Tallahassee Tech Florida’s capital is a growing center for innovation
AS FLORIDA’S CAPITAL CITY, TALLAHASSEE
is known for its dynamic quality of life, including award-winning parks with over 700 miles of trails full of scenic views, outdoor adventure, and a vibrant art and culture scene. The Southern hospitality, larger-thanlife festivals and delicious culinary scene readily win over visitors, but there’s more to our community than meets the eye. With cutting-edge research centers, one of the top engineering colleges in the state and world-class universities, Tallahassee is uniquely positioned to cultivate an innovative business environment that thrives on research and development. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, Tallahassee was voted one of the “Top 10 Best Cities in the South” by Southern Living magazine and one of the “Top 10 Best Places for Career Opportunities” by SmartAsset. Here, innovation thrives as the product of strong collaboration across universities, business support partners and the local economic development organization that Tallahassee offers. The Office of Economic Vitality, which I am proud to lead, is a joint City of Tallahassee and Leon County economic development organization. Our team focuses on local business support, economic inclusion, and highlighting our world-class innovators and research assets that drive our business development efforts. Working with entrepreneurial ecosystem partners to identify business opportunities and leverage innovative research and a diverse talent pool, our community produces the best and brightest the 8
| 2021 Tallahassee Innovation & Technology
state has to offer. A robust technology hub with an abundance of resources for business leaders and researchers alike, Tallahassee is a great place to raise a business and a family. With strong industry assets minus a high cost of living, Tallahassee is an affordable community to call home. These assets include the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab), the High-Performance Materials Institute, the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion, and the Center for Advanced Power Systems — all located in Innovation Park. There’s also Domi Station, TCC Center for Innovation, FAMU Technology Transfer
& Commercialization, Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, and the FSU Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, both of which teach industry-leading curricula, host hackathons, hold numerous networking opportunities and energize a wealth of startup activity. Simply put, Tallahassee is where innovative people and companies come to succeed. In Florida’s capital, you’ll find a thriving tech business scene. Just look at the socks manufacturer DivvyUp. The class project turned unqualified success has set the standard for swag, growing their business into a
