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PETE acquires South Africa firm, expanding its reach globally

Marco Santana
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PETE acquires South Africa firm, expanding its reach globally

An Orlando AI startup has gone international.

The workforce training company PETE announced today that it had acquired a firm that will help expand into international markets.

The firm, PlutoLMS, is an online learning platform based in Cape Town, South Africa.

The product allows people to upload teaching document or modules, while also providing ready-made videos to put curriculum together from scratch.

PETE, which was launched in 2023 by Orlando tech leaders Luis Garcia and Jacques Fu, has attracted customers in tech, finance, legal, sports and others.

The company bolsters organizations’ workforce training systems.

Its clients include the Kia Center, Orlando City Soccer and WorthAI, a fintech firm that Fu helped cofound when it was known as Fattmerchant.

Garcia called the move a “key milestone” as the company tries to redefine workforce training.

“With their wide customer base and exceptional LMS platform, we are expanding our reach into new markets,” he said in a press release. “This move solidifies PETE’s position as global leader in training innovation, offering investors and clients alike an opportunity to be part of a truly transformative growth story.”

The acquisition will help PETE Learning attract larger clients while also enhances its position as a global leader in a competitive industry.

PETE Learning has become one of the more-interesting stories in Orlando’s tech scene, thanks to Fu’s experience with Fattmerchant and Garcia’s past as a high-profile tech expert at Full Sail University.

With purpose, U.S. Navy vet’s firm tackles healthcare challenges

Marco Santana
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With purpose, U.S. Navy vet’s firm tackles healthcare challenges

Sean Freitag has long believed in serving a higher purpose.

It’s why he enlisted in the U.S. Navy right out of high school in 2000.

It’s why he collaborated with other veteran entrepreneurs at an accelerator program in Washington D.C.

And now, it’s why he has brought his company, Signum Technologies, to an Orlando accelerator program that focuses on veteran-led businesses.

The SPEAR Accelerator, coordinated and run by the Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative, starts this month.

“We are all coming into this together around the same experience level,” he said. “We all started at the same place and speak the same language.”

Signum Technologies focuses cutting-edge technologies on societal challenges faced by people across the U.S.

The company’s journey started with biosensor tech that addressed security and healthcare needs caused by the COVID pandemic.

“The pandemic provided a great opportunity and landscape to highlight some of the problems that we saw in healthcare,” Freitag said. “There is a reason high-risk candidates chose not to go to the doctor.”

Freitag enters the accelerator confident it will push Signum forward.

One reason is that shared experience, which means collaboration in the future could emerge from the program.

“I had experience in the military with working on something that serves not just a business goal but also a higher purpose and shared mission,” he said.

Signum provides actionable insights to nurses and technicians, placing both groups on the same page during treatment schedules.

The team, which has reached five with more hires likely on the way, was built after it was determined that there was a need in the marketplace.

“The problem found us,” he said. “We were handed this technology.”

The company’s technology automates several tasks within a doctor’s visit or checkup.

What that does is minimize the amount of time patients need to be either waiting or interacting with a physician.

In practice during the pandemic, it allowed front-line workers to avoid mundane screenings and increase efficiency while also improving the safety of our frontline workers.

“I was confident we could build a real business around this,” Freitag said about the Annapolis, Md., venture. “We have the competency and ability to go tackle this.”

As he prepares to jump into the accelerator in Orlando, Freitag said a key advantage of joining a program with other veterans is that each entrepreneur will understand immediately some commonly shared experiences.

In addition, there is an inherent level of support from those who have served.

“It’s a unique cohort,” he said. “We are there to grow our own companies but I think part of the camaraderie is that you want to see your fellow veterans succeed, too.”

MyLigo helps increase people’s ownership of their medical data

Marco Santana
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MyLigo helps increase people’s ownership of their medical data

NOTE: Orlando Tech News has partnered with Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative to highlight the veteran-owned businesses that constitute the first cohort for the VEI’s SPEAR Accelerator program. More details and stories to come.

The latest data shows that the U.S. will soon have to deal with a potential shortage of physicians.

But an entrepreneur bringing his company to Orlando for a new veteran-owned business accelerator program has a solution.

It means creating a more-robust personal, digital identity allowing for more autonomy of a person’s medical records and data.

