The Midwest is always keeping it real. 😎

⏰ Midwest Minute 

Reality TV may look like a coastal product, but the Midwest keeps finding its way onto the screen. Recent seasons of Love Is Blind have filmed in cities like Minneapolis and Columbus, continuing a trend of production teams choosing mid-sized cities with strong dating pools and easier logistics than major entertainment hubs. But the Minneapolis season revealed an unexpected challenge: the city turned out to be what some viewers called a “big little city,” and in true Midwest fashion, contestants were already connected through mutual friends, shared social circles and even past relationships. The overlap sparked TikTok speculation and online sleuthing, highlighting how tight-knit many Midwest communities actually are. This season’s Columbus reunion just hit the TV airwaves.

Meanwhile, the reality TV conversation this year hasn’t just been about dating shows. The latest season of The Traitors delivered one of the genre’s most chaotic finales, proving once again that alliances can unravel quickly when cameras are rolling. Behind the scenes, shows like these often film an entire season in just a few weeks, generating hundreds of hours of footage that editors later condense into a handful of episodes. Casting teams frequently draw contestants from across the Midwest especially from shows like the Bachelor and the Bachelorette—a region producers see as a reliable pipeline for relatable personalities—meaning it wouldn’t be surprising if more cities across the heartland become the next reality TV backdrop.

In Midwest Startups news, another Pittsburgh startup is gearing up to fundraise at a $700M valuation. Arda, founded by a former OpenAI employee, is raising a $70M round and is already backed by Founders Fund and Accel. In Minneapolis, coming off a recent relaunch as OneDose (fka Hinckley Medical), announced they raised a round from M25 and CoFound Partners. Find more of the latest below.

Have any insights into the Midwest ecosystem or a funding announcement to share? Want to share your guilty pleasure reality TV show? Send us an email: [email protected] 

📰 Notable News

From the Blog

• OneDose Launches Emergency Care Platform to Modernize Tools for Paramedics

Exits

• Cincinnati-based Lyceum acquired by Perceptyx for an undisclosed amount

Startup Funding

• SHINE Technologies - $240M in equity funding led by NantWorks | Janesville, WI

• Chowbus - $81M Series E co-led by Prysm Capital and Left Lane Capital | Chicago

• Arda - Raising $70M at a $700M valuation Founders Fund and Accel expected to lead | Pittsburgh

• Keycare - $20.9M Series A2 led by HealthX Ventures | Chicago

• Minnesota Medical Technologies - $20M Series A led by HM Venture Partners and Southeast Capital Partners | Stewartville, MN

• Voomi Supply - $10M Series A led by Asymmetric Capital Partners | Latrobe, PA

• EGI Battery - $10M Seed led by TSV Capital | Ann Arbor

• Yourco - $6M Series A led by High Alpha | Chicago

• Circadian Risk - $6M Series A led by Arthur Ventures | Ann Arbor

• Intelligent Legal Solutions - $3M Seed led by Chicago Ventures | Chicago

• Maazah - $2M Seed from investors | Minneapolis

• Q-rounds - $1.8M round led by Bread & Butter Ventures | Minneapolis

• Impower Health - $500K Pre-Seed led by Boomerang Ventures | Omaha

• Voyager AI - $500K Pre-Seed led by Mastercraft Ventures | Wauwatosa, WI

• Illume - Undisclosed Pre-Seed from Keyhorse Capital and Cintrifuse Capital | Cincinnati

VC Funds

• Homegrown Capital - $22M FII | Sioux Falls

Other News

• What to make of Chicago innovation's latest win with SpotHero acquisition

• Chicago claims top spot for corporate relocation for 13th straight year

• Amazon is betting big that OpenAI stays relevant 

• Nasdaq Partners With Kraken in Plan for 24/7 Tokkenized Stock Trading

• Elevate Ventures says it’s proceeding with launch of long-planned growth fund

• Consortium agrees to buy AES, take the power company private

• Anthropic to challenge DOD’s supply chain label in court

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]