UK defense tech firm opens in Pasco County

A U.K.-based defense technology company looking to launch its U.S. operations has chosen Wesley Chapel to be its first American home, according to the Pasco Economic Development Council.

Smytec inc specializes in advanced forensic imaging technologies for crime scene investigators. Its product, BlindSite Scene, captures and analyzes crime scene evidence.

Based in Market Harborough, England, Smytec was looking to expand its operations into the U.S. and attended a business conference called Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa in May.

There, staff met with members of the Pasco EDC and discussed resources available to them through the SMARTLandings program, an initiative geared toward attracting international talent to the region by fostering business relationships and industry insights within the Tampa Bay region.

“With various military and defense agencies on the doorstep, and SOF Week now a staple on Smytec’s annual calendar, Pasco County offers a strategic location for us to grow, Smytec CEO Alexander Smyth says in a statement from the company. “We are genuinely excited about our partnership with Pasco EDC and look forward to engaging with local stakeholders and customers, not just in the Tampa Bay area but across the US.”

Through the SMARTLandings program, Smytec opened its first U.S. location on Aug. 11 in the SMARTstart @ the Grove Entrepreneur Center in Wesley Chapel. With help from the Pasco EDC, the company has already formed partnerships with local business resources such as the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and its Florida’s Forensic institute for Research, Security, and Tactics program. 

Smyth and Smytec have also conducted four years of experimental research with the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to validate BlindSite’s capabilities, such as recovering fingerprints from post-blast IEDs. 

“Pasco EDC is proud to offer the SMARTLandings program, which gives companies like Smytec the ability to establish operations in a physical location in the United States before building out their own facility,” says Pasco EDC CEO Bill Cronin in the statement. “With United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) and United States Special Operations Command (USSCOM) nearby, Pasco County is the perfect location for them to build and grow their presence.”