A strong network of incubators and support systems helps entrepreneurs take their big dreams to real-life success stories
Greater Tampa Bay is home to the fastest-growing technology hub, some of the country’s most rapidly developing cities, brimming innovation, a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and a booming business scene. The support systems for entrepreneurs and startups are also some of the greatest assets GTB offers its business community.
A significant supporter for entrepreneurs and startups in the technology field is the nonprofit Tampa Bay Innovation Center, based in St. Petersburg. It takes a straightforward approach to helping entrepreneurs accelerate their business, through business coaching, educational programs, connections to peers and resources and more. It The Tampa Bay Innovation Center hosts growing companies in its incubator facility.
The Innovation Center is also collaborating with ARK Invest to bring a new incubator to Pinellas County. The ARK Innovation Center will be located in St. Pete’s Innovation District and is expected to open in July 2023.
“Tampa has been recognized as the top emerging technology city in the U.S., and the broader area including St. Petersburg is among the top metro areas for STEM professionals. It offers a vast network of companies, universities, incubators, entrepreneurs and many others dedicated to advancement,” said Jana Haines, ARK’s Chief Strategy Officer.
Startup Supporters
Throughout Greater Tampa Bay, dozens of incubators and organizations are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs navigate their development, from idea to independence.
The St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation promotes the St. Pete region as a world-class business and career location, helping companies relocate to and expand in the heart of GTB. It is a private-public partnership supported by more than 60 leading investor organizations. It helps businesses create and retain high quality jobs in the innovative, collaborative and inclusive community of St. Petersburg.
The Greenhouse, located in St. Petersburg, provides business owners and entrepreneurs with the education, resources and assistance needed to thrive in the local economy. It helps them by providing business consulting and mentorships, networking and workshops.
The Mainframe is a nonprofit organization, located in Tampa. It is pioneering break-through interaction among Black tech entrepreneurs, innovators and professionals. Additionally, it is building an infrastructure within the Black tech community that establishes and develops a pipeline of talent that contributes in a real way to the massive growth in the region.
The Pasco Development Council offers the SMARTstart Small Business Program, an innovative suite of programs that provides the tools growing businesses need for long-term success. It offers classes, incubator space and other resources to help people start and improve their businesses.
“All of the people who want to start businesses, can start almost any type of business (here),” said Daniel Mitchell, SMARTstart program director. “If they start it well, it can succeed.”
When an entrepreneur contacts SMARTstart, the conversation usually begins with the question, “What’s holding you back?” From there, they figure out if it is a workspace, collaboration, guidance, education, funding or anything else keeping the innovation or business from moving to the next step.
Another service Pasco EDC offers is incubator space and workshops for people to flush out their business ideas.
“Our ecosystem is not just focused on tech,” said Mitchell. “We’ve opened three different incubators in the county to focus on individual needs.”
Those three incubators are the East Pasco Entrepreneur Center in Dade City, the West Pasco Entrepreneur Center in New Port Richey and the SMARTstart @ The Grove in Wesley Chapel.
Biggest Incubators
- Embarc Collective — Curators of experiences, resources and environment that help forward-thinking founders and their teams thrive, Embarc seeks to make the region a prime destination for diverse startup talent.
- Florida Israel Business Accelerator — This technology accelerator is designed to help high-tech companies scale and reach their full growth potential in the U.S.
- The Greenhouse — St. Petersburg’s front-door to business growth provides business owners and entrepreneurs with the education, resources and assistance necessary to thrive in the local economy.
- Minority Business Accelerator-Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce — This incubator designed for Black-and-Hispanic-owned and created businesses helps connect businesses with capital, key decision makers and information to drive positive economic impact in Hillsborough County.
- SMARTStart Business Incubator — The Pasco Economic Development Council facilitates the SMARTstart Pasco Incubator Network as part of is SMARTstart Small Business Program. The network includes three mixed-use entrepreneur centers that connect startups with resources, while mentors, industry experts and coaches lend their expertise.
- The Spartan Accelerator and Incubator Program — Hosted by the University of Tampa, this incubator helps students, alumni and early-stage entrepreneurs grow and actualize their business ideas. Niche industries include technology, horticulture, food service and medicine.
- Tampa Bay Innovation Center — Home to independent workers and geared towards tech startups, the space is great for small companies, remote workers, startups and anyone who wants to share ideas, knowledge, space and equipment. Visit tbinnovates.com.
- ARK Invest is collaborating with the Tampa Bay Innovation Center on a new incubator that Pinellas County will build and own. The incubator, designated as ARK Innovation Center, is scheduled to open in July 2023. It will be located within the Innovation District in St. Pete.
- Tampa Bay Equity Incubator — The Pinellas Community Foundation and Inclusivity, LLC collaborate to offer the Tampa Bay Equity Incubator, which serves local nonprofits. Members gain coaching, consulting and workshop space.
- Tampa Bay Wave — An entrepreneurial hub where tech companies come to build, launch and grow their businesses, Wave believes in empowering members to turn innovation into breakout successes.
- USF Connect — USF’s initiative provides support for companies including technology and life science startups.
Co-working spaces
Whether it is a solo entrepreneur who just needs a desk to a company looking for space to accommodate multiple employees, GTB has many spaces with different amenities and atmospheres.
- Thrive DTSP, St. Petersburg
- Hyde House, Tampa
- Station House, St. Petersburg
- The Ring, Clearwater
- Pipeline Work Spaces, Tampa
- Oxford Exchange, Tampa
- Rising Tide Innovation Center, St. Petersburg
- COHatch, St. Petersburg
- Signature Workspace, Tampa and Clearwater
- The Hub, Clearwater
- Cowork Tampa
- Cocreativ, Tampa
- RAW Space Collaborative, Wesley Chapel
- Thrive DTSP
- Industrious, St. Petersburg and Tampa
Stories of Success
— From Poland to Pasco, Softgent Makes Connections
Marcin Hasse, CEO of Softgent, started his company five years ago in Gdansk, Poland. The company operates in the field of technologies related to the Internet of Things. Softgent helps clients create advanced technological solutions enabling both the connection of new things to the internet and the digitization of the environment they operate in.
Hasse decided to open a branch in GTB and turned to the Pasco EDC for help. Opportunities to network and exchange experiences with other entrepreneurs, and an environment conducive to business development, were priorities for Hasse.
“The Pasco incubator acts quickly and professionally,” Hasse said. “They are very oriented to the development of the local companies, helping not only by providing premises within their facilities but also by helping to establish a very important network of local contacts for business development.”
— Shortbread brings the Dough for Marine veteran-turned-entrepreneur
Mary Katherine Mason Sauter, a Marine Corps Reserves veteran and owner of Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread, used the Pasco Economic Development Council’s incubator kitchen to receive her food permit.
Sauter started Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread as a side hustle about nine years ago after winning a shortbread competition at the Scottish Highland games in Orlando. It turned into a full-time gig during the pandemic, when she lost her 13-year corporate career in the hotel industry and needed to make income for her family’s survival.
To help her business, especially with the jump to full-time, Sauter turned to Pasco EDC for help taking it from hobby to business.
“There was always a lot of red tape and rules and regulations that I never understood that prevented me from doing more,” she said. “The SMARTStart incubator kitchen and Daniel Mitchell helped me learn all the things I needed to do to become a legitimate company.”
By Celia Goodyear.
