Vu Technologies Corp. in Tampa received an undisclosed investment from global consulting firm Accenture.
Courtesy photo
Even with a potential holiday slump, the Tampa Bay area tech and business scene was not slow in November.
The scene saw several people hired, companies receiving funding and it even netted multiple new companies.
Tampa Bay Inno breaks it all down below.
The fundings
- Tampa-based Vu Technologies, a virtual production technology, received an undisclosed investment from global consulting firm Accenture.
- Icons Club raised $5 million in seed capital from undisclosed investors at a pitch competition against undisclosed competitors. The company is an early-stage startup — from the founder of a Clearwater coworking space and real estate investor — that wants to develop a startup fitness app,
The hirings
- Tampa-based AI startup AMNI hired BJ Fox as its new chief technology officer. Fox has more than 30 years of experience working at companies like PayPal and Microsoft.
- Clearwater-based research firm Economic Impact Catalyst hired Kim Vogel, a longtime St. Petersburg figure, as its new chief strategy officer.
- KnowBe4, the Clearwater-based "unicorn" cybersecurity firm, appointed Cindy Zhou as its chief marketing officer. She will be responsible for the company's global marketing, public relations and sales development strategy.
The moves
- Tocaro Blue, a startup building a maritime navigational system, set up shop at the St. Petersburg Maritime and Defense Tech Hub in November. The company was founded in Pensacola, and the new St. Pete office will function as a secondary headquarters.
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based D&H Distributing opened a space in Clearwater. It's the 104th largest private company in the U.S., according to Forbes, and it plans to continue to expand and potentially hire here.
- Pennsylvania-based Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute announced plans to move into the St. Petersburg ARK Innovation Center in December. Other companies are set to join the space, but it's the first company to announce its plans.
- Atlanta-based Benchmark Technology Corp. finalized its relocation to Tampa and announced plans to find space for corporate headquarters. The now Tampa-centric company plans to hire employees soon.
The acquisitions
- Software company Advantive acquired its 12th company, Manchester, England-based packaging software company Abaca Systems.
- St. Petersburg-based marketing company Next Net Media acquired a California- and Scotland-based advertising services company, Linkbuilder.io. The deal was part of a growth strategy for the company, which has been in the area since 2013.
