Entrepreneurs and established businesses struggle to understand the Tampa Bay innovation ecosystem. Whether they are relocating or already here, the diversity of support resources spread across multiple cities and counties is daunting. A simple question of “What is available to help me grow my business?” can become a convoluted journey of misdirection and confusion. The resources (e.g., funding, coaching, partnerships) available can depend on the company’s stage of growth, industry focus, target customers, or founder background. It is frustrating for a business to spend time with a resource provider explaining their needs only to find out they do not match the provider’s focus. Even worse is when this mismatch is not well explained. The business leaves the interaction feeling disheartened that no one is willing to help them. This lack of clear communication does not boost our economy – it creates fractures.
A group of support organizations, led by the Innovation District and fueled by a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation, is working to help solve this issue. We are in the midst of mapping the innovation ecosystem. So far we have identified over 100 support organizations. Most have completed a survey to help us understand who they support and the types of services they provide. We expect to publish our findings by the end of the year.
(This article was first featured in our September newsletter - to subscribe to our monthly newsletter click here)
References: (1) Tampa Bay Partnership's 2023 Regional Competitiveness Report (2) Tampa Bay Economic Development Council
Lonestar Lunar's aspiration for the world’s first physical data center on the Moon has reached another milestone. Wednesday evening, they were part of the successful launch by Intuitive Machines. This is the second time this Hub tenant had made history. They were first to transmit data to and from space in February 2024.
The 7th annual State of Science and Innovation took place on January 15th at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. This favorite event was once again sold out. The in-person and online audiences heard from five innovators and one special guest about the remarkable work they are doing.
There were several accomplishments in 2024 we haven't had a chance to share yet. Thank you to our anchor institutions and partners that made this possible. 1st major grant - $13.9M NOAA 1st District Master Plan 2nd District Impact Report published 3rd year of the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub