Innovate Tampa Bay 1 final by Sven Boermeester

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MAKE IT

TAMPA BAY “We know that the nation that goes all-in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow. This is an edge America cannot surrender.” BARACK OBAMA

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The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Innovate Tampa Bayâ&#x20AC;? Team would like to give a special thanks to all the participants and the following companies for their support and assistance in making this project a reality.

Meet the people that are building a better Tampa Bay for tomorrow Inspiration, growth, and opportunity await.

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Brian Kornfeld

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Marc Blumenthal

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Andy Hafer

Gia Bischofberger

‘INNOVATE TAMPA BAY’ IS MUCH MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE AT FIRST GLANCE. It is a very special 320-page in-depth study and showcase of all the people, companies, products, services and initiatives within Tampa Bay’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Embedded in its pages you will find more than 100 augmented reality videos using the GLOBAL VILLAGE app. Online the full e-book will be viewed in the millions through the www.GlobalVillage.world online library. This publication is not just aimed at experts, it is also aimed at business people outside of the technology sector, business leaders and decision-makers who can affect change in their industries. This publication is for open-minded folk who want to know what and who there is to know in the ecosystem, and play an active role in its growth and development.

Synapse Florida and Global Village World Unite As innovation in Tampa Bay ignites, the leaders in the area have been meeting and working to determine ways to help connect the ecosystem. With this in mind, the Synapse Florida team has united with Global Village World to ensure a strong bond of connection throughout the entrepreneurial network.

This inaugural 1st edition of Innovation across Tampa Bay is just the beginning of a global series. We aim to launch in 100 cities throughout the www.GlobalVillage.world publishing partnership network.

The innovators and entrepreneurs we feature in every region and city, starting with Tampa Bay, will be connected with each other through the Synapse Florida online platform, forum, and events with a common goal of ensuring Florida’s best innovations and entrepreneurs are successful.

INNOVATION and ENTREPRENEURSHIP have no choice but to thrive in Tampa Bay as we provide a smart and livable city with easy access to the best education, affordable living, business resources, entrepreneurial assistance, funding, marketing, networking, and events.

We believe this publication and the online platform are not the start, not the finish, but just one big step in helping bring together the entire ecosystem. It has been educational for all of us to learn about all the remarkable innovations taking place right in our own backyard. We are excited for all of us to join forces together as one community.

Add all this to an energetic, happy and diverse society that is friendly, open and willing to collaborate.

We are honored to be a part of the same network as the innovators who are in this book.

THAT IS TAMPA BAY TODAY.

We are beyond excited to see the upcoming spark and journey that is coming to innovation in Tampa Bay.

We are proud to call Tampa Bay home.

I trust you will join us. Sven Boermeester Global Village World

Brian Kornfeld Synapse Florida Sven Boermeester

CONTENTS I N N O V A T E

CHAPTER ONE

THOUGHT LEADERS

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CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

FUTURE CITIES AND INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS

INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

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CHAPTER FOUR

FUNDERS AND INVESTORS

INNOVATION CATEGORIES

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114

»»Technology and Manufacturing

»»Fintech and Security

»»Education

»»Healthcare

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»»Communications, Marketing and Design

»»Food, Beverage and Hospitality

»»Sports

»»Social and Environmental

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234 276 292 CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

International Group Publisher Sven Boermeester Co-Publishers Mark Blumenthal Andy Hafer Project Manager Brian Kornfeld Christina Sloan Production Manager Gia Bischofberger

INCUBATORS, ACCELERATORS AND ESOs

EDUCATION

INNOVATION ENABLERS »»Legal »»Design and Software Development »»Outsourcing »»Training »»Graphic Print »»Events

Editing Kaerrie Hall Gia Bischofberger Gaylene Bischofberger Research and Selection Sven Boermeester Brian Kornfeld Joy Randels Daniel McDonald Joe Malinowski Art Direction and Design Peter Batistich Deep Fried Designs Photography John Weatherby Visit Tampa Bay Illustration Christina Sloan

IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC...

DOWNLOAD THE GLOBALVILLAGE AR APP TO VIEW 100 AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEOS IN THIS BOOK!

To experience the future of print, download the Global Village AR App from the IOS or Android App stores. Open the App and hold it about 30cm above any page that contains an image with the “play” Icon.

Make sure your back camera is pointing at the page. Click the Play button that appears onscreen and immerse yourself in the latest updated content with reference to that page.

Branding and Marketing Teena Cardozo - BrandMunki Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in The ‘Innovate Tampa Bay’ vol 1. Neither ‘Innovate Tampa Bay’, Proudly Florida nor Global Village assume any responsibility for errors or omissions. All rights reserved: No part of this publication shall be reproduced, copied, transmitted, adapted or modified in any form or by any means. This publication shall not be stored in whole or in part in any form in any retrieval system. Contact details: Email: info@globalvillage.world www.GlobalVillage.world www.synapsetb.com

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"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." ALBERT SCHWEITZER

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CHAPTER ONE

THOUGHT LEADERS 5

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Hello Innovate Tampa Bay!

“ Yes, let ’s do this! ”

For many years we have been entrepreneurial and innovation warriors, using our skills to support and ignite the ecosystem in Tampa Bay. As we embark on another era of transformation for our community, let’s acknowledge that this undertaking is all of ours to lead, together. We are ambassadors of a great story needing to be told and are guiding its co-creation. It is our responsibility. Regardless of our focus or affiliation in our community, let’s remember that everyone who shows up, in any form, any day, anytime, for innovation in Tampa Bay is already saying “yes, let’s do this!” It is up to us to inform, inspire and incite the urgency to collaborate upon our continued convening. We are all hungry for the voice of logical aspiration, helping us bridge the gap between who we are and who we desire to be as a community and the mark we wish to make in the world through our collective business and economic success. Our purpose, to cultivate and amplify a thriving economic and innovation ecosystem, starts right where we stand in Tampa Bay. We are makers, coders, technologists, healthcare experts, service providers, engineers, artists, authors, scientists, entrepreneurs, veterans, students, active duty soldiers, financial analysts, agilists, chefs, coffee roasters, salespeople, retailers, doctors, nurses, LGBTQ, multi-racial, multi-cultural, women and men, young and old, and we are all innovators. This journey begins with ourselves, as individuals, supporting each other to engage in meaningful, breakthrough work, developing the skills and thinking required to be agents of change. Next, we move out into our community, challenging each other to ignite ideas that serve millions and urging industries to transform, spawning new jobs, opportunities and economies. Finally, our story is one for the world, because as innovation happens here, it can happen everywhere. We are not the beginning or the spark; we are the flame, the torch of hope for future generations.

MICHELLE ROYAL TODAY IS NO ORDINARY DAY.

Today is no ordinary day. Not in our book, not in the book of innovation in Tampa Bay. Innovation is our promise for the future. This story — this journey — is ours for the making. I look forward to co-creating this reality with you.

In powerful gratitude, Michelle Royal

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TAMPA BAY: FLORIDA’S TECH HUB

TAMPA BAY IS FLORIDA’S LARGEST TECH HUB. HOME TO ONE OUT OF EVERY 89 US TECH WORKERS, TAMPA BAY EMPLOYS MORE TECH TALENT THAN HALF THE STATES IN THE NATION. - DANIEL JAMES SCOTT Tampa Bay is Florida’s fastest-growing tech hub. Over the last five years, Tampa Bay has been the second-fastest growing tech hub in the country, adding more than a third of our tech workforce. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most densely-talented tech hub. No matter how you measure it – tech talent to total population, per square mile, to talent migrating to the area – tech is literally everywhere in Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most diverse tech hub. Not only is the workforce large and growing, but diverse as well. Tampa Bay employs the most female tech talent in the state. Females represent a greater portion of our tech workforce than San Francisco, Seattle, Austin and numerous other tech hubs. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most venture-backed tech hub. Members of the Tampa Bay Tech council alone have raised over a quarter of a billion in equity capital and growing. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most impactful tech hub. The technology built and maintained by members of the Tampa Bay Tech council supports more than half a trillion in annual revenue and over a trillion in market capitalization. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most cybersecurity-focused tech hub. Tampa Bay is home to the Florida Center for Cybersecurity and more cybersecurity specialists than any other metro in the state. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most densely concentrated high-growth company tech hub. Considering the total number of companies located in the region, Tampa Bay has the highest percentage of Inc. 5000 honorees. Tampa Bay is Florida’s most community-centric tech hub. Members of the Tampa Bay Tech council support the country’s largest cooperative of Tech Meetup chapters, engaging tens of thousands of technologists. Tampa Bay: Florida’s Tech Hub. Empowering you, powered by you.

Daniel James Scott serves as executive director of the Tampa Bay Tech, one of the nation’s largest technology councils, and as treasurer of the board for the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, the only combined eye bank and ocular research center in the world. Previously, Daniel co-founded the first undergraduate Entrepreneurship degree program in the Florida State University System after successfully founding, funding, scaling and selling his third tech startup.

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THE HISTORY OF INNOVATION

Alfred Goldberg

INNOVATION IS OFTEN DESCRIBED AS THE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT OTHERS CANNOT. This was certainly true amongst the earliest settlers of the area we now call Tampa Bay. While some saw “mosquito country,” others saw a land of bountiful nature in which an important seaport and a future city could be built. These pioneers envisioned a city that would play an important economic, military and social role in the new State of Florida (1845), and that is what Tampa Bay has become. Later, industrious businessmen such as Henry Plant who brought the railroad to Tampa and Don Vincente Martinez Ybor who built a “company town” when he moved his cigar manufacturing operations to what was scrub land just north east of Tampa helped realize the vision of the early pioneers. Tampa became one of Florida’s largest cities when its population grew from fewer than 800 residents in 1880 to more than 15,000 in 1900. The 20th century saw Tampa Bay emerge as a modern financial, trade, and commercial hub. Some notable innovations of the time included Tony Jannus’s 1914 flight between St. Petersburg and Tampa, the world’s first scheduled commercial airline flight. Another notable first was the founding of St. Petersburg College in 1927. The college was founded to provide low-cost post-secondary education at a time when college was something that was out of reach of most people, and it was the first such college in Florida. In 1928, Drew Field Municipal Airport opened and was soon leased as a sub post to MacDill Field. Drew Field became Tampa International Airport in 1950, and MacDill Field

became MacDill Air Force Base. As home to both U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base has played a major role in both U.S. military history and the Tampa Bay economy. The presence of the base and its personnel in the Tampa Bay community has led to a large number of defense contractors to locate in the region and collaboration between the private sector and the military has been a source of innovation. Several high-profile projects such as the TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit) project executed by the Doolittle Institute’s SOFWERX have begun to emerge from this collaboration. In 1956, Florida’s public university system welcomed Tampa’s University of South Florida (USF) to their ranks. In the 1980s USF emerged as a major research institution and is now advancing the frontiers of medicine, science, engineering and the arts. Through USF Connect, the University drives commercialization of research and economic development. In 1981, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute was established in Tampa and has been a pioneer in cancer research and treatment. One innovation from Moffitt was M2Gen®, a health informatics company focused on accelerating the discovery, development, and delivery of personalized medicine. The presence of USF Health, Moffitt Cancer Center, and MacDill Airforce Base has stimulated an innovative healthcare sector in the area where companies with leading innovations are growing and collaborating. Companies such as BlackStone Medical Services, a home sleep testing

company, can operate alongside larger firms such as the Laser Spine Institute. But not all Tampa Bay innovation has come from large organizations or universities. Some locally founded successful technology companies have included myMatrixx, Tribridge, Tech Data. However, arguably the most successful local tech company was TRADEX Technologies, an early B2B marketplace, which was acquired in a stock-swap acquisition worth $5.6 billion. Many of these companies were built without a lot of local support. However, today there is a robust ecosystem of organizations that provide a lot of support to technology companies and entrepreneurs such as the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, the Tampa Bay WaVE and all the companies you see featured in this book. Tampa Bay has come a long way from its early days as a swampy backwater town and has begun to transform itself into a hotbed of innovation.

500 East Kennedy Blvd. Suite 401 Tampa , FL 33602, US Phone: 813 908 6862 www.absolutemarketingsolutions.com

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A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS! ANDY HAFER - CEO AND FOUNDER OF DYNAMIC COMMUNITIES.

I was strolling down the beach the other day. The tide had turned when I came upon a formerly grandiose sand castle. Before I knew it, Jimi Hendrix singing “Castles Made of Sand” was stuck in my head. I paused to see the sandcastle eventually fall into the sea. It was an unfortunate end to that structure – standing alone – to be gone without a trace in the rising tide. In stark contrast, I thought more about the rising tide. A boat stuck on a sandbar would soon be set free. Like the win-win nature of a healthy community: “A rising tide lifts all boats!” A “Rising Tide” community creates an environment of collaboration, encouragement, and forgiveness.

COLLABORATION – Knowing that one single member of a community cannot accomplish as much alone as they can with others, community constituents find ways to help each other succeed and reach each other’s goals. “The whole is much greater than the sum of the parts.” ENCOURAGEMENT – A sports team gains home field advantage when the crowd is cheering loudly for them. So do the members of a community. Members should see one of their counterpart’s wins as one that helps the whole. FORGIVENESS – Members of a thriving early stage eco-system are constantly taking risks. Members should see the battle scars of valiant, but failed attempts as a badge of honor on their colleagues. Most likely some of the innovator companies listed in this book will not be here in a year. “Failing forward” and allowing the community to learn from it, is a virtuous trait. A key to bringing a community together is figuring out the specific values each of the members or constituent groups bring to each other. Once specific values are identified, the community leaders can set up communications, collaborative tools, events, and platforms to make sure all those value-laced interactions happen often and happen purposely. I see all the individual people and elements necessary for a world-class innovation eco-system already present in Tampa Bay and Florida overall. We are a boat on a rising tide headed for the blue water of open seas. When we learn how to each grab our respective bow lines, pull together and in the same direction, the rest of the world will know it too. All we need is each other!

Andy Hafer is the CEO and Founder of Dynamic Communities - an organization that supports the establishment and growth of communities. He is also a committed energy behind Synapse – a groundbreaking platform to connect people in Florida’s early stage eco-system. Hafer’s 30 year career in technology includes entrepreneurial start-ups, large company roles, and not-for-profits. As past CEO of Tampa Bay Technology Forum, he saw, first-hand, the opportunities for eco-system players to collaborate together in a world class way. www.dynamiccommunities.com

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TRANSFORMING TAMPA BAY INTO AN INNOVATION HUB JEFF VINIK

I believe Tampa Bay has all of the ingredients to become the most vibrant and opportunity-rich innovation ecosystem in the southeast. In fact, I predict ten years from now, we will be telling stories of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the old days,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; when capital was scarce and ambitious startup founders fled to the west coast. Transforming Tampa Bay into a nationally competitive innovation hub will not be easy. Connecting mentors to founders, founders to capital, and capital to homegrown startups is a challenge that has humbled many cities around the world. Tampa Bay, however, possesses a number of unique advantages. First, our region is home to deep wells of creativity and talent. On both sides of the bay, startup founders of all ages toil over difficult and worthwhile problems. Second, local capital networks increasingly look to Tampa Bay startups as double-bottom-line opportunities: not only does a great angel and venture strategy generate strong returns, it serves as a leavening agent for the entire region. And third, we are already well on our way. Countless founders, developers, mentors, early stage investors and entrepreneurial support organizations already call Tampa Bay home. Indeed, in my seven years living here, I have witnessed the growth of remarkable ventures. From cyber security companies dedicated to protecting networks to digital health innovations lowering the cost of healthcare; Tampa Bay is asserting itself as a dominant region of innovative energy. We must now double down on these successes and execute on the dual mission of encouraging yet more homegrown talent as well as attracting early stage companies from around the country. My team and I are working every day to make this happen. We will realize all of these goals if we strive, organize and execute as one. The journey begins right now.

Owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Tampa Bay Storm, Philanthropist and Real Estate Developer.

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Tampa Bay’s innovation economy and entrepreneurial community has reached the tipping point MARC BLUMENTHAL Bay a thriving and innovative place to live and work. And though I’ve had the privilege of visiting other cities and even other countries, to see how they support technology and entrepreneurship, I continue to be astonished by the quality of Tampa’s entrepreneurs, educators, mentors and economic development officials who are part of the over 60 entrepreneurial support organizations in Tampa Bay. At times, I admit, I’ve been frustrated that this knowledge has remained too much of a secret. I’ve met many locals who were unaware of the wealth of entrepreneurial endeavors taking place in their own backyards. I’ve heard them say, “We’re all about services, restaurants and tourism here.” I’ve heard investors and even some entrepreneurs say that they need to go to Silicon Valley, New York, Austin or Boulder to raise money, or to invest their money, when nothing could be further from the truth. The good news is that I see 2017 as a major tipping point for Tampa Bay, and if you live here then I’m certain that you’ve seen and felt it too. Amazing things that have been growing in the fertile soil of our network are coming to fruition. We’ve developed Synapse, a sophisticated framework for building the entrepreneurial community and curating effective connections. We have Florida Funders, Jeff Vinik’s many initiatives, Tampa Bay WaVe, Tec Garage, Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, and DreamIt with its inaugural cohort of companies in 2017. We have The Tampa Jewish Federation and JCC’s Florida Israeli Business Accelerator “FIBA” with the first-of-its-kind program in the U.S., and a tremendously successful first cohort of eight Israeli companies, with two setting up their U.S. headquarters right here in Tampa Bay. We have SOCOM and the Doolittle Institute driving innovation in Ybor City with SOFWERX and DroneWerx. We have a pipeline of talented undergraduate and graduate level interns and graduates choosing to work in early-stage technology companies in our city, rather than setting their sights on California or New York. We have companies growing, becoming headquartered in Tampa Bay, and selling for eye-popping figures. Everything is coming up “business” and “technology” and that momentum is here to stay.

