Florida Funders invests in Tampa startup

Tampa-based venture capital firm Florida Funders has invested in a seed round for local company ShyftOff. 

ShyftOff, founded in 2020, is a flexible on-demand platform that matches contact centers with customer experience talent on an as-needed basis as companies’ customer service needs fluctuate each day or season.  

Tom Wallace, managing partner at Florida Funders, said the firm became acquainted with ShyftOff founder and CEO Trevor Clark at Embarc Collective, a co-working hub and startup incubator in Tampa. 

Trevor Clark, CEO and founder of ShyftOff. Photo provided.

“He didn’t officially start fundraising [at the time], but as we were helping give feedback on his pitch materials, we realized this was a great opportunity and perfect fit for Florida Funders,” Wallace told the St. Pete Catalyst. 

“We really liked that Trevor has industry knowledge. The company had early signs of great growth potential evidenced by the rate at which customers were both onboarding and renewing contracts,” Wallace said. 

The funding amount was not disclosed. Florida Funders invested in the seed round through its Florida Funders’ Fund 2 LLC entity, alongside Atlanta Seed Company and Knoll Ventures. The investment opportunity was also offered to the Florida Funders angel network of nearly 2,000 investors through a separate special purpose vehicle (SPV).  

“As an early-stage investor, we are always on the lookout for talented teams who are disrupting legacy industries like the contact center space,” Connor Davidson, partner at Atlanta Seed Company, said in a news release. “Trevor’s unique approach to tackling underutilization of call center agents with ShyftOff’s flexible staffing model is a true game-changer.”

All funds raised will support ShyftOff’s efforts to grow enterprise sales, marketing development and advancing its platform. 

“I’m thankful for Florida Funders’ support as ShyftOff begins to modernize the contact center industry,” Clark said in the release. “The existing model hasn’t kept up with changing demands as more workers want control over how and when they work. We’re thrilled to use this investment to fuel the next stage of our growth and continue to adapt to fluctuating customer demands.”

Florida Funders has fully deployed its Fund 1 and closed its $60 million Fund 2 in the last year. The firm has made over 40 investments from that fund and is seeking new investment opportunities.