Presence, RankMiner among the companies that will pitch for Rise of the Rest

Two St. Petersburg-based tech companies are among the eight businesses that will pitch investors for a $100,000 investment from Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.

Presence, a higher education data and software company, and RankMiner, a voice analytics company, will compete May 1 when the Rise of the Rest road trip stops in the Tampa Bay area.

See all eight companies in the pitch competition in the gallery below.

Rise of the Rest is an initiative to spotlight promising startups outside of major tech hubs. It was founded by Steve Case, chairman and CEO of Revolution and co-founder of America Online (AOL).

Inclusion in the Rise of the Rest tour is recognition that Tampa Bay has a burgeoning tech ecosystem.

Before the pitch competition, Case and the Revolution team will meet with entrepreneurs, local business and government leaders, and startup ecosystem builders. The day will start with a private kickoff event at Station House in St. Petersburg and include a fireside chat between Case and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.

Registration for the pitch competition is here.

Rise of the Rest pitch participants

Image 2 of 9

COI Energy Services is an enterprise marketplace connecting utilities and businesses to drive energy efficiency in buildings and optimize the electric grid. The company is based in Tampa.