Newsletter August 28th, 2025

Happy Thursday! Mind Your Business is your weekly backstage pass to Tampa Bay’s innovation theater: where startups hustle, big names bet on our backyard, and the future gets built one bold move at a time.

This week, we’ve got jet engines and job growth, AI that sees through walls, cleantech with a global mission, and builders turning blueprints into instant insights.

Whether you’re scaling a venture or just curious what’s brewing, here’s what’s lighting up Tampa Bay:

🛠️ Jet Engines, Jobs, and a $30M Expansion
🚜 Heavy Machines, Light Downtime: Heave Raises $7M to Fix the Fixers
🏢 Global Player Sets Up Cyber & AI Outpost in Tampa
💧 Tampa Cleantech Startup Takes Aim at Global Water Crisis
🏗️ Tampa Builder Trains AI to Automate Construction Takeoffs
🔭 DARPA Taps USF Researcher to Tackle X-Ray Vision from Miles Away

Scroll down to learn more…

✈️AEROSPACE

Chromalloy Opens $30M Aerospace Facility in Oldsmar, Adds 250 New Jobs

Chromealloy ribbon cutting ceremony

Aerospace giant Chromalloy just cut the ribbon on its new $30 million Belac Coatings Center of Excellence in Oldsmar, marking a major win for Tampa Bay’s advanced manufacturing sector.

The new facility which is seven years in the making, will bring 250 high-skill jobs and give Chromalloy the ability to produce and coat aircraft turbine blades and vanes entirely within a 22-mile radius.

With industry-leading machines like one of the world’s few electron beam vapor deposition systems, it’s a serious upgrade for Florida’s aerospace footprint.

Why It Matters: 

Chromalloy’s expansion reinforces Tampa Bay as a strategic aerospace and energy manufacturing cluster, with ripple effects for workforce development, STEM education, and supply chain resilience in the region.

💰VENTURE CAPITAL

Tampa’s “Uber for Heavy Equipment” Startup Heave Scores $7M Series A

Alex Kraft, Founder & CEO @ Heave

Tampa-based construction tech startup Heave just raised a $7 million Series A to scale its on-demand platform for heavy equipment repair, a space founder Alex Kraft calls “massively underserved.”

The app connects construction firms directly with qualified mechanics, bypassing long dealership backlogs and minimizing expensive equipment downtime. With backing from Outsiders Fund, FJ Labs, and others, Heave’s now sitting on $13 million in total funding and big traction across Florida, Texas, Atlanta and Nashville.

Why It Matters:
Heave’s growth proves you can build category-defining, venture-backed marketplace tech right here in Tampa. The company’s success is a win for local founders disrupting legacy industries from the ground up.

🧠TICKLE YOUR BRAIN

Thoughts Idk GIF by GIPHY IRL

Gif by giphyirl on Giphy

Riddle of the Week:

I move with no wheels, yet carry great loads,
Invisible highways are where I explode.
I'm summoned by prompts, respond without pause,
Learning your patterns, predicting your flaws.
You won’t see my hands, but I build, I sell,
From TikTok to banking… you know me well.

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

Pause for some deep thinking…

🛡️CYBERSECURITY

Guidehouse Reopens Tampa Office with Focus on AI and Cybersecurity Talent

Scott McIntyre, CEO @ Guidehouse

Global consulting firm Guidehouse is planting new roots in Tampa, signaling a major commitment to AI and cybersecurity. The move is being led by Accenture veteran Tracey Brown, who sees Tampa’s talent pipeline and “Cyber Bay” reputation as the perfect launchpad for a regional growth strategy.

The firm previously had a presence in the area but shuttered operations before Brown’s arrival. Now, it’s making a comeback with an eye on the future… and hiring local.

Why It Matters:
Guidehouse’s return to the region doubles down on Tampa’s identity as “Cyber Bay.” With more global firms investing in AI and cybersecurity here, local talent is gaining both opportunity and recognition, and the region’s status as a strategic tech hub keeps rising.

♻️SUSTAINABILITY

HyOx Raises $8M Pre-Seed to Scale Breakthrough Water Tech Platform

Dr. Reinerio Linares, Founder @ HyOx

Tampa-based HyOx just raised $8 million in pre-seed funding to scale a platform that aims to revolutionize clean water access and not through filtration or chemicals, but by re-engineering water itself at the molecular level.

Founded by pulmonologist Dr. Reinerio Linares, HyOx uses a patent-pending process called Code Zero Transduction to enhance water’s structure and function for use across agriculture, public health, and climate resilience.

The round was led by cardiologist and angel investor Dr. George Dagher, who calls it “a platform technology” that could transform how we approach everything from food to ecosystems.

Why It Matters:
HyOx adds serious credibility to Tampa’s emerging cleantech ecosystem, showing that innovation here isn’t just about software… it’s about solving foundational global problems. It also signals how more Tampa startups are thinking globally from day one, with real-world impact at the center.

😂MEME STREET

Here’s a Meme You Can Probably Relate To

If you remember this… you’re an OG

🤖ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Local Contractor Launches AI Builder Company to Cut Estimating Time from Hours to Seconds

Tommy Whitehead (right), Founder @ AI Builder Company

Tampa-based entrepreneur Tommy Whitehead, president of TomCo Solutions, is behind AI Builder Company, a new startup developing an AI platform that automates material takeoffs from architectural PDFs. Using computer vision, the tool can scan and count features like outlets, HVAC units, and windows in seconds, helping contractors reduce hours of manual work in the estimating process.

The product is currently in beta and aims to officially launch within the next 12 to 18 months.

Why It Matters:
This homegrown construction tech play highlights how local entrepreneurs are bridging industry experience with AI innovation. It also adds momentum to Tampa Bay’s growing reputation as a region where real-world problems meet cutting-edge solutions.

🛰️DEFENSE TECH

DARPA Taps USF Professor to Develop Long-Distance X-Ray Tech and See Around Corners

John Murray-Bruce (right), Associate Professor & Researcher @ USF

Dr. John Murray-Bruce, a USF researcher housed at the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, is leading cutting-edge projects for both DARPA and the NSF. His work? Developing imaging systems that can “see” hidden threats from miles away or around corners using extreme computational imaging and machine learning.

While the real-world deployment is still years out, his lab has already achieved 97% accuracy at one mile and 75% at nearly three which is far beyond current X-ray tech limits.

Why It Matters:
This is a major flex for Tampa’s academic tech community. USF’s growing influence in advanced AI and defense research makes the region more than just a talent pipeline… it positions Tampa Bay as a place where game-changing innovation is born.

📢ANNOUNCEMENT

Pitch Your Health-Tech Startup in Front of Cathie Wood (Ark Invest) ONLY 1 SPOT REMAINING!

Cathie Wood, CEO @ Ark Invest

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 choosing 10 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.

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: 66 (GREED) per CNN

  • 📉 NVIDIA sales slow, stock down 2% Read more

  • ₿ Bitcoin Dominance at 57.6%, down from 60.5% a month ago See chart

  • 🤖 Hire AI Employees to handle all the grunt work so you can scale with Marblism

  • 🗣️ Instantly build your schedule from a message, voice, or screenshot using Trace

  • 🤗 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!

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RIDDLE ANSWER

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

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