Stories

Esri opening an office at T-REX ST. LOUIS, MO—California-based geographic information system software company Esri will open an office within the Geospatial Innovation Center at T-REX. Esri will provide qualifying startups in the center with access to cutting-edge ArcGIS Developers tools and services at no cost. The center is the next step in St. Louis’s move toward geospatial…

DURHAM, NC—Lolli, a company that deals in Bitcoin rewards, has raised $5 million from multiple investors, including Seven Seven Six, the VC fund headed by Reddit founder (and husband of tennis great Serena Williams) Alexis Ohanian. MINNEAPOLIS, MN—Niron Magnetics, which develops permanent magnets free of rare earths, raised $21.3 million in funding. The company will…

Antibody levels PITTSBURGH, PA—Do antibody levels actually reflect how well a body can neutralize a virus? A project at the University of Pittsburgh is aiming to find out how long antibodies last in immunocompromised individuals, as well as how they change over time. Ghady Haidar, MD, assistant professor of medicine and director of research, bone marrow transplant and…

MEMPHIS, TN—Researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital claim that comprehensive whole genome, whole exome and RNA sequencing will be a critical addition to pediatric cancer care. The sequencing can help identify unique tumor vulnerabilities and lead to better treatment. ANN ARBOR, MI—Strata Oncology is also looking deeply at tumor profiling. Researcher Dan Rhodes noticed that the best chance…

CARY, NC—Quantum computing firm Atom Computing closed on a $15 million round, and has named Rob Hays, Lenovo’s former chief strategy officer, as its new CEO who will open the company in Cary. The firm chose the location for its close proximity to potential partners, as well as the quantum-versed talent at nearby IBM, Microsoft, and…

Durham to prepare students for agbiotech DURHAM, NC—A new training program at the Durham Technical Community College will prepare students for good-paying, entry-level jobs in North Carolina’s growing agricultural biotechnology industry. Agriculture is the state’s largest industry, with an annual economic impact of about $96 billion across food, fiber and forestry production. Waymo opens office…

A novel T-cell test for COVID-19 OAKDALE, MN—Infectious disease testing laboratory Infectolab Americas has validated a novel T-cell test for COVID-19. The novel T-cell test for SARS-CoV-2 can help monitor cellular immunity against COVID-19 and offers greater detail to the immune status of long-haul patients. In-home detox program ST. LOUIS, MO—During the pandemic lockdowns, many Americans began…

MADISON, WI—Xudong Wang, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, was inspired, if you will, when Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in a game against the Vikings. He knew that much depended on a quick recovery for the three-time MVP. What resulted was Wang’s invention of…

COLUMBIA, MO—EquipmentShare, a construction fleet and digital solutions startup, announced a $230 million investment round that will help launch a new core tech solution for their EquipmentShare Track smart jobsite technology. COLUMBUS, OH—Robotics welding company Path Robotics raised $100 million in Series C funding to build on its imaging and AI efforts. Tiger Global led…

Purdue earned 175 U.S. utility patents on one year WEST LAFAYETTE, IN—Purdue University earned 175 U.S. utility patents in 2020, the most among all Big Ten universities. The Purdue Research Foundation is the home of the school’s Office of Technology Commercialization, which manages the licensing, patents and technology transfers for innovations created by university researchers. New robotic…

Vaccine acceptance and behavioral AI KNOXVILLE, TN—The pandemic caused people to have to make a lot of changes. Lirio is using artificial intelligence (AI) to help solve behavior change challenges critical to the health of the globe, such as COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Lirio calls it Precision Nudging, an engagement algorithm and messaging system developed based on behavioral science.…

DURHAM, NC—Duke University Hospital is the first to implant a new-generation artificial heart. CARMAT, a medical company focused on heart implant technologies, had received FDA to study patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure last year. Duke was one of just three transplant centers in the U.S. selected to join the study. The team there received specialized training…

RALEIGH, NC—Big win for flyover country! insightsoftware, a startup that provides financial reporting and enterprise performance management (EPM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has landed an $800 million investment from global investment firm Hg. We’ll be following these guys closely. KANSAS CITY, KS—Overland Park govtech company Daupler received a $4 million investment from Burnt…

Exploring icy environs from your own home COLUMBUS, OH—Researchers from OSU’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center have developed a way for you to explore glacial and ice-covered sites around the world from the comfort of your own home. The Virtual Ice Explorer (VIE) encourages informal learning about icy environments by immersing visitors in “choose…

ST. LOUIS, MO—A research team at Washington University of Medicine in St. Louis has identified potential new treatment targets for Alzheimer’s disease. The potential targets are abnormal proteins that lead to the buildup of amyloid in the brain, which contribute to the problems in memory and thinking. COLUMBUS, OH—Research being done at The Ohio State University Wexner…

Mayo Clinic technology licensed ROCHESTER, MN—The Mayo Clinic has developed technology that is meant to boost the protective capacity of new vaccines. The engineering process amplifies the antigen protein that’s delivered by a vaccine at the cellular level. Oklahoma-based Tetherex Pharmaceuticals has licensed the tech from Mayo. COVID-19 and anemia ROCHESTER, MN—AI health tech company nference used…

Monetizing gaming talent PITTSBURGH, PA—Metafy is a platform that enables online gamers to monetize their talent through one-on-one coaching and courses. It has had solid growth since its start and will be closing on a $5.5 million seed extension in the next few weeks. Founder Josh Fabian talks to Crunchbase about how he knew his…

ST. LOUIS, MO—Aspire Software, which provides management tools for landscaping, snow and ice, and construction businesses, has been acquired by ServiceTitan, a CA-based company that offers management software for businesses such as pest control, pool care and plumbing. Aspire Software will continue operating in St. Louis. CINCINNATI, OH—Just five months raising $20 million, Physna, which makes…

ST. LOUIS, MO—An Arizona Biomedical Research Commission-funded clinical trial currently underway at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that the amino acid GABA may hold the key to new treatment options for Type 2 diabetes. OKLAHOMA CITY, OK—A collaboration between Oklahoma University and energy tech company Baker Hughes has resulted in an advanced…

A look at vaccine immune response ST. LOUIS, MO—Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found evidence that the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines is both strong and long-lasting. The research involved extracting cells from people who received the Pfizer vaccine at three-, four-, five- and seven-week intervals. COVID-19 antibodies study DETROIT,…