TAMPA - In a strategic move to expand its global reach and scale, Syniverse announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MACH for cash consideration of approximately $692 million, subject to regulatory approvals. Once closed, the transaction is expected to be accretive within the first year of closing the transaction.

Headquartered in Luxembourg, MACH connects and monetizes the telecom world with its comprehensive and growing portfolio of cloud-based communication services, providing its 650 operator customers with mission-critical solutions to monetize mobile data, simplify interoperability between networks, optimize wholesale processes and protect revenues.

TAMPA - St. Petersburg based wireless network and fiber optics firm TowerCloud, announced the close of a $17 million round of equity to fund its continued expansion throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama. The latest round of funding was led by the Florida Opportunity Fund.

“Tower Cloud is a great fit with the Florida Opportunity Fund investment mission. The St. Petersburg-based company’s next generation wireless backhaul networks create high-tech Florida jobs while expanding communication infrastructure that allows for enhanced productivity in our State” said Jennifer Dunham, program manager.

TAMPA - The University of South Florida ranks 10th globally among all universities granted U.S. patents, according to the latest ranking from the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

It’s the second year in a row where USF has been in the top 10 worldwide for universities, joining other institutions including Stanford, MIT, Caltech and Texas.

The winning solution called HartTxt, was developed at the 48-hour citywide hackathon using open data from HART, the countywide public transit system in Hillsborough County. The application allows users to text bus stop information from any phone to receive information about bus arrival times and schedules.

Joel Fenelon, CEO and founder of Tampa-based music platform Muzime, talks to FTJ about the new music platform.

Muzimé is a music platform that connects people who connect to music. The goal is to deliver a music platform that empowers all musicians around the world with innovative concepts and give music lovers access to an incredibly diverse music catalog.