Tampa-based door manufacturer Masonite International Corp. is entering the outdoor patio space – a sector the company values between $4 to $5 billion.  The new move follows Masonite’s (NYSE: DOOR) announced purchase of California-based Fleetwood Aluminum Products in a $285 million all-cash transaction.  Fleetwood, a family-owned business, designs and manufactures premium, aluminum-framed glass doors and...Read More

The founder of a crowdsourced story analytics platform plans to transform the publishing industry by providing authors with actionable feedback and promoting the site’s top-ranked writers to agents and editors. Fred Koehler, a Tampa Bay-based author, illustrator and entrepreneur, created Ready Chapter 1 to help prospective writers break the rejection cycle. The software-as-a-service startup’s Peer...Read More

Digital Twin Marine utilizes cutting-edge technology to create three-dimensional virtual replicas of expansive ships; its founders believe they have found the ideal location to grow the burgeoning company. Nicky Bruger and her husband, Tom, launched the company in Fort Lauderdale. They participated in the prominent 35 Mules business incubator in Juno Beach before relocating to...Read More

Xavier Gray, founder of Tech & Flow, is incorporating a decade of financial advising and wealth management experience into an easy-to-use mobile application. The St. Petersburg-based startup’s Flow app launched Saturday, Oct. 7. Gray describes it as “a financial advisor in your pocket.” Despite no marketing, he said about 40 people have joined a presale...Read More

Tampa-founded IT services giant AgileThought Inc., which is planning to go into the private market, has entered a partnership with local project management software firm Iteright.  “As a small company, partnering with a large publicly traded firm gives us significant credibility of our product and capabilities,” Iteright CEO Alex Brodsky said. “In Tampa, companies like...Read More

St. Petersburg-based tech giant Jabil, the largest publicly traded company in the Tampa Bay region, will work with hardware and software company Calix in a new manufacturing deal to expand broadband internet service in rural America.  As part of Michigan-based Calix Inc.’s (NYSE: CALX) $42.45 billion Build America, Buy America (BABA) effort for the Broadband...Read More

Gert-Jan de Vreede, interim dean of the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business, believes Tampa Bay needs a moniker that embodies the region’s transformation into a technology hub. He noted that California has Silicon Valley, and people refer to Omaha, Nebraska, as Silicon Prairie. After dismissing Silicon Swamp and suggesting Silicon Bay, de...Read More

Lady Natasha Fines believes clothing is more than just fabric as it provides a platform for self-expression and individuality; however, she noticed one oft-overlooked demographic. The Tampa native and Pinellas Park resident launched her eponymous apparel brand in August. She will unveil her niche – disability-inclusive adaptive clothing – Sept. 29 at Tampa Bay Fashion...Read More

Huntington Bancshares Inc., a $189 billion asset regional bank holding company, has invested nearly $5 million into Tampa startup Veuu.  Veuu, created by local entrepreneur Terence Mills, uses artificial intelligence to streamline and improve insurance claims coding, and provide health care providers adjudication of payment immediately upon patient discharge. It uses advanced AI technology in...Read More

Tampa-based startup Nickelytics, a venture-backed advertising tech firm initially known as The Nickel Ride, has been acquired in an eight-figure deal.  Texas-based venture capital group T72 Club Inc., which has backed over $5 billion in investments and more than 150 acquisitions, purchased Nickelytics after months of discussions and negotiations.  “We weren’t looking to sell. We were...Read More