Company wants to create human hand device | TitleTech closes on $70 million fund

Grasp Robotics part of Robotic Factory

PITTSBURGH, PA—Revanth Damerla is a student at the University of Michigan who wants to duplicate all the functions of the human hand into a mechanical device for commercial uses. The company he founded, Grasp Robotics, is one of six pre-seed startups that are part of the Accelerate Program of the Robotic Factory. Through the program, led by Innovation Works, startups receive up to $100,000 in funding from IW, as well as mentorship and resources to take their company to the next stage of growth. Grasp Robotics is developing humanoid robots, beginning with a robotic hand to solve one of the simplest and most tedious tasks: picking up and moving an object.

Private social media for generations of families

ANN ARBOR, MI—Heiroom is a company founded in 2020 that offers a new twist on social media: a private platform for generations of families to preserve their memories. Family members can construct an historical timeline that includes memories with pictures and videos that they can collaborate on and that provoke interaction. Here’s an interview with Heiroom founder Chris Budnik in which he talks about how his app can preserve memories.

HerMD announces additional Series A funding of $18 million

CINCINNATI, OH–HerMD announced $18 million in additional Series A funding. HerMD is a group of companies (Herself Health, Tia Health, and Vira Health) that provide health care options specifically for women at all stages of their lives. The first HerMD location began in 2015 in Cincinnati to help change the notion that less than 20% of OBGYNs are trained in menopause and sexual health care.

Green Bay Packers/Microsoft partnership closes second fund

GREEN BAY, WI—TitletownTech, the partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft has closed its second fund of $70 million from 27 new and existing investors, bringing total capital raised to $95 million. TitletownTech’s combined Fund I and Fund II corporate investor base highlights investment in areas core to Midwest industries such as sports, media, & entertainment; health & wellness; agriculture, water, & environment; manufacturing & construction; supply chain & logistics; and cross-industry technologies.