Two startups from Tampa were included in the annual LinkedIn Top Startups list.
Zoa Energy, actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s energy drink manufacturing company, is ranked 37 on the list, and Deepwatch, a security platform, is ranked 42 on the list.
Zoa Energy is a predominantly remote company that is headquartered in Tampa. Johnson and four others started the company in 2021 as a healthy energy drink, according to a Molson Coors Beverage company release.
There were three other companies from Florida on the list, including one from West Palm Beach, one from Jacksonville and one from Miami. The other startups were headquartered in New York or California, with a select few from Ohio, Massachusetts, Colorado, Montana and Washington.
Deepwatch CEO Charlie Thomas said the ranking is “a reflection of the amazing talent and team we have” on a LinkedIn post.
No Florida-based companies were on the 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 or 2018 list.
The startups were chosen based on employment growth, the rate at which people are viewing and applying for jobs at this company, how many non-employees are viewing the company’s employees, and how many employees the company has pulled from other highly rated companies. Companies must have existed for five years or less than five years, be independent and privately held, have 50 or more full-time employees, and be headquartered in the U.S.
The companies are a “testament to that spirit of innovation,” according to the announcement.
