Skyline of downtown Tampa
Busà Photography
The Tampa Bay region continues to lure in tech companies and investors in droves, with April alone bringing organizations from nearly every corner of the country. We've reported on them throughout the month, but if you missed it, we've got the roundup below:
- Black Dog Venture Partners, an Arizona-based business accelerator and investment fund, is moving to Tampa. The firm provides its portfolio companies access to roughly 13K accredited investors. CEO Scott Kelly said Black Dog typically invests approximately $25K to $100K in early-stage companies that have just begun to earn revenue. There is a focus on SaaS, mobility, sports and entertainment, and NFT-focused startups. More from the Business Journal.
Scott Kelly, CEO and founder of Black Dog Venture Partners.
Scott Kelly
- Avanade, a Seattle-based IT firm co-founded by Microsoft and Accenture, is expanding to the region. The tech firm announced it will open its first U.S.-based engineering hub in Tampa and expects to hire 500 people in three years. The Business Journal's got the story.
- Tesla is planning to open a dealership and regional repair facility in St. Petersburg, according to the Business Journal. It will be hiring roughly 50 software service automotive technicians, according to county documents. Get the story.
Tesla center location
Courtesy of Tesla
- Sarasota-based biotech company INVO Bioscience expanded from Kansas City. It will be the fourth location for the publicly traded company, which focuses on fertility treatment. In addition to already being in Atlanta, Birmingham, Alabama, and Mexico, it also has plans to add Tampa and San Francisco offices in the coming months. Get the story.
- MANTA, a Prague-based global data company, chose Tampa for its U.S. headquarters. CEO Tomas Kratky "fell in love immediately" with the city, and chose it for its strong tech talent pool, cost of living and ability to recruit other talent from across the nation. Get the story.
And the companies that were in Tampa Bay but stepped out of stealth mode:
- Druid Ventures, a $12.9M fund focused on a newly emerging technology. The fund will focus on investing in early-stage web3 companies; mainly those that have less than a $50M valuation post-investment. Its goal is to invest in roughly 35 companies over the next three years, according to co-founder Chris Pizzo. Get the full story.
Chris Pizzo
Todd Bates Photo
- SandStorm, a Tampa-based company focused on the metaverse. With the immersion from stealth came a $2.5 million seed round closure. Get the full story.
A look at Tampa-based SandStorm in the metaverse.
SandStorm
- Iteright, a Tampa-based SaaS company allowing companies to test and validate its products. It has a focus on B2B companies that have stalled in the "small to midsize range," between $2 million and $20 million. Get the full story.
