Austin tech news was in high gear last week, with funding rounds, acquisitions and the opening of Tesla’s gigafactory. This is the Built In Austin weekly refresh.
Tesla’s gigafactory launched with a “cyber rodeo.” Tesla’s new gigafactory in Austin had an opening party called a “cyber rodeo.” The ceremony had neon light displays along with a light show carried on by drones. The party was live-streamed online and permitted 15,000 people. Elon Musk said at the ceremony to expect new product launches next year. [Fortune]
SamCart raised $82M. SamCart is an e-commerce company for creators who want to expand and succeed with their digital business. The Series B funding round, led by Eldridge, will go toward expanding its platform and its team. [SamCart]
AUSTIN TECH QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Data.world gained $50M. Data.world provides a SaaS platform to catalog data. The Series C round will go toward global expansion, product innovation and expanding the team. Data.world is currently looking to hire 20 individuals to the team. [Built In Austin]
These tech companies moved to Austin. Last year, Austin saw eight tech companies open new offices and 13 move headquarters to the Silicon Hills. As of April 8, six companies have announced new offices, including INK Games, John Deere and Atmosphere. [Built In Austin]
Kazoo acquired WorkTango. Kazoo, a HR and employee experience platform, acquired WorkTango, an employee and analytics company based out of Toronto. The acquisition will provide a bigger platform for performance management, employee engagement and recognition. [Kazoo]
