# Travis Priest

> Travis Priest is the Sarasota-based founder and CEO of Suncoast Venture Studio. A computer science graduate of Old Dominion University and former NASA contractor, he co-founded URLabs, acquired by Symantec in 1999, and founded Sundrop Mobile, acquired by Mercury Payment Systems in 2012. His work also includes advising at Vocap, angel investing with Bridge Angel Investors, and three fintech patents. At Suncoast, he is developing companies internally and recruiting founders to lead them.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Suncoast Venture Studio
- **Organizations:** Suncoast Venture Studio, Vocap Partners, Bridge Angel Investors, URLabs, Sundrop Mobile, Symantec, Mercury Payment Systems, Obsidian, Bridgevine, Old Dominion University
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Old Dominion University
- **Known for:** Co-founded URLabs, acquired by Symantec in 1999., Founded Sundrop Mobile, acquired by Mercury Payment Systems in 2012., Holds three fintech patents according to his Suncoast and Vocap biographies.

## Career timeline

- **1993** — Graduated from Old Dominion University with a BS in Computer Science; subsequently worked as a computer systems analyst at NASA Langley Research Center.
- **1996** — Co-founded URLabs after leaving NASA contracting.
- **1999** — URLabs was acquired by Symantec.
- **2010** — Founded Sundrop Mobile.
- **2012** — Mercury Payment Systems acquired Sundrop Mobile; the announcement said Priest would join as vice president of Loyalty.
- **2018** — Inducted into the Strome Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame on November 1; ODU identified him as entrepreneur in residence at Vocap Investment Partners.
- **2019** — ODU’s spring computer science newsletter reported a $4,000-per-year Travis Priest family Endowment Scholarship for a student in its systems group.
- **2020** — US patent 10,552,859, Systems, methods, and apparatuses for tender steering, was granted on February 4 with Priest named as inventor.
- **2025** — Suncoast Venture Studio launched in Sarasota; SRQ dates its founding to April 2025.
- **2026** — RecruitTune was covered as Suncoast Venture Studio’s first released product in February.

## Achievements

- Co-founded URLabs, acquired by Symantec in 1999.
- Founded Sundrop Mobile, acquired by Mercury Payment Systems in 2012.
- Holds three fintech patents according to his Suncoast and Vocap biographies.
- Inducted into Old Dominion University’s Strome Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Established a family scholarship reported by ODU in spring 2019.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — Business Observer reported the release of RecruitTune, the studio’s first product, on February 27.
- **2026-02** — SRQ profiled Priest’s studio approach, reporting more than 25 company ideas and four in development at that time.
- **2026-01** — Sarasota Magazine featured Priest and Will Dolan discussing AI businesses and recruiting experienced company leaders.

## Links

- Website: https://suncoast.studio/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlpriest

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/travis-priest
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15