A New York-based tech company backed by Google and MLB has quietly moved its headquarters to Tampa.
Satisfi Labs, which has a patent-pending artificial intelligence technology, moved to Tampa in May, according to CEO and co-founder Don White.
"Tampa is the largest, smallest innovation hub," White said. "There's a lot going on, but a few people who can connect you. So very quickly it was an intro, intro, intro and were totally set up. It all happened so easily to get into the system; the community really embraced us, so we wanted to become a part of that."
While White still lives in New York, and the company does not have a formalized office, Tampa will serve as the home base for any company gatherings. It's also a member at Embarc Collective, a Tampa-based innovation hub and brainchild of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. Vinik backed Satisfi Labs in 2017 long before the Tampa move, White said, but served as a catalyst for bringing the company to the region. It ultimately beat New York, Nashville and Austin and Denver.
"[Vinik] has been a tremendous supporter," White said. "He was a very early investor, Tampa Bay Lightning is an early customer, and that led to [an introduction with investment firm] Florida Funders. So, Tampa was obviously a growing space when the pandemic occurred."
The company counts 400-plus customers, including the Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Amalie Arena and ZooTampa at Lowry Park.
Satisfi Labs provides artificial intelligence technology for organizations, which is typically used in the "How can I help you?" pop-up on a company's app or website.
"There's a lot of talk about our economy in the news, but the pent-up demand from people who didn’t see live music in the last two years or go to a football game is tremendous," White said. "Customers might prepare more for their visit because they’ve forgotten the protocols, or what's changed. It's almost like they're coming back anew."
The top questions from the company's customers, White said, surround ticketing — whether it's moving tickets, printing them or getting a specific seat. Food and beverages questions follow, with health and safety concerns falling to the bottom of concerns.
"Our whole business is enabling information to be queried for a question instead of searching for a link — and the answers are curated by the brand," White explained.
He added it is not intended to replace current employees and instead free them up for less time-consuming tasks.
"I've never been a believer that AI was a human replacement in the sense of, 'You can do it with less people,'" he said. "It's more like if you had the budget to hire 10 to 15 more people, where would you put them? Ticketing for example — there's not a full-blown ticketing department, but now we can give them one."
The company, which was founded in 2016, has four employees in Florida out of 35 total. White hopes to increase that to 40, with a focus on local talent. It has raised roughly $10.5 million and plans to start seeking a Series B round next summer for an undisclosed amount.
"It was not a fun pandemic company to be at," White said with a laugh, acknowledging the hit tourism-related industries took in 2020. "But it is a fun company to be at now."
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