Swinging into October! 🏟️

⏰ Midwest Minute 

October in the Midwest means two things: digging your gloves out of storage and arguing over how many hot dogs count as dinner. With the Cubs, Tigers and Brewers all taking swings in this year’s postseason, it’s a good time to be a baseball fan in flyover country, especially with the Yankees already benched this year. Tailgate season is back in full force, from Detroit’s chili pots to Chicago style to Milwaukee’s endless supply of cheese curds and beer brats, proving that the pre-game spread is just as sacred as the first pitch.

It’s baseball’s Fall Classic, from the only unassisted triple play in Series history back in 1920 between Cleveland and Brooklyn to Don Larsen’s perfect game in 1956. The Cubs famously broke their 108-year drought in 2016 (sorry Cleveland fans), while the Tigers last took home the trophy in 1984 and the Brewers are still chasing their first. Whether you’re at the ball park, tuning in from the garage or defending the number of hot dogs you’ve consumed this post-season, this is peak Midwest baseball season—equal parts nostalgia, nerves and possibly nacho cheese. Find all the latest Midwest startup news below!

Have any insights into the Midwest ecosystem or a funding announcement to share? Want to share the team you’re rooting for (or rooting against 👀)? Send us an email: [email protected] 

📰 Notable News

Featured

• Inventus Power and Aerovy Announce Strategic Collaboration to Deliver IoT-Driven Battery and System Connectivity Solutions for Next-Generation Fleet Management

Startup Funding

• DUOS - $130M growth investment led by FTV Capital | Minneapolis

• Brale - $30M round led by Lightspeed | Des Moines

• Coinflow - $25M Series A led by Pantera | Chicago

• Visana Health - $24M Series A led by Noro-Moseley Partners | Minneapolis

• MediView - $24M Series A led by GE HealthCare, Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic | Cleveland

• LanzaJet - $13M investment from the U.K. | Chicago

• Neuronoff - $4.5M round from investors | Cleveland

• Primum - Undisclosed Seed led by FCA and North Coast | Columbus

VC Funds

• Origin Ventures - $140M FVI | Chicago

Other News

• OpenAI’s Nick Turley on transforming ChatGPT into an operating system

• JumpStart challenge winners announced at Silicon Prairie Startup Week in Lincoln

• Nano Nuclear Energy to invest $12 million in Illinois facility, bringing 50 jobs

• Is this really a job candidate? How to spot AI deepfakes in interviews

• Quantum Shore: $500M state-backed tech hub breaks ground on former US Steel site

• Corteva to split seeds, pesticide units into separate listed companies

• Wisconsin VC funding for August 2025

• project44 Expands Decision Intelligence Platform With Tariff Analytics

• The Upcoming 2025 And 2026 Business Conferences To Check Out

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]