TechNexus Venture Collaborative, helping leading corporations and ambitious entrepreneurs work together to create new business models, new revenue streams, new products, and markets.
Hi there,
There's always something exciting and inspiring about shifting into a new year. The art of the possible is palpable. Let's grab the reins for innovation and let the adventure begin!
Welcome to January's Update: a monthly newsfeed curated with news & insights for entrepreneurs, investors, corporate change-makers, and curious innovators.
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📣 Partnership announcement
TechNexus forms a joint venture with THOR Industries to drive forward the future of the RV industry
On January 18, 2022, we publicly announced our joint venture partnership with Thor Industries, the leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles. Together, THOR and TechNexus will engage and invest in a global ecosystem of entrepreneurs to accelerate the pace of innovation for the RV industry. The partnership will empower THOR to expand access to the RV lifestyle and continue to provide a pathway of engagement with next-generation technologies like autonomy, robotics, electric vehicles (EV), and digital consumer experience.
If you're an investor or entrepreneur in this space and would like to learn more about joining the ecosystem. Please reach out to Cristin Pacifico (cristin@technexus.com).
"With the deluge of capital increasing the size of pre-, seed, and Series A funding rounds, younger startups feel more pressure to "grow up...fast." For entrepreneurs facing these pressures working strategically with corporations through venture-enabled partnerships accelerates growth efforts by honing the sales process, proving out product-market-fit, building a strong organizational structure, and creating passionate advocates and customer references as the relationship strengthens. In a fundraising environment where a startup's progress is expected to come earlier and be more aggressive, corporate partnerships are transformational.”
by Alison Hennessy | Manager, Venturing (@itsalisonh)
"It's hard to ignore the mentions of Web3 and Metaverse on Twitter these days, but few still understand what they mean and why we should care. Benedicts Evans' annual presentation, Three Steps into the Future, provides insight into these technologies and why they represent a meaningful tech building block with wide-reaching use cases. There is uncertainty surrounding the mechanics and end-use cases, but the main idea is that the next version of the internet will be open and distributed with the user in control. Web3 and blockchain technology act as tools, while the metaverse brings users' an immersive shared experience, both with the underpinning of key shared values, including ownership, self-expression, and openness. I anticipate the Web3 conversation to grow considerably in 2022 as more innovators embrace the ideology and build upon foundational technology."
C360 Technologies, a video platform delivering immersive experiences for sports media
Double Elvis Production’s new season of Disgraceland launched earlier this month with an episode about Taylor Swift (New York Post). Looking for something new to listen to? Disgraceland is podcast series that melds music history, true crime, and transgressive fiction. (Find it on Amazon Music)
Big data startup Ocient adds Ian Drury as its new CTO and plans to double headcount. (Chicago Inno)
Congratulations HAAS Alert and 3AM Innovations for being named to 2022’s GovTech 100 — companies focused on, making a difference in, and selling to government agencies across the US. (GovTech)
Indiana-based booking platform Periodic has been acquired by Exclaimer Group, a business that helps companies manage employee email signatures. Periodic specializes in appointment scheduling, especially for corporate settings. (Inside Indiana Business)
Rollick, the leading relationship technology provider for the Marine, Powersports, and RV industries, and E-Z-GO partner to build a deeper connection with consumers. (inForney)
ShotTracker’s data now will appear on ESPN’s broadcasts of Big 12 Conference basketball games after the company and sports broadcast giant signed a multiyear deal. (Kansas City Business Journal)
From our partners
Thor's Electric Airstream concept is the RV industry’s ‘iPhone moment’ (Electrek)
Forget gadgets and cars, Brunswick makes a virtual splash at CES (Robb Report)
DHS Science and Technology celebrates National Technology Day (LinkedIn)
That's it for the first update of 2022. We welcome February with open arms and some new, exciting content. We'd love for you to share this newsletter with anyone you think might find it useful or interesting and encourage them to sign up. And if you've got questions or comments, please reply directly.