I’ve called Tampa Bay home for 35 years and for 34 of those years, I’ve been in the technology business. I guess that makes me an old Tampa tech guy, but I couldn’t be happier to wear that moniker because the Tampa Bay region has always been a great place to live, raise a family, and build a business. When I arrived in Tampa in 1983, it was an exciting time for technology innovation. IBM had released the PC/XT, the first of its personal computers with a hard drive, making it possible for businesses to begin using these magical devices. Two years later, having never interviewed for a job, I found myself instead seizing opportunity by opening and running a small business dedicated to the sales and support of IBM computers. I was an entrepreneur at a time with no college entrepreneurship programs, incubators, accelerators or innovation centers. But despite the lack of entrepreneurial support systems, what I did find in Tampa was customers, service providers and fellow business owners who were as open and supportive as friends or family. They genuinely wanted me to succeed and served as both my advisors and cheerleaders. Even competitors exhibited a mutual respect and a willingness to collaborate to grow the business landscape of the city.

Over 1,000 people are moving to Florida every day and about a third are choosing, like me, to settle in the Tampa Bay area. These are not the retirees of yesteryear; these people are coming to be a part of something and to enjoy the fantastic business and lifestyle of a region on the rise. They too are seeing the tipping point of innovation in Tampa Bay.

Over time I came to understand that this pride of place and collaborative nature is the defining ether of the Tampa Bay business community. Through my multidecade and multi-business journey as an entrepreneur and then as a leader of Florida Funders, I’ve met hundreds of people who work tirelessly to make Tampa

I encourage everyone to get involved in whatever way they can: start a new company, invest, advise, be a customer or just be a cheerleader. The more entrepreneurs who succeed in Tampa Bay, the better it gets for everyone who lives and works here.

Marc Blumenthal is a serial entrepreneur and visionary leader in the technology industry, as well as an active investor in early stage companies. Marc is currently a co-founder of Synapse and a partner at Florida Funders, all while actively working to improve the innovation ecosystem in the Tampa Bay region.

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THIS IS OUR TIME, FLORIDA’S TIME TO REALLY “SHINE” TOM WALLACE

As Bob Dylan once said “The Times They Are A-Changin”… and this could not be more true than today. What is on the horizon when it comes to technology and innovation is nothing short of incredible. The impact that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning alone is going to have on all of us and society as a whole will I believe, be not only astounding but truly life changing. Add in IOT (Internet of Things) - where nearly every device is smart and connected, Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR & AR) - which will change education alone like we have never seen, and 3D Printing - where we can make or just “print” many of the things we need, and it’s almost incomprehensible how much change we are going to see in the coming decade. To me, one of the big questions is how much of a role is the state of Florida going to play in all this innovation? Are we going to be a leader in driving this next cycle of incredible innovation, or not? That to me is the real question.

the incredible tech coming out of Florida’s space program and the space coast. With Miami, we are clearly the gateway for the wave of entrepreneurship and innovation coming from Central and South America. Florida has for some time had a reputation for producing great entrepreneurs and we have many strong, innovative companies in Healthcare, Education, Insurance, Construction, and Real Estate, just to mention a few. We have a plethora of innovative software companies including Citrix Systems. Florida now has world class universities and we have proven that we can attract young, educated millennials who want to live and work in Florida. The incubators, accelerators, and start-up hubs here are almost too many to count and possibly for the first time we have many options for early-stage tech companies when it comes to funding from angel investors to venture capital and crowd funding firms. We are positioned like never before to create amazing new companies and become known as the Start-Up state instead of the Sunshine state. I believe this is our time, Florida’s time to really “shine” and it will take all of us in our tech ecosystem to make it happen.

I believe that for the first time Florida is poised to be on the forefront of the exciting and dramatic changes that will be coming in technology. Florida has the opportunity to become a state as known for technology and innovation as we are today for tourism and oranges. With the AR start-up Magic Leap in Fort Lauderdale we have one of the hottest startups in America, that has already raised over $1 billion from the likes of Google Ventures and Kleiner-Perkins. Who would have even thought this possible just a few short years ago? Additionally, we have

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Tampa Bay is a hotbed of entrepreneurial activities and a rich environment for entrepreneurs to live, work and play Cities have long focused on attracting jobs through the relocation of large corporate entities. But, today the focus has shifted to developing strong “entrepreneurial ecosystems” to attract innovators and change makers to the region. While the entrepreneurial ecosystems terminology is new, history has many examples of how a regional focus on creative endeavors can lead to major innovations. One of those examples occurred in the 14th century in Florence, Italy, where we can find evidence of an ecosystem that developed at the intersection of the arts, architecture, engineering and construction. The city leaders, including the wealthy Medici banking family, decided they wanted to have the most beautiful city in the world. To reach this end they invited some of the world’s top practitioners in each field to the city, funded their work and were constantly engaged in the process of change that occurred for the 25year period which has been generally recognized as one of the most influential periods in the history of art.

REBECCA J. WHITE, PH.D. THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA

Fast-forward to the modern era in Silicon Valley and one can see the same ingredients that changed the world during the Renaissance. Creative and independent thinkers, many of who came from Stanford University, came together and set off on their own and in the process, shaped some of today’s most successful companies, including Apple and Intel. The millennial generation and the creative class has brought an increased urgency to understanding and imitating these highgrowth businesses. Communities invest in entrepreneurship for a variety of reasons. While business has long been seen as an

engine for economic growth, entrepreneurship is now viewed as a solution to social problems and as having the ability to help people achieve independence and escape the status quo. A high performing entrepreneurial ecosystem leads to knowledge spillover and innovation, and the resulting opportunities become influential in a region’s ability to attract and retain the best and brightest talent. Tampa Bay is no different. As is shown throughout this publication, the region is building a strong and vibrant ecosystem for the creators and change makers we think of as entrepreneurs. In a recent study funded by the Kauffman Foundation, a team of scholars working through the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center at The University of Tampa identified several characteristics of an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Tampa Bay. The key strengths of our region were a diverse population, one of the top airports in the U.S., passionate supporters of entrepreneurs working tirelessly to provide assistance to our early stage companies, strong colleges and universities and an entrepreneurial vibrancy. But in the end, it is all about people. Tampa Bay is fortunately made up of diverse people who take risks to start companies and invest in them, and who provide a support network along the way. We hope you enjoy meeting the people of Tampa Bay’s entrepreneurial ecosystem in this book.

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NAVIGATING THE HYPE & FUTURE TRENDS IN FINTECH RACHEL CARPENTER CO-FOUNDER & CEO INTRINIO I fell in love with the time value of money during my Intro to Finance course in 2008, a year that I learned to respect both the power and danger of the financial markets. After teaching myself to code I joined the ranks of fintech entrepreneurs and now lead a company that is fighting to make data accessible and affordable for investors. It’s rewarding to observe and contribute to the open data movement, and over the years I’ve developed a unique perspective on its growth. An incredible amount of attention has been drawn to overinflated fintech verticals such as payments and lending. Companies like CommonBond and Square have made monumental and important advances, but I believe we’ve seen the peak of innovation and we’ll experience a retraction in both funding and focus over the next year. The bitcoin trend has reached the top of one of my favorite charts, the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies. We may have reached the peak of inflated expectations when it comes to cryptocurrencies, but I believe the underlying blockchain technology is only beginning to find its identity. It’s wildly unregulated, underdeveloped and unstructured, but the future applications could arguably make it the most transformative technological advance since the advent of the internet.

I speculate that the finance industry lags technologically due to a lack of accessible data. DaaS (data as a service) doesn’t receive as much attention as trendier verticals, but data is the lifeblood of banking, investing and all things finance. It powers the platforms that make money flow, but we have yet to fully democratize it and make it available to those who have a vision for improving finance. As data becomes democratized and generational shifts encourage banks to adopt new technologies, bright young minds are attacking the challenges inherent in investing and banking, striking out inefficiencies and bringing a lagging industry up to speed. We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg, and this is the year fintech makes it possible for the broader community to take part in finance via affordable, accessible, financial data. Rachel Carpenter is Co-Founder and CEO of Intrinio, a St. Petersburg, Florida based disruptive fintech firm that is changing the way investors access and digest data. Under her guidance, Intrinio has grown from a college project into a leader in the cutting edge DaaS (Data as a Service) field. Having the vision to see the future of data as well as the technical skills and grit to make that vision a reality has transformed Carpenter into a leader in the data realm. Rachel graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BBA in both Finance and Management/Human Resources and minors in Spanish and European Studies. She is an advanced front end web developer and a graduate of The Starter League Advanced HTML & CSS web design course, with expertise in HTML/HAML, CSS/SASS, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, UX, responsive web design and the Ruby Padrino web framework.

Cryptocurrencies and ICO (Initial Coin Offerings) have emerged on the scene with the potential for terrifying and unbounded opportunity… or consequence. Millennials are hyper aware of asset management fees, choosing robo-advisor platforms in lieu of traditional investment advice. We see increased collaboration between banks and fintech, with many banks hedging this generational change through their own robo-solutions. Banks haven’t been the most eager adopters of technology. Most large financial institutions are built on millions of lines of Fortran – a coding language the oil industry upgraded from over 15 years ago. We can now be carted around in a self-driving car, our groceries arrive by drone, and Watson is winning chess games, but only in the past few years have we begun to computerize trading.

www.facebook.com/intrinio 24/7 Chat Support on Website - reach out! www.intrinio.com

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COORDINATED CARE IS BETTER CARE TRAVIS BOND, FOUNDER AND CEO, CARESYNC

A FRAGMENTED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. A CONFUSING PATIENT JOURNEY. OUTRAGEOUS SPENDING. BRING UP THE SUBJECT OF HEALTHCARE, AND YOU’LL HEAR NO SHORTAGE OF PROBLEMS. TRAVIS BOND, FOUNDER AND CEO, CARESYNC

Reduce ER Visits, Hospitalizations, and Readmissions

But what about solutions? If we envision greater efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare, how do we get there?

Similar to recognizing it’s a lot cheaper to regularly change the oil in your car than it is to replace the engine, care coordination is about managing or, to some degree, containing a disease by proactively treating it with a maintenance program versus reactively attacking an acute scenario.

Close Gaps In Care Even when as many as 3 out of 4 persons age 65 and older have multiple chronic conditions and 7 out of 10 deaths each year in the U.S. are from chronic diseases, our aging population frequently identifies itself as “not sick.”

Encourage Cost Control Fear, uncertainty, and doubt often lead individuals to go directly to the ER when a reassuring phone call from a provider, accompanied by an appointment within 12 hours at their office, is far more efficient and effective.

Seeing chronic illness in a more accurate light, Medicare created programs like Chronic Care Management (CCM) to help patients achieve better health outcomes. How? By filling in the gaps between doctor visits with care coordination.

Acute specialty points of care are more costly than adhering to what has already been prescribed. With greater access to their physicians and 24/7 clinical support, patients can make more appropriate and affordable choices about when, how, and where they seek care.

Care coordination, which has tremendous value for individuals of all ages, gives patients access to clinical services 24/7, helps them manage chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, encourages them to follow through on their doctor’s plan of care, and gets vital between-visit data back to the doctor.

Where To Next? Travis Bond - Founder and CEO, CareSync Travis is a healthcare technology disruptor, a passionate entrepreneur, and a charismatic leader. Leveraging his diverse educational background in business, finance, and medicine, Travis creates products and services that have dramatically enhanced the way people do business and the way patients experience healthcare.

Care coordination solutions are relatively new, but my hope is that five years from now, patients will be familiar and comfortable with them, and eager to take advantage of their benefits.

14055 Riveredge Drive, Suite 600, Tampa, FL 33637 | Phone: +1 (800) 587-5227 | www.caresync.com 15

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I SEE A WORLD WHERE THE REAL WORLD AND THE WEB BECOME ONE JOHN LEMP, FOUNDER - REVCONTENT God is the best business partner and inspiration that I could ever ask for. The day I became a Christian is the day that my vision for this industry became so much more clear to me. Day to day, I read my favorite book for the ultimate inspiration - The Bible. Through that I am constantly challenged and inspired to love and serve others. My vision for the content recommendation industry is all about spreading open ideas and empowerment, saving innovation, and powering personal relationships. I believe this entire industry is crucial for keeping the web healthy and ensuring that freedom of speech and independent thought flourishes. The openness of ideas is the cornerstone of not only our democracy but ultimately the vanguard of any great democracy. I see a vision of a more personal web - a web where the user is empowered to find content that is more relevant to them than ever. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting for me to see the continued growth in native advertising. In the long term future, eventually native will be all around us, and the internet will not be contained to a web. I see a world where the real world and the web become one, and that world will be delivered by intelligence, so no one can slow down the power of the people and the ability for the future of media to build relationships with people wherever they are.

John Lemp, Founder - Revcontent Revcontent was founded by John Lemp in 2013 on a 12-acre campus headquarters in Sarasota, Florida. Revcontent has rapidly expanded from a self-funded tech startup to the largest content recommendation network in the world.

Headquarters: 5901 N. Honore Ave, Sarasota, Florida 34243 Phone: (941) 225-6132 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Revcontent Twitter: https://twitter.com/Revcontent LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/5057946 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/revcontent www.revcontent.com 16

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BECAUSE OF THE PROFOUNDLY PROMISING CREATIVE ECONOMIC SHIFT, RINGLING COLLEGE IS AN INTEGRAL DRIVER IN THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF THIS REGION DR. LARRY R. THOMPSON, PRESIDENT, RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN. of companies conducted by IBM showed, the number one skill needed by the leaders of tomorrow is creativity. Forrester Research found that companies that actively foster creative thinking achieve more exceptional revenue growth than their peers and enjoy greater market share, as well as winning recognition as “best places to work.” Maximize innovation and competitive advantage by integrating creativity and design thinking into your products, planning, and management. The reason creativity is so important is that in today’s world where there are so many products and brands, a company’s product or service needs to find ways to stand out, to create novel customer experiences that build bonds and increase brand loyalty. Ringling College is at the forefront of this creative revolution. We are not your “grandfather’s” art and design college. Instead, we are the frontrunner in educating young people to be the creative leaders and innovators in this new world. For example, we are the most technologically advanced art college in the world. U.S. News and World Report recently declared Ringling the “most wired campus in America,” and that was among all colleges and universities, art and otherwise. Ringling College engages with companies throughout the country even the world - through our Collaboratory. This is where organizations such as GM, Cirque d’Soleil, Disney Imagineering, and others work with our students, faculty, and staff to create new approaches to solving real world problems. Over one hundred recruiters come to Ringling to seek out our graduates every year. Why? Because these companies see the future and the potential of our graduates. We do everything possible to provide the intellectual capital, infrastructure, support, tools, and educational resources for our students to fulfill their dreams and live their lives as successful artists, designers, and creative leaders. We continue to expand academic programs, increase student programming, hire world-class faculty and staff, and build facilities specifically designed for our students and community to thrive and grow. Come see our new facilities, such as the Alfred R. Goldstein Library, the Richard and Barbara Basch Visual Arts Center, and our new Ringling Studios Soundstage and Post-Production Complex.

For nearly two decades it has been my privilege to lead Ringling College of Art and Design toward our vision of becoming the preeminent art and design school of this century. We have successfully driven this vision forward through the carefully nurtured growth of our student body, expanded faculty, obiquous technology, state-of-the-art facilities, and leading edge curricula offerings that are in tune with the needs of our students, graduates, and our Gulf Coast region, or, as we have dubbed it, our “Creative Coast.”

Because of the profoundly promising creative economic shift, Ringling College is an integral driver in the economic success of this region. And that is what this book is about – innovation, innovation, innovation.

This book highlights Innovation Tampa Bay. The foundation of innovation is creativity. Creativity is the “soul” of innovation. And the source of the greatest creativity in Tampa Bay is Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Creativity is no longer a “want to have.” It is now a “must have” if a business is to be successful. You see, creativity has become the foundation upon which our economic success in the future will be built. Indeed, I believe that creative thinking or design thinking or thinking like an artist or designer is the new natural resource – the new “oil” – propelling our region, our state, our nation, and the world’s economic future. As a fairly recent survey of 1500 global leaders

2700 N Tamiami Trail Sarasota, Florida 34234 Phone: +1 941-351-5100 www.ringling.edu

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TAMPA BAY PIONEERING THE INDUSTRY HUBERTUS M. MÜHLHÄUSER - PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF WELBILT, INC. restaurants specializing in Fondue with more than 140 locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The regional national leaders that focus successfully on Tampa Bay are Richard Gonzmart’s “Columbia” or “Ulele” full service restaurants or Frank Chivas with his numerous successful restaurants like “Island Way Grill”, “Marina Cantina” or “Rumba Island Bar & Grill” – just to mention a few. All these companies and entrepreneurs continuously challenge the status quo, by shaping new concepts and creating new customer experiences through innovation. Welbilt is a part of this exciting foodservice community with our Innovation Center & Headquarters in New Port Richey. We are one of the leading global manufacturers of foodservice equipment, serving restaurants, hotels and institutions around the world. We operate at the intersection of food, technology and people. We pride ourselves on being both pioneers and innovators and work with many of these chains and concept restaurants as well as with several local Culinary Schools.

