Orlando-based clinical research company
Compass Research has been acquired by Bioclinica for an undisclosed amount of money.
Orlando Tech Association executive director Orrett Davis has resigned to pursue work with a local tech company that works in artificial intelligence.
“At my core I’m a starter, and I’ve always known that one day I would get back in the ring working with an early-stage tech company,” Davis said in a blog posted on OTA’s website.
Davis will remain a board member with the organization and said he will have a hand in finding his successor. He will work with Orlando-based startup Abe, an earlystage company working on artificial-intelligence implementations in personal finance.
The 29-year-old Orlando resident helped Orlando Tech Association grow from a loosely organized group into a formal organization that advocates for Orlando’s technology community.
“Orrett Davis has not only been a great leader for this community but also has helped to strengthen the relationships between our tech businesses and the business community at large,” OTA President Carlos Carbonell said in a statement.
Carbonell said the group will appoint an interim director before starting to search for a permanent replacement.
Davis has been a presence in Orlando’s technology community for the past five years.
He has led OTA’s monthly meet-up, which supports Orlando-area startups by giving them a platform to spread their message.
In addition, Davis led a contingent of Orlando representatives to the White House’s first tech meet-up in April.
“I work with entrepreneurs like myself to encourage new innovation in the technology world — Orrett was a leader, a mentor and a spokesperson for all of us, and he helped drive innovation within the realm of grass-roots organizing,” Carbonell said.
The city and its tech community owes Davis a debt of gratitude, OTA Vice President Josh Brown said in a statement.
“He’s a thoughtful leader and ambassador who helped a local tech gathering become an emerging advocate community,” said Brown, who is CEO of Orlandobased software company PowerDMS. “We are focused on identifying a new executive director who will take what Orrett helped build, and grow it to new heights.”