When people look back on this year in Tampa Bay's tech scene, it will be one that showed a shift from being a solid player in Florida's ecosystem to one that's a contender on a national stage.
From startups hitting the coveted $1 billion valuation status, to going public, to massive mergers and new funds, these are the stories that defined this year's local tech scene.
Investment firms launch, relocate to Tampa Bay
- John Sung Kim, founding partner of Five9 (NASDAQ: FIVN), moved to the region at the start of the year to launch his company, JetBridge. But he also plans to invest $1 million a year into Tampa software companies "indefinitely."
- In May, local serial entrepreneurs launched a $20 million investment fund, called TampaBay.Ventures, that will deploy the money across at least 20 startups in the next five years.
- Stony Lonesome Group, a formerly Connecticut-based boutique bank that makes early-stage, venture capital investments, moved to the region in July.
- Anzu Partners, an investment firm that has half of its partners based in Tampa, raised $130 million in commitments in July to focus on investing in industrial and life science technology.
- Cathie Wood and New York-based Ark Investment moved to St. Petersburg Nov. 1. Wood not only is a Wall Street icon and is helping put the city on the map simply by living in town, she is working with the Tampa Bay Innovation Center to transform the region.
Companies go public
- Clearwater-based cyber company KnowBe4, which hit the $1 billion "unicorn" status in 2020, went public in April on the Nasdaq Capital Market under "KNBE."
- AgileThought, the Tampa-based software company acquired in 2019, went public in May after merging with LIV Capital Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company.
- Tampa-based biopharmaceutical company Alzamend Neuro Inc. launched on the Nasdaq Capital Market in June under the ticker symbol "ALZN."
- Tampa-based TypTap, the insurance technology subsidiary of HCI Group, filed a Form S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November, which is done by companies to register their securities before going public. It would seek to raise $100 million through going public.
ReliaQuest hits $1 billion valuation
The Tampa-based cyber company joined the billion dollar club in December. It received an investment for an undisclosed amount from New York-based private equity firm KKR, who previously invested $300 million into ReliaQuest,
Tech Data goes public — again
The St. Petersburg based company closed an $8 billion merger in September with SYNNEX Corp. With the two entities combining under the new TD Synnex name, it has created the world's largest IT distributor.
Startup of the Year taps Tampa Bay to host mega conference
In November, the national organization born out of Maine-based Established announced it will be landing in Tampa Bay in January for its three-day, 2022 mega-conference. It will bring more than 100 startups to the region for its pitch competition, which in turn brings a number of heavy-weight investors.
Crypto execs and funds begin to take root in Tampa Bay
- Nuke Goldstein, co-founder of New York-based Celsius, bought a home in Tampa after visiting for one day. He later opened a Tampa office.
- Funds like RSK Trading Group LLC launched locally after its then-Chicago founder moved to the region
- Blockchain startups have also hit new heights, including Pocket Network, which earned $9.3 million six months after launching.
And for more end of year content:
A massive number of Tampa Bay companies were acquired in 2021
See Tampa Bay's top tech fundings of 2021
These leaders took the helm at Tampa Bay tech companies in 2021
These 21 tech entrepreneurs and companies made their way to Tampa Bay this year
