Out of 26 million Texans, you may have an idea to change the world. You may have had several ideas to change the world. But only a tiny minority of you pushed through the U.S. Patent office from application to successful patent. We've seen Texans change the world many times over. Jack Kilby did it with Texas Instruments in 1958 with the integrated circuit, causing the start of the digital revolution, which, in part, is why you can read these words over your electronic device.
Over the last few years, Texas Business has brought its feature: Texas Business Patent of the Day. This list is of the ones that were either extremely clever, odd or strange. One thing becomes apparent from these patents and the patent that runs daily in Texas Business—Texans have a unique mind set.
Though the history of the Corn Dog is disputed, the State Fair of Texas claims to have introduced the Corny Dog sometime between 1938 and 1942. As a paean to that invention that now sits in the freezer section of every grocery store in the southwest, here are the fried foods the State Fair of Texas has introduced, or tried to introduce, in the last seven years.
Dead Texas musicians live on every time you hear their songs. Their songs play everywhere, so the dead Texas musicians appear to be immortal. Here's the short list.
Don't get caught up with John Wayne religion. For one thing, he's not Texan. He's in some fine movies involving Texas, most notably The Searchers, but none of his movies can make the best cut of Texas movies. Here's the short list.
Unsung Texas Business Journalists Mention that one is a reporter, and there's a spark of interest. Mention that one is a business news reporter, and watch the eyes glaze over. Except to the players, business and economic journalists are unappreciated. While many wish to become sports reporters when they grow up, most do not realize that business journalists cover the Real Game. Mention that reporter covers business, and watch the eyes glaze over. A toast to these below on the short list and the numerous unnamed ones slogging away. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Best Texas Mexican Food: The Short List No, we're not going to debate the difference between Tex-Mex, Mex-Tex, Mexican and Texican food. Just know these establishments are the pinnacle of Texas Mexican fare. No brag, just fact. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Best Texas Burgers Texas Burgers. . While a hamburger is merely sustenance and gratification for a meal, the memory a good Texas burger can give rise to Homeric odes. The short list. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Brett Berman is hoping his company’s mobile app, UMeTime, will be a hit at next month’s South by Southwest Interactive, the annual Austin tech conference that was a launching pad for Twitter and Foursquare. Berman knows it won’t be easy at an event where dozens of other startups will be competing for the attention of nearly 25,000 attendees.
Texas Business reports: WACO, Texas and ADDISON, Texas—Entrepreneurship students in Baylor University's Accelerated Ventures Program, who launch a new online business as part of their course work, can continue to grow their companies after graduation as part of a new partnership agreement with the Town of Addison, Texas.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN, Texas—The Texas Venture Labs at the McCombs School of Business is now the Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs, in recognition of a combined gift of more than $6 million from Fort Worth businessman and entrepreneur Jon Brumley to fund the growth of the program at The University of Texas at Austin.
Texas Business reports: Comic book hero superpowers may be one step closer to reality after the latest technological feats made by researchers at UT Dallas. They have designed an imager chip that could turn mobile phones into devices that can see through walls, wood, plastics, paper and other objects.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—The Houston Technology Center (HTC) and NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) formed a partnership to further expand HTC's mission of accelerating the growth of emerging technology companies in the Houston region and to develop the insights required to support NASA's long-term goals of increasing private/public collaboration.
WBBC to Recognize the Best in Women-Owned Business in the Border Texas Business reports: The Women’s Business Border Center of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is looking female entrepreneurs who embody excellence, professionalism and innovation in border business to be recognized with the 2011 Paradigm Award. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: Baylor University announced today a $2 million gift, given anonymously to the Hankamer School of Business, to endow the Baylor Entrepreneurship Innovation Challenge, a business plan competition that will provide invaluable opportunities for students from all over the nation as they seek to develop their business ideas.
Texas Business reports: In what will be the company's largest cash donation to The University of Texas at Austin, Dell has committed $5 million to the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the university's Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Texas Business reports: TNG Pharmaceuticals, a team from the University of Louisville that developed a vaccine to prevent negative effects to cattle from the horn fly, won the Global Venture Labs Investment Competition (Global VLIC), hosted by Texas Venture Labs at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.
Texas Business reports:A consortium of hardware security experts from Rice University, the University of Connecticut, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and the University of California-Los Angeles has received a $1.2 million federal grant to conduct wide-ranging research aimed at enhancing the integrity of integrated circuits (ICs), the computer chips that are used in virtually all electronic devices today, from cell phones and medical instruments to laptop computers and flat-screen TVs.
Texas Business reports: Austin—The Global Venture Labs Investment Competition (Global VLIC), the longest-running investment competition for graduate student entrepreneurs, will be held May 6-7 at The University of Texas at Austin.
Texas Business reports: The State of Texas Emerging Technology Fund awarded $3 million to Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) member company Firefly LED Lighting for product commercialization.
Texas Business reports: Vocal Media, a company that uses the dead-air time in international phone calls to advertise to U.S. immigrant populations, won the Texas round of the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition (TVLIC), the University of Texas business school announced.
Texas Business notes this story by Leslie Cranford of Texas Tech Today: Daniel Vitiello has multiple locations of his iPhone repair business, is writing a book and plans to further expand his thriving business.
