Rapid7 ribbon cutting
Carrie Wildes
While February may have been a shorter month, it packed plenty of a punch. Between new companies opening in the region, top-notch C-level hires, millions raised in funding and some partnerships to boot, the Tampa Bay tech scene had a busy month. We've rounded up the news you may have missed below.
Funds
- Tampa-based Deepwatch, a technology firm focused on cybersecurity, raised $180 million in equity and strategic financing. The company announced the Series C was led by Springcoast Capital Partners. Splunk Ventures and Vista Credit Partners, a subsidiary of Vista Equity Partners, also participated in the round. With the latest funding, the company has now raised more than $256 million in the last five years. Get the full story.
Charlie Thomas, CEO of Deepwatch.
Deepwatch
- Winter Park-based Govo Venture Partners, launched a $50 million venture capital fund that will invest in government and regulatory-focused startups. The group closed its first capital raise in December. While the fund is location-agnostic, Govo said Florida is an "ideal place" to deploy capital. Get the full story.
- Seedfunders, an investment management firm that got its start in St. Pete before expanding across Florida, launched the Seedfunders' Associate Member Network. The network sends interested users potential investment opportunities without the ties of annual fees or obligations to invest.
Dave Chitester, co-founder, Seed Funders
Courtesy image
Hirings
- Phonism, a Tampa-based telecommunications tech firm, added two C-levels to its lineup. James Lee was tapped as chief operating officer, with Marc Tribbe joining as Phonism's first chief product officer. This isn't the first time they've worked together; both men were first colleagues at Ohio-based Cincinnati Bell. Tribbe later co-founded Odessa-based Park Bench Solutions, which Lee joined as COO.
- Kim Hill, the chief marketing officer for the University of South Florida, is heading to Tampa-based cybersecurity company ReliaQuest to become its chief of staff. This isn't the first time USF has lost Hill to the cyber giant — get the details here.
Kim Hill, Assistant Vice President, PR and Communications, University of South Florida
Courtesy photo
- Tampa health tech company Sensie partnered with a Johns Hopkins artificial intelligence lab and added Joshua Vogelstein, the head of the AI lab to its C-suite. Vogelstein will be Sensie's "chief intelligence wizard," which Sensie CEO Michael Dannheim said is equivalent to a chief AI officer. Get the full story here.
- Tampa-based Rare Earth USA LLC, a magnet technology company focused on rare earth materials, tapped former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to join the company as a strategic adviser. Company officials pointed toward Pompeo's background in government and aerospace manufacturing as a key to bringing him aboard.
Mike Pompeo
- A Tampa cybersecurity company Abacode hired Anil Markose as its chief strategy officer. Markose is a former executive at Amazon Web Services, where he served as global head of AWS’ security compliance. The hiring follows a $9M raise for the company, according to CEO Michael Ferris, which he said was a mix of debt and equity. Get the full story.
Anil Markose, Abacode's chief strategy officer.
Abacode
Moves
- Visionet, a New Jersey-based technology solutions provider, expanded to Tampa. The company opened an office in the Temple Terrace area, its 15th office.
- Relic Tickets, a Lakeland-based Web3 company with a focus on disrupting the ticket industry, announced it is moving to St. Pete. The company will work out of the Thrive DTSP office while searching for a permanent space. Get the story.
Hunter Abramson, CEO at Relic Tickets.
Relic Tickets
- Tampa-based Paragon Cyber Solutions opened an office in the Rivergate Tower in downtown Tampa. The cybersecurity company previously was near the Temple Terrace area.
- Virginia-based Ridgeline International is expanding to the Westshore district. The company specializes in digital signature management and plans to add 30 jobs over the next few years. The Business Journal's got the story.
Ridgeline opening
Ridgeline
- Rapid7, a publicly traded Boston cybersecurity company, opened a new space in Tampa. The 43,000-square-foot office is in the Industrious building near Sparkman Wharf and will house its 70 local employees. See the space.
Part of the roughly 70 local employees Rapid7 has in Tampa.
Carrie Wildes
- Tampa Bay Wave officially opened its new headquarters, which spans roughly 8,000 square feet in the same building as WeWork. It’s not too far of a jump for the organization — it was previously across the street. But the new space, CEO Linda Olson said, will not only allow the organization itself to grow but also facilitate growth for its startups. Get the story and see the space.
Linda Olson, founder and CEO of the Tampa Bay Wave.
Nola Laleye
Partnerships and acquisitions
- Raze Inc., a Bradenton-based fundraising platform, partnered with a Tampa-based venture capital firm Black Dog Ventures. The groups' ultimate goal is to expand fundraising solutions that can boost entrepreneurs and businesses in raising capital.
Scott Kelly, CEO and founder of Black Dog Venture Partners.
Scott Kelly
- Tampa-based Trenam Law launched TrenamTech, a tech- and startup-focused vertical for entrepreneurs and investors. The vertical is led by Sheryl Hunter, who merged her Hunter Business Law practice with Trenam in May. Hunter believes the latest iteration will allow companies to have access to a wide amount of services — which she said may be more important than ever, given the downturn occurring across the tech space. The Business Journal's got the story.
Sheryl Hunter
Courtesy of Hunter Business Law
- Bradenton-based Eruptr LLC, a marketing tech company with a focus on the health care industry, was acquired by Connecticut-based private equity firm Amulet Capital Partners. New York-based Athyrium Capital Management also invested.
