Thrive
Pikmykid acquired by Atlanta safety solutions company
The Tampa-based business initially created a platform to help educators manage the dismissal process.
Over a decade ago, Saravana Pat Bhava founded Tampa-based educational technology company Pikmykid. It stemmed from a profound personal experience.
The wrong child was guided to his car in a school pick-up line. There were no tools or techniques to help staff navigate the dismissal process, which Bhava calls the “weakest link of the safety chain.”
This “chaos” made him determined to find a solution to fix the “broken system.”
Pikmykid’s software allows educators and institution leaders to manage dismissals and reunification, provide digital hall passes and send out emergency alerts. Additionally, the platform can help distribute school-wide messages.
The product is designed for K-12 public, private and charter institutions. Additionally, after-school programs, camps, preschools and daycares can utilize the system.
After years of expansion, Pikmykid was acquired by Atlanta-based safety solutions company Centegix last month. The deal was announced Tuesday.
“We have been growing pretty nicely, 25 to 30% year-over-year, and are in all 50 states with over 7,000 schools,” Bhava explained. “Even with our pace of growth over the past 10 years, we have barely touched about 2% of schools nationwide.”
Saravana “Pat” Bhava. Photo provided.
In 2025, Pikmykid acquired visitor management system Visitu to advance its mission. Additionally, the platform can help oversee student attendance, emergency response and school communication.
Pikmykid’s success led the team to explore “a major cash infusion” or a partnership with another educational technology company. Centegix’s “market share,” Bhava said, was a factor in the decision.
While Centegix creates software, it “focuses mostly on the hardware side of things.” One of the organization’s products is a wearable panic button that school staff members can press when an emergency happens. Once they click it, the device will alert first responders and discreetly give them the educator’s location.
Bhava said that the partnership with Centegix can help provide a comprehensive and integrated solution for clients. “We’re going after the same market and the same ideal customer profile but yet we don’t overlap and step on each other’s toes.”
Pikmykid is not Centegix’s first school-focused acquisition. The organization purchased K-12 visitor management solution company Ident-A-Kid in 2023.
“School safety doesn’t begin in an emergency — it’s built into every moment of the school day,” said Centegix CEO Brent Cobb in a prepared statement. “By joining forces with Pikmykid, we’re connecting the operational moments that schools manage every day with the critical response capabilities they rely on when it matters most. From arrival to dismissal, schools will be able to manage student safety through one platform.”
Pikmykid will continue to have a presence in Tampa, Bhava explained. “We are just part of a larger organization with more muscle and people on the ground to serve more schools.”
He believes the acquisition demonstrates the impact of community.
“We were conceived, built and grown in the Tampa Bay area with the support of local entrepreneurship organizations,” Bhava said. “It’s kind of a win for everybody who helped us get to this level. It wasn’t an overnight success.”