The Tampa Bay area has a strong entrepreneurial community that has created a foodservice cluster that is seeing robust growth in recent years. The restaurant scene is one of the most creative and fastest growing ones in the United States adding new restaurants, bars, and eateries every month. Ever evolving, it offers something for everyone, from comfort food to healthy choices, from locally inspired dishes to fusion cuisine. Tampa Bay today is a destination for people who love food. There are already many innovative entrepreneurs and award-winning chefs in the Tampa Bay region that actively shape the developments in the foodservice cluster. Numerous full service restaurants, limited service restaurants as well as parent companies of regional, national and international restaurants and chains call Tampa their home. They play an integral role in the local community and have experienced solid growth in recent years. Tampa is no longer waiting to follow a new trend; it is actively involved in creating new ones. Alongside

New York, Los Angeles, Dallas or Chicago, the local culinary scene is more vibrant than ever with new restaurants and new concepts emerging on a regular basis. There is an increasing number of creative chefdriven restaurants that offer sophisticated finedining with a local twist, such as Chris Ponte´s and John Cooper´s “On Swann”, or Ferrell Alvarez’ and Ty Rodriguez’ “Rooster and the Till”. Foodservice trends often gain traction at fine-dining establishments first, such as perennial landmark Bern´s Steakhouse, before they become more mainstream. Tampa is also the cradle of many successful international chains, like Bloomin’ Brands, the global leader in casual dining with more than 1,400 restaurants in 21 countries, or Hooters, founded in Clearwater in 1983 and now owning more than 450 restaurants globally, or its smaller counterpart Wing House that focuses on Florida for the time being. Successful national leaders are also located in the Tampa area, such as Checkers known for its more than 700 double drive-thru restaurants that moved its headquarters to Tampa after merging with Rally´s; or Bob Johnston’s Melting Pot concept

Tampa Bay has come a long way from being a hidden gem to becoming a booming city attracting businesses from diverse sectors. Many more companies in the foodservice sector have recognized the potential of the Tampa Bay area. Mettler-Toledo, a leading supplier of precision scales and instruments for food-retailing and laboratories, is centralizing major parts of their U.S. manufacturing in the Tampa Bay area, and Melitta, the German coffee filter and machine manufacturer, or Nestle, the Swiss food giant, have been in the area for decades. The same is true for many digital tech start-ups in the foodservice space that connect people, food and equipment to create unique experiences. The Tampa Bay region is gaining momentum, unlocking more of its potential, and is becoming a foodservice innovation hub. We invite you to experience the future of foodservice in Tampa Bay.

www.welbilt.com

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DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION IS SOMETHING OF A MISNOMER THESE DAYS Innovation is something that very few people or companies are actually doing. Most of what is being done could hardly be called disruptive. Almost everyone is following a trend, a competitor, or an emerging market. None of that is truly the disruption that ensues when you are creating an entirely NEW market through a breakthrough technology or paradigm. This lack of innovative disruption is largely due to declining R&D budgets over the last 30 years. These have slipped from close to 20% of revenue to less than 3% nationwide. How is that even possible? Is it really cheaper to buy a competitive startup that’s doing something interesting than it is to take a risk in the industry of your expertise? Fortunately, the general attitude toward R&D doesn’t mean there isn’t hope. One thing that excites me about Tampa Bay is there are a large and growing number of creative, hard working people living here who will not work for companies that don’t invest in the future. These people want to push the limits of not simply the doable, but of the conceivable. As a result of this mindset, our startup culture has exploded over the last few years. The Tampa Bay WaVE, Startup Week, Startup Weekend, Startup Grind, Startup Bus, and a myriad of other incubators, hackathons, and support organizations have sprung up around the local burgeoning zeitgeist.

Greg Ross-Munro – CEO and Partner Greg is the founder, CEO, and senior partner of Sourcetoad. He is an expert in large-scale system design for enterprise organizations, and specializes in human systems interaction, business process design and optimization, the software development life-cycle, and software startups and business models. Greg has been programing since he was eight years old and sold his first software consultancy in his early 20s. He earned a BS in industrial psychology, an MBA in information systems management, and an MS in entrepreneurship in applied technologies from the University of South Florida.

People want to work in creative spaces, doing work that not only matters, but is individually rewarding. No more cogs in no more wheels. Millennials want to be special, and that means that enough of them are going to actually put in the work required to BE special. Corporations are going to have to look long and hard at those R&D budgets if they want to keep this new wave of employees happy, and to compete with the hungry startups out to disrupt them. The companies in this book are showing the true way forward; innovating like it’s all you do. If you don’t design the technology that could put you out of business, someone else will. Innovation needs to be a core tenant of any organization. If you are not spending at least 10% of revenue on R&D, you had better be putting that money into a savings account for when you go out of business.

He received the USF 2014 MSE Outstanding Alumni Award, is a mentor during Startup Weekend Tampa Bay, and is a director for StartupBus. www.sourcetoad.com 19

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CIVIC INNOVATION NED POPE The reason is this: Your visions of these terms are tied to the BRAND the words have acquired over time, not their actual MEANING. Big difference. By combining the original definitions of these individual terms we come up with the following concept. Civic Innovation is the science of bringing something new to your community... and it’s your DUTY to do so. That’s right, by embracing Civic Innovation we are individually and collectively accepting the responsibility of bringing innovative solutions to our communities. • The concept has grace in its simplicity, and beauty in its virtually limitless application. • Want a better way to track what ordinances are affecting your neighborhood? Innovate. • Want a more efficient method for choosing a parking space (relatively) near the Straz? Innovate. • Need a better system for your business to submit for city contracts? Innovate. • Need smartphone friendly public transit options in Tampa? Take a nap. Just kidding. We’re gonna go HAM on that one too. The point is this, Civic Innovation is not about waiting on government officials to take risks we know they’re not capable of. It’s not about looking at other cities for the next great time-and-money-saving technology and scrambling to bring it here. Hell, it’s not even about tech at all really. It’s about the understanding that YOU, the individual citizen are responsible for making your city the best it can be. Voice your concerns. Pressure your public representatives. Circulate new concepts. Demand mobile optimization and transparency from your local nonprofits. Hold local businesses to a higher standard for speed and efficiency. And most importantly, GIVE support, contributions, congratulations, applause, patronage, and love when they rise to the challenge! I look forward to working with you to bring innovation to our civic municip... F it, let’s bring something new to this great city together. Talk to you soon. Peace - Ned

Rarely will you ever find two individual terms with such a broad range of definition combined in a phrase. Respectively, civics and innovation have both taken their turn as the buzzword du jour in discussions about community growth and economic development. Before we continue our brief journey into this concept I’d like for you, the Reader, to focus initially on the occasions and context in which you’ve heard the use of the term civics or its descriptive form of civic. You’re probably conjuring thoughts of your city’s downtown, maybe a city council dias, a polling place, a bland government building, or other images reflecting the structure of how government uses our tax dollars to provide the citizens with various services. Exciting stuff huh? Now let’s think about the term innovation. You’re probably seeing visions of smartphones, apps, slick social media platforms, self-driving electric vehicles, robots, bluetooth headphones, robots wearing bluetooth headphones, VR games that look better than actual R, fitness wearables, Roombas quietly and methodically vacuuming every square inch of your living room as you bingewatch some new Netflix original series on your cord-cutting device using your in-laws account login (I’ve heard of unsavory types prone to such despicable piracy). Now that’s the type of innovation that fires us up, the type that has permeated every facet of our daily lives.

Ned Pope Works for the global data science leader at Nielsen, where he is currently serving as the project lead on the Nielsen.com Global Update.

For the sake of level-setting, let’s review Merriam-Webster’s thoughts on the terms: Civics - a social science dealing with the rights and duties of citizens Innovation - (1) the introduction of something new; (2) a new idea, method, or device

His volunteer activities include serving as President of the Florida Next Foundation, Chair of TechStart Tampa Bay, Regional Chair of Leadership Florida Connect, and Board Member of OnBikes.

Wait a minute... do those definitions match your prior visions or impressions? Not really even that close are they?

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“THE CURRENT LIMITED ECONOMIC PARADIGM OF PEOPLE EXISTING AS LABOR IN COMPETITION WITH AUTOMATION IS SETTING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY UP FOR CATASTROPHE.” VINNY TAFURO - ECONOMIST AND AUTHOR, UNLOCKING THE LABOR CAGE Philosopher, Adam Smith noted in 1776 that one of the greatest improvements made to the first fire-engines of his time was “the discovery of a boy who wanted to save his own labour” in order to “leave him at liberty to divert himself with his playfellows.” In an 1842 journal entry, Henry David Thoreau wrote that the “really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure.” Nearly 90 years ago John Maynard Keynes predicted that technology could soon solve the “economic problem” of scarcity and that “mankind will be deprived of its traditional purpose.” In a complex world, economists’ lazy reliance on the easy over the accurate is criminal, and history will mark that fact.

In 1759, seventeen years before The Wealth of Nations, Smith first identified the ‘invisible hand’ of society that was driven by human empathy and social trust. Social trust is the foundational yet unmeasured ‘dark matter’ of the economy. It relies on the cumulative social capital of all human beings. Until now, no quantitative metrics have been proposed. Gross Domestic Product, the sole industrial economy metric, counts the production and distribution of goods and services. Any social capital that is not commercially monetized is simply not counted. From stay home parents and community volunteers, to the value of journalism and scientific research, GDP simply ignores it all. In 1968 Robert F. Kennedy succinctly noted that GDP “measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

Smith identified three physical factors of economic production; land, labor, and capital and an unmeasurable fourth factor dubbed the ‘invisible hand’ that guided the economy. Economist Vinny Tafuro has identified how these four factors have evolved over time and where modern metrics and big data provide an opportunity to quantify Smith’s fourth factor while updating the stewardship of the first three.

Social capital today must be acknowledged, measured, and cultivated. Tafuro is developing metrics that will allow a future where all human value creation is appropriately quantified by the field of economics. Where our employment and education crises are resolved by expanding our definition of compensable work guided by a Social Capital Index based on big data. An index to augment Gross Domestic Product and modernize economics; to first stabilize, then liberate the global economy.

The current limited economic paradigm of people existing as labor in competition with automation is setting the global economy up for catastrophe. Labor today is a simple function of capital that may or may not be performed by people. Therefore, labor is no longer synonymous with people. Smith’s three factors are more appropriately identified today in the triple bottom line accounting framework of people, planet, and profits.

Vinny Tafuro Visionary. Economist. Hacker.

Unlocking the Labor Cage, Author - LABORCAGE.COM | Phone: (813) 240 0739 | facebook.com/vinnytafuro | Twitter / Instagram / Snapchat @vinnytafuro 21

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FUTURE CITIES AND INN

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“If you look at history, innovation doesn't come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.” STEVEN JOHNSON

CHAPTER TWO

NOVATION ECOSYSTEMS

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THUNDERDOME TO THUNDERDRONE IGNITING INNOVATION IN TAMPA BAY

Forum

Tampa Bay Environment

(Culture/History, workforce, city signature, “buzz”, support to business travelers)

Restaurants

STEM

Beach Bay

EDC

Score

Business Jump Start

County

(Rapid Prototyping, Production, Teaming, Commercial Applications, Scaling)

State

VOTEC

(Incubation & acceleration, local office realty, mentoring, financing, work force dev’t, financial incentives for investment)

Fed

Pro Sports

Healthbox

Thunderdome (Ignition Event)

TBDA WAVE

NonProfits

Realtors

Doolittle Gov’t Labs

Gov’t

Academic

VTB Local Banks

Media TBTF

Nat’l Labs

Congress

MSECC

Large Companies w/ Tampa Office

Local Small Business

Corporate

Medical

Wounded Warrior Pgms

Local Support and Enablers SBA

Trans

Ybor

TIA

Hotels Bars

Channelside

Conv Ctr

NDIA

Academic

Medical Orlando

AFCEA Cities of Tampa & ST Pete

Academic

3-D Manufacturing

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DAVE SCOTT Several years ago, I participated in a strategic planning workshop focused on finding pathways to economic development in the greater Tampa Bay region. We quickly identified three unique resources we should leverage – our pleasant coastal environment, a large military community employed at the leading edge of national security, and a vibrant academic infrastructure. The output of the working group included a model describing the activity within an innovation ecosystem that we labeled “Thunderdome.” The naming was significant as it stressed the need for a significant ignition event to kick off a series of social and technical interactions that spark innovation, capital infusion, job creation, and workforce enhancement. The “Thunderdome” of the Mad Max movie was a cage where combatants used their ingenuity and whatever item at hand to defeat their opponent. There were no rules and at the end of the day, there would be a winner and a loser. It seemed an appropriate metaphor. In our model, an ignition event was a focused technology or process challenge of short duration leading to a “eureka moment” or less exciting consensus on the best solution for the problem at hand. Because the challenge reflected a relevant need, winning concepts immediately proceeded to rapid prototyping among one or several of the collaborators. This activity would be enabled by talent, experience, and resources available in the local area with the intent of bringing tangible products online in the least amount of time. In the end, the stimulation of competition within the supportive and enticing Tampa Bay environment would attract top talent and stimulate economic growth. We are beginning to see the concept become reality. This summer a “Thunderdrone” challenge will take place to develop sea, air, land, and space drones (unmanned and remotely controlled or autonomous vehicles). Collaborators from academia, industry, and other government agencies from around the world will convene in an Ybor City warehouse for two months of concept development and rapid prototyping. The best ideas will be fielded, and a permanent drone development lab will follow. The potential for commercial application as well as military use is profound. “Thunderdrone” is just the most recent and most ambitious example of an increasing drumbeat of innovation in Tampa Bay. The USF School of Engineering has joined with our military community for “impactful discovery” in traditional engineering as well as cyber. Industry and venture capital interest is growing. Student and military intern programs are expanding. The “Thunderdome” engine is coming to life.

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SOFWERX UNITED STATES SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND (SOCOM), LOCATED ON MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE IN TAMPA, FLORIDA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES (SOF) OPERATING AROUND THE WORLD.

From its roots in the legendary Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in World War II, USSOCOM champions a culture that embraces and supports innovation in research and development, operations, and bringing diverse communities together to rapidly invent and field new capabilities. USSOCOM recognized that it was becoming difficult to reach entrepreneurs, small businesses, and creative talent outside the traditional defense industry market, as well as have a place where the SOF operator, acquirer, and inventor could collaborate and think about the challenges of the future. To address this issue, SOCOM created SOFWERX, a unique collaboration venue designed to bring academia, companies, individuals and other “non-traditional” Department of Defense (DoD) business partners to work on SOCOM’s most

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challenging problems. The goal was to create a place where we could harvest the “return on collision” by bringing a diverse set of experts together to rapidly solve problems, as well as reduce barriers to enable anyone with an idea to collaborate with USSOCOM. Located in the second oldest building in downtown Ybor City, SOFWERX fills the brick-lined halls where famous revolutionary thinkers and world leaders such as President “Teddy” Roosevelt, President Grover Cleveland, and Sir Winston Churchill once passed their time. Today, SOFWERX attracts hacker/makers, university students and professors, Tampa Bay inventors and small businesses to support the U.S. military’s Special Operations Forces. An interactive venue for innovative ideas, SOFWERX has become the premier incubator for innovative thinking in Tampa Bay, conducting design thinking sessions, technology sprints, rapid prototyping, and other events with government, academia, technologists and business experts from the local Tampa Bay area.

SOFWERX was established under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with the Doolittle Institute, a Florida-based non-profit organization, in September 2015. Through regular events and collaboration at SOFWERX, SOCOM connects with a variety of academic organizations, including a very close relationship with the University of South Florida (USF). College interns, industry fellows, graduate students, collegiate faculty, startups, and foreign partners also collaborate on a daily basis in this truly unique innovation environment. SOFWERX hosts several types of events at the Ybor City locations to get the “best of breed” innovative ideas and emerging technologies, including prize challenges, hackathons, and collaboration sessions. SOFWERX also supports local Tampa Bay Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and training, leveraging the incredible talents of the next generation. SOFWERX, and the collaboration it has inspired in the Tampa community, has become the recognized standard of how the military, academia, entrepreneurs, traditional defense suppliers, and everyday citizens can work together to create immense value in numerous ways – improving capabilities for our military and first responders, improving education of our high school and college students, and providing access to new markets for start-ups and small businesses.

www.sofwerx.org

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DEFENSEWERX INC. The Doolittle Institute (DI), operating as DEFENSEWERX, is a 501c3 non-profit chartered to help defense industry partners create and expand innovative and entrepreneurial environments. We believe the key to success is the degree to which industry, academia, and government participants “collide” – formally, informally, and socially – with a focus on results and shared sense of urgency. At our Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) campus in Fort Walton Beach and within the USSOCOM SOFWERX enterprise in Tampa we provide the framework within which our customers collaborate to solve tough science and technology challenges and rapidly prototype solutions. Along the way we encourage open exchange of ideas and encourage participants to offer innovative concepts hidden behind proprietary firewalls and within academic patent vaults. Our role includes promoting workforce development and STEM initiatives to create pipelines for talent, and outreach to evolving methods of advanced manufacturing within private industry. If we do our job well, the nation’s warfighters get better tools faster that help them accomplish their mission with lower risk, our industry partners embrace more technology for both government and commercial markets, and our academic partners move more theory into reality. To support the above objectives DEFENSEWERX enters into “Partnership Intermediary Agreements” (PIA) with our customers. The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer defines its PIA as a relationship to: “facilitate joint projects and accelerate technology transfer between the lab and private companies. These intermediaries help companies to identify federal technologies that can be licensed and commercialized. They also work to increase the likelihood of successful cooperative activities between the lab and small businesses.”

