St. Pete telehealth firm will pitch at flagship venture event

Three young companies based in the Tampa Bay area are in the running for a total of $100,000 in cash awards at the Florida Early Stage Capital Conference.

RxLive in St. Petersburg, Alpha UMi Inc. in Tarpon Springs and Phonism in Tampa are among the 20 firms that will present at the conference, one of the flagship events of the Florida Venture Forum.

Technology startups are considered a critical part of Florida’s economic engine, providing high-skill jobs and adding to the state’s knowledge base.

Presenters were selected from a pool of more than 150 applicants by a committee of active Florida venture capital investors. They’ll compete for the cash awards provided by Space Florida and divided between early stage and seed stage companies. They’ll also have an opportunity to meet more than 300 conference attendees including every major seed and angel fund in Florida, as well as venture investors from throughout the state and beyond.

The companies selected to present are among the most promising early and seed stage companies in Florida, said Tim Cartwright, partner and co-founder of Fifth Avenue Family Office. He’s also chair of the conference selection committee and a board member of the Florida Venture Forum.

“For those investors that are looking for the next Chewy [online pet food retailer in Dania Beach that just filed to go public] or Magic Leap [a Plantation-based augmented reality company that’s raised $2.5 billion], this conference is a must-attend event,” Cartwright said.

Past early stage presenters have raised more than $100 million in funding, Florida Venture Forum said.

Here’s a closer look at the local companies that will be presenting.

RxLive is a nationwide telehealth platform of clinical pharmacists delivering concierge medication counseling to provider’s patients, employer groups and consumers. They work with progressive healthcare organizations, employers and payers to integrate pharmacists into the collaborative care team process, resulting in improved outcomes and reduced costs. Their service requires no up-front capital expenditures and delivers a value-added program at a zero net cost. A hallmark of their process is a focus on motivational interviewing, relationship building and solving the social determinants of non-compliance.

RxLive also took part in Pitch Madness at the Synapse Summit.

Alpha UMi Inc. is a dynamic, innovative and agile firm that has grown from a recognition that there is a significant need to enhance interpersonal and leadership skills in the workplace. Through research, development and validation, Alpha UMi offers products and services that have proven benefits resulting in commercial acceptance and traction.

Read more about Alpha UMi on PitchLyst.

Phonism provides a software-as-a-service solution to telecom and IT organizations to initially provision and manage their VoIP devices simply and securely through a central online portal. When a phone company deploys 100 new phones to a customer, those phones have to be set up and programmed with settings that pertain to each user. Phonism automates the process for telephone companies, saving them time and money.

The conference also will feature the Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition, attracting the “best of the best” competitors, representing Florida’s major colleges and universities. They also will participate in the seed stage component of the conference.

The conference is scheduled for May 9 and 10 at Omni ChampionsGate in Orlando. Registration information is here.

The Florida Venture Forum, based in Tampa, is a non-profit member organization that provides Florida-based companies and their owners and managers with education and guidance, as well as chances to meet equity investors and other entrepreneurs.