Want to stay up to date on the latest startup fundings, launches, and expansions in Austin? Startup Over Coffee’s weekly roundup of Austin startups to watch will keep you in the loop on the latest Austin tech news. Catch up on previous weekly roundups here.

Cloudflare

As more west coast companies migrate to Texas, Austin’s tech startup scene continues to grow rapidly. One of those startups that’s growing its presence in Austin is Cloudflare, a San Francisco-based company that is expanding both employment and office space. 

Launched in 2009, Cloudflare is an internet security company whose purpose is to make your Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable. According to Built in Austin, Cloudflare is currently hiring over 170 new employees in departments varying from engineers to designers, in addition to leasing a 125,000-square-foot office building. Cloudflare has raised a total of $331.1 million since its founding, and has offices in Seattle and San Jose as well as international cities like London and Toronto.

Spruce buys The Minte

Founded in 2016, Spruce, an Austin-based startup, is a multifamily industry that provides on-demand housekeeping and services. According to Austin Inno, Spruce is currently in the process of buying The Minte, a Chicago-based company. Similarly, The Minte offers “hotel-style housekeeping” for apartments. 

As a result, Spruce will be able to expand its services in Chicago, which will help maintain its growth momentum, as it’s already raised $8 million last November and expanded into over ten new cities. Through the help of these two companies merging, over 450,000 apartments will be serviced in the month to come.

Buildforce

Located in both the Houston and Austin areas, Buildforce has recently announced raising a $4 million capital fund, with contributions from TDF Ventures, Mercury Fund, and Austin-based S3 Ventures.

As the tradesmen profession becomes more and more scarce, the demand for craft professionals is high, specifically in Texas. This is where Buildforce comes in. Launched in 2020, Buildforce hopes to build the largest community of craft professionals in the U.S. by using technology to connect contractors and tradesmen. Will Rayner, TDF Ventures Principal, explains that there are many unfilled openings for skilled tradespeople in the U.S., according to Austin Inno. With the help of its $4 million funding, Buildforce will be increasing its product innovation and go-to-market efforts. 

Fundr Capital Inc.

According to Austin Inno, Fundr, an Austin-based financial technology company, will be raising $1 million on funding in order to supply more businesses with investment opportunities and increase equitability for startup investments. 

Founders Lauren Washington, Boris Moyston, and Jean-Philippe Desmontils launched Fundr in 2018 and have seen significant growth since then. From being accepted into Sputnik ATX to a partnership with DivInc, Fundr already has plans to hire employees in the next 12 months and will continue hiring more employees once the funding closes. Although there’s currently no lead investor in the $1 million seed round, with previous investments from a SAFE note, its total funding haul is up to date, and no lead investor is necessary. 

About Michelle Vernaza: Michelle is a Business Development Associate Intern for Swyft, which is a tech PR firm in Austin and Houston and a top digital marketing and PR agency in Denver since its founding in 2011. Swyft recently opened a satellite office where it offers tech PR in San Francisco. Swyft was also listed as one of the top tech PR agencies in Texas by the B2B services review site, Clutch.co.