Newsletter August 14th, 2025

Happy Thursday! Mind Your Business is your weekly lightning strike in Tampa Bay’s innovation storm, delivering high-voltage insights that energize founders, spark deals, and light up the path forward.

Here’s what’s fueling the region’s AI, fintech, and beyond this week:

⚕️GroundGame.Health rebounds with $1M raise
💳 Fintech accelerator launches new high-growth cohort
🌾 UF plants $34.5M AI-powered agtech hub in Hillsborough
🎓 MGT expands higher-ed reach with latest acquisition
📍 UK defense tech startup sets up first U.S. base in Pasco
🔎 USF lands $3.4M grant to train future research leaders
🏒 Lightning sign fintech deal to boost fan experience

Scroll down to learn more…

⚕️HEALTH TECH

Tampa’s GroundGame.Health Raises $1M After Layoffs to Refocus Growth Strategy

After cutting nearly 100 jobs earlier this year, Tampa-based GroundGame.Health is back on the upswing with a $1M raise led by 7wire Ventures. Structured as convertible notes, the funding is less about rapid expansion and more about recalibrating the company to match shifting market realities.

GroundGame.Health’s platform helps health organizations engage hard-to-reach, high-risk patients with personalized outreach, delivering a reported five-to-one ROI. The new capital will strengthen relationships with two Florida provider groups and support employer health initiatives. CEO Susan Rawlings expects hiring to ramp up again by year’s end.

⚡Why It Matters: 

This rebound story shows how local healthtech companies can adapt quickly in a changing market and still attract investor confidence when they have proven results.

💳 FINTECH / STARTUPS

Tampa Bay Wave and USF Launch 2025 FinTech|X Accelerator Cohort

The 2025 FinTech|X Accelerator is officially underway, as Tampa Bay Wave and USF’s Muma College of Business welcome 12 high-growth startups into their eight-week sprint toward investment and scale. Now in its fourth year, the program has already helped alumni raise more than $300M and generate over $60M in revenue, producing notable grads like Paperstack, Viva Finance, and Ascent.

This year’s class covers everything from AI-powered risk assessment to blockchain payments and wealthtech tools, pulling in founders from across North America. Over the next two months, they’ll tap into Wave’s mentor network, pitch to investors, and refine their growth playbooks.

The startups in the accelerator are:

• Atlanta-based Catch It

• St. Petersburg-based Congruit Inc.

• Toronto-based Cove

• Toronto-based Cyder Inc.

• St. Pete-based HappiNest.AI

• Portland, Oregon-based Nuuvia

• New York-based Odynn

• San Diego-based Oink

• Portland, Oregon-based Payfinia Inc.

• Reno, Nevada-based Rely

• New York-based TAANGapp

• Greenwich, Connecticut-based Artificial Intelligence Risk

⚡Why It Matters:
The program cements Tampa Bay’s growing role as a fintech innovation hub, attracting national and international startups to build, test, and grow from here, while connecting local talent and investors to some of the sector’s most promising ideas.

🧠TICKLE YOUR BRAIN

Riddle of the Week:

I move without wheels,
I work without hands,
I build empires from grains of sand.
I am traded, invested, spent, and saved,
Shape me right, and futures are paved.

What am I? 🤔
(Answer at the bottom of the newsletter)

Pause for some deep thinking…

🌾AGTECH / AI

University of Florida to Build $30M AI-Driven AgTech Hub in Wimauma

The University of Florida is betting big on making Tampa Bay a hotbed for agricultural technology, breaking ground Nov. 7 on the new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence and Agriculture in Wimauma. Backed by $30M in state funding and $4.5M in federal grants, the 40,000-square-foot facility will focus on automation and efficiency which are two of the biggest cost challenges facing Florida’s second-largest industry.

The center will serve as a statewide hub, linking farmers and researchers to create AI-powered solutions for the Southeast’s unique crops and conditions. Partnering with Nvidia, UF will leverage the tech giant’s hardware and software to speed up innovation and push ideas beyond the prototype stage into commercialization. Local startups like St. Pete’s AgWise are already eyeing collaboration.

⚡Why It Matters:
This project bridges the gap between the region’s growing tech community and Florida’s $16B agriculture sector, planting the seeds for a new wave of AI-powered agtech innovation and positioning Hillsborough County as the nexus.

💰ACQUISITIONS

Tampa’s MGT Acquires rpk GROUP to Expand Higher Education Consulting Reach

Tampa-based MGT has made its 13th acquisition in five years, snapping up higher education consulting firm rpk GROUP. Known for advising colleges and universities on finance, strategy, and operations, rpk adds new depth to MGT’s portfolio, which already includes strategic planning, tech upgrades, and campus safety solutions.