Austin startup and Rice report chip research breakthrough Texas Business recommends this story by Kirk Ladendorf of the Austin American-Statesman: Researchers at Rice University unveiled a new laboratory discovery this week that might one day become a new method for making ultra-dense computer memory chips.Full Story »
TexasBusiness.com notes this story by Lori Hawkins of the Austin American-Statesman: Williamson County's newly formed angel investor group has completed its first deal and is looking for more.
Texas Rain already pouring in profit TexasBusiness.com recommends this story by Christopher Calnan in ABJentrepreneur.com: David Schraub was planning to transition from the semiconductor industry to solar energy when he got what many could call a true brainstorm.Full Story »
TexasBusiness.com recommends this story by Candace Carlisle of the Denton Record-Chronicle: After Janet Sigler was laid off two years ago, she started caring for her diabetic mother, who had an intolerance to the artificial sweeteners that are commonly found in sugar-free foods.
TexasBusiness.com notes: When Vickie Morris and Jeff Borden enrolled in Tech Wildcatters' 12-week boot camp for entrepreneurs in May, they had one product and two customers.
Since then, their Brand Protection Agency launched two more Web-based products to monitor and enforce branding, pricing and intellectual property, reports Sheryl Jean of the Dallas Morning News.
TexasBusiness.com notes:With political storm clouds apparently clearing, Dallas-based Tang Energy Group and its Chinese partners have agreed to resume a site search for a North American factory that would build fiberglass wind-power rotor blades.Tang CEO Patrick Jenevein said his partners with HT Blade in Baoding, China, agreed at a meeting last week to start looking again, reports Jim Landers of the Dallas Morning News.
Fundraising is on for InCube TexasBusiness.com notes: San Jose, Calif.-based InCube Labs, which plans to expand its successful medical devices incubator to San Antonio later this year, and its chairman, Mir Imran, continue to raise more private investments for a support venture capital fund while applications for state investment receives consideratio, reports David Hendricks of the San Antonio Express-News. Full Story »
Frisco incubator to partner with 10 venture capital firms Frisco business incubator NTEC Inc. later today will announce plans for a new program to help restart venture capital investments in young companies in the Dallas area.Through its Venture Alliance Partner Program, NTEC will partner with 10 mostly out-of-state venture capital firms. Dallas-based Sevin Rosen Funds is one of only two Texas funds involved, reports Sheryl Jean of the Dallas Morning News. Full Story »
Workstreamer Raises $3.5 Million Austin Ventures leads financing of Workstreamer - backing the next-generation business listening platform
Austin’s Workstreamer, a business listening platform company defining a new category - business information as a service, today announced that the company has secured $3.5 million in funding in their Series A round.
Crematory opens in Wichita Falls The Raymond “Ray” Lunn family has opened the city’s first cremation center, according to spokesman Will Lunn. It is at Falls Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 1903 Austin St., reports the Wichita Falls Times Record News. Full Story »
Steps toward a better world TexasBusiness.com notes this story by William Pack of the San Antonio Express-News: A San Antonio-based sandal company hopes to redefine putting the best foot forward. VOS sandals — or flips, as the company calls them — is the brainchild of San Antonio native and St. Mary's University MBA recipient José Alejandro Flores, 29. Full Story »
Zilliant Receives $13 Million to Support Expansion Austin-based Zilliant, the leading provider of price optimization and margin management solutions for B2B manufacturers, distributors, and industrial service companies, announced in a prepared statement it has completed $13 million in financing from existing investors SMH Private Equity Group, ABS Ventures, Austin Ventures and Trellis Partners.
Dehydrated baby food hits Austin market Two Austin women have come up with a dehydrated baby food called Nurturme. Nurturme is dehydrated foods that are prepared by adding water, breast milk or formula at home. The creators said the dehydrating process preserves more nutrients, reports Kate Weidaw of KXAN.
Click Forensics raises $6 million Austin-based Click Forensics Inc., which develops software that detects online advertising fraud, has raised $6 million for new product development, reports Lori Hawkins of the Austin American-Statesman.
Lubbock couple opens indoor golf simulator Chili Dippers Indoor Golf Club features the state-of-the-art GolfAchiever simulator, which uses a grid of lasers to calculate one's swing, allowing simulation play on more than 10 famous golf courses, reports Walt Nett of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Full Story »
SpareFoot.com raises $2 million Lori Hawkins of the Austin American-Stateman reports Austin startup SpareFoot.com, which operates an online marketplace for self-storage listings nationwide, has raised $2 million to accelerate hiring and expand marketing efforts.Full Story »
The Texas News Scrawl is a handy reference to stories Texas Business recommends from other news sources. Some of the stories that Texas Business currently suggests include: American Airlines continues to shed jobs; Chemical Safety Board shut out of West probe by ATF; America’s greatest threat: Unsafe work conditions; The West News proves the value of a great weekly newspaper in a community torn up with grief and chaos; Chinese investors checking out Texas, Austin; Texas makes bounce house operators carry liability coverage, but not plants like West Fertilizer; bSpaceX’s Grasshopper leaping to NM spaceport;and more.
American Dollar Exchange Rate
