Austin startups raised more than $900 million in new capital in 2016, according to a tally of filings logged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other reports.
Though Austin tech startups had a strong year, the flow of VC dollars didn't quite reach the levels of 2015, when Austin companies raised a little more than $1 billion.
This year's largest funding round for an Austin company, excluding the $81 million raised by Circuit of the Americas, was also a little lower this year. In 2015, the biggest round went to Civitas Learning, which secured $60 million. This year, Spredfast had the largest funding announcement -- a $50 million infusion from Riverwood Capital, a Silicon Valley private equity firm that has previously invested in GoPro, Ticketfly and iFLY Indoor Skydiving.
As is common, biotech and pharmaceutical companies also raised a lot of money to develop new treatments, including a $41 million round for Xeris Pharmaceuticals, which is developing injectable drugs to help diabetics.
Our list of fundings, pulled from SEC filings and other research, shows a few trends in the Austin startup scene.
One is that consumer packaged goods companies and other startups focused more on physical products than software or tech have landed increasingly large funding rounds. Amplify Snack Brands, for example, landed a $28.7 million round tied to its acquisition of Tyrrells, maker of Potato Crisps, Vegetable Crisps and other alternative snack products. And Twyla, which sells curated art prints, raised $19.3 million as it emerged from stealth.
It's worth noting different publications and organizations measure funding in different ways. For example, in 2015, we counted more than $1 billion in funding. A survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association, meanwhile, showed $740 million in funding in 2015. Similar disparities between reports and surveys are likely to emerge again this year.
Now, here's a look at all the $10 million-plus funding rounds so far in 2016. Click the links for each company to see the stories and announcements behind the funding rounds.
Circuit of the Americas LLC (Other): $81 million, March 23
Spredfast, Inc. (Other Technology) $50.1 million, June 1
Xeris Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Pharmaceuticals) $41 million, January 11
Sutherland Perennials Investments, LLC (Other) $36.1 million, January 12
Lumos Pharma, Inc. (Pharmaceuticals) $34 million, April 18
BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. (Other Technology) $30 million, May 12
Amplify Snack Brands, Inc. (Manufacturing) $28.7 million, September 9
Silvercar, Inc. (Other) $27.9 million, January 4
Medici (Other) $24 million, November 23
Phunware (Other Technology) $22 million, November 2
Cognitive Scale Inc. (Other Technology) $21.8 million, August 3
FloSports, Inc. (Other Technology) $21.2, August 18
GIP CARS Holdings, LLC (Other Technology) $20.5 million January 12
Twyla, Inc. (Retailing) $19.3 million, October 22
Pivot3, Inc. (Other Technology) $19.1 million March 8
Firefly Systems Inc. (Other) $19.1 million, June 8
ESO Solutions Inc. (Computers) $17.7 million, July 21
Lifesize, Inc. (Telecommunications) $17.5, January 12
TrendKite Inc. (Other Technology) $16.6 million, November 10
NSS Labs (Other) $16 million, June 20
RigUp (Other) $15 million, April 15
OutboundEngine, Inc. (Other Technology) $15 million, May 4
Vast.com Inc. (Other) $14 million, February 17
Data.World (Other Technology) $14 million, July 11
Vyze (Other Technology) $13 million, June 2
Bloomfire, Inc. (Other Technology) $12.8 million, May 19
Tiff's Treats Holdings, Inc. (Retailing) $11 million, November 30
Milestone Brands LLC (Other) $10 million, August 25
BP3 Global (Other Technology) $10 million, July 27
These figures are drawn from available SEC filings and articles by Austin Inno, the Austin Business Journal and news releases. Some startups may have raised several smaller rounds that total larger number or have begun a major round but haven't reported fundraising totals yet. Others have reported large funding rounds but have not drawn on all the committed funds yet, so they may not appear here.