This week in the Orlando region, news of expansions in manufacturing, partnerships and investments. Read about these and more in this week’s Orlando Tech Council Weekly Round Up.
Featured Headlines | Upcoming Events | News from the Orlando Region
Message from the Orlando Tech Council Chair
Members of the Orlando Tech Community,
To prepare for their technology to power the newest self-driving cars from Volvo in 2022, Luminar has announced that they will be expanding their local sensor manufacturing. Moving to their facilities on Discovery Drive allows for expanded manufacturing capabilities as Luminar gears up to produce sensors for Volvo and other future partners. This increase in production comes with an increase in jobs – the total number of which is unknown but there are currently open positions on Luminar’s website.
Another expansion announced this week comes in the form of the partnership between the Orlando Magic and Violet Defense. The local UV disinfection company is now the official provider of this technology for the Magic and will continue to provide services when the team moves into their new facilities in 2022.
With hints that venture capital deals will also expand 2021, local experts including the Orlando Tech Council’s own Vice-Chair, Lilian Myers of StarterStudio, weigh in on what angel investors need to know. In 2020, Central Florida saw the most investment on record since 2013, and experts believe 2021 could be even bigger.
Stay tuned for more news, events and ways to connect with the Orlando region’s tech and innovation economy.
Cheers,
Rajiv Menon
Founder/CEO, Informulate
Orlando Tech Council Chair
Profiles in Tech
Matthew Broffman, director of Innovation for the City of Orlando
This week’s Orlando Profiles in Tech features Matthew Broffman, director of Innovation for the City of Orlando. Learn more about how our experience economy makes our tech ecosystem unique and what makes Orlando such a diverse, welcoming and accepting place to live. Click here to read more.
Headlines
Luminar Technologies to add jobs at new Orlando manufacturing facility
To prepare for when its sensors will appear in self-driving Volvos in 2022, Luminar Technologies is ramping up local manufacturing. While there isn’t an exact number of jobs that this will create locally, there are currently 17 open positions listed on their website. Read more.
Orlando Magic announce expanded partnership with Violet Defense to continue protecting its team with patented UV germ-killing technology
The Orlando Magic announced this week that they will be expanding their current partnership with Violet Defense, and the local company will become the team’s official UV disinfection partner as they look to move into the new AdventHealth Training Center in 2022. Read more.
Want to find the next big startup? 3 things new angel investors need to know
2020 was the biggest year for venture capital deals in Central Florida since 2013 with $325 million in investments according to PitchBook. Experts believe 2021 is primed to be another big year for investors. Learn what local startup experts say you need to know before you jump into investing. Read more.
Save the Date | Upcoming Events
Events for the Week of March 22
Monday, March 22
11 a.m., Headquarters Coworking – M3 | Marketing Manager Meetup
Tuesday, March 23
4:30 p.m., Synapse – Libate & Learn Episode 29: A Toast To Women Leaders
Wednesday, March 24
9 a.m., 1 Million Cups (1MC)
Thursday, March 25
5:45 p.m., African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida – 2021 Eagle Awards
8 p.m., General Assembly – How She Got There: Women Leaders in Tech
Saturday, March 27
10 a.m., Central FL National Black MBA – I AM SPEAKING: Making Your Presence Known
Events on the Horizon
June 2-4 – VR/AR Global Summit
October 15 – Synapse Orlando
October 15-17 – Creative City Project – Immerse
ICYMI | News from the Orlando Region
- Orlando Health secures naming right to Full Sail University gaming arena – The Esports Observer
- 2 Orlando firms among Synapse Summit’s innovation award winners – Orlando Business Journal
- Virtual reality experts think attractions will move away from zombies, shooting galleries – Orlando Weekly
- Orlando produce startup Kalera to set up its 8th indoor lettuce-growing facility in Minnesota – Orlando Business Journal
- How cleaning a gym launched a disinfection company with hundreds of clients – Orlando Business Journal
- An “experiential media environment”: Inside OIA’s high-tech south terminal expansion project – WFTV
- Women Who Mean Business: 20 examples of why Central Florida is thriving – Orlando Business Journal
- Futuristic technology earns UCF professor spot in National Academy of Engineering – Yahoo!Finance
- Shift to virtual work helped tech startup EcoSPEARS win more contracts. Here’s how. – Orlando Business Journal
- Fattmerchant Makes Strategic Investment in Fusebill – Yahoo!Finance
- PureCycle Technologies completes business combination with Roth CH Acquisition I Co. and will begin trading on Nasdaq – PR Newswire
- Neon Bloom, Inc. announces acquisition of Bazelet Health Systems, Inc. – PR Newswire
- Doing business in Osceola County – Orlando Business Journal
*Have a story you would like OTC to feature? Email Sheena.Fowler@Orlando.org
The Orlando Tech Council is composed of private industry, resource organizations and public partners that work to develop new programs with the core objectives: strengthen the Orlando region’s innovation resources, create new opportunities for companies to scale, and to amplify the region’s success stories, raising the global profile of Orlando as a leading community for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Follow the Orlando Tech Council on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Special thanks to our Orlando Tech Council Members
