Issue 91 – January 2021
Register now for the Synapse Innovation Awards
This year’s Synapse summit will take place from March 8-11, where thousands of innovators from around the world will participate. The 4-day digital experience will celebrate, discover, and engage innovators making an impact in Florida. During the Summit, participants will learn more about Florida’s growing innovation sector and experience the work of our state's creative change-makers. During the event, innovators will have the opportunity to showcase their company’s successes and contributions to Florida’s innovation economy by signing up for the Inaugural Synapse Innovation Awards.
General information on the event can be found here.
Register here for the Synapse Innovation Awards.
Register now for the Florida Venture Capital Conference
Join the Florida Venture Forum for the 30th Annual Florida Venture Capital Conference held digitally on March 3-4. The Florida Venture Capital Conference brings together innovative and fast-growing companies with an audience of venture capitalists and other investors. This year’s conference will feature over 40 high-growth companies, over 200 active investors, and venture capitalists that attract over 1000 attendees from around the globe. Over the past 30 years, over $9 billion was raised by companies presenting at this event.
More information on the event, including application information, can be found here.
Florida Institute Funds Tampa-based TSOLife
The Institute has finalized a follow-on funding agreement with TSOLife, a Tampa-based company. The company has developed a business intelligence platform called TSOLife Minerva. This platform based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps senior living institutions make smarter business decisions and work more efficiently. It helps with simplified data collection and with better acquisition and understanding of residents.
More information on TSOLife can be found here.
Tampa-based company brings improved COVID19 vaccine on the way
In a letter to their stockholders, Oragenics announced developments on their COVID19 vaccine called “Terra CoV-2”. This was made possible through the acquisition of Noachis Terra in May, 2020. The three main benefits over other vaccines include the spike protein stabilizing in the pre-fusion state, which results in a greater likelihood of successful antibody binding, improved manufacturing efficiency, and lastly, more cost-effective storage at refrigerated temperatures.
More information can be found here.
Portfolio Company Yac secures $7.5 million in funding
Yac, a voice-based communication platform that helps companies to efficiently integrate their audio communication into their workflow, just secured another funding round accelerating the company's growth. The new investments, led by GGV Capital and the Slack fund, will help accelerate the platform's vast growth. The Institute and Yac reached a funding agreement in early 2020, attracting outside investors to secure additional funding. Funds from this round will help the firm to hire additional employees and scale up its advertising efforts.
More information on Yac can be found here.
About Us
Formed by the Florida Legislature in 2007, the Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology supports and funds innovation companies that create clean jobs in new industries that are driving the global economy. The Institute provides company building services, and seed funding through the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, to promising Florida startups that are developing products that improve and save lives and help companies improve their bottom line. The organization’s investment decisions are guided through a strong partnership with its Private Fund Manager, Florida Funders. The Institute’s economic impact over the last ten years was $2.6 billion, with fiscal revenue impacts of nearly $297 million to federal, state, and local governments.