Texas Weekly Deal Highlights
June 21, 2026
On Tuesday night, Texas faced an unthinkable loss with the passing of Joshua Baer. Josh was the founder and CEO of Capital Factory. I was proud to call him a friend.
It’s hard to overstate Josh’s impact on Austin and on the founders he worked with. He was a tireless force in connecting people and championing big ideas. He really did “help people quit their jobs.” I know so many of those people, and I saw the way Josh was instrumental in kickstarting their entrepreneurial journeys.
The tributes to Josh we’ve seen this week are a testament to who he was. He will be sorely missed.
—Joel
Austin
Traysar Industries, a developer of autonomous subterranean systems for underground defense operations, raised $25M in a Seed led by Silent Ventures with participation from Lux Capital, Ora Global, NeverLift Ventures, Mana Ventures, Impatient Ventures, New Vista Acquisition, Entrée Capital. $25M raised to date.
MaverickX, a developer of chemistry-based production enhancement technology for shale oil recovery, raised $8M in a deal led by Chord Energy with participation from Olive Tree Capital. $27.50M raised to date.
Return Valets, a provider of valet and vehicle return services, raised $2.44M in a Seed from undisclosed investors. $2.44M raised to date.
Greater Texas Market
Principal Mineral (Southlake), a producer of critical mineral and material inputs for electronics and defense, raised $280M in a Series A co-led by Overmatch Ventures and The New Industrial Corporation with participation from J2 Ventures, Ensemble VC. $280M raised to date.
Texas Ventures Acquisition IV (Houston), a special purpose acquisition company, raised $150M in its IPO. $150M raised to date.
Wash42 (Irving), a provider of high-speed truck and vehicle washing services, raised $6.28M in a Seed from undisclosed investors. $6.28M raised to date.
Mantle (Dallas), a developer of geothermal energy technology using oil and gas formations, raised $5M in a Seed led by 17Shoals. $5M raised to date.
Howdy 12.0 (Irving), a company operating in stealth raised $1.37M in a Seed from undisclosed investors. $1.37M raised to date.
See you next week.
This edition was supported by Malik Osumah.
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