“We want to move the population into thinking that the data out there is their data,” said Jim St. Clair, CEO of Mississippi-based MyLigo. “It’s like a mobile driver’s license or mobile identification in your digital wallet.”

MyLigo is one of nine veteran-led companies in VEI’s Spear Accelerator, which will put the companies through their paces.

St. Clair said his company’s aim is to offset the shortage while also forcing patients to face one of its necessary results, head on.

“Like it or not, you will have to manage your own healthcare information and be more aware of your health conditions and status,” said St. Clair, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1991-2003.

MyLigo creates a system that will allow patients to access their own information quickly and in an organized manner.

That way, on a doctor’s visit, perhaps, you have all of your information handy to share with your physician.  

“We have full access to our own tax and insurance information so why not medical records,” St. Clair said.

The aim, St. Clair said, is to create a way to explain a personal medical record understandable by both those in their 70s and those in their teens or 20s.

As innovation continues in the medical field, he said it’s all about finding a way to make that innovation beneficial for patients.

“There is groundbreaking stuff happening every day,” he said. “How does that translate into every use or reach? How much does it cost and who pays for it?”

After federal funding scare, UCF business leader offers tips for startups

Marco Santana
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After federal funding scare, UCF business leader offers tips for startups

A short-lived directive last week by President Donald Trump to freeze federal grants and loans should serve as a reminder of how unpredictable entrepreneurship can be, an Orlando tech leader said.

Carol Ann Dykes Logue said the episode sparked inquiries from businesses that rely on research and other federal grants to fund their work.

Logue is director of both the Central Florida Tech Grove and UCF’s Business Incubation Program, which each provide services and connections to dozens of area companies.

The region is one of the most dense in the U.S. when it comes to federally funded research grants.

In a whirlwind 48-hour period, Trump’s Office of Management and Budget announced the directive last Monday evening, a federal judge temporarily blocked it Tuesday before OMB officials rescinded the order Wednesday.

Still, it should be a lesson for entrepreneurs, Logue said.

“Whenever you have a new administration, you don’t know what is going to happen,” she said. “It’s shades of the pandemic, during which the world shut down and funding wasn’t flowing.”

Trump set off a storm of confusion on Monday when he ordered a pause on federal grants and loans, a wide-reaching move that temporarily paused funding for a number of public programs.

Logue said there was uncertainty among the local business owners who had heard of the move on whether it affected them or not.

“When something like this happens, it can illicit fear and anxiety and maybe a little bit of panic,” she said. “There is so much to sort out. There are so many questions and so few answers.”

The move appeared to be a blanket stoppage of any federal grant, including those related to research being done across the country. Many Orlando companies, both small and large, rely on these federal research and development grants.

In addition, some work side-by-side with businesses that have projects being funded by these grants.

Logue compared the event to others including the pandemic and years when Congress would have a standoff over the federal budget.

“It’s not like we haven’t had these situations but this is a new reason,” she said.

Logue said about three-quarters of research funding at the University of Central Florida comes from federal grants, with the rest covered by both industry and the state of Florida.

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Logue said the incubator swiftly created a series of town hall meetings to keep its members informed on the latest.

The plan, at least last week, was to do something similar.

However, either way, it’s an illustration of what a strength-in-numbers style environment like a business incubator can do beyond the surface-level offerings.

“It allowed them to talk about what they were going through and share with each other,” she said.

Here are four tips Logue shared to ensure your business isn’t disrupted through external factors.

  • Meet  your commercial banker and get to know them so when problems do arise, they already know you and have a relationship.
  • Have great relationships with customers.
  • Maintain good communication with employees.
  • Know your financials well.

At Joybreak, local devs debut tough but stylish Zelda-like game – REVIEW

Guest Contributor
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At Joybreak, local devs debut tough but stylish Zelda-like game – REVIEW

Review and photos by Orlando Tech News Reporter Giovan Santiago

A new title from an Orlando video game company has the style and humor to potentially push it to success but may need to tweak the difficulty.

Jurassic Sunset Games debuted “Vice Magic City Mayhem” last week downtown, showing off an aesthetic and control system that invokes the old NES days.

“Mayhem” is an 8-bit action-adventure game in which you explore the titular gang-infested Magic City in search of your one true love.

If you need reference, take a scoop of “Grand Theft Auto” and “Legend of Zelda,” then top it off with a sprinkle of raunchy “South Park” humor.