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In Tampa, our customer USSOCOM explains it this way: “To support USSOCOM’s continued emphasis on innovation, SOF AT&L has established a venue called SOFWERX; an unclassified, open collaboration activity designed to bring nontraditional partners from industry, academia, and the government together to work on USSOCOM’s most challenging problems. SOFWERX was established under a Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) with the Doolittle Institute. A PIA is an agreement between the government and an intermediary organization such as state and local governmental agencies and nonprofit entities operated by or on behalf of a state or local government to perform partnership intermediary services such as promotion of cooperative or joint activities with small business firms and educational institutions that need technology-related assistance.” The specific tasks for DEFENSEWERX to support our Air Force team in Fort Walton and our Special Operations customers in Tampa include: establishing collaborative environments and running day to day activities; promoting technology transition (getting technology to the warfighter); facilitating technology transfer (getting technology to industry); fostering innovation & collaboration (meeting spaces, networking, and events); and influencing workforce development (current and future, including intern programs and STEM education). Beyond these specific tasks in support of our customers, DEFENSEWERX joins forces with National, State, and community resources to identify, develop, and introduce innovative new products across government and commercial markets. Success in this area is critical to our defense superiority and economy in general.

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DEFENSEWERX acts as a neutral facilitator and hyper-connecter between ecosystems to encourage collaboration and overcome barriers to innovation. Key to our approach is outreach to small businesses. These entrepreneurial firms typically have 50 or less employees, and according to the SBA, make up 99.7% of all employer firms, creating 60-80% of net new jobs since 1990, and accounting for half of the nation’s private sector workforce and GDP. Small companies produce 13x more patents per employee than large firms. What was published in the SBA’s first Advocacy report in 1979 remains true today: “Innovation is an essential ingredient for creating jobs, controlling inflation, and for economic and social growth. Small businesses make a disproportionately large contribution to innovations. There is something fundamental about this unusual ability of small firms to innovate that must be preserved for the sake of healthy economic growth.” Tampa, with its large government footprint, world class academic infrastructure, appealing environment, workforce potential, growing pool of venture capital, and “drumbeat” of tech challenge is fast becoming a critical “ecosystem” for the growth described above. DEFENSEWERX is working behind the scenes of the evolving Special Operations Command innovation centers at SOFWERX, DIRTYWERX, and now THUNDERDRONE. We are proud to be a part of a growing effort to rekindle the spirit of innovation and to assist in the development and commercialization of cutting edge ideas and connect them with the military and the market.

The DEFENSEWERX Team (from right to left): Beth Hanning, STEM Outreach Director; Laurie Moncrieff, Executive Director; Voncille Jones, Facilities Manager; Carolyn Fries, Technology Transfer Principal; Robert Kirila, Chief of Operations

www.defensewerx.org

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Photo: Chen Wang

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The Mini Circuits Design for X Laboratory provides a collaborative environment that enable students to take their creativity from design to prototype.

THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA INNOVATION IS OUR PASSION. The College of Engineering at the University of South Florida is at the forefront of engineering research and education, cultivating knowledgeable, passionate engineers who are dedicated to needs-based, solutions-oriented engineering.

Photo: Ryan Wakefield

We are innovators. We are explorers. For us, it’s all about helping people. As the only engineering research and teaching institution in Tampa Bay, our urban setting provides the college with a unique opportunity to attract creative and innovative talent.

Robert H. Bishop, PhD, PE, Dean of the College of Engineering

After more than 50 years of pursuing excellence in engineering, we remain young in spirit and full of hope for the future. Alumni, students, and faculty are playing pivotal roles in the evolution of high-tech innovation in Tampa Bay. With hundreds of patents issued to both faculty and students, it’s fair to say that innovation is our passion. As a result of our entreprenurial mindset, over 200 patents have been issued to our engineering faculty in the past five years. Building upon four pillars of success – Experiential Learning, Impactful Discovery, Community Partnerships

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and Educational Leadership â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we are educating a diverse group of engineers and problem-solvers to tackle global challenges. By providing our students with a cutting-edge education, hands-on experience in real-world situations, and significant research opportunities all driven by community partnerships, we are cultivating the next generation of engineers and fostering innovative solutions that will positively impact lives.

With our engineering enrollment skyrocketing to 7,000 students, it is evident that the best and brightest minds are choosing USF to receive their engineering education. Providing students with the opportunity to engage in real-world research, study abroad, innovate and collaborate across disciplines, and present their research at scientific conferences, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that our student retention rate from first to second year is over 90%. We are producing a world-class talent pool for the emerging Tampa Bay high-tech community, especially critical to attracting topnotch start-ups and established companies looking for a highly creative environment. The College of Engineering is partners with U.S. Special Operations Command and the Doolittle Institute at SOFWERX to craft a highly innovative environment that includes student interns, faculty fellows, and emerging research in small satellite, unmanned aerial systems, cybersecurity, resilient communications, and other key areas that support the SOCOM mission. Our partnership is characterized by speed and agility - a robust solutions-focused initiative with energetic creativity and innovation. We are pushing the boundaries in innovation at the leading edge of biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, audiology, transportation, rehabilition robotics, design and prototyping, wireless and microwave technologies, materials, clean energy, nanotechnology, and entrepreneurship.

USFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research is the No. 1 research center in the world for the study of age-related hearing loss.

Our new Department of Medical Engineering offers a unique experience for students with faculty comprised of both engineers and physicians. The Global Center for Hearing and Speech Research is the No. 1 research center in the world for age-related hearing loss. Our Center for Urban Transportation Research is an internationally recognized source for policymakers, transportation professionals, and the public. Our environmental engineering program is an internationally recognized provider of water and wastewater solutions. Our Center for Assistive Rehabilitation and Robotics Technologies engages in life changing prosthetic research and is working with patients throughout Florida and locally at the Haley Veterans Hospital to help those with reduced functional capabilities gain greater independence and community reintegration. And our Mini Circuits Design for X Laboratory offers students a unique, collaborative maker space to pursue meaningful multidisciplinary engineering projects that move ideas from design to prototype.

Photo: Chen Wang

Our success is a reflection of both the quality of the education we offer and the rate by which we balance change with adherence to our foundational ideals and values. Our evolving vision to foster a global approach to engineering by capitalizing on the international perspectives and diversity of students and faculty is driving value in the community.

Photo: Ryan Noone

Each day we work harder to shape our understanding of mathematics and science for the greater good. And proving again and again that engineers have the willpower and capacity to directly and positively impact the world around us. Our commitment to partnering with industry is unyielding. We continually seek to promote the influential nature of our achievements through effective partnerships.

Both engineers and physicians comprise department faculty in the Department of Medical Engineering.

As part of a Tier One research university, the USF College of Engineering is uniquely positioned to provide both engineering solutions and well-educated engineers to the Tampa Bay area. 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ENB 118 Tampa, FL Phone: 33620-5350 www.usf.edu/engineering 31

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Simply stated, Synapse Florida’s goal is to improve Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Entrepreneurs in Florida face unique challenges. Florida is the third-most-populous state in the nation, stretching nearly 900 miles from its northernmost to its southernmost city. Making the right business connections within the state is complicated. Enter Synapse Florida, a professional ecosystem, “Where potential and opportunity collide.” We offer a groundbreaking platform that connects eight personas — entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, service providers, governments, entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs), educational institutions, and talent — using a methodology that enables all participants to find exactly who and what they need while promoting engagement and growth within the business community. Synapse Florida is led by a team of seasoned entrepreneurs, service providers, investors, corporate leaders, and marketers. Together, they studied examples of thriving early-stage innovation ecosystems around the world, and found that the most successful communities had one thing in common: an elegant infrastructure allowing all eight personas to connect, interact, and create. Synapse Florida co-founder Marc Blumenthal says, “More often than not, Florida connections are made by brute force and serendipity, and that does not scale. Synapse Florida makes these connections more intentional.” The Synapse Florida team believes that entrepreneurs should spend their time building their businesses rather than endlessly searching for the right connections. The most valuable investors, advisors, and talent lack the time to navigate the multitude of resources available in Florida. Synapse Florida is virtually shrinking the state and its great metropolitan regions and making one community. Synapse Florida co-founder, CEO of Dynamic Communities, and community building expert Andy Hafer adds, “Florida has all the elements to stack up alongside any successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. The multi-region nature of Florida has created a splintered effect that needs to be better organized to be optimal. All we need is each other.”

SYNAPSE FLORIDA WHERE POTENTIAL AND OPPORTUNITY COLLIDE

Imagine if you could quickly and easily find the right investors, accelerators, co-founders, talent, attorneys, customers, advisors, and other resources — whether those resources are around the corner or across the state. Imagine if you could tailor your search to be laser-focused on people and resources for your specific business. Imagine building a digital health company, an education technology company, or an internet-of-things company, and finding the right resources for your industry and technology in one convenient place. Synapse Florida accomplishes these connections through curated journeys that are customizable to each user’s needs, whether

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they are related to interests, technology preferences, industry, business stage, or location. By analyzing the value brought to each persona by others in the community, Synapse Florida provides the flexibility that allows each user to take the journey he or she wants. The Synapse Florida platform and team: • Guide entrepreneurs on their journey, making it easier for them to find the right resources at the right time. • Bring more investment opportunities to the nearly one million Florida-based accredited and angel investors and dozens of institutional investment firms. • Create Synapse Florida Innovation Challenges to help connect Florida’s best mature companies and organizations seeking innovative solutions with the entrepreneurs, innovators, and earlystage companies that offer those solutions. • Enable a stronger pipeline for incubators, accelerators, economic development organizations, government agencies, and university entrepreneurship programs and research departments. • Match mentors, advisors, board members, and co-founders. • Connect service providers with the right entrepreneurs to help grow both their businesses.

Synapse Florida is also filling a void by curating news through one platform. The focus is on offering insightful technology news that emphasizes innovation and demonstrates the growth potential for businesses within the state. With curation, different personas can find the news that matches their interests and goals. Additionally, Synapse Florida will be curating the best tools and training, making available the rich content and educational material for our entrepreneurs and their teams to help them grow their businesses faster and more effectively. The Synapse Florida team believes

Synapse team members Marc Blumenthal and Brian Kornfeld discovering the best ways to create connections.

that the strength of a city and a region — like Tampa Bay — is not only making all of the resources more visible and easy to connect with, but also making it simpler to connect with resources in all the other great cities and regions throughout Florida. For example, a Tampa Bay entrepreneur will use Synapse Florida to locate an investor in Jacksonville, a customer in Miami, and an advisor in Sarasota — all without needing to traverse the state. Start making the right connections and join the community at www.synapsefl.com.

Email: info@synapsefl.com www.synapsefl.com

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RIDG (Royal Innovation Design Group) We Build Better Innovators Tel: (813) 501 7434 http://ridg.com http://facebook.com/discoverRIDG @discoverRIDG 35

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The University of Tampa has a proud history and an inspiring mission. It was founded in 1931 to provide Tampa’s youth with access to higher education, and ultimately access to their goals and dreams.

RONALD L. VAUGHN - PRESIDENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA Frederic Spaulding, UT’s first president, envisioned creating a “fine four-year college… holding to highest ideals academically and spiritually… free to work out a great future unencumbered, progressive, alert, and endowed with a spirit of service.” Today, UT has fulfilled that mission and much more. It has become a model, metropolitan university that provides an outstanding educational experience for almost 9,000 students. These students come to UT from every state in the nation and from 140 of the world’s countries to achieve their goals and reach for their dreams. They pursue studies in more than 200 undergraduate and graduate fields of study.

Phone: (813) 253-3333 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606 www.ut.edu facebook.com/universityoftampa twitter.com/uoftampa instagram.com/uoftampa snapchat.com/add/uoftampa

Over the last two decades, UT has experienced extraordinary progress - enrollment is thriving; our rigorous academic curriculum ranks us as one of the strongest among the nation’s educational institutions; and we offer thousands of ways for our students to take an active role in campus life and the community. Plus, our beautiful campus has experienced unprecedented expansion in its academic,

residential, administrative and athletic facilities, and provides an impressive gateway into Tampa’s downtown. UT’s 110-acre campus still centers on the grandeur of the Tampa Bay Hotel, now Plant Hall. Yet since 1998 more than $570 million in construction has been completed and much more is planned. This momentum reminds us of UT’s paramount responsibility to prepare students to succeed in a complex and technologically advanced global society. UT is focused on becoming a preeminent, medium sized, comprehensive, independent university with a vibrant residentially based campus. We aim to significantly increase the amount of learning, living and recreational space on campus. We intend to enlarge our endowment to attract and support outstanding students and faculty. We strive to take calculated risks, be resourceful and think creatively so that we can offer an exceptional educational experience to all students. Tampa Bay is fortunate to have a prestigious independent university located in its urban core. And UT benefits from being in the heart of a city that offers students a beautiful setting and a chance to learn both inside and outside the classroom.

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The new home for the Kate Tiedemann College of Business, Lynn Pippenger Hall features 68,000 square feet of diverse learning environments, including innovation labs and a Wealth Management Center.

USF ST. PETERSBURG SERVING AS AN EDUCATIONAL ANCHOR FOR OUR CITY AND THE INNOVATION DISTRICT. As our city evolves into a primary driver of economic growth and innovation in Florida, it has a nationally-ranked university to help ensure its success: USF St. Petersburg.

capstone projects and upper-division courses, we are engaging students in the solution of significant problems.

So how do we teach critical thinking, collaboration and communication? How do we teach students to be adaptable – to innovate in response to changing technologies and work environments?

USF St. Petersburg students are interning with NASA, at the White House and The Washington Center, as well as with Tampa Bay’s corporate leaders and our partners in the St. Petersburg Innovation District. We are very proud of the work we’ve done to bring together the area’s research partners and promote our roles in the community. This is a tremendous opportunity for us to work closely with each other, but also to be able to provide our students with opportunities to work with our research neighbors, including Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, SRI International and the U.S. Geological Survey.

At USFSP, we are developing alternative ways of involving students in the educational process. One of the ways in which we have been successful is through undergraduate research. Our students have the opportunity to work with faculty who are top in their fields – in psychology, biology and big data, for instance. Through senior

USF St. Petersburg is pleased to be able to serve as an educational anchor for our city and the Innovation District. We look forward to working closely with our partners and Executive Director Alison Barlow over these next months to reinforce a sense of collaboration and connectedness, and to create a palpable sense of place.

As a university we are tasked, of course, with preparing students for careers – to help them succeed in a rapidly changing, competitive job market. But more than that, we must turn out graduates who are thoughtful, critical thinkers, and who aspire to go out into the world as citizen scholars and insightful leaders.

www.usfsp.edu

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ST. PETE INNOVATION DISTRICT

From studying the impact of oil spills on marine life to finding a cure for childhood diabetes, researchers in the St. Pete Innovation District tackle tough questions. To capitalize on that excellence, public and private leaders formally came together in 2016 to create a non-profit organization to encourage collaboration between institutions and businesses. The Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s goal is to attract high-power talent, high-wage jobs and new investment.

Photo Credit: St Pete Innovation District

stpeteinnovationdistrict.com

In one of the Southeast United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most dynamic waterfront downtowns, the St. Pete Innovation District is the professional home to thousands of scientists, doctors, educators and entrepreneurs working together to find solutions that will benefit the world.

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Photo Credit: Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete’s “Speakers Who Inspire” series

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Photo Credit: University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Our world-class organizations nurture innovation.

Our people generate ideas to drive innovation.

Within less than one square mile, the St. Pete Innovation District has a unique combination of world-class organizations. These are leaders in the fields of health science, marine science, engineering, education and the arts. Individually, they are conducting breakthrough research, educating journalists around the world, challenging us to think differently through art, and stretching the possibilities of what a community can do to solve systemic social issues. These organizations are also finding ways to spur new ideas and opportunities by collaborating across their sectors. This innovation includes taking a tool for checking the authenticity of seafood to the healthcare arena, or overlaying maps of coastal areas to visualize both the environmental and economic impact of coastal flooding. The potential is unlimited. Concepts that took root in one discipline are being reapplied in another. Net new ideas are being born by connecting the thinking from multiple sectors.

The people of the St. Pete Innovation District are the Innovators. They see the possibilities and have the curiosity to pursue them. The District Innovators include nurses, marine biologists, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, journalists, and artists. They are coming together in cross-functional groups where they learn about each other, experiment with new ways of working together, commercialize their ideas, and through their success catalyze opportunities.

