Cannatech startup Wurk to triple office space
Cannabis tech company Wurk signed a five-year lease for a 12,000-square-foot office space in the Ballpark neighborhood of Denver this week. The company’s platform helps cannabis businesses navigate the complexities of managing HR, payroll and hiring tasks in a highly regulated industry. Following a $2 million seed round in April 2017 and the legalization of recreational marijuana in California, Wurk has seen accelerated growth. The new office will enable the company to grow its team from its current 30 employees to as many as 70 in the coming years. [BusinessDen]
Left Hand Robotics lands $3.7M seed funding
Longmont-based Left Hand Robotics closed a $3.7 million seed round this week, with plans to initiate the production of its SnowBot Pro, the first commercial-class, self-driving, snow-clearing robot. The round was led by Heroic Ventures with participation from Hardware Club, PV Ventures and Stout Street Capital. The seed round will help the company grow its team and scale the production of its robots — just in time for winter preparations. [InnovatioNews]
Cybersecurity startup PasswordPing brings on new CEO
PasswordPing, which develops cybersecurity software that detects compromised credentials and security breaches, announced the appointment of Michael Greene as its chief executive officer on Tuesday. Greene most recently served as chairman and CEO of ID Watchdog, where he transformed the struggling company into a multimillion-dollar business and negotiated a successful exit to Equifax after six years at the helm. Mike Wilson has served as CEO since the founding of PasswordPing in 2016 and will transition to the role of chief technology officer. Wilson and Greene worked together closely over the years, initially at cybersecurity firm Webroot and later at a small tech startup. [BizWest]
NexusTek expands national footprint with triple acquisition
Managed IT services and consulting firm NexusTek made three acquisitions this week, expanding its footprint from coast to coast and deepening its core competencies. In deals backed by private equity firm Abry Partners, the Centennial-based tech company snapped up Cal Net Technology Group of Southern California; Syndeo Technologies of Andover, MA; and Decision Consultants, Inc. of Phoenix, AZ. NexusTek has made five M&A transactions in 2018 and now serves almost 2,700 organizations in 47 states. [Press release]
Sam Gilliland joins Cherwell Software as CEO
IT service management company Cherwell Software also brought on a new CEO this week. Sam Gilliland is the former chairman and CEO of travel tech giant Sabre Corporation and Travelocity.com. Having recently served on several private and public company boards and as executive partner at private equity firm Siris Capital, Gilliland brings a wealth of tech industry and business knowledge and will help Cherwell continue to expand its share of an industry slated to become a $30 billion market by 2020. Co-founder Vance Brown, who has been serving as interim CEO during the executive search, will remain chairman of the board. [Press release]