Like Zelda, you explore the city to obtain money, powerups, and discover small side quests that reward your exploration. You fight your way through thugs, strippers, and killer old ladies with your sword, throwing stars, Molotov cocktails and, of course, a pimp cane that shoots bling projectiles.

While short, the game is easy to pick up, play, and follow its flow with no complicated mechanics stacked on top of each other.

The event last week drew local developers and gamers to hype the game, with several local tech professionals on hand to check it out.

The game became the event’s highlight and drew many players’ interest.

“It’s great! Keep making it rad!” local developer Galo Domaica said.

VR experience developer Mitchell Sanchez said he enjoyed the game.

“Vice Magic City Mayhem” shows some promise.

The concept is hilarious, with vulgar adult humor and an enjoyable gameplay loop.

That said, it’s still early in development and could use some refinement in specific areas.

For instance, the controls, while functional, could be improved by implementing diagonal movement. That may go against its NES-style design concept but it could use improvement.

However, perhaps my biggest criticism is the difficulty. Some screens forced me to fight mobs of enemies; one of these mobs awaited me shortly after I began the game.

If you don’t know what you’re doing and take too long to defeat the enemies, the game will mercilessly overwhelm you by spawning more enemies.

Thankfully, the game has a forgiving checkpoint system and didn’t force me to fight the mobs again after I defeated them and died.

With some practice and efficient usage of your sub-weapons, these mobs are simple, but I would have greatly appreciated a higher drop rate of health from the enemies.

In contrast to that, the pimp boss was relatively easy.

You can see the passion from Jurassic Sunset Games, which is a small company led by former EA developer Matthew Schulz, in the game.

On the company website, they say their goal is to deliver a “bite-sized experience to gamers.”

The company plans to launch a Kickstarter soon. For now, however, you can follow them on social media.

‘Resilience and grit’ of veterans has made for easy hires at KnowRX

Marco Santana
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‘Resilience and grit’ of veterans has made for easy hires at KnowRX

NOTE: Orlando Tech News has partnered with Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative to highlight the veteran-owned businesses that constitute the first cohort for the VEI’s SPEAR Accelerator program. More details and stories to come.

It is no accident that David Franklin has surrounded himself with military veterans at his company, KnowRX Health.

The U.S. Navy vet said service members share traits that allow him to create something of a dream team at KnowRX, which provides personalized, data-driven health records and tools.

The skills developed in the military translate almost perfectly to entrepreneurship, he said.

“There is resilience and grit,” he said. “It’s just, ‘This is what we have to do and you don’t stop.’ We don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

KnowRX leaders will be part of the Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative’s SPEAR Accelerator, a development program that launches its maiden voyage next month.

SPEAR helps entrepreneurs learn on the fly while building their skillsets, exposing them to experts and connecting them with others who served.

Franklin served in the U.S. Navy from 1988-1996 on the U.S.S. LaSalle and was also part of submarine communications in Bermuda.

He’s excited to see how SPEAR can help the company.

“There are not a lot of resources like this for vets or, at least ,they are not well publicized,” Franklin said. “As entrepreneurs, you are trying to be resourceful and looking for programs. It was exciting to learn that SPEAR has that veteran support. They see the value in who we are.”

KnowRX generates consumer health records, falling within the recent transformation and expansion of digital health.

As it grows, it’s intended to become something of a database for everyday life events related to a person’s medical history. This will create more complete records for doctors to check during hospital visits. 

For instance, an official medical record wouldn’t include data from wearable devices already in use by consumers around the world.

The idea is that this, in turn, would reduce time spent in the hospital because data will be at doctors’ hands immediately.

The company has about 10 people working on it.

“When you get these moments of success (the SPEAR Accelerator acceptance), it reassures the alignment that is so important to founders,” Franklin said. “It’s encouraging to know we are on the right path.”

KnowRX started after Franklin’s father passed away in 2018 because of side effects of a medication he was taking.

The hospital had no “real world” data, instead, as is customary, relying solely on clinical data.

That meant they had no idea he was skipping medications nor could they get a handle on his dietary and lifestyle choices.

“He is very much a part of the application,” he said. “That’s why the passion has turned into a purpose. My dad is still teaching me.”

Starter Studio CEO says ability to support startups a ‘privilege’

Marco Santana
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Starter Studio CEO says ability to support startups a ‘privilege’

Dawn Haynes still gets a rush from helping entrepreneurs pursue their passions.