The move follows MGT’s May acquisition of Ednetics, signaling a continued push into education markets at every level. Leaders from both companies say the merger will give higher-ed institutions the tools and strategies to build sustainable models for the decades ahead.

⚡Why It Matters:
This deal strengthens Tampa’s reputation as a headquarters for companies shaping the education sector and puts MGT in a prime position to influence how colleges nationwide adapt to shifting economic and technological realities.

😂MEME STREET

Here’s a Meme You Can Probably Relate To

📍NEW IN TOWN

Smytec Inc. Chooses Pasco County for First U.S. Operations

British defense technology startup Smytec Inc. has picked Pasco County as its U.S. launchpad, bringing advanced forensic imaging to American law enforcement and defense agencies. Founded in Market Harborough, England, Smytec made the decision after connecting with the region’s military and defense network during Tampa’s Special Operations Forces Week earlier this year.

Through the Pasco EDC’s SMARTLandings program, Smytec is rolling out BlindSite Scene, its flagship crime scene imaging tool developed in collaboration with the FBI, ATF, and U.S. law enforcement. The company has set up shop at SMARTstart in Wesley Chapel.

⚡Why It Matters:
Smytec’s move underscores the region’s pull as a gateway for international defense tech, bolstering Pasco’s bid to be more than just a bedroom community and instead a hub for high-impact, security-focused innovation.

🔎LOCAL TALENT

USF Wins $3.4M NSF Grant to Launch BUILD Program

The University of South Florida has secured a five-year, $3.4M grant from the National Science Foundation to launch the BUILD program, a statewide initiative to train the next generation of research administrators. Partnering with UCF and Florida A&M, USF aims to create a talent pipeline equipped to handle the increasingly complex demands of managing research funding and development.

Students in the program will take four online courses, complete a comprehensive exam, and build an electronic portfolio, earning a certificate in research administration. Led by USF’s Research Development Institute and IT leadership, the program is designed to become a national model for virtual research education.

⚡Why It Matters:
By positioning USF as a leader in research administration training, the program strengthens the region’s ability to attract and manage major research grants which is a win for Tampa Bay’s innovation economy.

🔎FINTECH / SPORTS

Global Payments Tapped as Tampa Bay Lightning’s Payments Tech Partner

The Tampa Bay Lightning have a new ally off the ice: Atlanta-based fintech Global Payments. Under a multiyear deal, the company will power transactions for food, beverages, retail, and ticketing at Amalie Arena, aiming to streamline every fan interaction.

Global Payments already works with over 160 stadiums and venues worldwide and has driven sales gains at major sports arenas. For the Lightning, it’s a chance to marry faster lines and smoother checkout with more engaged, higher-spending fans.

⚡Why It Matters:
Beyond better fan experiences, the deal signals Tampa’s place in the big leagues of sports tech adoption, linking the Lightning with a global network of high-performance venues.

📢ANNOUNCEMENT

Pitch Your Health-Tech Startup in Front of Cathie Wood (Ark Invest) LIMITED SPOTS REMAINING!

Got What It Takes to Pitch in Front of a $40B Titan?

This November 13th, we're hosting a landmark event featuring Cathie Wood, legendary founder of Ark Invest and visionary leader managing over $40 billion in assets.

We're selecting 5 standout health-tech startups to pitch live on stage, in front of Cathie and a room full of investors, operators, and key decision-makers in tech and venture.

🎤 What’s at stake?
The prize is still under wraps, but the real win is who you’ll be pitching in front of.

To apply:
Reply to this email with 1 short paragraph about your startup and what you’re aiming to achieve. Think of it as your elevator pitch – concise, bold, and clear.

📅 Event Date: Wednesday, November 13
📍 Location: Ark Innovation Center

Space is limited! Don’t miss the chance to put your startup in front of one of the most influential investors in the world.

WORTHY MENTIONS: UPDATES, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ETC…

• ⚖️ Fear & Greed Index: 64 (GREED) per CNN

• 🤖 Perplexity makes a bid to buy Google Chrome for $34.5 billion Read more

• 📈 PPI rose 0.9%, higher than 0.2% expectation and market reacts Read more

• ✨ Want a front-row seat to our biggest events and a chance to connect with Tampa Bay’s top founders, investors and innovators? Apply to join our team!

• 🚀 We’re growing our private Masterminds Slack community — and we want you in it! Connect with top entrepreneurs, founders, and techies building big things in Tampa Bay and beyond. Join now

• 📅 Want to sponsor an upcoming Masterminds event? Apply here!

RIDDLE ANSWER

Money. Invest it wisely and it paves the future.

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