Happy Thursday! This is Mind Your Business.

Tampa Bay’s startup scene felt like a control room this week. Some teams pulled fresh capital, others leveled up the infrastructure behind the scenes, and one local defense robotics player just signaled it wants to play on a much bigger stage. The common thread: this region keeps building the pipes that make momentum repeatable.

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

Here’s what’s on the board:
🚀 A local defense robotics player tees up a $1.5B path to the public markets
🏥 USF Health becomes the first U.S. site to train on a new advanced imaging system
🏗️ Sarasota bets on a venture studio model to produce 3 to 4 startups per year
🎮 Lakeland university goes all in on eSports
🤖$14M Federal Package Fuels USF’s AI, Cyber, Entrepreneurship and Resilience Buildout
🧬 Bio On The Bay Brings Life Sciences & Biotech Leaders Together

Scroll down for the signal…

🛡️DEFENSE TECH / CAPITAL MARKETS

XTEND, a Tampa-headquartered defense and security robotics company, plans to go public via a $1.5B merger with JFB Construction Holdings. The combined company is positioned as a software-driven autonomous systems platform, with reporting noting 10,000+ systems deployed globally and backing from strategic investors.

The bigger message is not just the transaction, it’s what it unlocks: scale capital, visibility, and a stronger talent magnet for defense-grade engineering. Tampa Bay has been building defense credibility quietly, and this puts a spotlight on it.

⚡Why It Matters: A defense-tech listing is a capital inflow event, not just a press release. If it moves forward, it can trigger hiring, supplier activity, and more investor attention toward Tampa Bay’s defense and robotics corridor.

⚕️MEDTECH / INFRASTRUCTURE

USF Health’s CAMLS installed GE HealthCare’s Allia Moveo image-guided therapy system, becoming the first U.S. site and third worldwide to do so. A second installation is planned later this year, expanding Tampa Bay’s capacity for advanced surgical imaging training.

This is specialized infrastructure that supports surgeons, medtech partners, and the pipeline of clinical talent who will use and influence next-gen tools. It is the kind of equipment that quietly raises a region’s credibility in medtech and procedural innovation.

⚡Why It Matters: Training infrastructure is leverage. When Tampa Bay becomes a “first site” for advanced systems, it attracts partnerships, pilots, and talent that want to be close to the cutting edge.

🚀STARTUPS / ECOSYSTEM

Sarasota-based Suncoast Venture Studio is betting on a venture studio model: validate ideas early, line up traction, then recruit the right co-founders to build companies around proven demand. CEO Travis Priest says Sarasota has an imbalance: capital and experienced advisors, but not enough new ventures to match.

The studio plans to write $250K to $500K checks and aims to keep companies anchored locally. It’s a deliberate attempt to manufacture the pipeline instead of waiting for it.

⚡Why It Matters: If the studio model works here, Sarasota becomes less dependent on “one breakout founder” moments. It becomes a place that can produce startups on schedule, which is how ecosystems compound.

🧠TICKLE YOUR BRAIN

You’re not raising money from me, but I decide whether you can raise money at all.
I show up when outcomes lag behind adoption.
I disappears when a product plugs into the workflow and proves value.

What am I?

(Answers at the bottom of the newsletter)

Pause for some deep thinking…

🎮ESPORTS / TALENT

Florida Polytechnic University is opening a new esports arena designed to give its 14 competitive teams a dedicated place to train, compete, and host matches. The arena includes 20 high-end gaming PCs, console stations with large screens, and a 48-foot exterior display to broadcast tournament play for spectators.

President Devin Stephenson said the space reflects Florida Poly’s “bold-thinking” approach and gives students an environment to challenge themselves and build community. Florida Poly competes in the National Esports Collegiate Conference and has 100+ students across teams playing titles like Valorant, Overwatch, and Marvel Rivals.

⚡Why It Matters: This is talent infrastructure, not just entertainment. As esports and competitive gaming keep professionalizing, schools that invest early create a pipeline for careers in gaming, production, content, marketing, and tech roles that are adjacent to startups and digital media.

🎓 CAPITAL / INFRASTRUCTURE

The University of South Florida is set to receive $14 million+ in federal funding across seven projects spanning all three campuses and USF Health. The allocation backs a wide mix of infrastructure: a new entrepreneurship center in Sarasota-Manatee, expanded AI and cybersecurity facilities, a molecular profiling center for advanced brain research, hurricane forecasting upgrades, and a multi-campus security operations center tied to law enforcement and defense partnerships.

Key allocations include:

USF President Rhea Law framed the funding as a regional investment with long-term impact across students, research, workforce development, and community partnerships.

⚡Why It Matters: This is ecosystem infrastructure. Entrepreneurship, AI labs, cyber training, defense partnerships, and climate resilience tools in one package. Federal dollars flowing into applied innovation and workforce pipelines strengthen the foundation beneath Tampa Bay’s startup economy.

😂MEME STREET

🧬COMMUNITY / EVENTS

Tampa Bay’s biotech and life sciences ecosystem takes center stage on March 4 at Bio On The Bay, where founders, researchers, investors, and operators will gather to connect capital with clinical innovation.

The event will spotlight emerging biotech startups, translational research, and the investors actively backing life sciences across Florida and beyond. If you care about oncology, medtech, AI-driven health, or the next wave of biotech infrastructure in Tampa Bay, this is where the conversations will happen.

We also have a limited number of sponsorship opportunities still available for firms looking to align with the region’s growing life sciences momentum. Sponsors receive direct exposure to founders, investors, and decision-makers shaping the future of biotech in Florida.

⚡Why It Matters: Tampa Bay’s health and biotech momentum isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s clinical, capitalized, and increasingly coordinated. Bio On The Bay is where that alignment becomes visible.

Interested in attending or sponsoring? Reply to this email and we’ll send details.

WORTHY MENTIONS: UPDATES, EVENTS, RESOURCES, ETC…

RIDDLE ANSWER

Answer: The implementation gap. Why? Tools get bought quickly, but real ROI only appears when workflows change and results show up.

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