One of the latest startups to spin out of the University of Texas at Austin, GenXComm has received a $1.5 million seed round of financing.

The Austin-based startup is focused on doubling the amount of traffic a wireless network can handle. Its patent-pending technology is called S-SIX.

FAM Capital Partners led the investment with investments from the UT Horizon Fund and other investors.

GenXComm, founded in 2016, has created patent-pending technology that doubles the capacity of the available network and increases performance by up to 30 times for dense environments, said Sriram Vishwanath, co-founder, and president of GenXComm. He is also a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UT Austin.

The problem today is that networks “must transmit and receive in either different frequencies at the same time, or at different times on the same frequency,” according to a news release.

“What we are enabling is a whole new class of communications tools that can talk and listen at the same time,” Vishwanath said. “We enable the solution to remove interference.”

“GenXComm’s technology enables multiple transmitters to coexist side-by-side, enabling life without interference,” according to a news release.

GenXComm is already testing its technology and plans to deploy it nationwide through licensing deals and through its own products.

The company, which has 11 employees, plans to use the latest funding to hire key employees and to continue research and development on its technology and testing with strategic partners.

“GenXComm is focused on commercializing a UT-based technology with massive potential,” Nick Tulloh, Senior Investment Analyst with the UT Horizon Fund, said in a news release. “With the increasing adoption of IoT devices and streaming services representing an increasing portion of mobile internet traffic, data demands are outpacing network capabilities. GenXComm plans to deliver quality and capacity improvements across the whole spectrum of networked devices.”

In April, GenXComm presented at the Innovation Center’s StARTup Studio.

This isn’t Vishwanath’s first startup. A few years ago, Vidur Bhargava and Vishwanath invented patented software technology to make wireless networks perform more efficiently at UT Austin. That technology is being commercialized by M87, a startup founded in Austin, which moved to Seattle.

Rishi Bhilawadikar created the movie, “For Here or to Go?” to tell the story of H1-B Visa workers in the U.S. living in limbo.

He knows the story firsthand.

For 12 years, Bhilawadikar, a native of India, has been in the U.S. first under a graduate student Visa at Indiana University and later as a technology worker with an H1-B Visa, which primarily goes to highly skilled technology workers in the U.S.

“This is an untold story about immigrants in America,” Bhilawadikar said. “They have a lot to contribute but they are shackled in their ability to do so. “

In the movie, Silicon Valley software engineer Vivek Pandit wants to work for a healthcare startup but his work visa is about to expire. He gets caught up in a paperwork nightmare trying to extend it. The movie shines a light on similar struggles of uncounted immigrants in the U.S., Bhilawadikar said.

In his spare time, Bhilawadikar, who is a senior interaction designer for Gap Inc., completed the film in 2015. The indie-film went through the festival circuit before getting screened in public theaters. It is currently playing at Film Desi Theaters on Research Blvd. in Austin through Wednesday.

The movie has appeared on 35 screens in 12 states, Bhilawadikar said.

“A lot of it is based on my experiences as an immigrant worker,” Bhilawadikar said. “I first came to the Bay Area, and I was being asked to work my master’s thesis on a startup idea. But incubators didn’t have the ability to sponsor Visas.“

The film depicts how challenging it can be to pursue ideas and dreams while being on an immigrant status, he said.

“This is a very significant story that no one has been talking about,” Bhilawadikar said.

He says there is a real “gap of empathy for the immigrant worker.”

And few know how immigration works in the US and it leads to all kinds of discrimination. Bhilawadikar said.

“It locks up human potential,” he said.

The U.S. limits the number of H1-B Visa workers to 85,000 annually and about 100,000 more are reissued or extended.

“China and India received 82 percent of all H-1B visas issued in 2016, according to data from the U.S. Department of State,” according to a story in Recode.

“Their existence is completely dependent on the employer,” Bhilawadikar said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been here for two years, 12 years or 20 years.”

“My message really is that employers, employees and universities, and organizations need to understand how the laws affect human life,” Bhilawadikar said.

The movie is a call to action to all such organizations that can impact these laws, he said.

By LAURA LOREK
Publisher and reporter with Silicon Hills News

Creating a great company culture isn’t just about having perks like free lunches, Ping Pong tables, and nap rooms.

“They are important in a sense,” said Courtney Branson, head of culture at Square Root in Austin. “Having a Ping Pong table does bring people together and helps build relationships, but it’s not all a company culture is. Having those things won’t make your company a great place to work.”

Having a great company culture can differentiate a startup in the marketplace, said Michele Herlein, Ph.D., workplace expert and Chief Human Resource Officer at Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon in Nashville.

“It’s the secret sauce,” Herlein said.

Companies that focus on culture outperform others by three times, Herlein said.

