Big News!

Google Cloud announced this morning that it will establish an engineering site in Durham that is expected to grow to 1,000+ jobs. The office will be Google Cloud’s fifth hub, joining the Bay Area, New York, and two in the Seattle area. (Tough luck, Austin!) Marian Croak, Google’s VP of Engineering, said the move came down to the Triangle’s abundance of tech talent: “We need the most talented team possible and the Triangle region has some of the best and brightest engineers in the world.” Even beyond the great jobs it will provide the region, Google’s move is the kind of affirmation that helps cement the Triangle as a top tech hub. You can read much more in TechWire (their main story plus a reaction piece from Triangle tech leaders), TBJ and the N&O.

Lock It Up

Cybersecurity is important for every kind of organization, but the stakes are just a bit higher when the system in question launches missiles, powers a city, or protects classified national secrets. Raleigh-based startup Secmation is becoming a go-to player in that space, with Founder Hal Aldridge’s background in robotics giving the company a distinguishing feature. Secmation will be one of the startups participating next week in CED’s virtual Venture Connect summit (March 23-25, next Tuesday-Thursday). Read our full story on Secmation here.

Built To Last

A few weeks back, we mentioned that Durham-based Built Story was selected as one of 50 startups nationwide for the second cohort of Google for Startups Founders Academy. Today we’re following up with a full feature story on the startup founded by wife-and-husband team Alexina and Brian Alonso. Built Story bills itself as the world’s first marketplace for self-guided tours, allowing anyone to take—or create—a walking or driving tour. For example, among the most popular tours to date have been a “ghost tour” of the UNC campus, Christmas light tours in Durham and Raleigh, and a tour of historic locations on Martha’s Vineyard. Read our full story here, or we may send those Tar Heel ghosts to haunt you.

SPAC Attack

The SPAC craze has touched the Triangle tech scene once more, even if it hasn’t scored a completely direct hit (not counting life sciences, which we don’t). IronNet Cybersecurity, which is based in Northern Virginia but has a sizable presence in Raleigh—about 25 employees, including Chief Marketing Officer and longtime SAS vet Russ Cobb—is going public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) via a SPAC. IronNet is merging with the SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) LGL Systems Acquisition Corp in a deal valued at about $1B.

Essentially it’s a back-door IPO for IronNet, but one that can be executed more quickly and at potentially better terms than the old-fashioned route that makes a lot of money for folks like my former colleagues at Goldman Sachs. IronNet’s current investors will also be investing more in the deal.

Shoot From Lip

We’ve mentioned in the past how much we like the willingness of Igor Jablokov—the CEO of high-flying Raleigh-based AI startup Pryon and a former Download Q&A subject—to say pretty much anything and everything that's on his mind. He’s like the Steve Spurrier of the Triangle tech scene. Igor already has a big exit under his belt after co-founding a voice recognition startup that was acquired by Amazon and helped launch Alexa, so when he talks big, it pays to listen. Yesterday’s TBJ had a story fittingly headlined “Why CEO says Raleigh startup is primed to 'explode' with growth” that is worth a read. Don’t ever change, Igor!

They've Got Next

Donald Thompson, the CEO of Raleigh-based marketing consultancy Walk West, has been named to the Forbes Next 1000 list for his side project, the tech-first consultancy The Diversity Movement. The Diversity Movement helps companies reassess and strengthen their commitment to and impact on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Two others from the Triangle made the list: Daniel Swimm, the Founder of Durham’s Grow Fragrance; and Dalaine Bradley, the Co-Founder of Raleigh’s Vraiment Financial. TechWire has more details.

Turning The Key

It’s no secret that the Triangle’s residential real estate market is booming. Today’s TechWire has a deep dive on the many ways that tech-enabled real estate plays are fighting for traction in the Triangle. Those include local startups like Raleigh’s Reignlist and Cary-based Fathom Realty as well as national players like Orchard, Opendoor and Zillow.

SAS Cutbacks

While Google and others look to ramp up in the Triangle, one longtime stalwart is trimming a bit. SAS announced some layoffs as part of a “digital transformation,” though the company stressed that it’s simultaneously hiring in other areas. TechWire and TBJ have more info.

Make It Legal

Hutchison is a boutique law firm that embraces the entrepreneurial spirit and steers technology and life sciences entrepreneurs to success through all stages of their company’s life. Hutchison partners with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial-minded organizations to enable business solutions that make the law work for them, and advises angel investors and venture capital firms to support their investment selections to maximize their potential for success. Hutchison takes the time to learn your business and understand what’s behind the deal.

Extra Bit

Did you know that there’s such a thing as International Data Day? Well, Mike DeCamp does, and the marketing exec at Raleigh-based power management company Eaton is launching his second children’s book, What Is A Data Center?, to mark the occasion. (For the record, International Data Center Day is next Wednesday, March 24.) The book follows a young honey badger who visits a data center with her parents, who are both IT pros. Hey, as a big fan of Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu, this sounds right up my alley. You can buy a hard copy the book here, or see a digital version here.

Because too much news is never enough.

• RTI teams up with global tech firm to offer variety of health informatics solutions (WRAL TechWire)

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Time for March Mugness!
 

March Mugness marches on! The thrilling first round included three earth-shattering upsets, including the No. 8 seed Jubala taking down top-seeded Bean Traders in the Burbs + NC State Region by a single point (33-32) when an attempted Bean Traders dunk of a cruller into a cup of coffee was blocked at the buzzer. There were also a pair of No. 7-over-No. 2 upsets—Monuts bounced the Durham Hotel 50-22 in Downtown Durham while Yellow Dog sent 42 & Lawrence packing early by a 41-20 score in Downtown Raleigh. See a full recap of the first round here.
 
Now it’s time to vote for the Sweet 16! The polls for this round will be open until tomorrow (Friday) at 5pmET. Here are the matchups:
 
Downtown Durham Region
No. 1 Beyu Caffe v. No. 7 Monuts
No. 3 Mad Hatter’s Café v. No. 4 Cocoa Cinnamon
 
Downtown Raleigh Region
No. 1 Morning Times v. No. 7 Yellow Dog
No. 4 Sir Walter Coffee v. No. 6 Videri Chocolate
 
Killer C’s Region (Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Cary)
No. 1 Café Carolina v. No. 2 Carolina Coffee Shop
No. 3 La Farm v. No. 4 Gray Squirrel
 
Burbs + NC State Region
No. 2 Guglhupf v. No. 8 Jubala Coffee
No. 3 Starbucks/Page Road v. No. 4 Liquid State
 
So go vote now! And follow all the play-by-play here.