The fall is off to a busy start across the Southeast!
Here are some of the big headlines that dropped this week:
Tech Funding News
* Pairwise, a purpose-driven food+tech company, raised a $40 million Series C, according to Crunchbase.
* Birmingham, Alabama-based Moxi, a daycare on demand startup, raised $650,000 in apre-seed round, marking Alabama’s first-ever majority women capital raise, according to founder Cori Fain-Forrest.
* Three longtime executives with deep ties to North Carolina have launched a new venture firm aimed at supporting early-stage companies in the life sciences with the newly-formed Cape Fear BioCapital, a venture firm based in the Research Triangle Park area that focuses on therapeutics companies looking for seed funding. Triangle Inno has the scoop.
Ecosystem News
* The University of Georgia is accelerating has appointed a new executive director to lead its growing Innovation District. J. Chris Rhodes, director of industry partnerships and project-based learning in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, will begin leading the campus-wide initiative on Nov. 1. Details here.
* Two Atlanta startups have been chosen to take part in a revamped healthcare accelerator operated by Healthworx, the innovation arm for CareFirst. Menda Health and Syntax were among the 20 startups selected out of hundreds of applicants from across the US, in what was the most competitive cohort selection to date for Healthworx’s accelerator program.
* Litmos, a leading corporate learning solutions provider to over 4,000 companies and 30 million learners, today announced the expansion of its AI product portfolio to include new AI Playlists and AI-enabled capabilities to its award-winning Content Authoring Tool (CAT). While headquartered in San Francisco, Litmos’ CEO is in Atlanta.
* Today, ParkMobile and Flash Parking announced their partnership which will revolutionize the driver experience and boost operational efficiency through collaborative tech and innovation. What does this mean? Easier and more efficient on-street and off-street parking payments and reservations for users, ultimately improving the daily lives of drivers and enhancing the efficiency of parking operators, asset owners, and cities nationwide. Press release here.
* DefenseStorm, the leading provider of cyber risk management solutions and co-managed services exclusively to financial institutions, today announces its new partnership with Allure Security. The resulting combination of capabilities will enhance a bank or credit union’s cyber risk readiness through a full-cycle approach that prevents fraud before consumer data is compromised, a brand is damaged, or money is moved.
Acquisition News
* Tampa-based Advantive, a mission-critical software provider for specialty manufacturing and distribution businesses, today announced its acquisition of Comsense, a leading ERP software provider for architectural opening distributors. Press release here.