Nashville’s technology industry held one of its largest parties of the year on Thursday night, honoring everything from fast-growing startups to the city’s largest public company. The Greater Nashville Technology Council’s annual awards program drew a crowd of 550 people, representing 130 tech companies and other organizations, to downtown’s Wildhorse Saloon.
Tennessee News
Lexington Progress: Commission Approves 10% Match for Broadband
The Henderson County Commission met on Thursday evening, February 10, 2022. The Budget Committee met at 6:30 p.m. and began the presentation from Lexington Electric System Manager Jeff Graves on the LES and City of Lexington project to expand broadband to LES customers. A representative from Southwest Tennessee Electric also said that their company would be applying for some of the same grants and would want to extend broadband into the southwest and western portions of Henderson County where they are the provider.
Nashville Inno: Tech Bytes: Execs join unicorn and startup; quarterly record for i3 Verticals; details on grants and pitch contests
Built Technologies, Nashville’s newest unicorn, issued a recap of its record-breaking 2021. The company raised $213 million from new and pre-existing investors, at a $1.5 billion valuation. Built doubled headcount to 330 employees, “and expects to continue on that pace in 2022,” the company said in a press release. Built also brought on executives Bob Van Nortwick as president, Bob Elliott as chief revenue officer, as well as vice presidents for sales, finance, marketing and other spots.
Knox News: University of Tennessee accelerator will help clean energy startups develop climate-saving tech
The Knoxville-Oak Ridge corridor is adding another resource to help make the region an innovation hub for clean energy companies. The University of Tennessee Spark Innovation Center is recruiting early-stage, high-growth startups for its Spark Cleantech Accelerator focused on developing decarbonization solutions and advancing circular economy efforts in East Tennessee.
Memphis Inno: Local startup looks to transform epilepsy diagnosis via at-home tech
When MBJ asked Mark Myers what he did over the weekend, he said the “ever-living hamster wheel” of work took up most of his time.
Look at his various responsibilities, and you’ll see what he means.
NashvillePost: Nashville tech startup adds four executives
Four months ago, Zerv Access Solutions — a Nashville-based technology startup — announced plans for rapid growth after raising $15 million in its Series A fundraising round.
NashvillePost: Telemedicine company completes $10M capital raise
Locally based telehealth venture VisuWell announced Wednesday it has completed a successful $10 million Series B capital raise led by Fulcrum Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based growth equity firm, with continued participation from existing investors, Longmeadow Capital, PJC and UltraGroup, per a release.
Memphis Inno: U of M professor looks to help solve dental problem, using material derived from shellfish
Annually, the average American eats over four pounds of shrimp, according to The New York Times.
Yet few of us realize that on the exoskeleton of these creatures — and some of their crustacean cousins — is a material called chitosan, which has an array of potential uses. And a University of Memphis biomedical engineering professor, Joel Bumgardner, Ph.D., believes it can help improve treatment for a widespread dental disease.
Main Street Nashville: Greater Nashville Tech Council appoints new board members
The Greater Nashville Technology Council welcomed 11 new board members during its January quarterly board meeting:
• Amy Harris, Program Director, MTSU
• Lindsey Morgan, Managing Director, Vaco
Nashville Inno: Cloud Range cybersecurity startup nets first outside equity, from funds in three states
Company name: Cloud Range
Amount raised: About $1 million — the company’s first outside equity
From whom: The round was led by Circadian Ventures, an Atlanta-based early-stage venture capital fund. The other investors were TechFarms Capital, of Panama City Beach, Florida; and Connetic Ventures, of Covington, Kentucky.
