The Importance of Culture: A message from our President & CEO
In December 2020, the Tampa Bay Innovation Center was recognized for its top-rated culture at Powerkeg's UnValley Conference. The virtual conference was held to connect the best and brightest entrepreneurs, investors, and tech professionals in areas beyond Silicon Valley. The sessions, followed by the award announcements, focused on best practices within emerging tech ecosystems worldwide and highlighted the importance of the resources and leadership needed to support entrepreneurs. 

Culture remains one of the top reasons employees join a tech company and stay engaged. It is why we focus on wellness and culture in our B2B Accelerator program. During the 12-week program, we are fortunate enough to have some of the best CEOs in the region discuss how they established their company culture and are able to attract/retain talent. With an extraordinary year behind us and optimism for the new year, it is even more important for our team to remain flexible for our clients. Very few business leaders can deny that their culture has changed due to the shift to endless online meetings and business calls. While culture is one key to business growth and success, it is the team that drives the mission forward. We are proud to be recognized for top-rated tech culture along with other local companies Grifin, JustProtect and Immertec.

From all of us at the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, we wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2021.

Warm regards,
Tonya Elmore | President & CEO
Tampa Bay Innovation Center
Winter 2021 B2B Accelerator Cohort Announced
The Innovation Center's Winter 2021 Accelerator cohort has launched and will be held virtually through March 31st. The cohort founders will receive specific training and mentoring in customer discovery, investor-readiness and leadership over the next 90 days.

“We are excited to continue the Accelerator program in 2021 and welcome these innovative companies into the program. While the accelerator focuses mainly on product and go-to-market strategy, we will also work with the founders to strengthen their marketing messages, business processes, and leadership skills. The selection process is always tough. There were many good applicants, but we focused our effort on the companies that we can assist most through the program and our mentor network.” said Ken Evans, accelerator managing director.

The five companies accepted into the third cohort include:
  • BlockSpaces (Seminole, Fla) – integration platform-as-a-service for mid-market enterprise systems to leverage blockchain services
  • Code1 Medical Devices (St. Petersburg, Fla) - innovative emergency airway management device
  • Cope Notes (Tampa, Fla) – personalized messaging platform for mental and emotional wellbeing
  • RB Technologies (Tampa, Fla) – tracking system for building trust in supply chain information for nutritional supplement suppliers and their customers
  • WeBoro (Canton, Ma) – service for connecting corporate benefits professionals with virtual childcare and tutoring for employees

The program will end with a Showcase event opened to the public. The event is currently planned to be held virtually due to public health concerns.
Product Discovery Coffee Chat

Product Discovery Coffee Chat is a spin-off of the Innovation Center's Accelerator program. The virtual monthly sessions are open to any founder that is creating or growing a B2B technology start-up in the Tampa Bay region. The focus of the sessions is to help founders get a better grasp of product discovery and go-to-market strategies, so they have a better chance of establishing early and sustainable traction with their product.

The meetup is delivered in an informal Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) format with an emphasis on user engagement strategies that will help identify early adopters and validate product value (preferably before it is built). Register today to bring your business and technical challenges for open discussion and feedback. The next coffee chat session will be held on Thursday, January 28th at 2:30 PM.
WITI: Tampa Bay Women in Business Event
Tampa Bay Innovation Center, President & CEO, Tonya Elmore and B2B Accelerator graduate, Christina Dills, CEO, Smart Edge Tech will join Chelsea Pierre, founder & CEO of Blerds Leading Technology and Veronica Lane, founder & CEO, Veronica Lane Consulting for a powerful event that honors women CEOs leaving their mark on the business world. The online event is for executives, leaders, managers, and women passionate about success across all industries

Accepting Applications for CO.STARTERS
Tampa Bay Innovation Center, in partnership with Creative Pinellas, is accepting applications for its CO.STARTERS program. The pre-incubator program is based on the business model canvas and designed to help communities grow a diverse mix of businesses.

The program curriculum enables innovators across multiple business sectors to sharpen their value proposition, define their target market and account for growth. Graduates have gone on to participate in our coaching program/B2B Accelerator and to launch businesses.

Creative Pinellas has provided funding to support artists, arts organizations and arts-related organizations located within Pinellas County to participate in CO.STARTERS at no cost. Participants in tech-related businesses will receive a free discovery session plus all graduates will have access to one month free coworking at the Innovation Center.

The Innovation Center has graduated more than 150 participants since it started the program in spring 2016. Cost for the program is $275. Applications are being accepted through February 8, 2021.
Upcoming Innovation Center Events
Product Discovery Meetup - Thursday, January 28, 2:30 p.m.
CO.STARTERS open for applications through February 8th
Innovation Center Partner Events
Pinellas County Small Business Dev Center: How Much is your Company Worth?, January 26th 9 a.m.
WITI: Tampa Bay: Women Business Showcase, January 27th, 5:30 p.m.
1 Million Cups St. Petersburg: January 27th, 9 a.m.
USF Connect: The M&A Exit, February 18th, 11 a.m.
SOFWERX: Science &Technology Small Business Innovation Research 21.1, February 18th, 12 p.m.
Synapse Summit 2021: March 8th - 11th

HUBSPOT for STARTUPS PARTNER

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center is excited to partner with HubSpot for Entrepreneurs to offer their program designed specifically to help entrepreneurs grow and scale better, and faster.

What is the HubSpot for Entrepreneurs program?

EDUCATION RESOURCES AND TAILORED TRAINING: Content, masterclasses, and 24/7 support to get your business growing. From board deck templates to quick tips on customer acquisition, this content is made just for you. Plus, you’ll have access to world-class support from HubSpot experts and a personalized onboarding experience.

PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE, EXCLUSIVE PRICING: Access to HubSpot Growth Platform, a full suite of software for marketing, sales, and customer service, with a completely free CRM at its core at an entrepreneur-friendly price, to help you grow and scale better. The software grows as you do, so you have access to in-person product training, too. All of this is up to 30% off.  

INTEGRATED PLATFORM FOR ENTREPRENEURS: Access to over 500+ software integrations, many at exclusive pricing, as well as the opportunity to build an integration on the HubSpot platform.

Who is eligible?
Any entrepreneur that is part of Tampa Bay Innovation Center is eligible for this awesome program!

See if you are eligible for the HubSpot for Startups program.

Tampa Bay Innovation Center has the space, resources, and programs startup founders need to build scalable tech ventures.

Fully furnished offices available with great views of downtown St. Petersburg. Inquire today.
Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Pinellas County Government.