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

Featured image by Briggo Inc.

Briggo

The coffee robots you may know and love (and may have seen at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport or the Austin Convention Center) will no longer bear the logo Briggo. A subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company has acquired Briggo and will be rebranding all robot coffee kiosks. Briggo announced in a tweet that it will be rebranding as Costa Coffee BaristaBot, according to Austin Inno. 

All Briggo employees have now joined the Costa Coffee team. In addition, the Briggo app in which one could order their coffee and then watch it be assembled in the kiosk has been replaced with the Costa Coffee app. Currently, there are five coffee kiosks all within the state of Texas but the company plans to expand to other cities in the U.S. over the next two years. Though the name has changed, the coffee company plans to maintain the same quality and innovation throughout all the kiosks and make the transition for Briggo consumers as smooth as possible. 

Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye, a video surveillance startup based out of Austin, recently received a $40 million Series E funding led by Accel. According to Built In Austin, Eagle Eye plans to use the funds towards expanding their technology and furthering growth. 

Eagle Eye’s video management system is both encrypted and cloud based, so video surveillance footage can be accessed remotely on the internet. The VMS system also includes AI that is able to flag suspicious activity and notify the operator. Furthermore, the video surveillance company works with thousands of security camera solutions companies so that replacing hardware will be unnecessary for Eagle Eye customers. 

Slingshot

Austin-based aerospace company, Slingshot raised $8 million in a Series A funding round, according to Austin Inno. With this latest funding round, the total amount raised by Slingshot is up to $17.1 million. Slingshot plans of using the new funds to hire new employees within the company in addition to the 30 they currently employ. The aerospace company is primarily looking for engineers who can help the team in continuing to develop innovative technology.

Slingshot is able to visualize complex data and real time locational awareness of debris in space or any other objects in space. Slingshot is able to provide this information using advanced analytics, aerial imagery, and partnerships with government agencies such as NASA and the U.S. Air Force. 

Slingshot has been busy this year, and not just with raising funds. Earlier this year, Slingshot landed a research grant from the U.S. Air Force to investigate how Slingshot’s platform can be used to rebuild a high tech Air Force base that was previously destroyed by a hurricane. Slingshot also launched a partnership with an L.A. nonprofit to map out food resources. In addition, the aerospace company scored a $2 million deal to develop an immersive space simulation for Space Force in partnership with a Hollywood visualization studio.

Tomo

Tomo, a fintech startup that operates in the real estate industry, recently raised $40 million, according to Built In Austin. With the fresh funds, Tomo plans to expand its 20-person company by not 10, not 20, but hundreds of people across the company’s three locations. Stamford, Connecticut; Seattle, Washington; and Austin, Texas will all be gaining new, smiling faces in their offices. Positions Tomo is seeking to hire include but are not limited to software engineers, product development officers and fintech experts.

Tomo, named after the Japanese philosophy “omotenashi,” combines real estate agents, loan officers and automation into one platform to simplify the buying process for home buyers. Though not yet operating in Austin, Tomo is planning to launch its platform in Austin in the first quarter of 2021. The Austin office will be either downtown or south downtown. 

Remedy

Remedy Applications is a healthcare startup whose platform is used to facilitate doctor house calls and telemedicine appointments. Remedy also runs a walk in clinic in the flagship Whole Foods location here in Austin, Texas. After the WARN Act (Workforce Adjustment and Retraining Notification) which was recently passed on October 22, Remedy laid-off 82 employees, according to Austin Business Journal. 

Though the layoffs are unfortunate, Remedy’s Chief Marketing Officer, Keith Munro, states that the layoffs are no indication of problems in the core business. The layoffs are a result of Remedy’s ability to act flexibly in the vastly changing marketplace during what can certainly be described as unprecedented times.

About Savannah Burns: Savannah is a Business Development Associate for Swyft, which is a tech PR agency 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.