March is over, and so are our brackets. 💔

⏰ Midwest Minute 

The Madness got…mid? The Men’s March Madness season has officially been downgraded to March Mildness for many fans. All four No. 1 seeds cruised into the Final Four, leaving no room for underdogs, upsets or bracket glory. While many have claimed this 2025 tournament to be overly predictable, there was nary a perfect bracket in sight. Let us not forget that you’re more likely to be hit (twice!!) by lightning than achieve a perfect bracket. The Women’s tournament wasn’t much better, with three No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 seed advancing. Is the Midwest representing? Nope, we ghosted—no deep runs, no buzzer-beaters—just a whole lot of torn-up brackets. Meanwhile, the NBA regular season is winding down and the Playoffs are about to heat up. The Cavs are looking great and the Pacers are having a stellar season after a loss to the Celtics in last years Playoffs. Odds are shifting by the day, but if you’re clinging to Midwest hope, Cleveland’s your best bet for the postseason after a record season. On the baseball side, opening week brought drama and a bat that sounds like a villainous weapon. The Yankees are making headlines with the “torpedo” bat, a new design that loads more wood toward the end for max impact, and while this team certainly isn’t Midwest, the chaos is too good not to mention. As for our local squads? It’s early, but the Brewers and Guardians came out swinging. Plus we have high hopes for Cleveland once more following a World Series prediction from Bill Nye the Science Guy.

In very important bracket news, Midwest Madness’ Round of Eight is wrapping up with cities competing for regional bragging rights. Some moved up, some got humbled and one will soon be crowned with Midwest Startups glory. No torpedo bats involved—only pure voting willpower on LinkedIn.

Have any insights into the Midwest ecosystem or a funding announcement to share? Want to share your Playoffs predictions? Send us an email: [email protected] 

📰 Notable News

Startup Funding

• MemryX - $44M Series B led by Avataar Ventures | Ann Arbor

• SkySpecs - $20M round led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives | Ann Arbor

• BetterFleet - $15M round from Aligned Climate Capital, Ecosystem Integrity Fund and Remarkable Ventures Climate | Ann Arbor

• Certiverse - $11M Series A led by Cherryrock Capital | Chicago

• Orthobrain - $7.5M round led by CareCapital and JumpStart Ventures | Cleveland

• Noble Gas Systems - $4.2M Series B led by AP Ventures | Wixom, MI

• Spendr - $2.7M round from investors | Cincinnati

• Pineapple Academy - $1M round from HealthStream and KCRise Fund | Kansas City

VC & PE Funds

• Linden Capital Partners - $400M FII | Chicago

Other News

• Midwest Madness 2025 is in progress!

• TitletownTech names seven finalists for $1M Startup Draft pitch competition

• Nerdio CEO talks joining the unicorn club with $500M Series C funding

• ChatGPT’s image-generation feature gets an upgrade

• Why P33 is recommitting to office life with headquarters relocation within Fulton Market

📆 Mark your Calendar

Need to fill your social calendar? We’ve scoured newsletters, scanned LinkedIn and found some of the latest tech + startup events in the region. Know of any upcoming events and want to share them in our next newsletter? Send us an email: [email protected]