During a time when many offices are still working remotely, July was the month several organizations began teaming up with one another.
We've got all the partnerships announced last month below, along with the promotions within Tampa Bay's tech scene and even a new tech company coming to town.
Partnerships
• Seedfunders Opportunity Fund, the newest fund with a focus on diversity, has appointed St. Petersburg College President Tonjua Williams and longtime corporate executive Bridgette Heller to its Opportunity Fund Board. The fund spun out of early-stage investment fund Seedfunders. Heller has spent 35 years as a business executive for various companies and now heads the local nonprofit M.A.S.T.R. Kids, which combines literacy and STEAM curriculum for children. And with Williams’ SPC connection, the fund has also promised it will make at least one investment in an SPC-student-led company.
• Florida Funders, the venture capital fund and angel investor network, has partnered with Florida Polytechnic University, the Lakeland-based STEM university, to further grow the talent pipeline in the region. In the new partnership, Florida Funders will work with the university’s entrepreneur hopefuls by connecting them with potential career opportunities, providing guest speakers for those in the entrepreneurial certificate program and further developing products and ideas.
• ReliaQuest, the Tampa-based cybersecurity giant, has stepped up to ensure a program in Tampa’s own Super Bowl LV Host Committee is being kept safe from cyber attacks. The company will specifically keep the host committee’s newly launched Community Ambassador Program safe from cyber hacks, by securing the software site and data collected during the program’s application process.
• The University of South Florida Health Taneja College of Pharmacy is partnering with Tampa-based biotech firm Morphogenesis to help build the talent pipeline and expand research. The affiliation agreement will allow for clinical and clinical research collaborations, opportunities for students to intern for Morphogenesis, and the company will co-chair USF’s College of Pharmacy Industry Advisory Board.
Promotions
• PowerChord, a St. Petersburg-based SaaS company, has promoted its president William Volmuth to CEO. Volmuth joined the company in July 2019 and in the new position, will continue to focus driving the company’s momentum through its platform and digital marketing services.
• Vology, a Clearwater-based provider of managed IT, cloud and security services, announced its Chief Innovation Officer Walt Walker will now also take on the role of chief cloud officer, where he will enhance its current cloud solutions and expand the company’s cloud offerings.
• SynsorMed, a health care technology startup with major Tampa Bay ties, has seen a huge spike in interest as coronavirus turns the health care industry on its head. And now, it has grabbed the attention of the Charles Barkley Foundation. The duo came together to create the Save Our Selves Council, made up of roughly 20 Black technologists, health care professionals and policy makers concerned about the health of Black Americans. Learn more about the partnership here.
• Jill Kermes has been named as Tech Data’s newest corporate vice president of corporate communications. She most recently worked for Lumina Analytics, a Tampa tech company which uses artificial intelligence for predictive analytics and risk sensing. It is an Inno Startup to Watch in 2020. She also worked at HSN.
• Tampa-based tech firm Vendita has brought on John Nykaza as chief technology officer. He previously worked as the VP and general manager of the U.S. region for Toppan Photomask, an Austin-based operator of manufacturers.
New moves
• U.K.-based iO Associates has launched its first U.S. office in Tampa. The IT and digital staffing firm announced it will launch a new Tampa office with plans to create 40 jobs specializing in cloud technology staffing. According to the company, the demand for insurance, medical, defense sector and financial services staffing were all key draws to the Tampa Bay region. Read more here.
