TAMPA and MIAMI, Fla. – November 21, 2024 – Florida Venture Forum, the leading statewide support and member organization for venture capital and private equity professionals and entrepreneurs, announced today that companies presenting at its conferences and events have collectively raised over $30 billion in capital.
This achievement nearly doubles the previous total reported in 2016. It underscores both the maturation of Florida’s venture market and the impressive growth of startups showcased at Forum events.
Jennifer Dunham, founder and managing partner at Spitha Capital and current Florida Venture Forum board chair, said, “For 40 years the Forum has been selecting and mentoring Florida startups and connecting them with the capital and services they need to grow and scale. This new milestone is a credit to the amazing founders we’ve supported over the years – and to our staff and my fellow Forum members who do so much to support Florida’s growing venture ecosystem.”
Kevin Burgoyne, president and CEO of the Florida Venture Forum, said, “We often say, ‘founders first,’ and this principal guides all we do at the Forum. The success of our alumni companies has not only bolstered Florida’s economy but also established Florida as a ‘must cover’ state for VC firms everywhere.”
The Forum produces major venture events throughout the year, including the annual Florida Venture Capital Conference, which will take place March 3 – 5, 2025, in Miami. For more information, or to apply to present, register, or sponsor, visit the Forum’s conference website.
Methodology
Since 1992, approximately 650 unique companies have presented at Florida Venture Forum events. Of these, 343 companies are currently listed in PitchBook. The deal flow for these companies was extracted and analyzed, including all venture capital deals, buyout deals, and public offerings. PitchBook identified a total of 988 deals for 237 companies raising a total of $30 billion. This figure represents a conservative estimate of total capital raised, as PitchBook lacked financial data for 144 of the 988 deals. Additionally, some companies that have raised capital are not listed in PitchBook. This data was collected independently from the Florida Venture Forum. The data is provided as part of a partnership between the Florida Venture Forum and the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center in the John H. Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa. Any questions regarding the data can be directed to Finance Professor Speros Link Margetis at smargetis@ut.edu.
Dr. Speros Margetis, said, “The Florida Venture Forum has been instrumental in promoting venture capital throughout Florida. The John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center in the John H. Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa has enjoyed a long partnership with the Forum in helping to promote new ventures acquiring capital and growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Florida.”
About the Florida Venture Forum:
Florida Venture Forum is Florida’s largest statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs, helping fast-growth companies connect with sources of capital from across the country. Since 1984, more than 2000 companies have presented at Forum events and have gone on to raise upwards of $30B in equity capital, producing billions more in economic value. The Forum’s 500+ active members and alumni represent a “who’s who” of venture capital and private equity, including equity and debt investors at all stages, major law, accounting, and investment banking firms, and large corporates active in the innovation ecosystem.
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Media Contact: Pat Schneider, pat@flventure.org