The Accelerator | November 2020
Resilience: A Message from our President & CEO
As we move into November and the coming holidays, we have much to reflect on this past year. The pandemic gave many of us an opportunity to reevaluate what was important in our lives. Many of you looked at your companies through a different lens, some through the purpose simply to sustain the downturn. Many companies pivoted to produce products to meet an increase in the demand for testing, PPE and hand sanitizer, while others stayed on course and reported record breaking revenues. We applaud your continued efforts to succeed in business. The resilience of the entrepreneur never ceases to surprise me. Even in challenging times, we discover a path forward. We are pleased that many of our clients continue to sustain and do well. I have highlighted some of their accomplishments in the Client News section below.

We are happy to report that the new 45,000 SF Innovation Center is moving forward with the initial selection of Beck Architecture as the design firm selected by Pinellas County. The groundbreaking ceremony is targeted for late summer 2021. I will be providing updates on the Center and its design as we move through the process. The new Center will focus on state-of-the-art technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities. It will provide space for 50 plus tech entrepreneurs, corporate innovation partners and the B2B Accelerator.

Warm regards,
Tonya Elmore | President & CEO
Tampa Bay Innovation Center
2020 B2B Accelerator Showcase Event
On September 30th, the Innovation Center held its first virtual showcase event. Seven companies from the B2B Accelerator participated.

The event featured presentations by the founders followed by Q&A from a panel of tech industry veterans. The panelists included: Mark Swanson, managing director, LaneFive Ventures; Joy Randels, cofounder & CEO, Applied G2; and Travis Milks, managing partner, Topmark Partners.

Presenting companies included: Ceres Engineering, elitRecruiter, Lease Honey, Mango Signs, Paragon Cyber Solutions, Real Random and Smart Edge Tech. Learn more about the cohort here.

Applications for Cohort #3 are being accepted through November 27, 2020. Apply today.
Client News
Inspiring Entrepreneurs:
  • Alakai Defense Systems: Tampa Bay's 50 fastest growing companies 2020
  • Yes.Fit: Inc. Number 2362 on the 2020 Inc 5000
  • ENotaryLog: Inno on Fire Honoree 2020 and First Remote Online Notarization Platform to be MISMO® certified
  • Webtalk's cofounder & CEO, RJ Garbowicz was featured in an interview with TECHRSERIES
  • SkuX: Innov on Fire Honoree 2020
  • Courtney Jackson, CEO of Paragon Cyber Solutions was named to the Leadership team of Women in Technology International: Tampa Bay Chapter

Stepping Up:
  • PikMyKid proposed using their carline technology to speed up drive through testing capabilities with their DriveThruTestTM applicationc
  • GIVVN, offered free services on their platform to nonprofits during the pandemic
  • Cohesion Education provided their online learning platform for grades K-5 free-of-charge to students during the pandemic

Meet our Newest Clients:

Capital Raise:
  • ENotaryLog has raised $2M since it's launch at the Tampa Bay Innovation Center in 2019. EnotaryLog is also a graduate of the Center's first cohort of the B2B Accelerator.
  • SkuX raised $1M in equity funding during 2020, bringing their total to $6.5M in the last two years since their initial launch.
B2B Accelerator by Ken Evans, managing director
The TBIC B2B Accelerator held its showcase event on September 30th. Seven companies completed the program that consisted of weekly day-long workshops, copious user interviews, and mentoring sessions facilitated by experts in the local business community. This was the second cohort to complete the program, and we want to share some of the lessons we've learned along the way.



"The guidance, insight, and tutelage through the Tampa Bay Innovation Center accelerator program has provided a bedrock foundation to build and grow my tech start up". - Cesar Morales, founder, Ceres Engineering
Upcoming Innovation Center Events
Tech Talk - Tuesday, November 17, 2 p.m.
Product Discovery Meetup - Thursday, November 19, 2 p.m.
CO.STARTERS graduation, Cohort #10, November 17, 6 p.m.
B2B Accelerator Cohort #3 -Wednesday, January 13 - March 31, 2021; deadline to apply is November 27
Innovation Center Partner Events
Synapse Converge - November 16 - 19
1 Million Cups St. Petersburg: 9 a.m., November 11
USF Connect: Deciding You're Ready to File a Patent Application, 11 a.m., November 24


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

Fully furnished offices available starting Nov. 15th. Inquire today.
Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, Pinellas County Government.