Tampa Bay companies kicked off the first month of the fiscal year by drawing in nearly $50 million in July.
The companies raised more than $47.8 million, a massive leap from May and June’s $13 million raises, and nearly half of the $110.2 million Tampa Bay companies raised in the first six months of the year. We’ve gathered up the deals you might have missed below.
The fundings
- Psilera Bioscience, a Tampa biotech company with a focus on using psychedelics to treat addiction, secured $2.5M. It was led by Fort Lauderdale-based Iter Investments. Baird Inc., JLS Fund, Receptor and What If Ventures also participated in the seed round. More here.
- Tampa-based telehealth company eRemede, formerly known as eCover Global, raised a $1.5M seed round from two undisclosed angel investors. The company was founded as eCover Global in May 2019, initially providing an instant messaging system to ease patients’ questions and concerns during surgical pre-and post-operation. Get the full story.
- Two months after launching a $20M, five-year fund, TampaBay.Ventures has made its first investment. The fund closed a high six-figure deal with St. Petersburg-based Procoto. We initially wrote about Procoto when the company was accepted to the prestigious Y Combinator program earlier this year. The company still has not closed its seed round, but TampaBay.Ventures will be the lead. The Business Journal has more.
- OriginClear Inc.,a Clearwater-based conglomerate that designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes water treatment solutions, raised $150K, according to SEC filings. The filing stated the funds were part of a $5M offering. Two unnamed investors participated in the round.
- CodeX, a St. Petersburg-based cybersecurity company, closed a $5M Series A round led by Virginia-based By Light Professional IT Services LLC with participation from Boca Raton-based fama Ventures. The funding will be used for sales and marketing efforts. Get the full story.
- Qure4u, a Bradenton virtual health care company, received a $25M Series B investment after seeing growth more than double in the last year. Boston growth equity firm Volition Capital was the sole investor in the round. More here.
- Washlava raised a $9M Series B round. The funding is a mix of recapitalization and equity financing, with participation from the David A. Straz Jr. Foundation and Jacksonville-based Monterey Private Capital. Both have previously invested in Washlava. Learn more.
- Professional Credentials Exchange, a Tampa-based tech startup looking to streamline the credential process, has raised $4.6M. The seed round was co-led by Michigan-based Spectrum Health Ventures and Nashville-based Martin Ventures. This is an addition to a $3.5M seed round the company closed last April, and company founder Anthony Begando told us he’s looking to close a Series A next year. Get the full details.
- Tampa-based Florida Funders hasclosed an investment round into Miami-based eMerge Americas for an undisclosed amount. The hybrid venture capital and angel investor network led the round, with participation from Tampa-based MacDonald Ventures and Florida Funders’ board member Rachel Sapoznik also contributing. Get the full details.
And in other funding news:
- Black Stock Footage, a Tampa-based startup focused on Black representation, won $25K at Endeavor Miami, a statewide pitch competition. Company co-founder Imani Lee told us they’re set to officially launch this fall, and will offer a platform for video creators solely focused on Black representation. In the meantime, they’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign to seek additional funding that will go toward recruiting videographers.
- Atlanta-based Flock Safety will be investing $10M of its $150M Series D into the Tampa Bay region. Flock Safety produces cameras that analyze cars and licenses plates to help police departments and neighborhoods investigate crimes. The company already has a presence in roughly 50 cities across Florida and has been in the Tampa Bay area the last year. Learn more.
- Anzu Partners, an investment firm with its largest presence in Tampa, has launched its third fund focusing on industrial and life science tech startups. The fund has raised $130M in commitments with a focus on a $300M close and typically cuts checks between $3M to $15M. The firm has 28 active investments since its first fund’s launch, but despite the Tampa focus, no investments are based in the Tampa Bay region yet. The Business Journal’s got the full story.
