Motorola Solutions buys St. Pete tech startup Callyo

Serial entrepreneur Chris Bennett has sold his latest company, Callyo, to Motorola Solutions Inc.

Callyo, a St. Petersburg-based technology startup, is a cloud-based mobile applications provider for law enforcement. The deal allows Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI), a Chicago-based communications and analytics firm, to beef up its portfolio and technology capabilities.

Financial terms were not disclosed. Bennett will stay on and the entire Callyo team will join Motorola Solutions, according to Andrew Sinclair, senior vice president of software enterprise at Motorola Solutions, in an email to the St. Pete Catalyst.

Motorola Solutions also intends to maintain Callyo’s presence in St. Petersburg, he said.

“Motorola Solutions’ software organization has a global presence. Adding the team in St. Pete, a thriving market, fits into our development strategy and is a very welcome addition,” Sinclair said.

Callyo has two applications — 10-21, which simplifies communication between first responders and citizens, and Callyo, which provides investigative tools that improve digital evidence collection.

Motorola Solutions has a software suite called Command Central that enables information to flow seamlessly from the field to the command center. It will integrate the Callyo brand into its own software.

“As first responders increasingly leverage mobile applications to boost productivity and enhance community relations, Callyo’s portfolio adds to Motorola Solutions’ existing command center software suite critical mobile technology capabilities that enable information to flow seamlessly from the field to the command center,” Sinclair said.

Bennett, who is chief product officer at Callyo, founded the company in 2011. He previously founded GovLive, which aggregated news feeds and press releases from government agencies, and America’s Emergency Network, a national platform to distribute emergency communications from government emergency centers and other organizations to the public and the media. He’s also a founder of 1 Million Cups St. Petersburg.

“We believe that St. Pete is a rapidly evolving ecosystem filled with great talent and innovation. We are honored that it is recognized by global leaders like Motorola Solutions,” Bennett told the Catalyst.