plano-texas
(8)
Cinemark
The Texas chain that turned reduced-admission nights and a monthly ticket subscription into one of the steadiest seats in a shaky business.
Aerwave
Aerwave is a Texas-based proptech company that designs, deploys and operates next-generation managed Wi-Fi for multifamily residential communities. It delivers property-wide, gigabit-speed internet that is secure and always on, paired with 24/7 domestic support, an owner analytics dashboard, and a capital program that lets property owners deploy infrastructure with no upfront cost. Aerwave works exclusively with real estate owners, developers and operators across the multifamily, build-to-rent, single-family rental and student-housing markets.
Ares Materials, Inc.
Ares Materials is a Plano, Texas advanced-materials company building AI-designed optical polymers for the display industry. Spun out of the University of Texas at Dallas in 2016, it uses thiol-click chemistry and a machine-learning platform called Pylux to formulate solvent-free, PFAS-free films, adhesives, coatings and cover windows for foldable phones, AR/VR devices and other flexible electronics - aiming for high optical clarity, mechanical durability and up to 90% lower CO2 emissions than incumbent materials.
ConnexPay
ConnexPay is a Plano, Texas payments-technology company that unifies the two traditionally separate halves of the payment process - accepting customer payments (PayIns) and issuing supplier payments via virtual cards (PayOuts) - into one platform, one contract and one reconciliation. Founded in 2017 by former U.S. Bank payments executive Bob Kaufman, it lets travel agencies, marketplaces, insurers and other 'high-risk' merchants use incoming card revenue to instantly fund outbound supplier payments, removing the need for pre-funded accounts and reducing risk while capturing card rebates.
DataBahn
DataBahn is an AI-powered, security-native data pipeline and fabric platform that helps enterprises collect, enrich, orchestrate and optimize telemetry across security, observability, application and IoT/OT systems. Its agentic products - Cruz, Reef and Phantom agents - automate data engineering work, cut noise and reduce SIEM/telemetry costs by more than 50% while preserving visibility for security and IT teams.
Illuma
Illuma (Illuma Labs) is a Plano, Texas fintech that secures phone conversations for credit unions and community banks. Its flagship product, IllumaSHIELD, uses AI-powered passive voice biometrics to verify callers in seconds - replacing security questions and PINs - while a dedicated deepfake-detection engine and layered multifactor checks defend contact centers against synthetic-voice and social-engineering fraud.
Tapcheck
Tapcheck is a Texas-based fintech that gives hourly and frontline workers access to wages they have already earned before their scheduled payday. Founded in 2019 by husband-and-wife team Ron and Kayling Gaver, the company connects to an employer's existing payroll and timekeeping systems through no-code integrations, then lets employees transfer up to a share of their net earned wages after each shift - to a bank account or a free Tapcheck Mastercard. The service is offered at no cost to employers and does not touch company cash flow, while employees pay a single, ATM-style fee per transfer. Tapcheck positions earned wage access as an employee benefit that reduces financial stress and improves retention.
illuno
illuno is a Plano, Texas technology company that runs an on-demand marketplace connecting businesses, schools, houses of worship and event organizers with fully certified, off-duty police officers. Working like a ride-share app for policing, it lets a business post an event and have local officers claim the shift within minutes, while illuno handles compliance, insurance, scheduling and payments. Backed by Mark Cuban Companies and co-developed with input from the Fraternal Order of Police, the platform reports a 99% fill rate and roughly 24-hour turnaround versus an industry norm of 3-5 days.