austin
StellarFi lands $15M to help people build credit by paying bills, rent on time
Building credit is hard when it’s difficult to even get credit. And while it’s not impossible to get loans or credit cards, they are usually offered at high interest rates to the people who can le
8VC raises $880M in new fund that aims ‘to fix a broken world’
Austin-based venture firm 8VC, led by controversial Palantir founder Joe Lonsdale, has raised $880 million in its fifth fund. In a blog post published today, Lonsdale — who serves as 8VC’s gen
Fatal police shooting of startup founder puts Austin’s diversity issues in the spotlight
For years, Austin has made headlines as an evolving tech hub where startups, large companies and investors alike have flocked to set up a presence. But as 2022 closes, the Texas capital is in the news
Austin-based ICON awarded $57.2 million NASA contract for lunar construction tech
ICON, a construction tech company that’s raised more than $400 million in funding, has landed a new contract from NASA to develop new systems to build on the moon and Mars. The $57.2 million contrac
BalkanID brings AI to identity governance and administration to take on SailPoint
Identity governance and administration (IGA) -- that's probably not something you think of every waking hour of your day, but somebody on your IT team probably is.
Battery investment moves onshore to kick-start US EV production
Here’s a look at some of the major U.S. battery projects underway.
Founderpath secures $145M in debt and equity to help B2B SaaS startup founders avoid dilution
In this challenging fundraising environment, more startups than ever are turning to alternative financial solutions such as debt. Despite the negative connotation associated with debt, a startup shoul
You can’t afford a house, but you can probably afford Nada
Rents are going up in cities across the U.S., but the national homeownership rate has been steadily declining as prospective buyers grapple with low supply, weakening purchasing power and record-high
Tesla Cybertruck on track to launch summer 2023, Elon Musk says
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed Wednesday that the automaker aims to launch its long-awaited Cybertruck mid-2023. “We are still expecting to be in production with the Cybertruck in middle of next year
Roe reversal weighs heavily on emerging tech cities in red states
The recent increase in conservative legislation and political division could affect the tech landscape, deterring workers from migrating to these hubs and causing an exodus of talent from red states.
Things get messy for Elon Musk with report about new twins he shares with Neuralink exec
Last month, Insider published an explosive report about a former SpaceX flight attendant who accused SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk of propositioning her for sex in 2016 and to whom the company paid
Austin-based True Wealth Ventures raises second fund to back women-led startups
Sara Brand and Kerry Rupp of Austin, Texas-based True Wealth Ventures defy many trends in the venture capital world. The investors, who raised $19.1 million for their first fund in 2018, have just clo
Tesla sued by former workers for allegedly violating federal law during ‘mass layoffs’
Two former Tesla employees filed a lawsuit against the EV maker Sunday alleging that the company did not provide the 60 days of advance notice required by federal law during a recent round of layoffs.
Down bad
Welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we talked about layoffs and the Winklevoss rock gods. This week, we’re looking at a new layer of crypto doom and gloom. Get this newsletter in your inb
Sana, which offers health insurance plans to SMBs, raises $60M and doubles valuation since October
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have for decades struggled with being able to offer their employees health insurance. Sana, a startup that wants to make offering health insurance plans more a
The Winklevoss twins rock on
Welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we talked about an arrest in the crypto world that had investors sweating. This week, we’re talking about rocking through the general malaise of a cryp
The first US crypto rewards credit card on the American Express network is here
Credit card companies are trying to sweeten the perks they offer their customers, and American Express is doing just that through a new partnership with crypto wealth management platform and wallet pr
Chick-fil-A taps Refraction AI for autonomous delivery pilot
When Refraction AI was founded in 2019, its goal was to use robotics to bring down the cost of last-mile delivery. Over the past couple of years, the startup has worked directly with restaurants in it
Onramp Funds accelerates e-commerce financing platform with $42M in equity, credit
The company provides working capital based on sales forecast data to resolve the shipping, fulfillment, advertising and inventory cost of goods for e-commerce sellers.
Workrise fixes API that spilled users’ personal information
Workforce management unicorn Workrise has fixed an exposed API that was spilling some users’ personal information. The Austin, Texas-based startup, which previously went by RigUp, was founded in