Across a career that spans more than four decades, the Starter Studio CEO said hearing people get excited about their ideas feeds her energy.

“The ability to take my experience and expertise to help the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs is a privilege; I love it,” she said. “You are dealing with individuals and their passions, their vision. That fills you with energy and positivity.”

Haynes, who has been CEO since 2022, watched the latest group of entrepreneurs who finished Starter Studio’s pre-seed stage accelerator in a demo day last week.

It was a group that Haynes called “exceptional.”

The companies in the cohort include businesses in hardware security, a farm-to-table marketplace application, an offshore wind industry tech company and a biosciences firm.

As Orlando’s tech community continues its post-pandemic resurgence, programs that were once staples will be bellwethers to the ecosystem’s collective re-emergence.

Even as she focuses on the young companies that navigate one of three programs at Starter Studio, Haynes has her eye on the city’s overall entrepreneurial ecosystem.

She said several pieces in the community have started to come together, creating a more robust support program for young entrepreneurs.

“No one organization can give an entrepreneur everything they need,” she said. “The strength of any tech hub is how well the different stakeholders work together around a singular purpose. The vision is to support as many entrepreneurs as possible.”

At the Demo Day, the collective quality of pitches across each startup appeared to be higher than in the past.

Each presentation provided an important problem to solve and each entrepreneur handled judges’ questions smoothly.

Haynes said that is an indicator of a wider awareness of Starter Studio’s benefits among a variety of industries.

“They see and understand the value of the learning opportunity that they have for their entire business,” she said. “What we offer is very complementary to any of the accelerator programs that are very specifically focused on their industry and technology.”

In Orlando, collaboration across sectors, agencies, support services and other entities in tech will be key to the ecosystem’s success and, thus, the number of successful companies that emerge, Haynes said.

“People realize now that the success of Orlando will come about by adopting an ‘and’ attitude versus an ‘or’ philosophy around helping entrepreneurs,” she said. “We are not competitors but collaborators. We are getting better at that and that enables us to support higher quality startups on their journey to success.”

U.S. Air Force vet lands in first SPEAR Accelerator cohort

Marco Santana
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U.S. Air Force vet lands in first SPEAR Accelerator cohort

NOTE: Orlando Tech News has partnered with Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative to highlight the veteran-owned businesses that constitute the first cohort for the VEI’s SPEAR Accelerator program. More details and stories to come.

Crystal Turman compares her upcoming stint in an Orlando accelerator program to basic training in the U.S. Air Force.

It’s a formative experience that she enters with an open mind, expecting great things for her business, Wellspring Brain Care.

“You go in there, they tear you down to build you back up,” she said of the similarities. “I know what my business is and I know where I want to go but, if I have to change, I’m not married to any direction.”

Turman will be in the Orlando-based SPEAR Accelerator’s first cohort.

A new program starts in Orlando

The program, started by the Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative and geared toward veteran-owned businesses, will be the first for VEI.

The accelerator will guide nine businesses through some of the available resources while also providing insight and access to seasoned professionals.

The accelerator selected nine businesses from across the country to participate in its inaugural program, which launches in February.

For Turman, it comes three years after she started Wellspring’s counseling services.

The company primarily focuses on brain health, using technology and a background in counseling to treat patients.

Helping patients through breakthroughs

Sometimes, that means breaking down internal obstacles that might come from trauma or other experiences.

Turman said patients often express relief when they learn that these internal blocks can be overcome.

“They will say, ‘You’re telling me that’s the reason and not because I’m broken or stupid?’” she said. “There is a reason for it. What we do, it’s like taking the brain to the gym.”

Turman is a U.S. Air Force veteran, which helped satisfy one qualifying requirement for VEI’s program.

Heading into the program, she said she cannot wait to see how the program’s connection with Johns Hopkins University will help those in the cohort.

“They are always on the cutting edge of the healthcare industry,” said Turman, who took part in both Operation Desert Storm and Operation Provide Comfort. “It excited me that they would think about a small business like us.”

Wellspring’s inclusion in the SPEAR Accelerator returns Turman to some familiar relationships.

The veteran-focused program has a curriculum targeted at people with experiences like Turman, who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at 17 years old.

Her service time took her to Albuquerque, N.M., then England and then Turkey.

