Tech firm SiteZeus eyes big year

A Tampa technology startup behind a novel software package that helps companies pinpoint the best sites for expansion using data-driven analytics has had a stellar year.

The company, SiteZeus, launched its product in May 2015 partially behind a $2.2 million investment from Outback Steakhouse co-founder Chris Sullivan. The software analyzes a bevy of data, from consumer information to available land or space in a given market, to create a predictive forecasting model for clients in need of a new location. SiteZeus charges a monthly fee for its proprietary software.

Sullivan's money and contacts were a big help in the initial launch. But the company's success has recently been the best source of new clients. One of the biggest ones, signed earlier this spring, is fast-growing east Manatee County-based breakfast, lunch and brunch chain First Watch.

SiteZeus has also expanded beyond the restaurant industry, to retail chains including Learning Experience. It even signed an insurance firm, Brownsville, Texas-based Pronto Insurance. More deals could be forthcoming. “We are talking to some extremely large organizations,” about new deals, SiteZeus co-founder Keenan Baldwin tells Coffee Talk. “The product has come a long way in the last 12 months. The application is broader than we initially thought.”

The success, not surprisingly, requires more people and that has become one of the company's biggest challenges. The firm has nine employees, including several brought on in the last few months. It hopes to hire two or three more by the end of the year, if it can find the right ones, particularly in software development. “The need is there,” says Baldwin, who runs the business with his brother, Hannibal Baldwin. “It's just how quickly we can get it out there.”