District Anchor Institutions: Bayfront Health; City of St. Petersburg; Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg; Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital; St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership; University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP)

District Stakeholders: Duke Energy; Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute; Florida Institute of Oceanography; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Pinellas County Economic Development; Poynter Institute; SRI International; St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce; St. Petersburg Economic Development Corporation; State of Florida Institute of Oceanography; Tampa Bay Innovation Center; The Dali ; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Geological Survey; USFSP Open Partnership Education Network (OPEN); USF College of Marine Science Photo Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute boat

Our events and places facilitate innovation.

Photo Credit: St Petersburg Science Festival demonstration

Spontaneous collaboration is key for innovation. Outside the laboratories and offices, the St. Pete Innovation District is home to year-round events and public gathering spaces that encourage people from across the community to explore dynamic ideas and have thoughtful conversations. The energy generated from cross-sector collaborations is visible at festivals and events hosted in the District. These events include speakers, conferences, and community meetings where attendees can learn about our environment, discuss systemic societal challenges, participate in science experiments, hear from a well-known journalist, or watch a grand prix race. The District is fortunate to have public gathering spaces, such as coffee shops, restaurants and parks, where connections may solidify. The District is also home to an expanding online open, education network. This is a virtual place to continue to learn together, cultivate partnerships, and galvanize solutions to address key community issues.

Our collaborations extend beyond geography.

Photo Credit: Johns Hopkins All Children’s Research and Education Building

The St. Pete Innovation District’s geographic boundary creates the hub for people, institutions and businesses to come together. The District’s collaborations extend outside the geographic area to engage with people across Tampa Bay who are working to find creative solutions that will benefit the world.

Photo Credit: Poynter Institute’s drone training

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USF ST. PETERSBURG USF ST. PETERSBURG IS PINELLAS COUNTY’S ONLY RESIDENTIAL RESEARCH-ACTIVE, PUBLIC UNIVERSITY. “Our faculty are making significant contributions to the academic body of knowledge – truly making a difference in the world,” said Regional Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska. “Together, with our partners in the city, we will help make St. Petersburg one of the premier innovation centers in the country.” 40

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What was a Greyhound bus warehouse is now a state-of-the-art, sustainable laboratory facility for chemistry and biology students.

Following their discovery of the world’s oldest African genome, Kathryn Arthur and her husband, fellow USFSP anthropologist, John Arthur, were invited to apply for Fellowship in the infamous Explorers Club. Associate Professor Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore (right) is among the faculty teaching in USFSP’s Biology Program, which has grown to more than 800 students since its inception in 2012.

A proud member of the USF System, USFSP is a separately accredited institution offering more than 40 undergraduate and graduate programs in three colleges. For the last few years, USFSP has been ranked among the Top 25 of all Southern Regional Public Universities by U.S. News & World Report. Its Online MBA, which is taught by the same full time faculty who teach in the classroom, is ranked by the magazine among the top 20 in the nation. A focus on innovation is common to every USFSP program, from Entrepreneurship in the Kate Tiedemann College of Business, to new STEM courses in the College of Education, and a new Masters of Conservation Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. USFSP’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning fosters dialogue around advancements in teaching and shares best practices and state-of-the-art technologies to improve student learning in the classroom and online. USFSP students have unique opportunities to work with research faculty who are top in their fields. Psychologist James McHale and his team at the Family Study Center are leading important work in the area of infant family mental health. This work is supported, in part, by a $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Psychology Professor Mark Durand is one of the country’s leading authorities on autism spectrum disorder.

Biologist Heather Judkins continues her work as part of an $8 million research consortium funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative to study the effects of the 2010 Gulf oil spill. And Professor Donny Smoak recently received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue his work on climate change, focusing on the predictive health of Florida’s wetlands. When USFSP’s anthropology team of Kathryn and John Arthur discovered an ancient skeleton in the highlands of Ethiopia, they couldn’t have known that their discovery would make national headlines, that their work would impact scientists all over the world. Yet, following two years of DNA sequencing, they learned that the skeleton contained the world’s first, complete ancient African genome.

www.usfsp.edu

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INNOVATION CITIES THOR FOR THE LOVE O F CITIES PETER KAGEYAMA, AU

“Innovation” is on the lips of every mayor, city councilperson, city manager and economic development officer in the country. How to create more innovation in our city – be it through corporate relocation, business incubation, venture funding, innovation districts and the like.

All of these communities are seeking the magic formula that brings innovation and the accompanying benefits with it. Yet it is not a formula – if it was, it would be easy. Two parts education, one part entrepreneurship, one part funding, shake well and boom, Silicon Valley. Innovation, that elusive state of existence where people of all kinds, will things into being through their knowledge, creativity and dogged persistence to make something is not easily achieved. In this sense, innovation and the pursuit of it is more akin to alchemy than chemistry. We mix ingredients, we cast spells and incantations, and hope - hope that something magical happens.

the software (the people) together into something that may spark and turn into something amazing. City leaders are the symphonic ‘conductors’ that bring together talented people and organizations and through their efforts, motivate and align them into something that sounds like music. Tampa Bay is blessed with many incredible assets, but it has been within the past 10 years or so that we have begun to look beyond the mere assembly of assets and asked ourselves the next question, which is how to bring these assets together into the cohesive fabric that is a culture of innovation. Great businesses and institutions need great places to surround them. In turn, great places need talented and creative people of all kinds, which require a broad spectrum of economic options, options which come from those businesses and institutions. The cyclic nature of innovative cities requires a multifaceted approach and recognizes that many actors have roles to play in making the innovative city. Those actors, institutional and individual, are on display here, in this celebration of our progress and declaration of our commitment to continue to move forward as an innovation community.

Cities cannot manufacture innovation. Mayors cannot command innovation. Because of this, they must approach the challenge a bit obliquely and seek to create a set of conditions where something new, different, novel and useful might happen. At best, cities and city leaders should seek to assemble key components such as institutes of higher education, businesses that invest in research and development and infrastructure that supports them ranging from fiber optic networks to co-working spaces to affordable workforce housing. From this assembly, we begin the process of knitting the hardware (infrastructure) and

Facebook: www.facebook.com/fortheloveofcities | Twitter: @pkageyama | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pkageyama www.fortheloveofcities.com

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BEYOND A PLACE

More than a place, Tampa’s !p is where passion for invention and intellectual progress flourish. Here, the collective energy of people, place and purpose ignites an unquenchable thirst to transform an area into a vibrant, collaborative district.

World-class institutions – nationally ranked in research, healthcare and entertainment – anchor a thriving ecosystem that is fostered by new discoveries. Ultimately, this district will become a powerful magnet, attracting the best and brightest talent and curious visitors from around the world.

Our entrepreneurial spirit and curiosity ignites limitless aspirations for all who live, work, visit and stay. Where Connections Spark: Diversity is ingrained in the area’s DNA, from countless international restaurants to more than 140 languages spoken by residents to frequent visitors from around the world.

IT’S NOT JUST A PLACE – IT’S WHERE HUMAN POTENTIAL IS UNLEASHED.

Generations of families have grown up here, hundreds of cultures have intermingled here and millions of minds have learned here— which amounts to one of the most vibrant communities in the region. Whether it’s an acclaimed park, a coffee shop or a thrill ride, our many unique nooks and spaces encourage unexpected encounters that inspire real-world problem solving. Through these impromptu collaborations, smart ideas exponentially become smarter products.

Transformation’s Launchpad: We are the inception point for new ideas, from a student beginning a new semester to a researcher saving lives through a medical breakthrough. Human intellect is our true capital, and we thrive as a hub for technology, healthcare, academia and more. We’re educators of the next generation, we’re artists and performers, and we’re community cultivators.

www.tampainnovation.com

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!p: Potential Unleashed is a multi-jurisdictional district anchored by globally recognized institutions that drive economic activity in the area, engaging tens of thousands of students and educators, healthcare workers and patients, and four million tourists annually.

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Our anchor institutions include: • Busch Gardens • Florida Hospital • Moffitt Cancer Center • RD Management (University Mall) • University of South Florida

BENEFITS OF !P: POTENTIAL UNLEASHED Access to the over 220 business and individual members for the calendar year 2017, including our anchor organizations.

Under new leadership and with institutional support, !p is engaging business and the community as we lead revitalization and renaissancebuilding to build a community recognized as an innovation destination drawing from the creative minds of our community.

Invitations to monthly !p General Membership TEC (Transforming, Enriching & Connecting) Coffees and Happy Hours designed to spotlight new businesses in the area and integrate new members.

Participation in !p members-only events and communications bringing businesses together and fostering ideas for growth.

Opportunities to serve on !p Committees and Initiatives including Community Engagement, Member Communications, Longterm Planning and others.

WHERE ARE WE? !p comprises 25,000 acres in the northern part of Tampa: bound by Busch Boulevard on the south, Bearss Avenue on the north, and interstates 75 and 275 on the east and west. It includes parts of Tampa, Temple Terrace and unincorporated Hillsborough County.

Help in shaping the legislative priorities for the area by advocating with !p to the City of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Hillsborough County, state and federal government.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION? !p strives to unleash the full potential of the community. We work collaboratively with people and businesses to create a thriving and magnetic district. And our vision is to transform this transient area into a destination, rather than just a thoroughfare to the university, entertainment venues or hospitals.

Assistance with your new or expansion development projects by allowing our staff to facilitate your efforts.

www.tampainnovation.com

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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

RESEARCH & INNOVATION Step inside the doors of the Galleria at the University of South Florida Research Park on a sunny day and your eye will immediately be drawn to the walls: Rows of hundreds of polished wood plaques emblazoned with deep bronze U.S. patents line the bright, white space. Above your head along the span of an atrium, images of the giants of innovation who have called Florida home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and John Gorrie just to name a few â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and new inventors who impact the way we live today grace the home of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

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Invention and innovation at USF loom large and are growing bigger by the day. In an era that will surely be known for the rise of the knowledge economy, USF has become recognized internationally as a leader in turning research into new technologies, medicines, and products used worldwide. At the dynamic main research campus in Tampa, as well as USF St. Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee, invention is not treated as just an accidental byproduct of research, it’s encouraged and revered.

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“Each new patent represents our commitment to research, discovery and creativity that solves global problems, expands our economy and opens new doors of opportunity for others,” says USF System President Judy Genshaft. Since she arrived to lead the USF System in 2000, President Genshaft has advanced a strategic vision

of a globally-engaged research university that powers regional economic development. From lab to patent to new products, the USF System has been identified as one of the fastest rising research universities in the nation based on the National Science Foundation’s annual gauge of research activity. USF consistently ranks in the top 10 of American public universities and in the top 20 of global universities in generating new U.S. patents.

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USF innovation is now found in scores of products on the market – from nutritional supplements under the brand names NutraStem and Keto//OS, to rehabilitation technologies to assist people with disabilities, to medical devices that are modernizing healthcare and new technologies to purify air and water, or to produce jet fuel. Averaging nearly a dozen new startups a year, USF faculty and students produce scores of ideas and inventions that reach testing or prototype stage annually. Florida Inventors Hall of Fame inductees Paul Sanberg, Shyam Mohapatra, Yogi Goswami and Richard Gitlin all head active labs at USF exploring new treatments and discoveries in neurosciences, cancer treatment, clean energy and wireless technology. And it’s no accident that one of USF’s most successful startups focuses on elevating the profile of academic inventors itself: The National Academy of Inventors®, a non-profit member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes. The NAI

has more than 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. The NAI was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI also publishes the widely-read journal Technology and Innovation. The breadth of USF innovation has a measurable impact on the economy: The Washington Economics Group estimates that more than 3,000 jobs are generated by USF spinoff and startup companies, as well as the fledgling companies in the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator housed at the USF Research Park. The economic impact of USF innovation is estimated at $400 million annually.

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So how did USF become part of the global innovation ecosystem? It’s been built into its DNA since day one. As a metropolitan university, USF was founded in 1956 to produce the talent that would help the economy in the Tampa Bay Region and across Florida keep pace with the booming population. With its growing research strengths in the life sciences, sustainability and technology, the USF System emerged at the forefront of an important global trend where research universities have become a crucial source of innovation and invention that fuels the economy. USF decided to take academic innovation, though, one step further by being one of the first universities in the nation to give faculty added incentives to invest their time in inventing products and technologies. A culture of innovation has fully taken root.

“USF has been one of the leaders in changing how these efforts are viewed. Faculty now have the opportunity to include those activities in their work, and be rewarded for their success,” said Sanberg, USF’s Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation & Knowledge Enterprise. “They can be great teachers. They can be basic scientists and scholars and publish their work. Or they can engage with the community and engage in commercialization.”

The USF System has built research strength in areas that are significant in creating more vibrant communities and growing the economy, such as brain and spinal cord science, heart health, data science, human security, water and research translation. This emphasis on innovation provides a rich learning environment where creative and inventive faculty can teach students to tap into their unique capacity to be innovative and entrepreneurial. USF’s Office of Corporate Partnerships is the front door into the USF System to make it even easier for the private sector to work with faculty in creating research projects, internship programs, and bringing new inventions to market. USF achievements also are driving a bigger picture of Florida’s future. The Florida Board of Governors has created the special category of Preeminent State Research Universities, a designation that brings with it millions of dollars to strategically build research strengths in programs that can grow the economy. USF is an anchor institution in the Florida High Tech Corridor, joining University of Florida and University of Central Florida to leverage the region’s inventive spirit. For much of the past decade, the three Corridor universities have collectively topped the patent portfolios of university groups in the established high tech hubs of North Carolina’s Research Triangle and the Silicon Hills region in Austin, Texas.

R E S E A RC H & INNOVATION 3702 Spectrum Boulevard, Tampa 33612 Phone: (813) 974-5570 www.usf.edu

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THE HILLSBOROUGH AREA REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY (HART)

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) was created in October of 1979 to plan, finance, acquire, construct, operate and maintain mass transit facilities and supply transportation assistance in Hillsborough County, FL. Hillsborough, located in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, has a population of about 1.2 million people and a land area as large as the state of Rhode Island. Today, we are driven to serve our patrons through convenient, affordable public transportation options tailored to contemporary lifestyles.

More people than ever in Hillsborough County are discovering benefits of our sophisticated, yet accessible and rider-friendly, network of transit options. We look forward to helping more and more of our community ride HART. The Office Of Government Relations And Strategic Partnerships The Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships division performs a variety of outreach and coordination duties related to carrying out the Authority’s state and federal legislative program, community relations program, business development initiatives and general government and community engagement efforts. Cesar R. Hernandez

The position conducts monitoring, detailed analysis and regular reporting on proposed state and federal legislation and works with public officials, contractors, and staff to identify, resolve and monitor issues impacting the Authority and is led by Cesar R. Hernandez. HART Hyperlink HART is first in the nation to implement transit operated rideshare service to connect riders in three different zones to the current transportation infrastructure and connect residents to the fixed route system.

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Riders are able to book their trip via an Apple IOS/Google Android smartphone app or a traditional call center. The app acts similarly to a transportation network system; locating an individual via a phones GPS. Riders are able to choose the next available vehicle or schedule a pickup via advanced booking.

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HART uses Tesla Model X vehicles as the vehicle of choice within the transportation network Hyperlink zones. The vehicles will be operating out of each transit hub fulfilling the first and last mile solution of our patrons. Autonomous Vehicle Downtown Circulator HART is partnering with the Florida Department of Transportation on a pilot project testing Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Service. The innovative project will operate on the Marion transitory and provide a first mile last mile connection to Marion Transit Center.

The app is integrated with real time trip planner technology, and is able to determine which bus route riders need to connect with and plan their trip, anywhere in the area. The app will provide the pickup that best ensures the customer arrives at the bus before the bus departs.

The Marion Street Corridor, positioned North/South in Downtown Tampa offers a roadway in the center of Town. Currently this corridor is for exclusive use of buses and emergency vehicles. It offers an opportunity to operate a low-speed, autonomous last-mile shuttle service out of mixed traffic. The service would address mobility needs Downtown by connecting the HART Marion Transit Center and parking to a major employment center, and act as a catalyst for further autonomy in transportation throughout the Tampa Bay Region. Flamingo Fares HART and PSTA are leading the development and implementation of a new regional e-fare and smart-card system in six Tampa Bay counties. The first phase of the project will bring mobile e-fares to Tampa Bay. By 2018, passengers will be able to travel across the region on one fare, through one app - Flamingo Fares.

Phone: (813) 384 6550 Twitter: RHernandezCesar Facebook.com/Cesar.R.Hernandz Email: Cesar.Hernandez.fl@gmail.com Email: ch@publicucgroup.com 51

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Water Street, the Transformative Redevelopment in the Heart of Downtown Tampa, Florida; To Break Ground in fall 2017. Water Street Tampa will include more than 9 million square feet of Commercial, Residential, Hospitality, Educational, Entertainment, Cultural, and Retail Space across over 50-acres.

12.9 acres of new and enhanced public space, breathing fresh energy into Tampa’s downtown. The revitalization is already underway with the construction of new roadways, streetscapes, and utility and technology infrastructure work in progress, which will bring distinctive pedestrian-oriented design to Downtown Tampa.

