Putting those Midwest commodities to use.🧑‍🍳

⏰ Midwest Minute 

Last newsletter, we churned through the Midwest’s commodities. This week, we’re putting them to good use. Thanksgiving season means one thing across the region: pie. From the Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie (Indiana’s state pie) to Illinois grown pumpkin pie—the state grows over 90% of U.S. pumpkins, after all—the Midwest knows how to turn ingredients into your favorite comfort food. Michigan claims fame for its cherry pies (thanks to Traverse City, the “Cherry Capital of the World”) and the world’s largest cherry pie, while Ohio stays loyal to Buckeye Pie.

Beyond the state specialties, there’s something universal about Midwest pie season. That unspoken competition between grandmas, bakeries and grocery stores to see which crust reigns supreme—and yes, of course there’s a Great Midwestern Pie Championship. Nearly 45% of American households plan to enjoy pumpkin pie for dessert on Thanksgiving, followed by apple pie (19%) and sweet potato (17%). Each state has their own preferred Thanksgiving flavor, with some particularly unique flavors trending on Google. Local institutions like Baker’s Square, Hoosier Mama Pie Company and Sweetie Pies keep the tradition alive, proving that the region’s real abundance isn’t just in what it grows, but how it’s shared. If you ever find yourself on the search for the best pie in the Midwest, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re partial to apple, pumpkin or sugar cream, pie is the Midwest’s most delicious way of saying thanks, and a reminder that sometimes, the best commodities are the ones served by the slice.

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

📰 Notable News

Exits

• Ann Arbor-based Tandem acquired by Reseda Group for an undisclosed amount

• Chicago-based 3Cloud acquired by Cognizant for an undisclosed amount 

Startup Funding

• Sortera - $45M round led by T. Rowe Price and VXI Capital | Markle, IN

• ElectronX - $30M Series A led by DCVC | Chicago

• Mine Vision Systems - $12.5M Series A led by Rockwell Venture Capital | Pittsburgh

• Xenia - $12M Series A led by PSG | Chicago

• Scorbit - $5M Seed+ led by Detroit Venture Partners | Ann Arbor

• Greenshoe - $3M Seed led by AIX Ventures | Chicago

• Graymatter Labs - $1.3M Seed led by Venrex and APEX | Chicago

Other News

• High Alpha released their 2025 SaaS Benchmarks Report

• Anthropic to spend $50 billion on U.S. AI infrastructure, starting with Texas, New York data centers

• Anthropic nets $15B from Nvidia and Microsoft as AI bets overlap

• Cloudflare blames massive outage on ‘latent bug’ 

• Nvidia’s record $57B revenue and upbeat forecast quiets AI bubble talk

• ESS 2025: Open Mic Quick Pitches

Have exciting news to share? If you're announcing a funding round, exit or other milestone, send your press release to [email protected] to be featured. While we can’t share everything, we love to feature great stories from across the region.

📆 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]