Carvoyant Receives Funding from Stage 1 Ventures

Carvoyant, a Tampa startup helping drivers connect with automotive services, received funding from Stage 1 Ventures, a Waltham, MA seed stage venture capital firm.   Stage 1′s funding is the lead investment of a syndicated round which is actively being closed.   Financial details were not disclosed.   Carvoyant participated in the Global Accelerator Program (formerly TechStars) through Tampa Bay’s Gazelle Lab, and is the first of the Gazelle Lab group to receive venture capital funding.   Carvoyant is developing a cloud-based service that monitors, via the cellular network, a vehicle’s On Board Diagnostic (OBD) system.   Service alerts are sent to the car owner and messages about mechanical problems are sent to local automobile repair shops.  Carvoyant was founded in mid 2011 by CEO Bret Tobey, CFO Renz Kuipers, and CTO Matt Galvin.