“It’s not the perks,” she said. “The culture is really defined by how things are done. The way people feel, how they are treated and if people are able to make a difference and use their own talent to add value to the company…What creates a great culture is a company where an employee feels valued.”

Austin has several startups with great company cultures. Fortune Magazine and Great Place to Work named Square Root, AgileCraft, AcademicWorks, BP3 Global to its 2016 list of the nation’s best small to medium sized businesses.

Square Root sees company culture as essential to success, said Chris Taylor, its founder and CEO. The bootstrapped, private company, founded in 2006, makes store relationship management software and has 55 employees and $12 million in annual revenue.

Square Root learned about the importance of company culture after it hit 18 employees and two talented workers left the company, Taylor said. It was because the company hadn’t articulated its values and its mission, he said.

From that point forward, Square Root did just that, he said.

“We made company culture a huge priority,” he said.

Its mission statement is to “transform the relationship between brands and their stores.” Its values, which are framed and hang on the walls of the conference room, are to “think big, do bigger, be customer inspired, partner and thrive.”

Having someone in charge of human resources and company culture is extremely important, Taylor said.

A lot of tech companies skip adding a human resources executive in the beginning but as they become bigger that position can become essential in preventing a toxic workplace.

“When you are first starting out you put everything before the people because you are just in it and you’re racing to develop the next big thing,” Branson said. “I came on board and I really tried to make our values come to life.”

Square Root set up a system to hire employees based on its values, Branson said. Every job candidate meets with several executives and each one ranks them. Branson interviews candidates for cultural fit.

Recently a job candidate scored well with everyone but Branson. He was dismissive of her and her questions. She ranked him lower than everyone else so they didn’t offer him a job and started the process over again.

Having a toxic company culture can be detrimental to a startup, Taylor said.

The importance of a healthy company culture came to light recently in Silicon Valley with online ride-hailing company, Uber. Earlier this month, Travis Kalanick, its founder, took a leave of absence following a “series of scandals stemming from its bad boy culture,” according to the New York Times.

Uber’s problems stem, in part, from a blog post by one of its former software engineers, Susan Fowler, who wrote about being hit on by her boss and reporting it to human resources and being told to either endure it or find another assignment.

That kind of behavior can lead to a toxic workplace if companies try to keep Rockstar engineers happy by bending the rules and making allowances for their behavior, Taylor said.

The key is to create an environment where everyone can thrive, Branson said. And having a diverse culture helps, she said.

Square Root does provide perks to employees and they do help keep employees engaged and happy, but company communication is key, Branson said. The company executives meet with employees on a regular basis.

Among Square Root’s most popular perks is an annual $3,000 tuition reimbursement that employees can use on anything to learn a new skill like scuba diving.

And recently Square Root’s COO Elizabeth Schwartz took a sabbatical to complete a five-month hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The company also has a monthly event called “knitting” in which employees gather on the lawn to share something they are passionate about outside of work. Topics have included whiskey, fostering dogs, and writing stories for children.

Last fall during Fortune Magazine’s Great Place to Work conference for small to medium sized businesses in Austin, Herlein toured Square Root.

“They really were putting intention on culture from the ground up,” Herlein said. “They were putting processes in place to make sure the people they hired were congruent with the company’s values.“

Square Root’s campus consists of five 1920s craftsman style bungalows in Clarksville, less than a mile from downtown. Its campus has a unique neighborhood feel that was very inviting, she said.

A healthy company culture ensures that employees take good care of customers, she said.

“Everyone should always be continually learning, growing and progressing,” Herlein said.

Leadership needs to demonstrate trust and integrity, she said.

Sometimes problems arise in a company culture when someone is promoted into management. They might be a great engineer, but they might not make a great manager, she said.

“It’s got to be the decision of leadership that you don’t tolerate those behaviors,” Herlein said. “The traits you condone are what you’re going to get.”

Maintaining Square Root’s great company culture as it gets larger is extremely important, Taylor said.

“Every person you hire is going to move your company culture,” he said.

Taylor wants to make sure those employees move the culture in the right direction.

Editor’s note: As part of the day-long NewCo Austin conference, Square Root’s COO Elizabeth Schwartz and its CEO Chris Taylor are giving a talk at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at its offices to talk about “Take a Hike: How Our Culture Supported My 5-Month Sabbatical.”

Amazon announced Friday plans to buy Austin-based Whole Foods Market in a deal valued at $13.7 billion.

“Millions of people love Whole Foods Market because they offer the best natural and organic foods, and they make it fun to eat healthy,” Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, and CEO said in a news release. “Whole Foods Market has been satisfying, delighting and nourishing customers for nearly four decades – they’re doing an amazing job and we want that to continue.”

Under the deal, Whole Foods Co-Founder John Mackey will remain CEO and the company will continue to be based in Austin, according to a news release. And all stores will continue to operate under the Whole Foods Market brand.

