from the #MeToo movement. Moreover, some 41 percent of female founders who were harassed experienced sexual harassment, with 65 percent of that group being propositioned for sex. Not good, not good at all.
Out Of Towners
The Techstars-operated MetLife Digital Accelerator that’s based at MetLife’s Cary campus has announced the 10 startups in its third cohort. None of them are based in the Triangle. While that was also the case last year IIRC, one benefit of the accelerator to the area is that the startups would parachute into the Triangle for three months, with one hope being that one or more might stick around. But due to the pandemic, this year’s program will be virtual. Oh well. Anyway, TBJ has all the details.
Extra Bits
1) Because the “what’s the best way to land a good job?” question is (understandably) posed so often, American Underground put together a document to help job-seekers navigate the Triangle’s startup community. Now they’re sharing it with you. 2) UNC’s Eship Center has officially launched Scale School, a pilot program to support scaling and growing ventures get to the next level. The courses are open to the community, take place virtually, and are generally one night a week for 4-6 weeks. The cost is $749. Find more info and register here.
Guess where Pete is and (maybe) win a GrepBeat mug!
This week’s winner is Alex Krawchick, the CEO of past GrepBeat story subjectKlearly, for emerging victorious from the random number generator among the 17 people who correctly identified that I was at Durham’s Bull City Burger and Brewery. (Which just so happens to be next door to GrepBeat’s new HQ.)
We cede the stage to Alex: “Look. I’ve been trying to win this thing for years. I thought maybe I’d have an insider’s edge given the loathsome affinity Pete and I have for the same two consistently incompetent NY football and baseball teams. Honestly, I was about to give up on this muggy competition. I thought for sure it was rigged. I was even beginning to strategize with counsel to contest the results (too soon?). But as a very wise man once said, ‘Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!’ Perhaps there’s still hope for 2020. Thanks to GrepBeat’s algo, my faith is restored. But there’s always tomorrow. Be well, everyone!” (Note: The sports teams in question are the Giants and Mets, and Alex says that “algo” is tech shorthand for “algorithm,” which, O.K., I guess.)