Austin-based NexTech Solutions, Inc., a publicly traded manufacturer of automated optical inspection systems used in the production of flat panel displays, and FAS Technologies, LLC, a Dallas-based company widely recognized for the development of the digital fluid dispense pump and spinless coating technology, announced this week that they have merged. The merger positions the newly combined company to become a dominant competitor in the flat panel display and semiconductor markets, opening diverse sales channels and broadening solutions on a global scale.

Tony Di Napoli, President and CEO of NexTech Solutions has stated "The integration of NexTech and FAS Technologies creates a new paradigm within our marketplaces by providing our customers better solutions and services. Since our inception, our goal was to build the fundamentals of a solid company and continue to deliver growth to our shareholders, and this merger is a significant step in achieving these goals."

The combination of these two Texas companies should be exciting to watch.

Austin-based Monebo technologies today announced that it has secured Series B financing, but has not disclosed the amount. The round was led by Fairway Medical Technologies, a portfolio company of the Baylor College of Medecine venture arm. The money will be used to continue to commercialize the company’s products; the CardioBelt Wireless ECG System, and the ECGAnalyzer Interpretation Algorithm.

In conjunction with the financing, Leo Womack, the chairman of Fairway Medical, will join the board of Monebo. A quick search on the web finds that Leo is also a stockholder in Shumate and O.I. Corp which are publicly traded companies. He has been on the board of Fairway Medical since 1996, but begain his career as an accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co. He was a partner in his own accounting firm for many years, and is a CPA and real estate investor.

In October 2006 Monebo received a $500,000 grant from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund.

One of Austin’s favorite restaurant start-ups, Freebirds World Burrito, a startup originally formed by two college students in 1987 with 4 locations locally, was sold yesterday to Tavistock Restaurants LLC of Emeryville, California.  Tavistock Restaurants owns eight restaurant concepts, including Freebirds, ranging from fast casual to fine dining, and is part of the Tavistock Group, a private investment company founded by Joe Lewis with business interests in life sciences, sports teams and events, manufacturing and distribution, oil and gas, financial services, restaurants, private luxury residential properties and master-planned real estate development.

After thriving for 20 years with 19 locations throughout Texas, Freebirds President Alan Hixon said officials have been planning for years to sell the chain to someone who could "take it to the next level" without changing its unique qualities.  "This is an exciting milestone for our company, and we look forward to growing the brand with Tavistock," said Hixon. "We’re also excited about the synergies of our companies. Both Freebirds and Tavistock share a strong commitment to providing customers with the best product and service possible. We look forward to sharing the benefits of exciting new growth opportunities this combination will provide."  According to Bryan Lockwood, president of Tavistock Restaurants, the goal is to open an additional 60 Freebirds within the next 5 years.

Congrats to Pierre Dube, Alan Hixon and the rest of the Freebirds team!