Strategic Property Partners, LLC (SPP) has announced the official unveiling of Downtown Tampa’s much-anticipated, new 50-acre mixed-use waterfront neighborhood, Water Street Tampa.

“Water Street Tampa is a story of opportunity and wellbeing, with culture, community, and character on each block. At every level, we aspire to create a well-crafted place that attracts people to come to discover, create, and live their own life stories,” said James Nozar, CEO of SPP. “By bringing together many of the world’s leading talent in architecture, planning, place making and community design, we aim to connect people both to each other and to a vibrant and stimulating environment in Downtown Tampa.”

Named for the existing historic street that will be transformed into the new heart of Downtown Tampa, Water Street Tampa’s ambitious vision will create one of the largest real estate developments in the United States located within an existing central business district. Totaling over $3 billion in investment, Water Street Tampa is a multi-phased urban development project that includes more than 9 million square feet of commercial, residential, hospitality, educational, entertainment, cultural, and retail space that will be built out over a 10-year period.

Once completed, Water Street Tampa will include more than two million square feet of new office space, the first new office towers in downtown Tampa in nearly 25 years; one million square feet of new retail, cultural, educational, and entertainment space that complement the active pedestrian experience at the street-level; 3,500 new rental and for-sale residences, nearly doubling the number of housing units available within Downtown Tampa; and two new hotels with over 650 new rooms, including the city’s first 5-star hotel. In total, an estimated 23,000 people will live, work and visit Water Street Tampa each day.

Situated on the Garrison Channel and Hillsborough Bay, Water Street Tampa is surrounded by existing cultural, entertainment and community anchors including the Tampa Convention Center, Amalie Arena where the Tampa Bay Lightning play, Tampa Bay History Center, and Florida Aquarium. Water Street Tampa will connect these community anchors to a network of new and enhanced parks and public areas that lead to the waterfront, the Tampa Riverwalk, and the nearby five mile path along Bayshore Boulevard, offering a variety of passive and active recreational opportunities.

Work on the first phase of vertical construction on Water Street Tampa will begin this year with over four million square feet of new mixed-use office, residential, hospitality, retail, and cultural space across 10 blocks of development scheduled to be complete in 2020. Subsequent phases of the project are expected to be completed by 2027.

To implement the vision for Water Street Tampa, SPP is currently working with 10 award-winning architectural firms on the design of 18 distinct buildings and

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In addition, SPP donated an acre of land to the University of South Florida (USF), which will relocate the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute to Downtown Tampa from its current suburban campus into a new 380,000-square-foot world-class facility, scheduled to begin construction in August 2017 and open in the Fall of 2019. The development also includes over $200 million in new infrastructure, of which roadway and public utility work began in the summer of 2016. Thanks to a new central cooling facility that will break ground in fall 2017, the individual buildings in the neighborhood will benefit from efficient and reliable district-wide cooling. The centralized cooling will free up the rooftops of the new buildings, where individual cooling towers would typically be located, allowing for lushly landscaped rooftop amenity terraces with panoramic views of Downtown Tampa and Hillsborough Bay. Water Street Tampa also aims to set a new standard for wellness and sustainability in the built environment. SPP is pursuing both WELL and LEED building certification on individual buildings, and Water Street Tampa will become the world’s first WELL-certified community under the WELL Community Standard, currently being developed by the International Well Building Institute. Water Street Tampa’s historic transformation will seamlessly blend together a variety of spaces and experiences. From bike paths and green spaces, to specially-curated shopping and culinary experiences, cultural and entertainment venues, educational institutions and more, Water Street Tampa will offer a truly unique lifestyle in a city with amazing natural features and a superior quality of life.

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James Nozar joined Strategic Property Partners in March 2016 as Chief Executive Officer where he oversees all aspects of the business, including the design, entitlement, programming, construction and delivery of the planned mixed use development in southern downtown Tampa along the waterfront. Mr. Nozar joined SPP from The JBG Companies in Washington D.C. where he spent 10 years as a development manager and internal design and programming resource. He focused on the firm’s overall acquisition and development strategy, and was responsible for acquisition underwriting assumptions, the overall vision and conceptual program, entitlements and community outreach efforts, as well as the design process on dozens of real estate investments within the Washington, DC metro area. During his time at The JBG Companies, Nozar managed the development of 25 multiuse real estate projects with associated development budgets totaling in excess of $2 billion and the entitlement of over 10 million square feet of new development. Nozar also worked as a real estate consultant for Ernst & Young and RCLCO after receiving a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction and Certificate in City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

For additional information please visit, www.waterstreettampa.com.

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BRIDGING THE BAYS

Brent C.J Britton - A technology lawyer in de la Peña & Holiday’s San Francisco and Tampa offices, and managing partner of the Tampa office. He focuses on intellectual property, technology transactions, and emerging companies.

of San Francisco has a progressive political view almost sewn into its DNA, and that’s important because progressive people automatically appreciate the new thing, they automatically value a startup company because it’s new and interesting and maybe even a little wild and crazy, and it’s at least as valuable as the old proven standard. I would say most people in the world don’t enjoy that level of respect for new ideas, which is why most places are nothing like the Silicon Valley in terms of entrepreneurial output. But that’s changing here in Tampa. The region is enjoying a serious boom in the community’s willingness to value a startup company because it’s new, because it’s wild and crazy, and because it could potentially change the world.

It is not just a nifty coincidence that both Tampa Bay and San Francisco Bay are referred to as the Bay Area because the communities actually have a lot in common. They are both wonderful places in which to vacation, work, and live, and both are populated by a broad diversity of cultures and generations. Even 20 or 30 years ago, San Francisco’s startup community in the Silicon Valley was already in very healthy shape. One of the reasons the region is such a gold standard for technology startup companies is because they’ve been doing it forever. But even Silicon Valley had its own early movers who created the startup culture for the whole region. Tampa Bay is now at a very similar stage. We have a thriving technology community populated by large, decades-old technology powerhouses; funded companies well on their way to stardom; and a very fertile crop of seed-stage startups pursuing everything from mobile apps to rainwater conservation. We also have a lot of people in this ecosystem who are devoted and passionately moving the needle in Tampa’s entrepreneurship and startup community. And, as they say, it takes a village to raise an ecosystem.

If you want to bridge the Bays, I think there’s no question that, while the San Francisco Bay Area is an electric, fun, and wonderful place to live, it is extraordinarily expensive. The cost of living in San Francisco is probably among the highest in the nation, both for families and companies. The idea of moving to San Francisco or its surrounding areas with your family and buying a house, a detached home with a lawn from which you can commute comfortably into the city or the Silicon Valley for work every day is almost impossible unless you’re already independently wealthy. You can sell your condo in San Francisco and you can come to Tampa and you can buy a neighborhood. Ok, maybe it’s not quite that bad, but you can certainly get a beautiful four or five bedroom home with a lawn and a swimming pool for what you made on your San Francisco condo.

Interestingly, both Bay Areas have enjoyed success with technology startups because they are progressive places, almost instinctively. Obviously, the city 54

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One of the things that’s really incredible about living in Florida is that there’s no state income tax which, say what you will, there’s no doubt that that makes it easier to live here. And while San Francisco is beautifully located geographically and enjoys gorgeous weather, unfortunately you can’t swim in the ocean. The Pacific Ocean is just too cold to swim in at those latitudes. So you come to Tampa and you’ve got some of the most beautiful beaches in the world sitting there on the Gulf of Mexico just waiting for you to come soak up the rays. One of the things that Silicon Valley has that Tampa’s on the rise with is a very dense community of two things, technology-capable workers and professional venture capitalists. It’s not easy to hire in San Francisco, but there are a lot more engineers than there are practically anywhere else in the world, with a higher PhD quotient than anywhere else in the world. And Tampa’s getting there. We certainly don’t have all the engineering talent in the world that we would like, but more and more are coming every day. Our technology workforce is strong and growing. Tampa Bay is a destination city, it’s the kind of place that people want to come live in. And one of the reasons for that is because the Tampa Bay region and various cities around Tampa Bay are becoming a lot more like San Francisco. There are spots in downtown St. Petersburg where you can’t really tell the difference, where you walk past a Bohemian coffee shop and an art gallery and you could easily be on Filmore Street in San Francisco. We are becoming a cool place to live. Tampa Bay will never be San Francisco and it shouldn’t try to be. We happen to be the other Bay Area, but we’re always going to have our own vibe, and our own culture. Ybor City, for example, is a fun demonstration of our unique hipness. We are continuing to develop our own personality, one with roots in cultural and commercial vibrancy. We are taking the best of what we see in other cities including San Francisco and the Silicon Valley and we’re trying it out here, and we’re seeing what works. Not everything will, but that’s okay; we’ll find our own unique vision about how to be one of the great Bay Areas in the country. 55

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MAKE IT

TAMPA BAY EVERY YEAR, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE VISIT TAMPA BAY AND CARRY HOME GREAT MEMORIES, BUILDING OUR REPUTATION AS A TRAVEL DESTINATION. THE HOTELS THEY STAY IN, THE RESTAURANTS WHERE THEY EAT, AND THE SOUVENIRS THEY BUY, ALL CONTRIBUTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE COMMUNITY’S WEALTH. TOURISM IS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE THAT RUNS 24/7.

Some of those visitors fall so much in love with our welcoming, creative community that they move here – contributing their own vision and talent for the betterment of their new community. We’re seeing it in places like historic Ybor City, built a century ago by the cigar industry and now home to a growing tech sector. We’re seeing it in downtown, where billions of dollars in new investment will redraw the city map, reshape its skyline, and expand its economic base. We’re seeing it in the University of South Florida, where faculty regularly make breakthroughs in engineering, medicine, and science. From the moment Don Vicente Martinez Ybor brought his cigar business to Tampa Bay in 1885, this has been a community that makes things. The energetic entrepreneurial spirit remains on display every day in the creativity of its chefs, the endless varieties of its craft beer, the fun of monthly Fourth Fridays on the Tampa Riverwalk, the reinvention of historic buildings for new uses, and the growing tech sector taking root among century-old cigar shops in historic Ybor City.

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Visit Tampa Bay relishes its role of telling our community’s story to the world. Because, in the end, whether you come to Tampa Bay for a short stay or the long haul, you’ll find what we all have found to be true here: Treasure awaits. That’s why Visit Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County, and the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation have joined forces to launch MakeItTampaBay.com, a new campaign that showcases the region’s untapped potential and unparalleled quality of life through the stories of local entrepreneurs who have chosen Tampa Bay as the place they want to live and run their businesses. Tampa Bay’s vibrant blend of visionary leaders and creative risk-takers truly embody the region’s 130year history of innovation and progress.

But it’s also about Tampa Bay’s open-armed embrace of generations of Cubans, Spaniards, Italians, Germans, Jews, and others that has created a community unlike any other in Florida or the world. Throw out your melting pot metaphor. This culture is embodied by Tampa Bay’s favorite food: the Cuban sandwich. Unpack one of these local pressed delicacies and discover Cuban bread, mojo pork, ham, salami, mustard and pickles - Tampa Bay’s unique blend in every bite. This community’s rich mix of culture, economics, and opportunity provides fertile ground where an inspired idea can thrive and grow when a company decides to Make It Tampa Bay.

Make It Tampa Bay encompasses the myriad experiences that make this a superior place to invest in a start-up, relocate a facility or plant the flag of a corporate headquarters. It’s about more than the excellent cost of living and the high quality of life. It’s about tens of thousands of openings for high-skilled, high-wage positions. It’s about Port Tampa Bay, the largest commercial port in Florida. It’s about awardwinning Tampa International Airport’s dynamic growth in both service and size. It’s about the interstates and bridges that knit three million people into a single community. It’s about the daring spirit of Gasparilla, the 110-year-old Mardi Gras-style pirate festival. And it’s about Tampa Bay’s rank as the No. 1 choice for relocations.

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CHAPTER THREE

INNOVATIONS

OF TAMPA BAY TECHNOLOGY AND MANUFACTURING

“Exploration is the engine that drives innovation. Innovation drives economic growth. So let's all go exploring.” EDITH WIDDER

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»» TECHNOLOGY AND MANUFACTURING »» FINTECH AND SECURITY »» EDUCATION »» HEALTHCARE »» COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING AND DESIGN »» FOOD, BEVERAGE AND HOSPITALITY »» SPORTS »» SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL 59

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP ISN’T JUST FOR STARTUPS. ACCENTURE HELPS BRING INNOVATION TO “THE OTHER BAY AREA”. Accenture, a $33 billion global professional services company, works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. Today, that means adopting new digital technologies to transform customer experience with advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.

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The company has been in Tampa Bay for more than 20 years, and has invested significantly in developing the talent that fuels this hotbed of entrepreneurial activity. A Fortune® World’s Most Admired Company for 14 consecutive years, Accenture’s Tampa office has more than 700 employees and features a development operations hub and delivery center. When Global 2000 companies want to pivot to new ways of doing business that disrupt industries, they rely on local technology leaders like Stuart Brown, Ashlee Lane and Jason Warnke.

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Stuart Brown In addition to serving as Office Managing Director for the Tampa office, Stuart is the Southeast U.S. lead for Accenture Operations, which drives transformation and delivers business outcomes through infrastructure, cloud and business process services. With 20 years of deep industry experience, Stuart also leads the Accenture Resources Cloud practice globally, focusing on helping clients transform with cloud technologies. With over 50 percent of Accenture’s revenue now focused on the New (digital, cloud and security), Stuart is passionate about helping clients across all industries understand how to take advantage of this new digital revolution. Stuart has been deeply committed to the local community since his days attending UCF. He is an active member of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves on its board.

“The Tampa Bay area is our hidden gem that is ready to be a player in the larger world technology community. We have a strong entrepreneurial mindset, large leading universities, strong growth in potential employee base, and business-focused policies that are the fuel for future growth. I am thrilled about bringing the best of Accenture to help drive growth in the Tampa Bay region.”

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Ashlee Lane With more than 16 years at Accenture and a bachelor’s of science in biomedical engineering, Ashlee thrives on helping healthcare clients find strategies and solutions to complex challenges. She has extensive experience setting up and implementing complex, large-scale programs including member engagement solutions, sales performance management systems, and developing actions based on analytic insights to improve member and patient outcomes. As a managing director based in Tampa, Ashlee brings innovation to local healthcare companies including Avalon Healthcare Solutions. Accenture helped Avalon create a first-of-its-kind 100 percent cloudbased claims editor as-a-service platform to help healthcare payers reduce unnecessary lab spend. The platform can edit tens of thousands of claims per hour, with 99.99 percent uptime and 99.95 percent accuracy. The platform is “future proofed,” meaning it can be easily updated depending on changing insurer policies, research findings and regulatory guidelines.

“In this time of unprecedented change with technology in the NEW, the healthcare industry is going through an incredible transformation. Now is definitely an exciting time to be in the healthcare industry, especially in Tampa with its strong and growing healthcare community.” 6611

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Jason Warnke Jason is the Global Lead of Social Enterprise within the Accenture IT organization, reporting to Andrew Wilson, Accentureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global CIO. A graduate of USF, he started his career in the Tampa Bay office in 1996, working in the Accenture Utilities industry group where he eventually became the North American Lead for Application Outsourcing. In his current role, he is responsible for global strategy and delivery for collaboration, content platforms and broadcast, as well as the marketing, legal and workplace portfolios. Jason is an active member of the executive committee and marketing chair of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF), an organization whose strategic initiatives include attracting, retaining and developing top technology talent, telling the technology story of Tampa Bay and building connections within the technology community.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to get more deeply engaged with technology leaders in Tampa Bay and be a part of a deeper movement to draw attention to what is going on in our beautiful city. There are so many talented tech leaders right here, in a city that continues to gain national and global appeal, first because of our beaches and amazing weather and increasingly because of the innovative companies and talented minds working here. I got involved with TBTF because I liked the approach and the common mission to drive awareness of tech in Tampa Bay.â&#x20AC;? 62

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Accenture: tested for pivoting to the New Before implementing new technology for clients, Accenture often deploys it internally to its more than 411,000 people in 120 countries. This provides realworld experience and insights that cannot be discovered any other way. Some of these technologies include the largest implementation of Windows 10 and Office 365 in the world. And, 75 percent of Accenture’s applications are in the cloud – far more than a typical global organization.

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on the ministry’s campus to help it better serve and enable its clients to achieve self-sufficiency, leading numerous employment boot camps to enhance their job search, resume writing, and interview skills. Diversity is part of what makes Accenture exceptional, and it has many programs in place to promote diversity and inclusion worldwide. The first major professional services company to release its diversity numbers, Accenture recently committed to achieving a gender-balanced workforce, with 50 percent women and 50 percent men, by 2025. In the U.S., Accenture knows the dedication and discipline that veterans bring to the workplace, and offers rewarding career opportunities, tailored resources to help veterans transition, and a dynamic work environment to continue developing veterans’ skills.

Another example is an internal social enterprise program that Jason leads. Among other capabilities, the program creates extensive digital video broadcasts for Accenture’s internal ecosystem. Accenture now turns multiple video feeds into fully produced broadcasts that create more of a TV-show experience for its audience. A 24/7 broadcast operation now serves the global organization, producing more than 300 broadcasts each month.

