It's easy to write off 2020 as the year with consistently bad news, and for many it was. But the past year has also brought the stories of new startups innovating despite the chaos, an increased focus on boosting startups within the region and of course, honoring the technology companies making Tampa Bay a startup hub in its own right.
We've gathered up the 10 most-read stories from this year below.
Tampa Bay's 20 Startups to Watch in 2020
Every year we publish the list of most-watched startups based on a number of factors: those that are raising funding rounds, planning massive expansions or hiring sprees, partnering with an industry giant and more. This year's list proved to be our most popular, bringing attention to some no-longer-under-the-radar companies making major moves. Stay tuned for 2021's list and event coming soon.
Four months after launching, Tampa startup raises $1.7M from Silicon Valley execs
Matt Redler and his company Panther provided the much-needed story of reinvention and triumph in 2020. The founder had originally launched a different startup, Chefit, before shuttering due to the coronavirus pandemic. He then started Panther, a company that streamlines international hiring. Four months later, his story of raising funding landed No. 2 on our most-read stories.
Former D.C. restaurateur launches Tampa tutoring service with help of College Hunks founders
This story's got it all: a company relocating from a larger city to launch in Tampa, with the help of a local startup success story. The founders of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Trash Butler convinced longtime friends Ralph and Jamie Lee to launch their own tutoring franchise in Tampa, after making a move from D.C. The couple launched Tutor Doctor in June, which is comprised of more than 300 franchises across the world, located in 15 countries.
PODS founder takes advantage of NYC's mass exodus to Florida with new Tampa startup
Relocating seemed to be a general theme in Tampa Bay in 2020. While many offices turned remote, allowing its employees the freedom to work anywhere, thousands flocked to the Sunshine State for tax breaks and palm trees. The PODS founder, who sold the moving company years ago, wanted to take advantage of that with his latest venture called Red Rover.
Embarc Collective ushers in new year with soft opening
Tampa Bay Inno got the exclusive on the long-awaited Embarc Collective opening, a $10 million innovation hub headed by Chicago startup leader Lakshmi Shenoy and backed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. While the space, along with other incubators and accelerators across the region, had to briefly close during the pandemic, readers got an early peek on the new space back in January.
Tampa entrepreneur launches new global startup after shuttering first business during Covid
In a time startups across the nation had to close their doors, readers tuned into one local success story. As mentioned above, Redler launched Panther (a mashup of "Pangea" and "together") in June, which works as a middleman to help U.S. companies find and hire talent across the world without the hassle of setting up foreign entities.
Tampa Bay's Inno Under 25 2020
Tampa Bay proves it has young talent in droves. For this year's Inno Under 25 list, we rounded up 16 of the innovators 25 years old and under making major moves with their companies in the region, despite — or perhaps because of — their age.
#OfficeEnvy Meet Tampa Bay's four-legged WFH coworkers
At the onset of the pandemic, it felt a bit strange to feature offices in our #OfficeEnvy feature readers have consistently proved they loved. Offices had virtually closed across every sector in the nation, leaving everyone to navigate the now-familiar territory of working from home. And one major perk of that? Pets. We featured the furry co-workers many in the region now get to work with daily.
Office Envy: Check out Knack’s Magic School Bus mural and custom coffee
Just before the world turned on its head and working from an office became a thing of the past, we brought you a look at edtech startup Knack's downtown digs. The 1,700-square-foot space includes a "Magic School Bus" mural created by one of Knack's engineers.
Meet Cirkul, the Tampa-based innovative water bottle that just raised $6.6M
Under-the-radar company Cirkul first spoke with Inno after raising over $6 million back in October. The company originally launched in Boston before setting up shop in Tampa full time, and with the latest funding it will be hiring additional employees with the hopes of hitting retail shelves in 2021.
