Business briefs: LumaStream raises capital, PikMyKid and RankMiner win awards, and more
LumaStream Inc., a St. Petersburg company that makes LED lighting systems for homes and businesses, is in the midst of another capital raise.
The company has raised $726,077 to date, or about 14 percent of the $5.2 million it is seeking, according to a Nov. 15 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since it was founded in 2009 LumaStream has raised $26 million, founder Eric Higgs told the St. Pete Catalyst in a September interview.
A call to Higgs for additional comment was pending return.
Award winners
PikMyKid is a co-winner in the 2018 Miami-Dade County City of Tomorrow Challenge. The Tampa company, with a mobile app and platform that makes school transportation more efficient, will get $50,000. In Miami-Dade County, PikMyKid plans to work with eight to 10 schools, a news release said.
The other co-winner, Soofa, is a Cambridge, Mass.-based company that makes solar powered digital bulletin boards.
Ford teamed with Dell Technologies, AT&T and Microsoft to launch the City of Tomorrow challenge, in which businesses and community groups collaborate on solutions to improve mobility in cities.
Preston Faykus, founder and CEO, RankMiner
RankMiner, a St. Petersburg-based voice analytics company, took third place in the BMO Harris/1871 Innovation Program pitch competition, and was awarded a $10,000 prize. The competition focused on startups with solutions in lending, financial planning, digital tools and data analytics. RankMiner was the only startup selected outside of the banking industry.
“RankMiner reveals hidden vocal features in phone conversations – beyond the spoken word – to transform the performance and profitability of contact centers,” Preston Faykus, RankMiner CEO, said in a news release. “Our clients increase profitability by reducing employee turnover costs and increasing revenue through cross-selling and collections.”
National spotlight
Quinn Brady, vice president of sales operations and enablement at Community Brands, has been recognized by the SaaS Report as one of the “Top Women Leaders in SaaS of 2018.”
Quinn Brady, Community Brands
Community Brands, based in St. Petersburg, provides cloud-based software to associations, nonprofits, K-12 schools and faith-based groups.
Brady has been with Community Brands for 10 years.
SaaS report called her “an indispensable executive leader” who has excelled at people and team management as Community Brands expanded through a dozen acquisitions in the past three years.
See the full listing of women leaders in the SaaS Report here.