One participant in these programs is Tampa Bay resident Melanie Golladay, who said her finance and accounting experience in the Air Force helped her land a job in the Accenture Tampa office. Today, she is determined to help the company meet its mission of recruiting military veterans. “I’ve recommended three veterans since I joined the company last year,” Golladay said, and two have already been hired, because there’s a vast array of career options at Accenture.

“Our leaders recognized a significant change in the viewing and engagement behaviors of their people and are employing new techniques to connect with them,” Jason said. “We are seeing some great trends toward dynamic, fast-paced, fun-filled and even interactive programming that is resonating with our people.”

Leading Tampa Bay in the New Accenture is solving real business challenges right here in Tampa Bay by helping companies pivot to the New and is passionate about developing the region as a technology hub. With a strong Global 2000 presence and rapidly growing startup community, Tampa Bay is well-positioned for strong growth in the coming years, and Accenture is helping drive this progress.

Accenture: committed to Tampa Bay’s diverse community In addition to Jason, Ashlee and Stu’s active participation in several community organizations, Accenture supports Metropolitan Ministries, a Tampa-based grassroots, donor and volunteer-fueled nonprofit organization that serves poor and homeless families. Accenture brought its “Skills to Succeed” initiative to life

140 Fountain Parkway Ste 400 St. Petersburg, FL 33716 Phone: +1 727-897-7000 | www.accenture.com

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INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS, DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS & CULTURE Valpak’s core business distributes print coupons to consumers via its Blue Envelope to advertise and promote local dining, health and beauty, entertainment, automotive, home services and professional services. Valpak has developed and implemented a number of technological and business innovations that create value for its advertisers and consumers alike, as well as making Valpak a great place to work.

• The Valpak Smart Envelope is a series of innovations centered around providing selective inserting (different mailed offers from house to house) and address data matchback technology that enables redeemed offers to be matched back to the households they were mailed to. • Since 1994, valpak.com has been a source for printable coupons, promo codes and coupon codes. Today, the coupon company also has a Canadian website, valpak.ca. • Valpak launched its mobile coupon app for iPad and iPhone devices in October 2009. Soon after, Valpak launched Android and BlackBerry versions of the app. • Valpak integrates its mobile coupons into digital wallet apps Apple Passbook and Google Wallet. • Leading the way in technology, Valpak developed an Apple Watch™ coupon app that makes it easier than ever for consumers to get savings anytime, anywhere. • Augmented reality (AR) has been a mainstay technology innovation for Valpak, which first implemented an AR solution in 2010 with Martha Stewart. It endures today in two Valpak local coupon mobile apps. • Nominated as one of Tampa Bay’s “Coolest Office Spaces,” Valpak’s themed each department (or neighborhood) in its HQ offices with its own color scheme, accented by floor-to-ceiling murals that reflect how Valpak helps people save, businesses grow and neighborhoods thrive. Glass doors and walls here create open, collaborative spaces that encourage sharing.

Chris Cate, Valpak Chief Operating Officer

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Valpak is an exemplary leader of adopted agile methodology where both technical and business groups take advantage of lean development and management processes that result in software and projects being delivered faster and with better quality. At Valpak, we connect merchants to consumers in the neighborhood. We help local businesses grow and thrive, while giving consumers what they want when they want it. Our print and digital solutions are about providing a simple, easy and convenient way for consumers to save. We will be there to do that whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in their mailboxes, online, on their phones or on their watches.â&#x20AC;? - Chris Cate, Valpak Chief Operating Officer

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VALPAK MANUFACTURING CENTER INNOVATION ÂŽ

Valpak produces the famous Blue Envelope, delivering coupons and savings across the U.S. and Canada. It provides print and digital advertising to mostly small, local businesses through a network of 150 local franchises with almost 500 sales representatives.

Terry Loebel, an unemployed autoworker, founded Valpak in 1968, using a $500 loan to start mailing coupons from his home to households in Clearwater, Florida. In 1972, Valpak established its first franchise in Orlando, Florida and by 1982, expanded business into Canada. A group of investors purchased Valpak from Terry Loebel in 1985. In September 1991, Cox Target Media, Inc. purchased Valpak and by 1997, Valpak was mailing out 11 billion coupons a year. In January 2017, Platinum Equity acquired Valpak from Cox Target Media, Inc. Today, Valpak has more than 730 employees and mails to nearly 40 million households each month. Annually, Valpak distributes almost 20 billion coupons in approximately 500 million envelopes and millions more through its mobile app and websites. The Valpak Manufacturing Center (VMC) is the largest, most-efficient short-run printing facility in the world. This $220-million, state-of-the-art, largely robotic printing facility is just over the Howard Frankland Bridge in Pinellas County. The facility was built in conjunction with the United States Postal Service, and in partnership with supplying companies from all over the world. It boasts more than one mile of conveyor belts and more than 25 robots (17 of which are automated guided vehicles that navigate utilizing wiring buried in the floor of the VMC). Part of the facility even runs in the dark since robots donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need light to operate. Companies from around the world tour

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the facility as an example of a highly efficient print operation and an international engineering marvel. Some key stats regarding the VMC: • 96% increase in productivity over Valpak’s previous facility »» What used to take 4 days to print now only takes 4 hours • 144,000 blue Valpak envelopes assembled per hour • 10,000 coupon inserts printed at a single time • 2,200 feet of paper run through each press per minute • 7,000 pound paper rolls and 2,500 pound (each) ink totes use to print the Valpak Blue Envelope • 470,000 square feet of manufacturing floor space (that’s 13 large 747 jets parked side by side) • 98% of the waste produced by the manufacturing process is recycled • 25 trailers of Valpak mail leave for delivery each day

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Executive Management Team: Brian Kernohan, VP Sales; Julia MacGregor, CEO; Dr. Alfonso Peralta, VP Business Development

GLOBAL SAFETY MANAGEMENT (GSM) Global Safety Management (GSM) is a SaaS-based compliance company that is fundamentally changing the way companies handle chemical and product safety information. GSM is a leader in providing solutions for safety data sheet (SDS) authoring, management and translation services. With over a decade of experience helping manufacturers, distributors and end users stay compliant, GSM takes over the burden of safety data sheet regulatory compliance so our clients can focus on their core business. Using GSM’s patent-pending software system, manufacturers and distributors can create the mandatory product SDSs for their customers in minutes, not hours. GSM’s technology makes it possible to do what no one else can; create a GHS compliant SDS in less than 15 minutes without chemical or regulatory expertise and at a fraction of the cost. When compared to the hours or days competing systems take, it is easy to understand why industry leaders are calling GSM disruptive.

Julia MacGregor, CEO

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Inter-departmental Team Meeting: Sofia Peralta, Jean-Luc Hayes, Holly Cook, Denise Panepinto, Brooke Paz

GSM is lead by CEO and founder, Julia MacGregor. Julia has more than 20 years of hands-on business management and development experience. This includes 15 years in the regulatory compliance industry, with a focus on material safety and global compliance through technology. Her unique vision results in scientific, process-based, and client-focused operations that drive sales and profits. As an expert in the regulatory industry, she often speaks at conferences and in webinars on regulatory and compliance issues. She has even served as a substitute speaker for OSHA. She writes articles on compliance and contributes to multiple blogs. As a Hispanic woman in both an industry and profession that is dominated by males, she cares deeply about minority and women’s issues. Set apart in the safety software industry, GSM is unique in three simple ways: our software is easy to use; we solve SDS compliance with a guarantee; and we are always customer-focused. We are a Consumers’ Choice Award winner for 3 years running, recognized in 2014, 2015 and 2016. In February 2017, we were named to the University of Florida’s 2017 Gator 100 which recognizes the most innovative and profitable businesses in the nation and world among UF alumni. Most recently, GSM was selected by GrowFL as a winner of 2017 Florida Companies to Watch.

Tanisha Upshaw, Technical Director; Shelia Bradley, Business Analyst Currently in a rapid growth stage, GSM remains committed to ensuring employee safety by simplifying chemical regulatory compliance. We care about our customers’ safety, our employees’ safety and the safety and sustainability of our environment and community.

5650 Breckenridge Park Drive, Suite 202, Tampa, FL 33610 Phone: 813.435.5161 / 683.7560 www.facebook.com/GSMSDS www.linkedin.com/company/global-safety-management-inc www.instagram.com/globalsafetymanagement twitter.com/GSMclickSDS www.youtube.com/channel/UChhV_EDp9XhqNFGHOnHAdMA GSMsds.com

Product Manager: Liana Peralta

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Kitchen cabinetry is one of those “old school” industries that was a bit slower to adopt an e-commerce strategy to compete against traditional brick and mortar showrooms or big box stores. Traditionally, homeowners would have a local design specialist come to their house with samples and catalogs, and the space measurements would be done on site. This is still a very popular method for those consumers who want their hands held throughout the entire process. But in most cases, they will pay a premium for this service. In 2009, Chris Larsen, now CEO of Cabinets.com, thought of a different way to sell cabinetry... exclusively online. “Who in their right mind would spend $15,000 for cabinetry on a website they’ve never heard of, on cabinets they’ve never seen, and with no refunds accepted on semi-custom made-to-order products?” many had asked. Chris teamed up with Benjamin Gordon, now CTO of Cabinets.com, to create a brand new startup website called Kitchen Resource Direct, where online customers would do just that, many times over. “We had to create a website that was very trustworthy for customers to place orders using their credit cards to make extremely large e-commerce purchases,” Benjamin explains. “We accomplished this through an amazing user experience online, as well as

Resource Direct (#568) and continued their growth through SEO and PPC marketing strategies. Although great for online search, Kitchen Resource Direct was difficult to remember for word-ofmouth advertising. “Even our families couldn’t remember the domain name KitchenResourceDirect.com,” Benjamin joked. So in late 2014, the company purchased the domain name Cabinets.com to further perpetuate their growth curve. An immediate impact was noticed in website sessions and brand awareness industry wide and they became one of the largest providers of cabinetry online.

offering free design help over the phone and email. Having our professional designers on staff to create 3D kitchen renderings, along with detailed quotes, gave the customers the reassurance they needed to complete their purchase.” The original name “Kitchen Resource Direct” was chosen as Chris and Benjamin sat down at the Panera Bread on Howard Ave in Tampa. “When you are bootstrapping your startup, $10 for a domain name is a great investment,” Chris explains. The company made the Inc. 5000 list in 2014 as Kitchen

Cabinets.com went on to win numerous awards for its fast growth. The company made the Inc. 500 list in 2015 and 2016, which ranks the top privately-owned companies by revenue growth, along with Top 10 rankings in Tampa both years as well. Other growth awards have included the Tampa Bay Business Journal Fast 50 (#4) and Florida Fast 100 (#9). Chris and Benjamin are also proud University of Florida alumni and have won Gator100 awards for fastest growing Gator-owned businesses in 2015 (#4), 2016 (#4), and 2017 (#14). Since hiring their first employee, Cabinets.com has instilled a strong company culture based on a set of Core Values and a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that all strive towards achieving.

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Phone: 877-573-0088 | Fax: 877-574-0088 General Inquiries: customerservice@cabinets.com www.cabinets.com

Benjamin Gordon CTO & Managing Partner

“Businesses evolve and innovations happen, but as long as we stay true to our core values, we should be headed in the right direction,” says Chris. “Our core values and amazing team are the backbone of our growth.”

Chris Larsen, CEO & Managing Partner

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HARVEST CROO ROBOTICS TAMPA, FLORIDA BASED STARTUP, HARVEST CROO ROBOTICS, HAS A VISION TO BE A LEADER IN AGRICULTURAL AUTOMATION.

Founded in 2013 by Robert Pitzer, a mechanical engineer with decades of robotics expertise and Gary Wishnatzki, the owner of Wish Farms. The company has an initial goal to solve the strawberry industry’s labor crisis.

Growing strawberries is over a $5 billion industry worldwide, with nearly half of that coming from U.S. farms. The labor to harvest strawberries is the largest single cost to growers, representing over 30% of total revenues. The Harvest CROO robots can replace substantially all of the harvest labor, making the 2013 estimated market for the Harvest CROO over $1.5 billion worldwide and over $700 million domestically.

By 2013, the availability of farm labor, in the U.S., was declining at an alarming rate. At the same time the costs were rapidly rising. Strawberries are one of the few fruits that do not ripen after being picked. Strawberry plants require harvesting every three days, to gather only the ripe fruit. During the season, that means at least 40 passes on a field are necessary. When labor is not available, fruit can become overripe and rot, with growers losing entire fields due to lack of labor.

The business model of Harvest CROO is “Robotics as a Service” (RaaS). Harvest CROO will own, operate, service, and deploy the robots and farmers will simply pay by-the-box of strawberries picked. This is essentially the same model used with human labor contracts.

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Investors in Harvest CROO Robotics include many strategic partners, including competitors of Wish Farms. This diverse support shows the serious nature of the labor shortage facing the U.S. farming industry. The investors represent a significant share of the U.S. strawberry production. Those growerinvestors will be the early adopters of the technology. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly collaborative nature has been proven to be an asset, on both funding and development. Pitzer has lead a team of highly skilled engineers from their Tampa shop location. He has also worked with many of his connections from within the robotics industry to advance the project, utilizing the latest technology available.

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Field testing has been taking place at Wish Farms; where various designs have been developed, tested and optimized. The company holds a number of patents and trade secrets on the novel approaches being used. The completely proprietary strawberry picking robot was developed in-house, including the vision and control systems. Once the design was validated, in field testing, Harvest CROO began hiring more engineers in early 2017. The goal was to integrate 16 of the picking robots onto a commercial scale harvester platform. The harvester is expected to autonomously pick 25-30 acres of strawberries, continuously, during the six-month Florida season. The test farm is projected to use as many as 30 of these harvesters. The goal of the final system is to pick, cool, wash, sort, and pack strawberries into their final packaging, thus making them ready to go directly to the supermarket. It is expected that many farmworkers will be re-trained to be robotic technicians, because of their familiarity with the crops. Currently the number of acres planted is limited not by land, but by labor. It is expected, as more acres are planted because of the availability of robotic harvesting, more people will be required in higher paying support roles. The strawberry harvester is just the beginning for Harvest CROO Robotics and there will be much innovation to follow from the Tampa based company, helping support the agricultural industry and keeping America at the forefront of the quest to provide food to a hungry world.

Phone: 813-498-HARV (4278) 73

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NICE TO MEET YOU Convergence Consulting Group (CCG) drives innovation through the use of data and analytic solutions that empower critical decision making for businesses. CCG helps companies to overcome business challenges and improve performance by transforming data into intuitive, actionable analytics. Headquartered in Tampa Bay, CCG is committed to supporting the growth of this community and its businesses.

BUILDING BETTER BUSINESSES The insurgence of new technologies and the growing demands of modern, digital consumers have transformed the way businesses function, but organizations struggle to innovate at the speed of the changing market. “Innovate or extinct” should be the tagline for the 21st century. Since the year 2000, over half of Fortune 500 companies have gone under or been acquired. This is a result of their inability to innovate and adapt to the modern world. Technology disruptions have played a big part in flattening many organizations. In today’s consumer-driven era, it has become a necessity for businesses to leverage technology to amplify buying experiences, using data to predict consumer behavior and customize interactions. It is no longer enough to simply report on business operations in order to survive. The most important business stakeholder today is the everyday consumer who can make or break an organization’s quarterly revenue with a simple tweet. The level of personalization and accuracy we’ve come to expect as consumers is only made possible through the trillions and trillions of data points businesses are collecting every day. The only challenge is that most organizations still don’t know how to use that data to innovate. In fact, in 2016, companies on average only used 12% of their data. This does not mean that 88% of data is invaluable, but that companies don’t yet know how to use that information for competitive advantage. This is where CCG steps in.

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Tampa Bay Financial Innovations When it comes to upgrading a legacy system after a merger or acquisition, or using predictive modeling to stay ahead of compliance regulations, prevent money laundering and even fight (cyber) terrorism, Tampa Bay financial institutions are modernizing their data practices to ensure Tampa Bay investors and employers continue to grow their investments in a secure and prosperous environment. Gone are the days when banks and credit unions were simply a place to deposit your pay check; Tampa Bay financial institutions are using modern technologies like customer facing reporting platforms to personalize financial portfolios, simplify investment decisions and educate Tampa Bay residents on their financial security. Tampa Bay Healthcare Innovations Florida is a retirement hub, which translates to greater healthcare needs for a growing population. Hospitals, insurance providers and medical device retailers are streamlining patient care by leveraging text analytics to digitize medical records and automate manual processes. Incorporating weather, traffic and social data into predictive models allows healthcare providers to anticipate patient needs such as ER visits or illness outbreaks. Advancements such as these in data and analytics help Tampa health providers focus on what matters; the health of our community.

INDUSTRIES THAT INNOVATE Serving companies in the Tampa Bay area and the greater Southeast region, CCG helps organizations across industries, from hospitality to healthcare, innovate through the strategic use of data assets. Tampa Bay is a smaller technology market, which has allowed local organizations to be more nimble on their data and analytics initiatives, often driving change in their respective industries.

Tampa Bay Hospitality and Retail Innovations With over $5.5 billion pouring into Tampa Bay annually through tourism alone, hospitality and retail are looked to as a life source for our economy. In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digital world, it has become increasingly difficult for organizations to engage with their customers. Through the use of social media analytics, sentiment analysis, gamification and much more, hospitality and retail organizations in the bay area are innovating to ensure that people are visiting Tampa Bay and have a great experience waiting for them when they get here.

