Looking back, 2020 can be defined in many ways: The year when work from home became the norm; when masks became a must-have before running out the door; and when many businesses, regardless of sector, shuttered.
But in the Tampa Bay technology industry, the year also brought some wins that will be felt long after 2020 ends.
Here are some of the defining stories from the Tampa Bay tech scene.
Embarc Collective, with help of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, opens innovation hub
While less of an emphasis may be placed on office spaces in the future, the $10 million space that opened in February signaled to the region and beyond the major investment being made in innovation. Read more.
Embarc Collective ribbon cutting
Out-of-towners flock to Tampa Bay
- Tampa-based Immertec brought on six senior-level hires, with experience from Apple, Microsoft and Magic Leap
- Tampa-based Lumina Analytics partnered with IBM and also welcomed a former IBM executive as its new COO
- Canadian company Codeboxx announced it would be moving its headquarters to the Tampa Bay area in 2021
- Baltimore-based Madison Cloud relocates to the Feather Sound area in Pinellas County
- ioAssociates, a U.K.-based digital technology firm, announced it would open its first U.S. office in Tampa
ReliaQuest snagged $300M in funding
The Tampa-based cybersecurity company got the biggest funding deal of the year in the region in August. New York-based investment firm KKR & Co. invested $300 million into ReliaQuest, following in the Clearwater cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, which received the same amount from KKR in June 2019.
Cyber companies prove worthy with acquisitions
- Tampa IT company Perch Security was one of two companies acquired by ConnectWise in November, further creating the building blocks needed in the Tampa Bay tech scene.
- FairWarning, a security company with a specialty in protecting electronic health records, was acquired by Massachusetts-based Imprivata for an undisclosed amount in December.
Tampa General Hospital launches $15M innovation fund
TGH announced in November it will be launching a $15 million fund meant to bolster innovation from both within the hospital walls and beyond. It will be headed by Rachel Feinman, the now-former executive director of the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator. Read more about the fund and read about its impact to FIBA.
