Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on Inspirata:

BUSINESS NEWS

Biomedical startup Inspirata to bring high-paying jobs to Tampa

TAMPA — A biotech startup company inspired by work at Moffitt Cancer Center announced Monday it will establish its corporate headquarters here and add 70 high-paying jobs over the next two years, along with $25 million in capital investment.

Inspirata Inc., which has a digital software system that speeds confirmation of individual cancer diagnoses, will provide jobs with an average salary of $86,000. The jobs will be added by 2017 to 30 the company already has and include positions in research, development, sales and marketing and administrative and regional management support.

Gov. Rick Scott visited the company Monday to make the jobs announcement and congratulate the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. for continuing to draw high-paying jobs to the area.

“It’s great to see a county that has a positive impact on lives,” and families, Scott said, noting that Hillsborough County has added 34,000 jobs in the past 12 months.

The company, founded just six months ago, focuses on disruptive innovation, or creating an entirely new market in the health care industry. The vision for the company sprang from a chance meeting between entrepreneur Satish Sanan and Rick Homans, Economic Development Corp. President and CEO, during the local MediFuture 2023 Conference. The conference focused on positioning the area to be at the center of that disruptive innovation.

Inspirata Executive Vice President Mark Lloyd was working as the scientist in charge of Moffitt’s Analytic Microscopy Core Laboratory when he met Sanan through that conference. Soon after, the two decided to form a partnership based on Lloyd’s work on getting digitized glass slides with tissue samples to doctors faster. They launched Inspirata in March.

“While we initially investigated other locations, Tampa really was our top choice when considering a location for Inspirata’s corporate headquarters,” especially since the state and the economic corporation offered so much support, Sanan said.

“This company is so special to us because the technology came right out of Moffitt. It was licensed there,” Homans said. “One of our local entrepreneurs picked up on it and brought in outside investors. It has all the appearance of a company with a huge amount of potential. It is well funded, well staffed and building on our strengths here in Tampa Bay.”

Sanan said he has sold off his interest in all other companies to focus on this new venture.

“I want to build a company the likes of which doesn’t exist,” he said. “I am bullet-focused on this company.”

Until recently, Sanan was a partner in Padua Stables, a thoroughbred breeding operation in Ocala. He also served as president and CEO of Zavata India Pvt. Ltd. (Integreo), focusing on expanding Integreo’s business process outsourcing services, and served as chairman of the board, CEO and president of IMRglobal Corp., which he started in Clearwater. That information technology company employed more than 3,000 people. Sanan sold the business in 2001 for $438 million.

Biomedicine and life sciences have been a focus for job growth, both in Florida and in Hillsborough County. Already, Florida is home to some of the nation’s most highly regarded research centers, more than 1,000 biotech, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and more than 45,000 healthcare establishments, according to the economic development corporation.

Inspirata was created with help from the state’s economic development arm, Enterprise Florida, from the city of Tampa and from Hillsborough County. The company has leased 9,333 square feet at One North Dale Mabry Highway for its operations.

Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman called Inspirata’s decision to locate here “a huge win,” adding to the area’s growing reputation as a “nucleus for life sciences.”