KC company acquired for over $1 billion | Missouri S&T develops breath diagnostic machine
Kansas City’s Archer Technologies acquired for over $1 billion
OVERLAND PARK, KS—Archer Technologies, a provider of governance, risk, and compliance software, has been acquired by a private equity firm in London for $1 billion+ plus. Founded in 2000, Archer has grown to having more than 1,000 customers worldwide, including more than 50% of the Fortune 500 in financial services, health care, technology, consumer and other end-markets. Although the details of the deal are still under wraps at closing, an article in Bloomberg indicates that RSA Security recently made a $1.378 billion sale.
A less stressful diagnostic test
ROLLA, MO—Researchers at Missouri S&T are exploring new tech that could replace some of the most stressful aspects of diagnostic testing, like bloodwork. Dr. Jie Huang and his team are focused on developing an inexpensive microwave sensor testing system to measure the volatile organic compounds in a person’s breath. Patients would breathe into the apparatus instead of scheduling other diagnostic tests. The breath test could, for example, detect acetone that could indicate the possibility of diabetes.
Poland-based tech company chooses Pittsburgh as its U.S. headquarters
PITTSBURGH, PA—The Steel City has been rapidly growing its robotics presence. Now, Spyrosoft, a Poland-based software company, has chosen Pittsburgh as its U.S. headquarters. The company, which provides robotics solutions, operation, intelligence, and human-robot interactions, chose North Shore Place II so it could be close to local robotics companies that are shaping the market.
Digital Sandbox KC adds four startups to its roster
KANSAS CITY, MO—Digital Sandbox KC, which provides funding, mentorship, and connections to help founders, has added four more startups to its roster. The startups are: Dropofwisdom, which provides self-help content summaries and uses AI to help people change; Duesy, which helps make registration easy for youth sports teams; Playhaus, which provides a smart wallet for digital identity, using AI built through the blockchain; and VU Scholarships, which awards high school students college scholarships before they even apply, to make the admissions process more transparent.