Whether it’s green energy or the greenery of the great outdoors, the Austin tech sector is making new moves in industries across the board. Read more for the latest. This is the Built In Austin weekly refresh.
EnergyX plans to hire 100. Green energy is a topic that is growing in popularity across the country, so battery developer EnergyX is planning to scale its team and presence. The startup specializes in sustainable lithium tech to create greener solid-state batteries. It’s looking to build its Energy Innovation Lab in either Austin, Boston, Miami or Silicon Valley and plans to expand its team as well across several roles. [Built In Austin]
Markaaz teamed up with Equifax. The company offers SMBs a platform that helps them expand their business by managing suppliers, improving cash flow and growing their customer base. It announced a partnership with global data and analytics company Equifax and plans to leverage its newly acquired fraud prevention tech to help businesses mitigate operational risk. [PR Newswire]
Austin Tech Quote of the Week
Zenger raised $10M. The company offers news outlets free written and video content produced by its network of journalists. Its revenue comes from connecting advertisers to content through an open bidding process. With its seed funding from names like Jean-Guillaume de Tocqueville and Andre Johnson, Zenger is enhancing its digital platform and adding more news organizations to its user base. [Built In Austin]
The winner of Austin FC’s startup competition was announced. The soccer team partnered up with fintech company Q2 last month to launch the Dream Starter Competition for startups based in Central Texas. On June 19, the $100,000 prize went to At Ease, a home rental platform for soldiers and federal employees. [Austin Business Journal]
Outdoorsy pulled in $120M. Offering RV rentals, the travel company announced its latest injection of capital. The sum consisted of a $90 million equity round led by Moore Strategic Ventures and a $30 million debt facility from Pacific Western Bank. With the money, Outdoorsy is investing in its insurtech business, supporting customer growth and fueling its latest partnership with Collective Retreats. [PR Newswire]
Literati hired a new executive. Offering subscription-based book clubs on its literary platform, Literati just announced the addition of Lauren Jarvis to its executive team. Jarvis previously worked at Spotify as the head of content partnerships for North America. Now at Literati, she will take over the role of chief business officer. [Variety]
