What is Cartwheel?
Cartwheel is a new venture development studio based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Cartwheel was founded in 2021 and was originally formed as a startup studio by a team of seasoned entrepreneurs and investors. Cartwheel creates, incubates, and accelerates B2B SaaS and emerging technology startups with a focus on the retail value chain.
As part of this partnership, Cartwheel will help expand our footprint and establish an office in Northwest Arkansas, providing us an opportunity to be a part of the region’s growing technology ecosystem. SSI will co-invest with Cartwheel in their startups and seek investment opportunities in other startups in the region through our corporate venture capital fund – Palm Investments.
This collaboration will also create an opportunity for SSI to support Cartwheel startups as a development partner of choice, partner on technology conferences and events, and conduct workshops and programming around technology topics in Northwest Arkansas
“Cartwheel’s deep understanding of the technology industry and expertise in marketing and startup development will be invaluable as we grow our business and enter new markets,” said Shoaib Abbassi, Founder and Chairman of SSI.
Northwest Arkansas: A Rapidly Growing Tech Hub
This partnership between SSI and Cartwheel is a testament to the growing strength of the Northwest Arkansas technology sector. Northwest Arkansas is one of the top tech hubs in the United States; according to a report on the trend of tech workforce leaders by CompTIA, Fayetteville, Arkansas, ranked number 1 in top midsize cities in terms of frontier skills in 2023.
Arkansas is rapidly becoming a central technology hub in the US, home to the headquarters of industry giants like J.B. Hunt, Walmart, and Tyson Foods. The state is also home to several universities and colleges that offer tech-related programs, helping fuel the industry’s growth.
About SSl, LLC
SSI is a software development and advanced analytics firm headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Munich, Lahore, and Kuala Lumpur. SSI specializes in FinTech, HealthTech, IoT, digital commerce, SaaS, and data and analytics applications. With over 550 global employees and three decades of experience, SSI delivers technology services to enterprises such as Thomson Reuters, Newsweek, and Kraft, as well as rapidly growing tech startups and digital companies. Learn more at www.ssidecisions.com.
