About Spoores
Our Vision
Spoores is an IoT platform built by engineers who believe smart, connected devices should be elegant, easy-to-use, and solve real-world problems with little to no effort from users. We design the hardware, software, and cloud infrastructure that bring real-time awareness and control to the spaces that matter most.
Founded by Sal Torre and David Tietz — college roommates and electrical engineers from the University of Florida — Spoores was built from the ground up. They combined their engineering expertise to create Wi-Fi connected devices, secure backend servers, and mobile and web applications.
Our first products — leak sensors and valve controllers — tackle the problem of water damage, born from a personal experience that hit close to home.
Origin Story
"For months in 2010, I was really sick. I was exhausted; I was coughing up blood; and I had disgusting lesions in my nose, on my face, and on my body."
"After a weekend away, I got better. Within two days of being back home, I was coughing up blood again! That's when I discovered my home was making me sick!"
"My home had water intrusion through the foundation and a roof leak. That led to toxic black mold growth. The mold spores spread through the air, through the air conditioning system, and into my lungs; and that's how I got sick."
"That's how the idea for Spoores came to be."
— Sal Torre
Who We Are
David Tietz
Partner | Engineer
David grew up in Tampa Bay, Florida, with a lifelong passion for technology and engineering. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering, plus a master's in business management.
He worked as a software engineer at FACTS Engineering, designing programmable logic controllers for nearly a decade. He then spent five years at LGS Innovations and CACI as a reverse engineer focusing on cybersecurity.
Specializations: Web backend software development, cybersecurity, automation, embedded and mobile app software development, 3D printing
Sal Torre
Partner | Engineer
From building Legos as a kid to designing websites as a teenager, Sal's curiosity for how things work has always driven him forward. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering with a business administration minor. He contributed to SwampSat — UF's first CubeSat satellite — working on motherboard and embedded software design.
Sal worked as a supplier and material quality engineer at Lockheed Martin for three years, troubleshooting manufacturing defects. He then spent a decade at American Traction Systems as an embedded software developer, creating motor controller and power converter software.
Specializations: Embedded software development, control systems, mobile app and web backend software development, DevOps, PCB design, CAD, 3D printing