Tech Wins

New tech school in Tulsa TULSA, OK–With corporate interest growing in the northeast corner of the state, the University of Oklahoma is planning a new technology school in Tulsa to meet workforce demand. The OU Polytechnic Institute would operate on the OU-Tulsa campus and focus on high-demand careers and advanced technology, such as software engineering,…

Indiana cybersecurity experts aid Ukrainians guarding critical infrastructure WEST LAFAYETTE, IN–Purdue’s CERIAS, the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security, has provided programs in cybersecurity training, education and research support to Ukrainian government, public sector and higher education institutions since 2019, through the nongovernmental organization, CRDF Global. CERIAS reports that its approaches to…

CyLab to focus on NextG networks The National Science Foundation has awarded $3M to Carnegie Mellon CyLab researchers to develop intelligent, resilient, and reliable next-generation networks. The project aims to address the shortage of data needed to drive research and development of NextG systems and use advances in an area of machine learning called generative…

Google comes to the Cornhusker State OMAHA, NE—As part of its nearly $10 billion build-out of data center and office space around the world, Google has announced plans to build a 1.4 million square foot data center in Omaha. Google’s planned campus there will consist of four buildings, with construction lasting between 18 and 24…

Tulsa’s tech stance TULSA, OK–You can find strong evidence that Tulsa is increasingly becoming a tech hub. There’s only about one person for every ten open tech roles in the Tulsa metro. Here are some efforts by the city that are making Tulsa the future of technology. Logistics tech company lands $6M DETROIT, MI—Tech startup…

Former Chrysler plant to be home to innovation neighborhood KENOSHA, WI–The Kenosha Common Council has adopted a master plan for an innovation neighborhood on the city’s 107-acre former Chrysler plant. The innovation neighborhood would include space for technology incubators and offices, education and research institutions, up to 1,300 housing units, commercial space, medical offices, and…

Ohio’s Everstream scores $1B CLEVELAND, OH–Business-only fiber network Everstream has secured more than $1 billion in debt financing to refinance existing credit facilities and raise additional capital to continue funding network growth and densification across its 10-state footprint. The deal marks the first time a U.S.-based telecommunications company has leveraged an OpCo/HoldCo financing model, driven…

Indiana scoping out land for innovation park INDIANA–The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is exploring land purchase options in Boone County for what local officials say could be a massive 4,000- 7,000-acre tech innovation park, not unlike the Research Triangle in North Carolina. The county’s location, between Purdue University and Indianapolis along I65, makes it attractive…

Meta data in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, MO—A new hyperscale data center is coming to Kansas City. Meta is announcing Kansas City as its new home and is expected to invest more than $800 million over the next several years to build out a hyperscale data center. The data center will be one of the…

Tech jobs move to Flyover Country FLYOVER–According to a Brookings Institution report, Madison, Wis., and Durham, N.C., have marked strong growth in new tech jobs while cities traditionally considered tech strongholds have seen their growth rates slip. The study says that work-from-anywhere policies and newly mobile tech workers will improve the economies of smaller cities…

New accelerator institute formed with IBM CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, IL—A new accelerator institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign collaborates with IBM and is ready to push the boundaries in computing. The IBM-Illinois Discovery Accelerator Institute, which includes a 10-year agreed-upon collaboration supported through $200 million in funding, combines the strengths of academia and the…

Tech careers for Hoosiers INDIANA—DC-based IT company MetroStar has committed to creating technology careers for 100 Hoosiers over the next five years in support of ongoing initiatives to grow the organization’s team of creatives, strategists, and technology enthusiasts. MetroStar’s Midwest Expansion Plan is a strategic investment bringing additional innovation, growth, and technology careers to Indiana.…

$38M for Nashville cybersecurity company NASHVILLE, TN—Founded in 2017, Phosphorus pitches itself as providing a platform that eliminates the IoT security gap. The company has banked $38 million in new funding to fuel growth and technology development and enhance its user experience. Chief investors in the Series A round are MassMutual Ventures, which is the…

Boosting the tech industry in St. Louis ST. LOUIS, MO—TechSTL is a new organization that will be focused on boosting the St. Louis region’s tech industry, with the ultimate goal of making it the “most diverse high-tech innovation hub in the country.” TechSTL was made possible through a $474,020 grant awarded in 2021 by the…

Michigan’s Censys completes $35M funding round ANN ARBOR, MI—Censys, which provides continuous attack surface management, has completed a $35 million Series B funding round led by Intel Capital. Censys’ attack surface management platform monitors internal assets, identifies security issues, and integrates with existing security solutions. KY companies receive state matching grants LOUISVILLE, KY—​Nine innovative Kentucky companies will…

LAWRENCE, KS—A new government-funded research project at the University of Kansas could help improve how companies, the government, and academic institutions respond to the next generation of cyber threats. LOUISVILLE, KY—The University of Louisville will partner with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on research and education to strengthen the country’s cyber defenses and national…

ST. LOUIS, MO—The U.S. Department of Defense is making St. Louis a Midwest hub for national security innovation. It has tapped Jake Laktas, a co-founder of national security-focused startup nanoMetallix LLC, based in St. Louis, to be the regional director of the National Security Innovation Network (NISN). TULSA, OK—ClearSign Technologies, a company that develops emission-control…

PITTSBURGH, PA—In the field of robotics, there are very few credentials people can earn. The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM) is launching a prototype of virtual reality credential assessments for robotics manufacturing. This new initiative will offer incumbent manufacturing workers the chance to formally certify their on-the-job experience via VR and add new skills…

NORTH CAROLINA—The rush to fill the global chip shortage rages on. According to the Triangle Business Journal, a U.S. semiconductor company is scouting a location in North Carolina’s Chatham County. If it happens, the project could have a capital investment of $40 billion or more and bring up to 10,000 jobs. COLUMBUS, OH—In what could…

CINCINNATI, OH—Fifth Third Bank has been ranked among the top 10 national banks in the U.S. in BankDirector.com’s report “2022 RankingBanking: The Best Banks.” It also ranks No. 4 in the Most Innovative Banks category, based largely on investment in technology. Fifth Third’s estimated technology spend in 2020 was $362,000. LINCOLN, NE—Physicists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are…