With the program bringing her together with other veterans, Turman said she’s excited to start.

“Being around other veterans, we are like nobody else,” she said.

To Orlando for pickleball … and deep defense tech ecosystem

Marco Santana
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To Orlando for pickleball … and deep defense tech ecosystem

With the immediate future of his company Bubo Defense now trained squarely on the defense industry, Mark Evans made an all-in style move.

The Dallas-based headquarters of his artificial intelligence company needed to be closer to the epicenter of defense technology.

So he moved to Orlando, hoping to connect with the city’s deep community of defense industry experts and businesses.

Now, he’s a regular on Oviedo pickleball courts and has his office at UCF’s business incubator at its research park.

“You can’t do it without that level of commitment,” he said. “If you are weekend warriors, you’ll have a more challenging time.”

Orlando is home to a deep ecosystem of defense contractors, technology centers for each official U.S. military service and potential clients.

Bubo’s leadership says these factors made the community the perfect homebase.

At its core, Bubo’s platform uses AI to help businesses mine email data and content in real-time to improve existing infrastructure.

Its just the latest use in the artificial intelligence arena, which has been on a roll lately, Evans said.

“AI is going through a whole new revolution and it’s here,” he said. “The wave is here now and a tsunami is coming so we wanted to get up to speed.”

Artificial intelligence, of course, has been around for a while now but it’s often a dependent technology. That is, to establish parameters, it must be informed with existing data and actions.

Bubo’s email service, for instance, will depend primarily on existing data and ongoing information.

Evans points out that the biggest data set in an organization – email – is also its biggest vulnerability.

Bubo’s product solutions are designed to learn what information specific email chains or users require. As a learning model, the system improves with every interaction, with each solution needing to understand its unique organizational culture.

Cofounder Eric Cordell calls these solutions “alive.”

“It’s somewhat of a living, breathing solution over time,” he said. “You don’t get the full value on Day 1; it learns about the humans it’s supporting.”

Despite a heavy emphasis on technology, the company also places a heavy focus on the human side of the equation, as well.

Cordell explains how the company integrates human dynamics with technological advancements, likening the process to the company’s own learning experiences – much like how humans learn not to touch a hot stove through trial and error.

“At one point, I couldn’t walk,” Cordell reflects. “Now, I know kung fu.”

As Bubo Defense continues to grow within the dynamic landscape of Orlando’s defense sector, it remains committed to evolving its AI solutions while fostering meaningful connections within the community, company officials added.

OPINION: Familiar face’s return a good first step in 2025 for Kissimmee

Marco Santana
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OPINION: Familiar face’s return a good first step in 2025 for Kissimmee

A familiar face to our tech community has returned and, frankly, it’s a great time for it.

I don’t remember when I first ran into Chester Kennedy, an executive for Lockheed Martin while I was the Orlando Sentinel’s tech reporter. I do, however, remember how cordial, straightforward and accessible he was when we did chat.

For that, alone, it would be exciting news to see him returning from just a news perspective.

However, that he’s bringing LocatorX’s headquarters to Kissimmee has the potential to be even more game-changing than it appears on the surface.

As we reported yesterday, the supply chain tech company will set up shop at NeoCity in Kissimmee after years elsewhere.

The fast-growing research, innovation and education community has had some great successes of late, including landing some significant funding through a large-scale, multi-year grant from the NSF.

But the official tenants in the community, while impactful, remained relatively scarce. My assumption has been that they are growing deliberately in an effort to establish themselves in their specific niche, which would be a smart move.

You don’t dominate a high-profile but relatively new niche like sensors by letting just anyone bring their operations under your umbrella.

But LocatorX, the region’s leaders concluded, wasn’t just anyone.

They rolled out the red carpet because the company has been innovating in the field of Internet of Things sensors and supply chain data, which both fall right in line with NeoCity.

I’m sure Kennedy’s involvement helped that deal come through, as well.

Kennedy connection to the region became stronger after he left Lockheed, as he served as BRIDG CEO before current CEO Jay Galbraith.

In the company’s press release, BRIDG CEO Galbraith credited that NSF grant with leading to the move.

As we step into this new year, one thing to keep a close eye on is the growth and emergence of Kissimmee as a national leader.

I know that’s definitely something I plan to track for the next 12 months.

Bringing Kennedy back into the fold marks a great first big move of 2025.

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