• Private Equity firm Vista Equity Partners recently closed the its seventh flagship tech buyout fund with $16B in capital commitments. The firm reportedly expects to add its own money on top of this to account for 4-6% of the fund’s total value. The fund has already backed four deals which includes the majority stake purchase in low-code software company Quick Base Inc. and the $1.9B acquisition of health-and-wellness software provider MINDBODY. The effort comes less than two and a half years after Vista closed its previous mega-fund, bringing in roughly $11B in 2017. All told, across various fund strategies, Vista has now raised about $37B for buyouts and growth deals since the start of 4Q 2014
• SeekOps, a drone-services provider that uses sensors to locate natural gas emissions, secured an undisclosed amount for its Series A-1 fundraising. Investors include OGCI Climate Investments Fund and Equinor Technology Ventures.
• Lawgix, a platform provider used to facilitate collaboration and fee oversight among banks, legal professionals, and insurers, reported raising $2.1M in equity funding. Lawgix reported raising $4.2M in equity and other securities in November 2018.
• Entvantage Diagnostics, a biotech firm focused on reducing the use of antibiotics for ear, nose, and throat illnesses, reported raising $515K in new equity funding. The company has raised $5.8M to date.

• IP for Finery, a personalized wardrobe tech company with deep roots in Austin, has been acquired by Stitch Fix (NASDAQ: SFIX), the online personal styling service. Financial details were not disclosed. To date, Finery has raised $5M.

• Sourcewater, a Houston-based developer for oilfield water intelligence software, raised $7.2M Series A led by Bison Technologies. Additional investors included Marubeni Corp. and energy family offices.
• Ft. Worth-based private equity firm TPG Capital announced its recent acquisition of Convey Health Solutions, a Florida-based healthcare technology solutions provider. Financial terms are undisclosed.
• NextSeed, a Houston-based crowdfunding platform, raised $1.24M of venture funding from undisclosed investors. The company has raised approx. $9M to date according to Pitchbook.
• DPC Healthcare, a Dallas-based provider of personalized primary care, raised $600k of angel funding from undisclosed investors
• Beyond It, a Houston based provider of cybersecurity and digital forensic services, was acquired by Xact Data Discovery, via its financial sponsor JLL Partners.
• HipPocket, a Dallas-based real estate marketing platform, was acquired by HT Mobile Apps for an undisclosed amount
• TimeClockPlus, a San Angelo-based time and attendance management platform, as acquired by Providence Equity Partners.

• Favor, the mobile based food delivery app, appointed Fernando Trueba to be the new Chief Marketing Officer. Trueba’s most recent experience was as co-founder and CEO of Luv.it, a mobile platform for emerging fashion brands. Favor was acquired by H-E-B in February 2018.
• SailPoint Technologies, an enterprise identify management software developer, announced Matt Mills will be the new Chief Revenue Office. In this role, Mills will lead the global sales organization and spearhead the company’s overall go-to-market strategy and execution. Previously, Mills served as the CEO of MapR Technologies and Senior Vice President of North American Sales for Oracle. Sailpoint IPO’d in 2017, and has a market cap of over $2B (NYSE: SAIL).
• KUNGFU.AI, an Austin-based consulting firm that helps company develop strategies and solutions for artificial intelligence, promoted Steve Meier to its newly-created role as Chief Creative Officer. Meier was previously the VP of Sales and Marketing.

• Austin ranks among the top 10 of major U.S. cities for average amount raised during seed, early and late stage investments. Trends show that Austin has a strong presence for early stage investments compared to later stage.
• The University of Texas at Austin is now home to the world’s fastest academic supercomputer
• Facebook Opens Its New Austin Office, located at 607 West 3rd Street, With Room for 1,550 Employees
• Spruce, a provider of hotel-inspired services to the multifamily industry, relocated its HQ from Houston to Austin
• The annual Austin Inno 50 on Fire list has been released. The list highlights local startups that have experienced exceptional success over the past year from product launches, fundraising, or innovative solutions.
• National Instruments (NASDAQ: NATI) creates a joint venture with ETAS GmbH to design, build, and service auto parts
• Exebridge Inc., which also operated under the name LeTigre Solutions Inc, an Austin-based IT firm, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
• Paul Carbone of Yeti Coolers LLC and Malini Rajput of Capital One Bank have been selected to a national list of notable financial executives.
• Whole Foods is testing a payment system that will scan a customer’s hand for identification at check out. If the initial test is successful, Whole Foods will pilot at select stores in early 2020 and eventually expand to all locations.
• Phunware, an Austin-based mobile app development platform, is facing ongoing legal fight with Uber