When launching a startup, it’s important to have a keen perspective on target markets and industry needs, especially when choosing a headquarters location. What often gets overlooked, however, is the importance of location when hiring a motivated and innovative workforce. With millennials set to command 75% of the workforce by 2025, work-life balance is a crucial factor for hiring in-demand talent. For many in the tech workforce, part of finding balance is living in a beautiful, livable climate. With gorgeous beaches and constant warmth, it is no surprise that Tampa has emerged as a hotspot of tech and startup excitement.
New companies with ambitious goals are always arriving in Tampa but for now, these are the 13 must-know Tampa startups.
Tampa Bay Startups to Know
- Benefytt
- Lovfinity
- Pro Crew Schedule
- GLEW
- Lunchpool
- SKUxchange
- Galaxis
- TableDot
Founded: 2018
Focus: Product discovery and commercialization
What they do: NAX Group is made up of product and technology experts, entrepreneurs and other professionals with the skills to support commercializing consumer and enterprise products. The company says it has built a software platform capable of discovering products in 90 days and then getting them to market within nine months. Its projects have included partnerships to launch an environmentally-friendly NFT marketplace and building a corporate growth platform.
Founded: 2020
Focus: Insurance
What they do: Benefytt provides health insurance technology that better fits user needs, developing and operating private health insurance marketplaces and consumer engagement platforms, plus a variety of systems that streamline the selling and purchasing processes. The company also offers a direct-to-consumer brand for seniors and Medicare-eligible consumers, ensuring that health insurance matches individual needs regardless of circumstance.
Founded: 2019
Focus: App-Based Dating
What they do: Lovfinity operates a dating application designed to deliver an enhanced experience to users around the world. The app is built on a swiping system and connects with the Apple Watch to offer dynamic notifications, messaging and compatibility detection, making it easier to form connections and maintain privacy.
Founded: 2018
Focus: Construction Software
What they do: Pro Crew Schedule helps construction companies accomplish their goals more effectively by providing management software that streamlines the time tracking and documentation process. The platform allows companies to schedule multiple tasks at a time and communicate effectively across entire teams.
Founded: 2020
Focus: Influencer Marketing
What they do: GLEW is a platform for bringing brands and influencers together, making it faster and more equitable to collaborate across channels. Simplified negotiation tools, unique rating systems and real-time analytics tracking are available to help influencers take control of their careers through the platform, with a vetting and strike policy in place to keep the community clean of misconduct.
Founded: 2019
Focus: Flower Delivery
What they do: Overnight Flowers was created to deliver more personalization and value to the flower delivery process. Featuring artisan-designed bouquets, personalized gift wraps, in-house design and an honest pricing system with no bait-and-switch tactics, Overnight Flowers allows people to bring more personality into the process when sending heartfelt gifts to loved ones.
Founded: 2019
Focus: Video Conferencing
What they do: Lunchpool offers a more effective solution to virtual conferencing, featuring multiple tools within the platform for keeping attendees engaged and maximizing the potential of any event. Organizers have the ability to utilize multiple HD presentation modes, host paid or free events, sell sponsorships, create engaging polls, and allow for interaction between smaller internal groups, making it easy for attendees to form authentic connections.
Founded: 2018
Focus: Healthcare Software
What they do: Aspen RxHealth helps transform the healthcare industry by providing pharmacists with a platform for communicating with patients and making medication therapy management easier than ever. Operating via a mobile application, Aspen RxHealth allows pharmacists to customize health plans that take all of a patients’ health factors and additional medication into account, helping build longitudinal relationships between critical parties in the healthcare ecosystem.
Founded: 2018
Focus: E-commerce
What they do: SKUxchange allows retailers, brands and marketing agencies to facilitate more incremental sales, distributing one-time-use digital coupons and money-saving initiatives to consumers while keeping control in the hands of the stakeholders. Everything from initialization and distribution to redemption and settlement is able to be customized and controlled by those profiting on goods, with powerful dashboards tracking all metrics for maximum effectiveness over time.
Founded: 2018
Focus: Content
What they do: Galaxis operates a content-sharing platform that allows creators and brands to monetize their content while keeping the platform free for all viewers. The platform introduces endless income opportunities via advertising, donations, commissions and merchandise, along with no fears of demonetization plus the ability to communicate directly with fans and negotiate directly with sponsors.
Founded: 2018
Focus: Private Dining Booking
What they do: TableDot is an elegant solution for creating a fine dining restaurant experience within home dining rooms, offering the ability to hire a professional chef to spice up any occasion. The company helps make hiring a private chef easy, with tools for pairing with a chef and customizing the menu available for parties of nearly any size.
Founded: 2018
Focus: Travel + Wellness
What they do: Vacayou believes that wellness and travel should go hand-in-hand. The company operates a platform that connects users with popular vacation spots paired with wellness activities. The site features bundles and packages for all-inclusive, worry-free vacation planning, with tools for checking out wellness retreats, active adventures and spa getaways within any given area.
Founded: 2018
Focus: Chat Software
What they do: Chattr provides a simple but effective chatbot solution to retail and grocery storefronts that allows them to make impactful hires faster than ever before. The AI-powered bot utilizes convenient sourcing, screening and scheduling tools to connect with top applicants and covert more of them into employees, reducing understaffing challenges and increasing productivity throughout storefronts.
