The top tech stories in 2023 were about Tampa Bay's largest companies, failures and hefty investments

Tampa Bay Inno readers kept it consistent in 2023.

They were most interested in stories involving big news from some of the largest companies in the region, like KnowBe4 and ConnectWise, but were also voracious readers of stories about big money deals, startup shutdowns and expensive lawsuits.

As the region enters the new year, Tampa Bay Inno rounded up the most engaging stories of the past year.

Tampa startup founder shuts down company after nearly three years and $7 million raised

CEO and co-founder Matt Redler's company started to shake when a Series A deal collapsed and the Russian-Ukrainian War broke out. Two years (and several "near-death" experiences later), the company couldn't sustain itself. In June, the company shut down. It was a moment of learning and realignment for the founder, who has now started another venture. The story became one of the most-read tech stories in 2023 and serves as a lesson for all founders.

Here's the full story.

Four years after $1B deal, ConnectWise is reportedly on the sale block

In April, Tampa Bay turned heads when a rumored, unconfirmed report that ConnectWise, the highly valued Tampa stalwart, was planning to sell to Bain Capital. The notable company selling to an equally prominent private equity company made a big splash in the area, but the deal was never confirmed. Neither company responded to requests for comment at the time.

Here's the full story.

KnowBe4 finalizes acquisition deal for $4.6 billion

The Clearwater-based cybersecurity giant announced in 2022 a trajectory shift — it was going private. It hit a billion-dollar valuation in 2019, debuted at $16 a share when it went public in 2021, and then announced in 2022 that it was to be acquired for $4.6 billion. Our story reporting the company was officially delisted from public trading and was fully owned by Austin-based Vista Equity Partners reached thousands of viewers. The initial story discussing the launch also was one of the most-read stories of 2022.

Here's the full story.

Former Tesla executive launches electric boat company in St. Pete

John Vo became a hot topic in Tampa Bay when he announced the launch of his company, Blue Innovations Group, in January. The company has been working since its launch to produce and manufacture an all-electric boat in the same manufacturing style as Tesla. Vo has since made good on early goals to launch an electric boat and grow, but the company has been a well-watched story since its first headline.

Here's the full story.

Clients sue high-end Sarasota jet company, allege fraud and misrepresentation

Maryland- and Sarasota-based AeroVanti lost its path this year. As the company behind one of the largest funding raises of the year to Tampa in 2022 and a Tampa Bay Inno's list of Startups to Watch in 2023, the company officially started to catch eyes when it produced one of the most-read stories of 2023 after angry clients sued alleging fraud. The story deserves an update, too: in early December, a judge approved a $30 million default judgment against the company's CEO after he never responded to a court order regarding a Medicare fraud scheme.

Here's the full story.

Behind the deal: How a Tampa cybersecurity company closed a $180M Series C

It comes as no surprise that a story featuring the inner workings of a $180 million deal — the biggest deal in Tampa Bay this year — was a top-read story. The story describes how the deal — which fell into his lap unexpectedly — was a surprise to Charlie Thomas considering the tumultuous economy that 2023 experienced. This funding, Deepwatch's third round, comes from a relationship with Holger Staude, a managing director of Goldman Sachs, and a growth equity firm he launched called Spring Coast Partners. 

Here's the full story.

Tampa tech company snags C-level executive from USF

A top Tampa university, a prominent executive and a $1 billion company — this 2023 story had all the makings of an engaging read. Kim Hill's move from chief marketing officer of the University of South Florida to the head of corporate communications and chief of staff under ReliaQuest’s CEO Brian Murphy made one of the top-read stories of the year. It also showed that not only have both companies vied for her employment — she had previously worked at USF and ReliaQuest — but that announcing an executive hiring of this caliber is newsworthy.

Here's the story.

Tampa tapped as regional HQ for Canadian software company

Tampa Bay area readers are typically entertained by outside companies' migration to the area. But in 2023, no migration stuck out more than WellnessLiving from Toronto deciding to open a headquarters in the area. At the time, it said it planned to hire 45 employees and lease a 4,000-square-foot space in the area. It's not the largest company — highly valued and publicly traded companies are still irregular additions to the area — but its northern background intrigued readers in 2023.

Here's the story.

Exclusive: Tampa Bay-focused investment firm closes $27M oversubscribed fund

As the tech industry disperses from major industry hubs to cities like Tampa, each area needs a catalyst for growth: capital. TampaBay.Ventures set out to be a point of transfer for capital as a new investment firm founded in 2021. In 2023, it joined this list of top-read stories by closing its $27 million fund. It's one of the only firms investing exclusively in the area, and the appeal of a story announcing its oversubscribed fund shows its weight in the eyes of Tampa readers.

Here's the story.