Ford chooses HAAS Alert for Techstars mentorship
With quieter, more insulated cars and ever-crowding roads, it can be easy to miss an incoming emergency vehicle. HAAS Alert is a notification platform that connects to onboard screens, warning drivers about approaching fire trucks, ambulances and police cars. This week, the company started at Techstars Mobility, a Ford-sponsored three-month mentorship program in Detroit. HAAS Alert also received $120,000 in funding, winning one of 12 spots in the transportation-focused program. [Techstars]
Fieldglass founder joins Signal board
Signal added startup veteran Jai Shekhawat to its board of directors. Shekhawat founded cloud-based labor management company Fieldglass, which sold to SAP for more than $1 billion last year. On Signal’s board, he will help the cross-channel marketing platform grow beyond its startup roots as it puts a new $30 million funding round to good use. [Signal]
Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo talks founder life at Pandoland
Dick Costolo is back to being a founder after a five-year stint as CEO of Twitter, running a new fitness software platform called Chorus. While speaking at the Pandoland tech conference in Chicago this week, he admitted he prefers being an entrepreneur. But he also mentioned how much he missed Chicago, where he lived before taking the Twitter gig. He founded FeedBurner here before it was acquired by Google, while also taking part in the Chicago comedy scene. [Chicago Tribune]
Procured Health secures $10M to analyze for spending for waste
Procured Health raised $10 million in a Series B led by Heritage Group. The data technology startup aims to reduce unnecessary spending by analyzing not just resources used or time wasted, but also treatments that are less effective or have a higher risk. The new funding will bring new employees to the Chicago office, which already houses 60 people, but the exact number of new hires and timeline for bringing them on has yet to be determined. [Built In Chicago]
Strike Social makes the Red Herring 100 North America
Coming up with a great product is only half the battle when building a killer startup; a poorly run business will never be able to ship that product no matter how innovative it may be. Strike Social was recognized by Red Herring as one of the top 100 startups in North America. Red Herring chose Strike due to its recent growth (including a move to Chicago) and its growth in the competitive video media buying space. [Red Herring]
McDonald’s plans move to the West Loop
McDonald’s is moving into Oprah’s old haunt, the company announced this week. The fast food giant is building a new office at the site of the former Harpo Studios in the West Loop where Oprah Winfrey taped her talk show. The new space will house both global and U.S. headquarters, along with Hamburger University, the company’s training center. The move from Oak Brook is expected to wrap up by spring of 2018. [Crain’s]
LYFE Kitchen debuts mobile app for remote orders, rewards tracking
Everyone has an app these days, but many businesses don’t invest much in their mobile presence. However, a new app from LYFE Kitchen includes plenty of features for fans of the fine fast-casual chain. Not only can users order ahead through the app, but they can also track rewards earned through frequent visits and read original blogs and restaurant news, according to a release.
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