News
TechLife Columbus keeps up with all of the Columbus startup and tech news. If something great happens locally, you’ll find out about it here.
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Smart Columbus Innovation Lab to Continue, Cbus Fighting to Win Coastal Tech Talent, latest startup, tech news & more.
Smart Columbus will continue as innovation lab following deployment of Smart City Challenge initiatives | The challenge’s stakeholders say the five-year, $69-million investment demonstrates how safer, cleaner and more equitable transport options can create opportunity.
Columbus goes head-to-head in competition with Midwest cities seeking to attract remote tech workers – Business First | Columbus will duke it out against fellow growing Midwest tech hubs wooing hundreds of coastal tech workers seeking more livable cities.
SkyWatch raises $17.2M for its Earth observation data platform with funding led by Drive Capital – TechCrunch | The new round of funding was led by new investor Drive Capital, and included participation from existing investors including Bullpen Capital, Space Capital, Golden Ventures and BDC Ventures.
The Market Minute: This Is How 2020’s Biggest Tech IPOs Have Fared On The Stock Market Roller Coaster – Crunchbase | Last year was a big year for initial public offerings, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary pause it put on public market debuts. But many of those newly public companies have seen their stock prices dip from their levels at the beginning of the year.
Cloudbreak Health Announces Business Combinations with UpHealth, Inc. and UpHealth Holdings, Inc. | Cloudbreak Health, LLC, a leading telehealth and video remote interpretation solutions provider based in Columbus, OH, today announced that it has completed its previously announced business combinations with UpHealth, Inc. (f/k/a GigCapital2, Inc.) and UpHealth Holdings, Inc. The combined entity UpHealth, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker UPH.
Rev 1’s New $20M Fund, Branch Insurance Raises $50M to expand, & we chat with Physna CEO Paul Powers!
Branch Insurance Raises $50M To Expand Team in Ohio, Expand Nationally | Columbus-based insurance startup, has just raised $50M to expand its team and accelerate its national expansion. This is one of the largest insurtech Series B rounds in history and outpaces the growth of other P&C insurtechs like Lemonade and Columbus-based Root.
Central Ohio corporations put $20 million into venture capital fund – Dispatch | Rev1 Ventures, a Columbus venture capital fund, has received a $20 million infusion from some of central Ohio’s largest companies. The money will be used to create Rev1 Fund II, to provide startup companies with capital and strategic advice.
Zell Capital’s VC ‘access fund’ is now live for $1,000 investments – Business First | The online portal is now open for Columbus-based Zell Capital, a first-of-its-kind VC fund open to retail investors with a $1,000 minimum investment.
Monthly Funding Recap: Funding, New Unicorns And Exits Continue At A Strong Pace In May 2021 – Crunchbase | May 2021 marked the third-highest funding month for global venture funding in the past decade, with venture investors spending $43.7 billion last month, up 50 percent year over year.
Comeback Capital Adds New General Partners and Launches New Rolling Fund to Fund Heartland Startups Early Stage – Ohio News Time | Comeback CapitalVenture capital firm, which focuses on early-stage funding of Heartland startups, today announced the appointment of two new general partners. Patrick McKenna, Co-founder / Executive Chairman of Facet Wealth, and Phil Huggerman, Forum Health CEO, will help the company harness the benefits of talent and entrepreneurship in emerging technology hubs outside the Midwest.
Tech firms are gearing up for a post-pandemic boost, but will they have the workers they need? – Business First | Central Ohio’s technology labor market has always been competitive, but national and local trends are making it even tougher. Thousands of openings await some 900 IT-related majors and other graduates from Ohio State University each year – half of whom leave Ohio for work.
In this interview we talk to Paul Powers (Founder/CEO) of Physna about their vision of:
Over 70% of the economy is centered around physical goods, but less than 1% of software is capable of handling 3D data. Physna was founded on the principle that computers should be taught to “think” in 3D, and accurately describe the real, 3D world around us. By enabling 3D models to be treated and analyzed like other code, Physna’s technology bridges the gap between the physical world and digital world of software. By democratizing the ability to design, interact with and analyze 3D models of the world around them, more people will have the ability to create and drive innovation in product design, 3D printing, augmented and virtual reality, gaming, healthcare and beyond.
Columbus Innovation District Prospers, Olive Announce New Partnership, jobs, events, & more!
Healthcare and Technology Transforming Innovation District Prospers in Ohio – ONT | Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s will invest $ 1.1 billion in the Columbus Innovation District; including the development of interdisciplinary research facilities, the Center for Energy Advancement and Innovation, outpatient cancer facilities, and the region’s first proton therapy facility to already treat cancer patients. Ongoing at Ohio State University West Campus.
ScaleHealth Officially Announces Partnership with Olive | ScaleHealth Officially Announces Partnership with Olive. Partnership fosters greater innovation and collaboration between startups and health systems.
OhioX Helps build Talent Networks – Spectrum News | Chris Berry, President of OhioX, discusses with Mike Kallmeyer how innovative Ohio companies create a network of their own to lift the state’s reputation and build a hub of technology workers.
Columbus’ Tradovate to Offer New FairX Futures Commission-Free| Online Brokerage Continues to Bring Innovation to Futures by Offering “No-Fees” Approach, with Commission-Free Trading of New FairX Futures. Tradovate’s mission is to deliver new technology, the latest futures products and new pricing models designed to reduce a trader’s total costs.
Whiplash opens second fulfillment center in Columbus, Ohio | Whiplash, one of the nation’s leading providers of omnichannel logistics services, headquartered in City of Industry, Calif., is announcing the opening of their new, modern, 261,400 square-foot facility located in Columbus, OH.
Dublin’s EasyIT Has Seen Growth & Increased Need for Talent in the Pandemic – Cbus Underground | Like many tech-focused businesses, EasyIT saw an increase in their workload as a result of the pandemic. CEO Kurt Hoeft said the company has had 20-30% more service tickets than it would have without the increase in remote work.
Multifamily Sector Sees Positive Indicators from Healthy Midwest Economy – Rebusiness Online | Amid a global pandemic and its economic repercussions, the American Midwest has remained a place of comparative stability — and opportunity.
Jobs
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Events
There are a ton of great startup events as well as groups to help you explore new technology in Columbus. You can find out about all of them with us, and attend the same day.
