Tech roundup: Dose hires Distractify CEO, Cubii gets VC funding and more

by Andreas Rekdal
March 31, 2016

Legacy brings loved ones’ recipes back to life

The Recipe Vault — a food blog created by online obituary publisher

— recently won a Digiday Publishing Award for “best new band publication.” The publication features recipes passed down by or created in honor of lost loved ones. Standout posts include a recipe for “Nana’s Scones” and the story behind how some bartenders have renamed Jack and Coke “The Lemmy,” after Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister. [Legacy.com]


DRIVIN launches dealer insights tool

Last Friday,

Our Chicago office is located in River West on the North Branch of the Chicago River. We have free shuttles to major train stations and CTA lines.
— a Chicago-based tech-enabled vehicle sourcing service for car dealers — announced the launch of its Insights tool, which aggregates data on markets and car availability to discover trends that help dealerships pick the right cars for their lots. [PR Newswire]


Chicago puts water innovation on the agenda

On Monday, World Business Chicago announced a new public-private partnership centered around water research. Current, which is the new project’s name, aims to turn the research being done at Chicago’s labs and universities into marketplace innovations. [Chicago Tribune]


Dose brings on former Distractify CEO

We're in a great, convenient River North location that's close to brown and blue line CTA stops.
, the digital media company behind Dose.com and OMGFacts, announced last Friday it is bringing on former Distractify CEO Jason Mustian as VP of growth. Dose, whose media properties draw over 50 million unique visitors monthly, raised $25 million last December in a round led by Tribune Media.


Cubii tacks on VC funding after successful go-round on Kickstarter

The startup behind

— an under-your-desk elliptical that raised $300,000 on Kickstarter — announced it has raised an additional $650,000 in seed capital from investors including Healthbox, Howard Tullman, and Jai Shekhawat. The company said the round was raised to meet the overwhelming demand for its product. [Built In Chicago]


Breather brings entrepreneurs a temporary respite from it all

— which rents out private workspaces by the half hour for entrepreneurs who need meeting space or a quiet place to hunker down for a day — launched in Chicago on Tuesday. The company has a presence in California and on the East Coast, as well as in Ottawa, Toronto and its native Montreal. [Built In Chicago]


Pillar wants to help you find a workout buddy

If you’re having trouble finding someone to go running with you, look no further.

, a Chicago startup, will provide you with an on-demand workout buddy. Workout partners are ranked by experience level, and workout options include cycling, yoga, tennis, kayaking and lifting, to name a few. [Built In Chicago]

 

STATS to cover 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four

Chicago’s leading sports tech company just landed a gig to cover the 2016 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

We're in the heart of downtown Chicago, steps from the Riverwalk, bars/restaurants & cultural attractions, complete with a CTA stop in the building!
will use its player tracking technology to collect real-time metrics that the NCAA and its media partners can use to provide in-depth, stat-driven coverage of the games.

Images via listed companies.

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