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March 25, 2021
Before We Begin Announcements and the like Elise: We're kicking off today's Beat with some exciting news! On April 15, Inno is launching its 15th market, Houston Inno. If you’re interested in this city’s growing ecosystem or know a colleague or friend who is, please sign up now and forward along here. Houston Inno will join our sister sites in Austin and North Texas as we build the preeminent network for all things Texas innovation. Welcome to the Inno family, Houston!
Now, onto some Charlotte news...
The Big One A breakdown of the day's biggest Inno story With the launch of a new web-based platform, Charlotte software startup Ekos is doing more to positively impact its brewery customers.
Founded in 2014, Ekos provides business management software to breweries, wineries, cideries and other independent makers. The startup says it has customers in 40 countries. It helps them manage things like inventory, production, sales and accounting.
Christine Kyriazi, vice president of marketing, said the concept for the platform, called Craftlab, began to take shape last spring after customers reached out for advice and guidance in navigating business during the pandemic.
"They were looking to each other, and to us, about best practices and navigating the waters," she said. "Our customers really wanted a space where they could find that support and exchange those ideas."
Kyriazi said Craftlab is a free platform linked from the Ekos website but it is considered separate from Ekos' software offerings. On the site, users will find content separated by industry type as well as areas of expertise.
"The vision is to bring in peer experts from the industry and our technology partners so we can establish a community that will help our customers grow their businesses," she said. "We don't know everything, so we're bringing in as many experts as possible."
Read the full story here!
Want more Charlotte Inno? Read all our stories here.
Making Moves Quick hits on the local businesses, people and organizations making moves Tech Madness semi-finals Today is the last day to vote in the semifinal round. After three rounds and nearly 12,500 total votes, four teams are left standing — No. 4 Dualboot Partners, No. 7 HireMe Healthcare, No. 8 Boardroom Insiders and No. 8 PetScreening. The closest victory of round three was HireMe Healthcare, which nudged out Emporos by just 36 votes. The top vote-getters in the last round — Dualboot Partners and PetScreening — go head-to-head in the semifinals, while Boardroom Insiders dukes it out with HireMe Healthcare. Round 4 voting ends at midnight. AvidXchange eyeing multi-billion dollar IPO Charlotte unicorn AvidXchange Inc. is prepping for an initial public offering later this year. A report from Reuters, citing people familiar with the matter, said AvidXchange is eyeing the second quarter to trade on the stock market. Those involved estimate the firm's value between $5 billion and $10 billion, the report said. AvidXchange did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The fintech firm is one of Charlotte's fastest-growing companies, posting a 133% growth rate from 2016 to 2019. Since October 2019, the firm has closed on $601.4 million in equity capital — more than $450 million of which closed in 2020. Robinhood looking to add operation in Charlotte, sources say Fintech company Robinhood is nearing a deal to add a possibly 300-job operation in Charlotte. The Menlo Park, California-based company is rumored to have zeroed in on Charlotte for hundreds of jobs and a new local office, multiple real estate sources have told the Charlotte Business Journal. A company spokesperson declined to comment when reached late Tuesday. A formal announcement may come early next week. City of Charlotte economic development officials have not responded to requests for more information about whether Robinhood is looking at Charlotte for an office. Real estate sources have indicated to the CBJ the company has been actively looking for space here, and it may still be finalizing a location. Robinhood has more than a dozen job postings for Charlotte or Fort Mill listed on its website. Naborforce expands operations to eastern North Carolina Richmond startup Naborforce announced on Tuesday that it will expand its geographic reach by adding services in North Carolina's Wake County. Naborforce, founded in 2018 by Paige Wilson, is designed to connect aging adults to a network of care providers for companionship and on-demand support. The demand for the types of support the startup provides has nearly tripled in the past six months as older people experience higher rates of isolation and loneliness since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Launching operations in Wake County to meet this increased need is the Naborforce's first expansion outside of Virginia and is expected to increased support options for Raleigh-area residents, as well as job opportunities. Featured Jobs Below are featured jobs from our Careers Directory. To feature a job in this newsletter, read more.
In the Know The local startup and innovation stories you need to read today
Elsewhere in Inno Stories from around the Inno network we think you'll dig In the Community The events and happenings to know in the ecosystem For more upcoming events, be sure to browse the Inno events directory. Opportunities If you don't know, now you know Inno Info In-no-fo? Inn-fo? Interested in sponsoring this email? Please contact sales@americaninno.com for more information and sponsorship opportunities. Meet the Author: Elise Franco: efranco@americaninno.com
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