The Synapse Summit, an annual networking and education event for Florida’s innovation and tech community that usually packs Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa, has gone fully virtual for its 2021 edition, set for March 8-11, and will offer free general admission tickets. Synapse Florida President Brian Kornfeld, speaking with the Catalyst, said it was an...Read More

Salvo Technologies, a technology-based holding company in Largo, has acquired Spectrecology LLC, a St. Petersburg distributor of spectrometers, imaging and sensing products owned by serial entrepreneur Mike Morris. The deal was announced Feb. 2, the same day that Salvo closed on the purchase of an office building at 8060 Bryan Dairy Road. Pinellas County property...Read More

The exodus from that other bay area to Tampa Bay continues. TrustLayer, an insurtech startup whose clientele includes Nationwide and Liberty Mutual, has bid adieu to Silicon Valley, moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Tampa.  TrustLayer’s software-as-a-service platform automates the proof of insurance process, adding speed and efficiency to what can often be a...Read More

CodeBoxx, a San Francisco-based company that trains people how to be web, app and software developers in as little as 16 weeks, plans to move its headquarters to St. Petersburg within the next two months.  Nicolas Genest, the firm’s founder and CEO, confirmed the move in an interview with the Catalyst on Friday. He said...Read More

Seedfunders, a St. Petersburg investment group, has thrown its weight behind Guidesly, a new app that aims to disrupt the archaic ways that fishing guides are researched and hired. The concept has also drawn support from DraftKings (NASDAQ: DKNG) and Harvard University entrepreneurship legend Howard Stevenson.  Based in Boston, Guidesly is the brainchild of David...Read More

Last week, the Catalyst caught up with Chip Webster, the outgoing local chairman of Tiger 21, an international networking and support group for high-net-worth individuals.  Webster ran Vistage Florida, a business advisory and executive coaching organization, for nearly three decades before coming out of retirement in 2018 to lead Tiger 21. Now that he’s re-retired,...Read More

Marxent, a St. Petersburg company that specializes in 3D commerce platforms for home-goods retailers like Macy’s, Lowe’s, Ashley HomeStore and La-Z-Boy, has closed a Series C round of financing led by Arnie Bellini, the founder and former CEO of Tampa-based IT solutions firm ConnectWise.  Other investors include Lee Arnold, executive chairman of Colliers International Florida,...Read More

Tampa Bay Wave’s CyberTech|X Accelerator kicked off this week with the unveiling of the 15 companies that have been selected to make up the program’s inaugural cohort.  The 90-day program will be conducted virtually because of the Covid-19 crisis, but also because participating companies hail from across the United States and even the United Kingdom....Read More

Dynasty Financial Partners’ move to downtown St. Petersburg in 2019 was a breakthrough moment for the city’s corporate recruiting efforts, according to J.P. DuBuque, the president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation.  Not only did the company — a provider of wealth management and technology platforms to financial advisory firms —...Read More

Alzamend Neuro, a Tampa biopharmaceutical firm focused on developing products to treat neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders, could become the area’s next publicly traded company. Alzamend submitted a draft registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. A public offering, subject to market conditions, is expected to follow a review by the...Read More