ShopRunner raises $30M and announces new office
ShopRunner, a Chicago-based e-commerce company specializing in helping retailers process payments and provide two-day delivery and free returns, announced the raise of $30 million in funding led by August Capital. The funding will be used for product development, boosting its data science capabilities and scaling the company overall, which includes moving to a new office in River North to house more incoming staff. [Built In Chicago]
HAAS Alert gets $1.1M grant from Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate
HAAS Alert, which provides technology for first responders, was awarded $1.1 million in funding from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to scale its vehicle safety solutions. The company develops technology that allows inbound responders to transmit warning and informational messages to other emergency personnel and civilians, intended to ensure the safety of everyone. The funding will be used in direct support of developing that digital infrastructure. [PR Newswire]
P33 is planning for Chicago tech’s future
A new initiative called P33 launched this week to evolve Chicago tech’s ecosystem and solidify the city as an international tech and commerce hub of the future. Members of the program will work together in assessing the city’s challenges, devising solutions and planning strategies to reach them. P33 was was organized by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club and is co-chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Ocient co-founder and CEO Chris Gladwin. [Built In Chicago]
Uber is beta testing on-demand staffing in Chicago
Uber, best known for its eponymous ride-hailing app, is currently testing an on-demand staffing platform named Uber Works in Chicago. The initiative, which has been in early-stage operation in the city for the last few months, connects temporary workers paid hourly with events, corporate functions and businesses that need additional help. [Chicago Tribune]
ParkWhiz launches new initiative to ease parking garage and lot ticketing systems
On-demand parking spot provider ParkWhiz announced the rollout of a new initiative called Arrive Network, which is intended to make parking at lots and garages more efficient. Drivers of registered vehicles or users of an Arrive-powered app can enter and exit participating gated parking areas without pulling tickets or reserving spots in advance — they simply drive up and the gate opens. According to a press release, the company intends to implement the system across thousands of locations over the next year. [Business Wire]
Mediafly makes an acquisition
Sales and marketing technology company Mediafly has acquired Alinean, Inc., a B2B SaaS company based in Winter Park, Florida. Alinean’s software is designed to help sales and marketing teams better communicate the value of their products and solutions.
“By acquiring Alinean, we are pioneering the combination of sales enablement software and the consulting services needed to deliver sales results in an integrated way,” said Mediafly CEO and founder Carson Conant in a statement. [Press release]
Aquilon Energy Services gets new board member
Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Macquarie Group’s Commodity Markets and Finance division, Sam McNair, was appointed to Aquilon Energy Services’ board of directors. The company, which provides cloud services that streamline energy transactions, will utilize McNair’s two decades of experience with market risk management, fixed-income currency and commodities, structured derivatives and commodities joint ventures roles to help scale its technology. [Press Release]
STATS appoints new engineering and technology lead
Sports analytics and data services company STATS announced a new head of the engineering and information technology departments in Leo Wang, who was the former executive director and CCB cloud enablement lead at JP Morgan Chase. Prior to his last role, Wang also held executive leadership position at Motorola Solutions, MediaOcean LLC and MediaBank LLC. He has 16 years of experience in technology engineering strategy, particularly in the areas of cloud computing and security, data architecture, and performance optimization. [Business Wire]
