Capris over jorts…. in the Midwest?! ☀️
Does being on a boat this summer count as ‘summer-maxxing’?
⏰ Midwest Minute
Google dropped its first-ever Summergeist report this week, a look at what Americans are actually searching this summer based on Google Trends data, and the Midwest runs deep in the results. Spam hot dogs are a breakout national search right now, which is technically a trend but also just a normal Tuesday in Austin, Minnesota (aka SPAMTOWN USA), where Hormel has been making SPAM since 1937 and the town has an entire museum dedicated to it. Fibermaxxing is up 115% this summer and officially replacing proteinmaxxing as the thing everyone is optimizing for (maybe “maxxing” is the general trend this summer). Blueberry muffin recipes are leading the fiber charge—and Michigan grows more blueberries than almost any other state in the country. Hugo spritz searches are up 2,200% this summer, which tracks for anyone who has spent a July afternoon at a Wisconsin supper club or on a dock on Lake Michigan. In South Dakota, their preference is leaning in different direction entirely with the Limoncello Spritz. The Midwest apparently searches "capris" more than "jorts" this summer. The most charitable explanation is confusion, because there is simply no way there are more Midwesterners rocking capris than jorts. Noah Kahan topping concert tour searches makes sense after two sold out shows back-to-back at Wrigley Field. Fits a summer that was made for Ravinia, running since 1904 on Chicago's North Shore as one of the country's oldest outdoor music festivals. See all the latest deals + news below.
Have any insights into the Midwest ecosystem or a funding announcement to share? Want to share your favorite ‘Summergeist’ trend? Send us an email: [email protected]
📰 Notable News
Exits
Chicago-based Moonnox acquired by Certinia for an undisclosed amount
Startup Funding
Allotera Therapeutics (fka Wugen) - $35M in additional funding | St. Louis
Empirical Security - $25M Series A led by Brightmind Partners | Chicago
1872ai - $15M Seed from O.H.I.O. Fund | Cincinnati
NxLite - $13.5M Series A led by Crabtree Lane | Canton, MI
Ravee Optics - $6M Seed led by BIG Capital | Dayton, OH
Sofab Inks - $6M Seed led by Cloudberry Ventures | Louisville
Photon Queue - $4M Seed led by Playground Global | Champaign
Other News
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]
