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Motorola Solutions picks up $1B investment
On Wednesday, Motorola Solutions secured a $1 billion strategic investment from private equity firm Silver Lake Partners. According to the Chicago Tribune, the investment will spark another sizable stock buyback, and Silver Lake will score two board seats and eventual stake. Motorola Solutions develops radio and communications tech equipment and is based in Schaumburg. [Motorola Solutions gets $1B investment 'accelerant': Chicago Tribune]
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Apple names Belly as a recommended app for businesses
Belly, the provider of a popular customer-loyalty program with presence at thousands of checkout lanes, will be joining a cohort of industry leaders like IBM, Box, and DocuSign as an Apple-endorsed app for businesses. With the new partnership, Belly – who once aimed its target at small business — can further expand its reward program and services to larger business. [Apple names Chicago's Belly as partner in business services: Chicago Tribune]
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UPS buys Coyote Logistics for a massive $1.8B
Chicago just scored its next billion-dollar acquisition. United Parcel Sercel Service Inc. announced it will buy Coyote Logistics for $1.8 billion. The announcement comes after previous reports that the two companies were in talks. Backed by New York-based private equity firm Warburg Pincus, the Chicago company had a reported revenue of around $2 billion last year. Founded in 2006, Coyote manages freight movement for industries from consumer and industrial goods to retail and healthcare. [Built In Chicago]
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Zebra Technologies acquires ITR Mobility and iFactr
This week, Zebra Technologies announced the acquisition of ITR Group’s mobile consulting and software development firm ITR Mobility along with its mobile platform, iFactr. ITR Group is base out of the Twin Cities, and Zebra’s data-drive tracking and visibility solutions help companies better manage and analyze their assets, people, transactions, and overall operations.
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4C acquires Teletrax in move to command social and TV advertising
4C, a data science software company that built the first API-accessed advertising platform across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram, has acquired Civolution’s Teletrax for an undisclosed sum. Teletrax provides real-time television metrics and synchronized marketing campaigns on your phone or tablet as you watch TV. 4C’s brand and management will absorb Teletrax, and the combined companies now host over 140 employees in eight locations around the globe.
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Zest Health scores solid Series A — and they're hiring
Zest Health, a mobile health company empowering consumers to make smart and informed decisions about their health care announced this week the total sum of its Series A. Founded in 2013, the Chicago startup has announced a successful (and oversubscribed) $6 million, bringing its funding total to just around $9 million. The round saw participation from 7wire Ventures, Lightbank, Zaffre Investments, Martin Ventures, Dallas Venture Partners, and LSAN/Azimuth Ventures. [Built In Chicago]
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HIRED launches in Chicago
San Francisco-based Hired, an online connector of tech talent and companies, launched this week in Chicago — its 11th market in total. The company, which launched in 2012, already has 120 of its own employees. Companies that use the service can expect to pay either 15 percent of a new hire’s first year salary or one percent of the employee's salary per month for the first two years.
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European car makers beat Silicon Valley in bid for Nokia's HERE
A league of Germany’s most recognizable car companies (BMW, Audi, and Daimler) acquired Chicago-based Nokia subsidiary HERE (formerly Navteq) for $3.1 billion. The European carmakers beat out a host of A-list Silicon Valley tech giants like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Uber as industry leaders compete to lead the innovation behind the cars of tomorrow. The official announcement comes after months of yo-yoed speculation and rumors surrounding the transaction. [Built In Chicago]
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1871 and member companies celebrated at White House Demo Day
1871 and four of its member companies made a splash in Washington, DC at the first ever White House Demo Day. The mission of the White House’s new event is to celebrate inclusivity in entrepreneurship and recognize the critical role startup innovation plays in the American economy. 1871’s Export Abroad demonstrated their product to President Barack Obama, while Impact Engine was announced as a winner of the SBA Growth Accelerator Competition. The White House also honored 1871-based Bunker Labs and FoodTrace for entrepreneurial achievement. [Built In Chicago]
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CharacTour launches to help you find your next Netflix binge
CharacTour has launched. The Chicago-based website aims to match users with characters from TV shows, movies, books, video games, and even comic books they might like. Users can choose to browse the site’s 4500 character profiles — sorting by qualifiers like relationship status, profession, or location — or they can take the site’s personality assessment to get matched with characters they're most compatible with. [Built In Chicago]
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