Midwest Funding Roundup: Copper 3D Comes up BIG for Walton, Nebraska

The Funding Roundup is a weekly note about companies that raised venture capital.  We use four sources – 1) those that are sent to us via press release ([email protected]), 2) Form D filings in the sixteen states that we cover, 3) Databases to which we subscribe (particularly Pitchbook, Crunchbase), 4) Other sources (such as SBIR grant database).  The goal of the funding roundup is to provide a quick synthesis of companies that are actively raising money.  This is not a value judgment placing VC backed companies over bootstrapped – only a recognition that VC backed companies often file paperwork that puts them on our radar. 

Walton, Nebraska is a small community east of Lincoln, and it is home to a startup joint venture (with a Chilean company) that 3D prints anti-microbial objects – Copper 3D.  The company recently received a $130 million award from NASA to help build tools for the International Space Station.  This company leads our week, but Wisconsin has had back-to-back strong weeks.  This week three significant raises in Madison – last week raises in Milwaukee and Green Bay too.  However, our favorite funding of the week was Skydweller Aero out of Oklahoma City – which provides solar powered autonomous aircraft (Link to TechCrunch Story).  In short, this was a crazy week in the Middle with large fundraises across the region – and some fascinating cutting edge technologies being commercialized.