Officials with Plug and Play’s Smart Cities accelerator introduced the program’s third batch of companies in Orlando on Wednesday.
The group includes several businesses based in Orlando but also includes one from Tampa, Delaware, Sarasota, Texas, Tennessee and Colorado.
The event served as a way of connecting the businesses with the community.
“They are looking for that opportunity to build up their network, their brand and really let people know who they are, what they are working on and get some feedback,” said Rosangela Parker, Plug and Play’s program manager in Orlando. “It’s an opportunity to not only establish these relationships but kind of test the market and see what people feel about what they are working on.”
The hope for community introductions is that the exercise leads to continued growth.
The Plug and Play family of programs – a second operation is based in Kissimmee and focuses on sensor-based technologies – joins long-term efforts in Central Florida to bolster young companies through education, networking help and targeted curriculum.
The number of options in Orlando for young companies to enroll in accelerator-like programs has fluctuated during the past decade, partly because of a severe decline in activity during the COVID pandemic.
However, the number of programs has, at least anecdotally, started to see a rebound. Plug and Play, itself, only made its Central Florida debut during the last year.
Meanwhile, sites like Starter Studio have expanded offerings to include three programs that target companies in different stages of their timelines.
Plug and Play’s latest batch of companies all have smart cities as a thread but exist within a variety of niche industries.
For instance, Valerann is a Delaware-based firm that focuses on intelligent transportation systems.
Tappy helps people with disabilities navigate Austin, Texas.
Orlando’s Intelligence Factory, meanwhile, targets the healthcare billing industry using artificial intelligence technologies.
Plug and Play has more than 60 locations across more than 25 countries.
“There is an opportunity for us to not only elevate those entrepreneurs who call Florida home but also connect them to the global network that we have,” Parker said. “The long-term goal (for startups not based in Florida) is to help them build a network here and give them a reason to establish roots here.”
Here are the startups in the third batch:
Improving Aviation (Tampa)
Lit Thinking (Orlando)
SynMatter (Orlando)
Tappy Guide (Austin, Texas)
Maiven Energy (Boulder, Colo.)
TENEX.AI (Sarasota)
Valerann (Wilmington, Del.)
Intelligence Factory (Orlando)
Scan ID 365 (Orlando)
Witching Hour (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Routix (Orlando)