Happy Thursday! This is Mind Your Business.

Tampa Bay had one of those weeks where the numbers did the talking. A Tampa AI planning startup pulled fresh seed capital, Sarasota cybersecurity landed a $20M Series C, and a new cyber cohort dropped 15 startups into the pipeline.

On the health side, Moffitt expanded into St. Pete with an AI and life sciences push, Tampa General doubled down with a new innovation center, and HCC secured new funding to grow its AI center. It’s less “one headline” and more “momentum stacking in multiple lanes.”

🔔 WHAT JUST MOVED
Recent news from the last week shaping Tampa Bay right now.

Here’s what’s on the board:
💰 A Tampa AI planning startup grabs $2.2M fresh seed funding
🛡️ A new cybersecurity cohort drops with 15 startups in the mix
🧬 Moffitt expands into St. Pete with an AI and life sciences push
🏥 Tampa General goes all-in on innovation with a new center
🎓 $1.29M funding secured for AI center at HCC
💸 $20M Lands for a Sarasota Cybersecurity Platform

Scroll down for the signal…

💰FUNDING / AI

Tampa startup Force Equals closed a $2.2M seed round to expand an AI-driven planning platform built for enterprise software and transformation projects. The round was led by Cultivation Capital, with participation from existing investors. The pitch is simple: fewer messy spreadsheets, faster alignment, and clearer execution for large internal initiatives. The funding is aimed at scaling product and growth as more orgs try to run complex change programs with tighter timelines and fewer people.

⚡Why It Matters: AI wins are shifting from “cool demos” to “operational leverage.” If Tampa startups keep building inside unsexy workflows like planning, budgeting, and execution, that’s where durable revenue tends to hide.

🛡️CYBER / ACCELERATOR

Tampa Bay Wave announced the selection of 15 cybersecurity startups for its 2026 CyberTech|X Accelerator cohort, reinforcing Tampa Bay’s momentum as a cyber hub. The cohort pulls in companies from multiple markets, with Tampa Bay also represented among the selected startups. The accelerator is positioned to connect founders with mentors, partners, and the enterprise buyers that actually move procurement.

⚡Why It Matters: Cyber in Tampa is no longer “potential,” it’s becoming an annual pipeline. Cohorts like this compound the ecosystem by turning the region into a repeatable on-ramp for talent, pilots, and funding.

🧬HEALTH / AI

Moffitt Cancer Center is expanding into St. Petersburg by placing scientific and innovation talent into spARK Labs, creating Speros by Moffitt as part of a broader collaboration focused on AI-driven oncology and life sciences. The effort ties into innovation and entrepreneurship work connected to Moffitt and aims to accelerate real-world development, not just research headlines. The move also intersects with the evolving future of the Historic Gas Plant District vision and who shapes what comes next.

⚡Why It Matters: When a major institution like Moffitt moves innovation teams closer to builders, it shortens the path from idea to deployment. It also strengthens St. Pete’s case as a serious node for applied health and AI, not just “supporting cast.”

🧠TICKLE YOUR BRAIN

I can make a great company uninvestable, and a mediocre one fundable.
I don’t show up on the income statement, but I decide whether you live long enough to reach product-market fit.

What am I?

(Answers at the bottom of the newsletter)

Pause for some deep thinking…

🏥HEALTH / INNOVATION

Tampa General Hospital opened the TGH Innovation Center in downtown Tampa, designed to bring clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry partners into one place to accelerate new health solutions. In parallel, TGH also promoted TGH Innovation Week, programming aimed at spotlighting health innovation and collaboration across the region.

⚡Why It Matters: Hospitals are increasingly acting like platforms, not just providers. When TGH builds dedicated innovation infrastructure, it creates more shots on goal for founders who need pilots, proof, and procurement pathways.

🎓 TALENT / ECOSYSTEM

Hillsborough Community College (HCC) has landed a $1.29 million federal grant to expand AI workforce training across its five campuses. The funding is a precursor to a dedicated AI Innovation Center, which will focus on equipping the local workforce with the skills needed to navigate and build the next generation of artificial intelligence tools.

⚡Why It Matters: A tech ecosystem is only as strong as its talent pipeline. By embedding AI training into the community college level, Tampa Bay is ensuring that the "AI revolution" isn't just for elite engineers, but a broad-based economic driver for the entire regional workforce.

😂MEME STREET

📍NEW IN TOWN

Global data analytics giant Palantir has officially established a presence in Ybor City. The move is part of the new TGH Innovation Center, housed in the transformed Masonite building. This collaborative hub is designed to bridge the gap between startups, researchers, and industry leaders, with Palantir serving as a cornerstone partner to drive data-driven healthcare breakthroughs.

⚡Why It Matters: When a company of Palantir’s stature sets up shop in a local innovation hub, it validates the region's technical maturity. This isn't just a new office; it’s a magnet for high-level talent and a signal that Tampa Bay is a serious contender in the global "Big Data" landscape.

💸FUNDING / CYBERSECURITY

Sarasota-based Nucleus Security closed a $20M Series C led by Denver private equity firm Delta-v Capital as enterprises shift away from expensive, homegrown vulnerability management systems.

Nucleus positions itself as a centralized system for managing cyber risk inside large organizations, pulling asset and vulnerability data from 200+ security and IT tools. Delta-v’s Connor Heard framed vulnerability and exposure management as increasingly “board-level,” and said Nucleus is positioned to define the next phase of the market.

The company previously bootstrapped until a $3.4M Series A (2021) and raised a Series B (2022).

⚡Why It Matters: This is institutional capital flowing into Tampa Bay’s cyber corridor, and it’s going toward platforms that turn security data into action. A $20M Series C also signals the region is producing companies that can scale into real enterprise category leaders, not just early-stage tools.

WORTHY MENTIONS: UPDATES, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ETC…

RIDDLE ANSWER

Answer: Cash flow. It determines runway and survival regardless of revenue narrative.

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