Funding stories. M&A events. And new companies moving into the region.
Your Friday ‘Fund’ Day is a wrap up of what happened across the Southeast’s innovation ecosystem. Here are the big headlines and stories that you need to know from this week:
Funding News
* New Orleans-based Prokeep, the customer engagement platform designed to streamline distributor communication, announced its $25 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Dahlia Equity Partners with support from Ironspring Ventures, S3 Ventures, and Benson Capital Partners. You can read about Prokeep over the years in Hypepotamus coverage here.
* Atlanta-based Synaptrix, a medical device startup, announces Series A First-Close of $10M to develop NOVABLOC™, a first-in-kind drug-free solution for extended post-surgical pain relief and elimination of opioids.
* Pool Protection Technologies (PPT), a Savannah-based start-up pioneering sustainable pool maintenance technology, won the Audience Choice Award and the Grand Prize at the BizPitch Columbus competition this week.
M&A News
Atlanta-based business advisory, tax, and accounting firm Aprio announced the expansion of its footprint to southern California through the acquisition of Kirsch Kohn Bridge (KKB), a female-led CPA firm out of Southern California. With the acquisition, Aprio moves into new industries, including construction, real estate, professional services, retail, and manufacturing, according to a press release.
In Other News
The Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is expanding its collaboration with Apple by joining the company’s New Silicon Initiative (NSI) – a program that aims to prepare students for careers in hardware technology, computer architecture, and silicon chip design. More details from Georgia Tech here.
Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that GreenBox Systems LLC (GreenBox), an innovative company that provides automated warehouse services to businesses of all sizes, will invest $144 million in a new distribution facility in Jackson. The project will create more than 300 new jobs in Butts County.
