TBBJ readers give their own hiring advice.
Savaryn | ISTOCK.COM
Tampa Bay companies are quickly moving full speed ahead when it comes to tying up loose ends before the end of the year, whether that be finalizing an acquisition or filling a C-level position.
We've got all the moves you might have missed in November below.
The partnerships
- The University of South Florida Muma College of Business and Tampa Bay Wave announced they will launch a multiyear partnership called the FinTech|X Accelerator, with its first cohort selected in 2022. The accelerator is designed to help high-potential startups in the financial technology industry with mentoring, pitch coaching and investment training. Read more here.
- RSK Capital Management LLC, a crypto fund that announced its launch in Tampa in October, has partnered with one of the most well-known blockchain organizations in the region. RSK will be utilizing BlockSpaces' blockchain integration platform for its own purposes, but the fund also invests in early-stage startups — and can offer BlockSpaces' platform to the companies, bringing a win-win to both entities. Get the full story.
- Synapse Florida, which holds an annual summit in Amalie Arena each February, teamed up with South Florida-based eMerge Americas to bring more attention to the Sunshine State. The two will work together to promote their events and also share best practices on what works and what doesn't when it comes to hosting these massive innovation conferences annually. Get the full story.
- The fast-growing blockchain startup Pocket Network partnered with China-based RockTree Capital to expand further into the Asia market. The partnership is both for strategic support and funding for an undisclosed amount.
The relocations
- Rumble, a Toronto-based video streaming service, is setting up its U.S. HQ in Longboat Key. It estimates it will invest more than $50 million in the state over the next several years. CEO Chris Pavlovski says the company expects to hire roughly 25 employees "immediately" in Florida, with more expected in the future.
- New York-based Shufflrr, which offers corporations "a shopping cart for slideshow slides," announced its HQ moved to Tampa. The company hopes to hire roughly 30 people in the next year and has already gotten involved with multiple players in the startup ecosystem. Get the full story.
- Boston-based company KnaQ has picked Sarasota to put down its new roots. Stephen Catanzano, CEO and founder, initially became familiar with Florida after his son began attending the University of Florida. Read more here.
The promotions
- Tampa-based RV company Lazydays hired Harsh Uchariya as its chief information officer. Uchariya previously held senior tech positions at Walt Disney World and Publix Super Markets.
- Tampa-based Bloomin' Brands, perhaps best known as the parent company for Outback Steakhouse, hired Astrid Isaacs as its chief technology officer. Isaacs previously served as the company's VP of Restaurant Technology, then did a one-year stint at Subway before returning to Bloomin'.
The acquisitions
- KnowBe4 has acquired SecurityAdvisor, a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity company, for roughly $80 million. KnowBe4 said the deal will help the company get a deeper insight into human behavior. It expects the deal to close by the end of the year. Learn more here.
- SunView Software, a Tampa-based provider of IT service management software, was acquired by California-based Serviceaide Inc. back in August. Now, the company says it wants to up its workforce in Tampa by at least 20%, and double the company as a whole within the next year. Get the full story.