“This partnership presents an opportunity to maximize value for Whole Foods Market’s shareholders, while at the same time extending our mission and bringing the highest quality, experience, convenience, and innovation to our customers,” Mackey said in a news release.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.

Founded in 1978 in Austin, Whole Foods Market is the leading natural and organic foods supermarket with sales of $16 billion in 2016. It has more than 460 stores in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. and it has 87.000 employees.

The Austin business community is glad Whole Foods will remain locally based.

“It’s great to hear that Whole Foods, an iconic homegrown company, will remain an integral part of our local community,” Mike Berman, a spokesman at the Austin Chamber of Commerce said in a news statement. “This game-changing announcement is yet another example of the strong creative culture and talent throughout the Austin region that enables innovative businesses to start, grow, and attract a significant level of investment. While this move will hopefully result in more opportunities for Austin, we can’t be complacent. To help Austin remain an attractive job generator, we need to stay focused on recruiting new headquarter companies, building venture capital, and helping small businesses grow.”

Tom Ball, co-founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures, sees Austin as a “natural fit for Amazon’s growth strategy.”

“The deal makes a lot of sense for a number of reasons, especially with Amazon’s local physical footprint already established on the AWS side of the house,” Ball said in a news statement. “No one is quite sure yet how Amazon will parlay its technology ambitions into existing Whole Foods locations, however, Bezos surely saw the size of Whole Foods influence in the grocery market segment and felt like now was the time to strike a deal. Austin will undoubtedly be a test market for some of these broader technology initiatives as Amazon extends its reach into brick and mortar.”

Procore Technologies, which makes construction management software, is hosting a Summer Solstice Kick-Off party next Thursday.

And you’re invited.

The event takes place at Procore’s Austin office at 221 W. 6th Street on the 18th floor starting at 5:30 p.m. It features light dinner and drinks, but you must RSVP.

“It’s not often that we get the chance to open our doors to the Austin community, so we’re taking full advantage by throwing a little party and giving away something BIG!” according to Procore.

Procore advises people to bring their business cards to enter their big giveaway.

The Austin office is the second largest office for Carpinteria, Calif.-based Procore Technologies. It opened three years and late last year it moved into a much larger office space on the 18th floor of the Chase Tower building downtown. Procore has more than 50 employees in the 16,000-square foot Austin office and is rapidly hiring.

Procore Technologies makes cloud-based project management software used in all types of construction projects from industrial plants to university facilities and retail centers and more.

Tooey Courtemanche, the company’s CEO, founded Procore Technologies in 2002. The company has raised $179 million since its inception, according to its Crunchbase profile.

Forbes reported last December that the company reached unicorn status after raising a $50 million venture capital round that now values the company at more than $1 billion.

Editor’s note: This is a sponsored post for Procore Technologies, which is an advertiser with Silicon Hills News. For more information on the party,
click here.

Since launching in 2012, Eagle Eye Networks has become the largest cloud-based video surveillance provider in North America.

It’s also the largest cloud-based video surveillance provider in Asia.

And now, it’s set its sights on becoming the largest cloud-based video surveillance provider in Europe.

On Thursday, Eagle Eye Networks announced the acquisition of Panasonic Cloud Management Service Europe B.V., based in Amsterdam, for an undisclosed price. The acquisition gives Eagle Eye a strong foothold in the European market. It also gives them the Panasonic Cameramanager and Panasonic Nubo. The company is the largest cloud-based video surveillance provider in Europe.

Serial Entrepreneur Dean Drako, founder and CEO of Eagle Eye Networks, doesn’t like to disclose much about his company’s financial dealings. He has raised an undisclosed amount of venture capital from big name backers like Michael Dell. It is a private company and gets the privilege of not disclosing financial details, Drako said.

With his latest venture, Drako is also disrupting the traditional market of video surveillance which primarily relies on digital video recorders to store security video on the premise of a store, restaurant or other establishment. With the Eagle Eye Networks technology, all the video is stored in the cloud. And that cloud is made up of eight strategically placed global data centers. The acquisition of Panasonic gives the company two more data centers in Europe.

Now Eagle Eye Networks has three data centers in Europe, three data centers in North America and two data centers in Asia.

Eagle Eye Networks, which is based at 4611 Bee Cave Road in Austin, has 100 employees worldwide. It has seen 150 percent to 200 percent growth in its market in the last year or so, Drako said.

Eagle Eye’s customers are small businesses like convenience stores, salons or a franchise operator and big corporations like Indeed.com, Uber and Facebook. It also sells a lot to schools and government agencies.

Its main competitor is what Drako characterizes as traditional video security providers that put computers in closets to capture and store video.
“We’re the Gmail version or Office 365 or Saleforce.com version of video surveillance systems,” he said.

