Tech, energy firms close funding rounds
Imubit, a Houston company specializing in artificial intelligence process optimization for refiners and chemical operators, completed a $30 million funding round to bring its Closed-Loop Neural Networks to every process manufacturing plant around the globe.
The Closed Loop Neural Network platform is an AI process optimization solution that enables hydrocarbon processing plant operators to discover, engineer and monetize process optimization opportunities considered impossible until now.
Zeev Ventures led Imubit's latest funding round, alongside global ScaleUp investor Insight Partners, with participation from existing investors Spider Capital and UpWest.
This investment brings the company's total funding to $50 million.
Fluence Analytics lands venture funding, contract
Stafford-based Fluence Analytics, specializing in continuous polymer reaction monitoring and control, announced the close of a venture funding round and new business collaboration agreement with Yokogawa Electric Corp.
Yokogawa signed a collaboration agreement with Fluence and participated in the $7.5 million financing round with investors including Energy Innovation Capital, Diamond Edge Ventures (CVC arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp.) and JSR Corp.
Under the collaboration agreement they companies will work together to expand and accelerate the deployment of Fluence’s systems worldwide.
Yokogawa will be Fluence Analytics’ exclusive distributor in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
DocSpace closes $1.2 million seed funding round
DocSpace, a digital health commerce platform that helps clinicians start, manage and grow tech-enabled private practices, announced $1.2 million in seed funding led by Slauson & Co.
The round includes other notable investors Precursor Ventures, Acrew Capital’s Scout Fund, SputnikATX Ventures, and Angel investors Nathan and Sonia Baschez, Nikhil Krishnan, and Eliana Murillo.
The seed funding will support the build out of DocSpace Pay, an integrated one-click checkout health care payments experience for patients and clinicians.
DocSpace’s HIPAAcompliant infrastructure provides digital health storefronts with custom themes to back office management tools such as scheduling, video conferencing, banking, payroll and bookkeeping.
Whataburger, Academy partner on clothing line
Texas-based duo Whataburger and Academy Sports and Outdoors teamed up on an exclusive clothing line that launched Monday in stores and online.
The line, cobranded with Whataburger and Academy’s Magellan Outdoors, targets Whataburger fans who also love the outdoors, the companies said in a news release.
The new collection features fishing shirts, lightweight performance shirts, boat shorts and caps.
Main Street Capital completes three transactions
Main Street Capital Corp. of Houston recently invested $38.5 million across three investments, including two new portfolio investments and one followon investment to support the growth of an existing portfolio company.
It completed a new investment as a minority recapitalization of the Affiliati Network, a performance marketing agency that specializes in affiliate marketing; a new investment to complete the minority recapitalization of Oneliance LLC, a provider of final cleaning services; and a follow-on investment in Bolder Panther Group, a retailer of tobacco products, to facilitate an acquisition.
Health care labor market closes Series A round
Golden Section Ventures led a $7.85 million Series A investment in Houston-based KARE, a digital labor marketplace for senior care and post-acute care facilities, to drive national expansion.
KARE is a clinical care labor platform connecting employers with clinical and hospitality talent on a shift-by-shift basis, with the opportunity to hire directly off their platform on a full-time basis.
GSV is a Houston based investment fund specializing in earlystage B2B software companies.