Cancer Diagnostics Company, Inspirata, Inc., Establishes Global Headquarters in Tampa


May 18, 2015



TAMPA, Fla. / Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Inspirata, Inc., a provider of innovative solutions that streamline and automate the pathology workflow to expedite cancer diagnoses, has established its global headquarters in Tampa. The company is expected to generate up to 70 new jobs. With an average salary of $86,000, the jobs include positions in research and development, sales and marketing, and administrative and regional management support.
 
Governor Scott said, “We are happy to announce Inspirata’s creation of 70 new jobs in Tampa. Jobs like these mean Floridians are able to build great careers and achieve their dreams in a field that is truly saving lives. Last year, we invested $80 million in our cancer research centers across the state, because we are committed finding a cure for this terrible disease. We will continue working to make Florida the number one destination for jobs by cutting taxes and investing in education.”
 
Inspirata’s founding was the result of an encounter in May 2013 at the MediFuture 2023 Conference, an event produced by the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation to help position Tampa as the epicenter of disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry. Serial entrepreneur Satish Sanan was at the conference and heard a presentation by Mark Lloyd, the scientist in charge of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Analytic Microscopy Core Laboratory. Sanan was intrigued by Lloyd’s work in the area of digital pathology and computational image analytics. Soon after their initial meeting, Sanan and Lloyd partnered to commercialize a range of cancer diagnostics solutions. The company completed its formal market launch in March at the 2015 United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) Annual Conference in Boston.
 
“While we initially investigated other locations, Tampa really was our top choice when considering a location for Inspirata’s corporate headquarters, especially given the fact that the State of Florida and Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation were so supportive in helping us locate here,” said Inspirata Chairman and CEO Satish Sanan. “From a pure economic standpoint, Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa are great places to launch a company because they’re so business friendly. Then, of course, there are all of the added benefits like being less than 15 minutes from one of the country’s best international airports, and having access to high-quality graduates from the outstanding universities and colleges in the area. Finally, but not the least of our considerations, was the fact that the core group of employees joining Inspirata have all lived in the greater Tampa Bay area for many years. Since this is our home, we have a vested interest in seeing the area prosper economically.”
 
Sanan has launched and grown a number of highly successful technology companies in the past. In 2001, he sold the IT services outsourcing firm he founded in Clearwater, IMRglobal, in a $438 million merger with Canadian IT services firm CGI. Following the sale of IMRglobal, he invested in STI Knowledge, an Atlanta-based healthcare revenue cycle management company. That company, which subsequently changed its name to Zavata, Inc., was sold to an Indian corporation in 2007 for $170 million.
 
“Thanks to Governor Scott and our Legislative leaders, Florida continues to offer the resources and pro-business climate needed to support innovative companies like Inspirata,” said Bill Johnson, Enterprise Florida president & CEO. “We look forward to watching Inspirata grow and wish them continued success.”
 
Florida has firmly established itself as a hub for the life sciences. The state is home to some of the nation’s most highly regarded research centers, over 1,000 biotech, pharmaceutical and medical devices companies, and more than 45,000 healthcare establishments.
 
The project was made possible through strong partnerships between Enterprise Florida, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
 
“With the arrival of Inspirata, Hillsborough County is taking another exciting leap forward in the growth of our life sciences industry,” said the Hon. Sandy Murman, Chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. “Our community has become a magnet for highly innovative organizations that are transforming healthcare delivery. Inspirata joins as impressive roster of life sciences companies that recently chose Hillsborough County for relocation or expansion, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, HealthPlan Services, Synergy Health, Covidien, Smart Science Labs, LifeLink and Biologics Development Services.”
 
Inspirata has leased 9,333 square feet at One North Dale Mabry Highway. The company plans to invest up to $25 million in research and development activities to be conducted at the Tampa location.
 
“Inspirata’s scientists and researchers are in the vanguard of cancer diagnostics and precision medicine, and they chose Tampa as the optimal place to launch and grow their company,” said Mayor Bob Buckhorn, City of Tampa. “We deeply appreciate Inspirata’s decision to locate here and recruit prominent scientists from across the globe to our city. We will do all we can to support them in their efforts to transform the way cancer is diagnosed and treated.”
 
“By selecting Tampa as the site of its new global headquarters, Inspirata validates our efforts to build an ecosystem for disruptive new medical technologies with events like MediFuture and position this region as the epicenter of healthcare innovation,” said Dr. Ronald Vaughn, Chair of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and President of the University of Tampa.  “We are thankful for their investment in our community, and welcome them to the growing cluster of life sciences businesses that call this region home.”
 
In September 2014, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and the Tampa City Council approved a local incentive package of $140,000, supporting a commitment of $560,000 from the State of Florida through the State’s Qualified Target Industry (QTI) program. The total QTI allocation of $700,000 will provide the company with $10,000 per job for each of the newly created positions. The incentives, to be distributed over a period of six years, are performance-based, meaning funds are only paid after the jobs are created at the wages promised.
 
Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the careers page at www.inspirata.com for more information on available positions.
 
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About the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation:
The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation is the lead economic development agency for Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace.  Established in 2009 as a partnership between the public sector and private corporate investors, the EDC works to develop and sustain a thriving local economy through the attraction, retention and expansion of high-wage jobs and capital investment within targeted industry sectors, including Corporate Headquarters, Financial and Shared Services, Life Sciences, Defense and Security, and Manufacturing. The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation exists because of the generous support of nearly 100 corporations, Hillsborough County, and the cities of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace. For more information, visit tampabayedc.com.
 
About Hillsborough County, Florida:
Hillsborough County is the commercial and industrial heart of Tampa Bay. The fourth largest county in the state of Florida, Hillsborough is home to nearly 1.3 million residents, with thousands more arriving each year. Its strength is drawn from being one of the most advanced economies and having one of the most educated workforces in the state. Hillsborough County and its three municipalities –Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace — offer a competitive business environment and an abundance of regional assets including Port Tampa Bay, Tampa International Airport, and MacDill Air Force Base. County government is focused on creating economic prosperity for residents and businesses throughout the area. To learn more, visit hillsboroughcounty.org.
 
About Inspirata:
Inspirata, Inc. provides a cancer diagnostics solution that digitizes and automates the entire pathology workflow using a unique, “solution as a service” delivery model. This comprehensive solution includes workflow automation and computer-aided cancer detection and diagnostic tools. Inspirata’s solution also includes a suite of algorithms to extract relevant image-based information from digitized histology specimens for use as supplemental aids to assist pathologists with diagnoses and to aid in the prediction of disease progression and therapeutic responses. For more information, please visit www.inspirata.com or contact info@inspirata.com.

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