Most of the market is still doing it the traditional way, Drako said. It’s a “slow moving market,” he said.

Eagle Eye Networks is the “first and largest provider of cloud surveillance,” he said. They can provide security video services better, faster and cheaper, he said.

One of the interesting things about the cloud-based system that is unique – criminals break in to rob a store and they steal the DVR on the way out or destroy it to get rid of the video, Drako said. With Eagle Eye’s cloud-based they can’t do that, he said.

CognitiveScale announced Tuesday that is has received an additional $15 million in venture capital for product development of its augmented intelligence products.

Norwest Venture Partners, Intel Capital, Microsoft Ventures, the Westly Group and USAA provided the investment. To date, the Austin-based startup has raised $50 million.

“We are excited about the future AI-enabled enterprise, and believe no other company is better equipped to bring it to fruition than CognitiveScale,” Promod Haque, Senior Manager Partner, Norwest Venture Partners, said in a news release. “We’ve seen how CognitiveScale’s unique, industry-tailored AI software can create value more quickly by transforming customer engagement and augmenting employee decision making, allowing enterprises to perform at levels they never thought possible.”

CognitiveScale plans to use the funds to further develop its “two flagship products, ENGAGE and AMPLIFY, which are built on its open and extensible Cortex OS,” according to a news release.

“This round of funding demonstrates continued confidence in our strategy to help businesses augment and extend human creativity and capabilities,” CEO of CognitiveScale Akshay Sabhikhi said in a news release. “We have delivered real and measurable outcomes with some of the largest banks, healthcare and retail organizations, and are delighted to see the great client and investor demand for our enterprise AI products.”

In addition, CogntiveScale announced that USAA is also “implementing CognitiveScale’s augmented intelligence solution so that USAA advisors can provide their more than 12 million members predictive, data-driven banking and insurance services,” according to a news release.

“USAA has a long history of using emerging technologies to develop innovative ways to serve our members,” Nathan McKinley, vice president and head of corporate development for USAA said in a news release. “Our work with CognitiveScale allows us to support such innovation through our investment while also leveraging the AI products they have today to find ways to better serve our members.”

If you’re an entrepreneur, you know getting a small start-up operation successfully up and running requires a watchful eye on the bottom line. Maybe you can spring for a ping pong table in the snack room, but you can’t imagine footing the bill for health insurance for you, your employees and families.

You might be wrong. Done right, health care can provide financial rewards and even help ensure your business’ success.

Want to save money? By purchasing “group coverage” for you, your employees and families, you can claim a tax credit on what you pay, as well as additional tax deductions, saving your business more money. A “group” can be as few as two employees, even husband and wife.

Want to retain good employees? Studies show that workers are more loyal to employers providing health insurance. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you have little time to spare to recruit, hire and rehire.

Want to convince the best job seekers to pick you over others who are hiring? Health insurance often is a deciding factor when an excellent applicant decides among several job offers or career paths (particularly if they have families).

Want to increase worker productivity? Employees with health insurance tend to see doctors early when they’re sick, get checkups, exercise, eat better and otherwise pursue “wellness.” That means they’re healthier, take less time off from work and contribute more to your enterprise. Also, productive employees can shoulder more work when demand warrants.

Demands differ at different start-ups, as do workers’ health needs. Before any business leader considers health insurance options, she or he needs to ask the right questions. Start with these:

Questions to Ask When Shopping for Healthcare

How much can I afford? You can’t risk your business’ success and pay too much. Employees appreciate that, too; they wouldn’t want you to risk their job security by paying too much for health care. Look at payroll percentage: how much can you really afford to budget? But keep in mind the tax credits and added tax deductions available when providing group health care.

Pay more up front or when seeing a doctor or seeking emergency care? Primarily, health plans fall into two categories: pay more for the plan and less when you seek medical care, or vice versa. A key question: are you, your employees and their dependents younger (and, thus, less likely to need a lot of care and prescriptions) or older (more likely)? These factors can help in choosing the best option for your company.

Is it better to wait until later this year and look at individual health care plans? If you’re an entrepreneur working alone, that’s an option. But keep in mind you can only purchase insurance during open enrollment which for 2018 is November 1 through December 15.

Can I count on the carrier? Have you ever been so frustrated with an insurance company that you almost (or actually) throw your phone against a wall? Pick one who never seems to return calls or always sends you to an endless phone tree and you’ll likely need to redo this all over again next year…and need to purchase a new phone.

Vista360health is local health plan company serviced by customer representatives who actually live in your zip code! They offer affordable health plans including 24/7/365 access by phone to a live doctor who lives and works locally. You can save money on prescriptions, ensure employees get the most out of each doctor visit and more. Check out our options and then contact us. It might be one of the best business decisions you’ll make this year.

This is a sponsored post by Vista360Health, an advertiser with Silicon Hills News