Tampa Bay Education Innovations In 2015, Hillsborough County Public Schools was recognized by former U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, for innovations in leadership tracking and development. Hillsborough County Public Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principal placement and leadership tracking program is looked to as a model for public schools throughout the country. Their innovative system for calculating school needs, principal skills and employee development through the strategic use of data for promotion and training practices emulates the core values of all Tampa Bay educators, who seek to nurture and retain talented individuals for the sake of growing this community. Teaching institutions throughout Tampa Bay are leveraging technology to analyze teacher and student performance, achieve operational efficiency, optimize financial performance, and maintain visibility over large scale programs to develop and retain a skilled workforce.

Corporate Headquarters TAMPA 2502 N. Rocky Point Drive, Suite #650, Tampa, FL 33607 Phone: 813.968.3238 | Fax: 813.200.1357

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EMPLOYING FLORIDA AND BEYOND GEOGRAPHIC SOLUTIONS, A TRAILBLAZER IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY, DEVELOPS INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE THAT HAS A PROFOUND IMPACT ON JOB SEEKERS, EMPLOYERS, AND CAREER CENTER STAFF ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 25 Years of Innovation Founded in 1992 by Palm Harbor resident Paul Toomey, Geographic Solutions is a software development firm that specializes in the design and development of custom online solutions for workforce development, labor market information, and unemployment insurance agencies. Since inception, the company has implemented state-of-the-art employment websites that collectively serve millions of job seekers and employers in over 35 states and outlying territories, far surpassing the experience of any other vendor in the industry. Geographic Solutions’ groundbreaking achievements include the launch of the nation’s first website to provide labor market statistics for public and government use. The company is also credited with launching the nation’s first website designed specifically for career centers, which included tools to assist staff managing individuals benefiting from U.S. Department of Labor public assistance programs. To keep up with changing times, Geographic Solutions has also developed custom mobile applications for its clients, and efficiency tools to streamline the day-today business processes of career centers. Another notable company achievement was the development of a modernized online unemployment insurance solution. For years, there has been a distinct division between unemployment benefits

“As a Florida-based company, we are proud to partner with the state to make available hundreds of thousands of quality jobs to Florida’s talent pool. Employ Florida helps job seekers find suitable, high-paying jobs that closely match their skills and background.” – Paul Toomey, President of Geographic Solutions 76

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Florida’s Go-To Resource for Employment

and workforce development. Geographic Solutions saw the intrinsic value of an ‘integrated’ system, and launched the country’s first combined workforce and unemployment benefits website in Louisiana. The website provides individuals claiming unemployment benefits with labor market information, job search, and training opportunities to help them get back to work at a faster rate. This approach has ensured reliable job search validation, fostered rapid reemployment, lessened the depletion of state unemployment trust funds, and lowered employer taxes.

Locally, Geographic Solutions has contributed significantly to Florida’s workforce development endeavors by partnering with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to provide a statewide online job system known as Employ Florida (www.employflorida.com). Since its launch in 2005, the website has successfully linked regional workforce boards and CareerSource centers across the state, making it the most utilized resource for employment in Florida. Over the past 12 years, Employ Florida has provided job seekers and employers easy access to a complete set of employment tools designed for all levels of computer experience. A virtual ‘one-stop shop,’ the website assists users with résumé creation, training and career exploration, skills assessments, job applications, financial assistance, and more. Employ Florida is also linked to specialty portals designed to target returning veterans, those with disabilities, and other hardto-serve demographics in their quest to find meaningful employment. To date, Employ Florida is credited with over 1.5 million job placements throughout the state.

Making a Nationwide Impact with Local Talent Geographic Solutions employs close to 300 professionals throughout the Greater Tampa Bay Area in the fields of software architecture, development, analysis, and project management. A smaller firm by industry standards, the company has been able to develop revolutionary software by attracting and retaining incredible talent. A proud member of Tampa’s technology hub, Geographic Solutions will continue to develop software solutions that have a positive impact on America’s workforce.

Phone: 727-786-7955 @geosolutionsinc Email: info@geosolinc.com www.geographicsolutions.com 77

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STATWEATHER STATWEATHER WAS FOUNDED ON THE BELIEF THAT THE WEATHER AND CLIMATE SYSTEM COULD BE PREDICTED ONE YEAR IN ADVANCE. In the early 1990s, founder Ria Persad worked on early climate models at Lawrence Livermore National Labs, then solar system models at NASA, then in the late 1990s in energy and financial trading at Goldman Sachs, Enron, and Duke Energy. The Harvard and Princeton educated mathematician would apply her knowledge of modeling the atmosphere and space to inform those in commodities about the potential rise and fall of stock prices based upon the weather. The impact of weather upon business is hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. alone, with trillions of dollars in impact globally. It is the convergence of math and science, finance and business, and computer technology. With the rise of computing capabilities, in 2009, Persad teamed up with Mark Carlo - a chemical and software engineer - to hire a team out of Tampa Bay, Florida, to create what would become the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most powerful artificial intelligence-based weather and climate model.

This model would prove to be ground-breaking in its ability to predict storms, extreme and high-impact weather such as heat waves and freezes, and even hurricanes with a 70% hit accuracy even 3 months in advance. The StatWeather models also demonstrated landmark accuracy in predicting seasonal climate trends such as temperature, precipitation, and drought even 2 years in advance. StatWeatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first pilot customers in 2012, which included a roster of investment banks and energy companies, found that in the face of extreme and high impact conditions, StatWeather could be used as a highly useful commercial tool in the day-to-day functioning of a business to manage risk and predict events with reliable accuracy. Funded by customer subscription sales alone, StatWeather was bootstrapped as a lean startup and continues as a private company with no outside capital

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sources. StatWeather soon garnered significant attention from the press, including coverage in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Reuters, on this remarkable new technology as a quantum leap in weather prediction. StatWeather has won numerous awards such as Energy Risk’s #1 Global Data Provider of the Year, top weather company in North America, MeetAdvisors’ Top 5 Most Innovative Companies in America, and inclusion in Platts’ Global Energy Awards Top 10 List of Rising Star Companies. StatWeather has become a widespread tool in the energy industry in the prediction of futures prices, utility load forecasting, and energy demand response for the utilization of sustainable energy solutions. Founder Ria Persad was elected as the inaugural Renewable Energy and Power-Generation Woman of the Year and as a Platts’ Global Energy Awards Top 10 Lifetime Achievement Leader. The future of this Tampa Bay-based technology company is to innovate more expansive and powerful systems in the prediction of major global weather and climate events and to be a force in helping to promote sustainable energy solutions worldwide. StatWeather works together with industry risk management partners and government agencies such as NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) in providing users with a comprehensive SaaS platform to access weather and climate forecasts. Data offerings range anywhere from hourly to yearly, by pointlocation up to region, with valuable statistical information included as to likelihood of events and post-verification statistics for customers to manage their weather-dependent risk in a uniquely effective and quantifiable manner.

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Ria Persad - CEO Chief Executive Officer Ria Persad studied mathematics and physics at Harvard, Princeton, and Cambridge Universities with doctoral study at Rice University. Her experience in climate modeling began at Lawrence Livermore Lab’s Supercomputer Center in 1991. Persad performed earth and solar system modeling at NASA and went on to model geophysical systems at Bell Geospace. She worked on the trading floors of Lehman Brothers and was a consultant to Goldman Sachs. As a climatologist at Enron and Duke Energy, she was alerted to the needs of the energy trading sector and weather risk management. She later went on to develop state-of-the-art long-range weather prediction systems which were peer-reviewed among academia and U.S. Department of Defense scientists and rigorously tested for the top meteorological broadcasting station in the Midwest. She models complex systems for the U.S. Space Program and is an innovative Subject Matter Expert. Persad has been collaborating with NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information and their academic research partner, CICS-NC on numerous climate and energy engagement activities to advance environmental intelligence. Persad received the Highest Honor from the Society of Women Engineers and Citations from the U.S. Secretary of Energy and the U.S. Senate on Scientific Achievement on her original contributions to computational and applied mathematics. Persad has been recently recognized by Platts Global Energy Awards as one of the top 7 global leaders for Lifetime Achievement and as the International PowerGen and Renewable Energy Woman of the Year. Mark Carlo - Founder and CIO Chief Information Officer Mark Carlo graduated from the University of South Florida in Chemical Engineering, has served as the President of the Florida Engineering Society, and has performed cutting-edge research on alternative and renewable energy. He has worked as a Chemical and Process Engineer and Project Manager. Carlo served as partner and Chief Information Officer of a financial services company, managing teams of financial, sales, and technical personnel. He developed innovative software products for scientific, engineering, and business applications and has designed and coded extensive financial systems, web-based database applications, and weather tracking and climate modeling systems. With a specialty in financial infrastructure and extensive leadership experience, Mark Carlo provides the technical and business oversight of the StatWeather organization including the Operations and Software Development Teams.

StatWeather, Inc. 701 S. Howard Ave, Suite 106-532, Tampa, FL 33606 Phone: (941) 799-7911 | Email: service@statweather.com www.statweather.com 79

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GO PUCK

With a record of revolutionizing battery technology for the world’s fastest cars, the GO PUCK team set out to create the ultimate personal power solution to charge all USB-powered devices. Mountable, compact and durable, GO PUCK allows you to stay connected, capture priceless moments and enjoy mobile freedom.

Headquartered in Sarasota, FL, GO PUCK is a design and manufacturing company offering a complete mobile power solution designed for the Active Lifestyle. The company founders are responsible for inventing the Automotive Lithium Starting-Battery, the spec IndyCar battery used at every race and they are also patent holders on the Tesla Supercharging system. GO PUCK offers the market’s most intelligent and efficient portfolio of hands-free personal power products that can serve more than 9 billion devices in a market growing to $30B+ by 2021. GO PUCK holds 20 claims on mounting system utility patents with 25 claims pending. GO PUCK continues to innovate and reinvent wearable power and is the world’s first company to offer rental power at Universal Studios Theme Parks. GO PUCK’s power as a service innovation is also becoming available at top sporting events and venues. Clip, strap or mount the power wherever you need while giving you the ability to easily rapid-charge your devices multiple times hands-free (GO PUCK has technology that allows users to spend less than 20 minutes charging from a wall outlet and store enough energy to charge a phone). With the unique mounting system to allow the product to mount to almost anything from bicycles to belts, the GO PUCK is revolutionizing mobile power.

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Blake Fuller

“GO PUCK offers the market’s most intelligent and efficient portfolio of hands-free personal power products that can serve more than 9 billion devices in a market growing to $30B+ by 2021.” The Start of it All...

brought superior performing products to market, but also has simplified the manufacturing process through exclusive designs. In 2014, Braille Battery was acquired by a group specializing in the material science Graphene.

In 1999, Blake Fuller was trying to set a new record at the annual “Race to the Clouds” — The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. At 18 years old, not only did Blake walk away with the “Rookie of the Year” award, but his interest was piqued to make his car lighter–specifically the heavy 45 lbs. battery in his car. After many iterations, Blake produced a battery nearly four times lighter than the 45 lbs predecessor and shortly thereafter, founded Braille Battery to focus on motorsports batteries based in Sarasota, FL.

Around the 2011 timeframe with rise in apps and action cameras, Blake could see the writing on the wall that technological society was headed to the “muscle car era of mobile devices” in which devices would continue to improve performance while exhausting their slowly evolving batteries even faster. To help deal with the forthcoming “battery-fuel crisis”, Blake and team developed the GO PUCK solution to provide handsfree rapid-charging of devices multiple times.

With a rich history dominating motorsports from NASCAR to Formula1, Braille Battery would go on to be recognized as inventing the Automotive Lithium starting battery and developing the IndyCar Spec Battery as well as other specialty batteries for the defense, medical and aerospace markets. With international patents pending on over 20 core technologies, Blake has not only

Fast forward to 2015, GO PUCK and ROBRADY Design established a partnership to bring GO PUCK’s technology road map to market with next generation industrial designs and production techniques. Combining innovative strengths, they have secured technology and customer relationships with GoPro, Otter Box, Qualcomm, Arrow Electronics and many others.

#gopuck | gopuck.com | twitter.com/gopuck | instagram.com/gopuck facebook.com/gopuckbattery

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LUMASTREAM

LUMASTREAM IS AN LED LIGHTING SYSTEMS COMPANY THAT HAS FOCUSED ON DESIGNING A MORE EFFICIENT, MORE INNOVATIVE AND LONGER LASTING SOLUTION FOR LEDS. THE RESULT: LOW-VOLTAGE, DC REMOTE POWER DISTRIBUTION.

LumaStream recognized a fundamental flaw in the way that lighting manufacturers were designing LEDs. They were designing them to fit a high-voltage infrastructure by having each LED manage the power conversion. LumaStream decided to look past the “bulb” technology fad for a solution that would fit in the future. “We knew we wanted a low-voltage system because we wanted to be as energy efficient as possible. U-le-le’s menu has a focus on sustainability with locally grown, fresh foods. The LumaStream system is just a part of our commitment to reduce our environmental impact,” said Keith Sedita, a Managing Partner of U-le-le.

LumaStream’s engineers developed a digital power conversion and low-voltage distribution technology that has revolutionized the lighting industry. By removing the onboard electronics from the LED fixtures and powering them from a remote driver capable of powering 24 LED fixtures over 200 ft. LumaStream’s system increases the life expectancy, increases the energy efficiency and reduces fire and shock hazards of LEDs.

LumaStream worked with U-le-le to design a lighting system that would accentuate the space, highlight the texture and color of the food, and meet the most stringent energy efficiencies. Their use of custom designed fixtures including seltzer bottles fixtures, metal piping LEDs and a canoe chandelier were all lighting designs created by Lumastream’s creative lighting designers.

Simple. Efficient. Reliable. That is the LumaStream way and why companies including U-Le-Le, PDQ, C1 Bank, Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s are flocking to use LumaStream’s system in their lighting designs. U-le-le chose LumaStream for their energy efficiency standards, their control capability and their creative custom designs.

“Not a day goes by without a guest commenting on the quality of lighting in the restaurant.”

Phone: +1 727 827 2805 Email: info@lumastream.com www.lumastream.com 82

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INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

FINTECH AND SECURITY

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." THOMAS EDISON

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THE PENNY HOARDER

A DIGITAL MEDIA COMPANY HEADQUARTERED IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA. While managing massive student loans and debt in 2010, Kyle Taylor began to write about his adventures in making and saving money. Readers responded, and this culminated into the launch of ThePennyHoarder.com. Under Kyleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership, The Penny Hoarder has grown to one of the largest publications on the web, reaching millions of readers a month. Through the website and engagement on multiple social media platforms, their content delivers an empowering message on how to earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Penny

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Hoarder has pioneered a new kind of personal finance media with stories about real people and actionable money tips that make a true difference in our readers’ budgets. “Our goal is to improve the lives of everyday folks by helping them spend less time worrying about their finances and more time enjoying their lives.” - KYLE TAYLOR, CEO In August 2015, The Penny Hoarder opened its first brickand-mortar location in downtown St. Petersburg. Today, the company is rapidly growing, employing over 70 people and actively growing its team of tech, media and creative professionals. The Penny Hoarder is a digital media brand under the Taylor Media family.

Contact Information www.thepennyhoarder.com www.taylormedia.com 85

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THE FINANCIAL DATA MARKETPLACE THAT POWERS YOUR IDEAS If you want to buy a latte from your I-phone and pay with bitcoins, then get a home loan while it brews, you can do it, but if you want to do serious financial analysis you are out of luck. Most people never even consider doing their own investing because, unless you have advanced training and deep pockets, it’s too complicated and too expensive. Intrinio is a financial technology company on a mission to make investment data so affordable and so accessible that everyday people can invest as easily as they buy coffee. Intrinio started out trying to create an automated investing tool but the founding team quickly realized getting data to power the analyses would be too costly. Traditional data providers quoted the firm $50,000.00 a month. That’s because a few big firms have an oligopoly on the stock prices and financial statements that are required to analyze a stock to see if it would be a good investment. For the startups that want to build revolutionary investing tools, it’s a non-starter. Instead of building the app, Intrinio’s founders decided to build a new kind of financial data company- one that was so affordable, startups could use it to build investment apps for non-professionals. The team learned to code and set to work using artificial intelligence, statistical algorithms, and application programming interfaces (APIs) to build an efficient, modern data platform. As Intrinio’s team began adding data, developers started to show up looking to use the data. Those developers have built tools that make financial data accessible in Excel, Google Sheets, and dozens of other user-friendly services. Those apps make it possible for individuals, people who could never afford to analyze stocks themselves, to think for themselves about investments even if they aren’t professional investors. Intrinio learned that if you make financial data affordable and accessible, developers

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will come. Once the developers get to work, investors will come. In 2016, Intrinio had more than 50 companies build applications for investors as part of the Developer Program, an initiative that gives free data to startups. In 2017, Intrinio is on pace to become the largest fintech incubator in the state of Florida. Hundreds of thousands of investors have used the tools these companies build to analyze stocks, track the broader market, and learn to invest. It’s all made possible by innovative data collection and distribution technology invented by Intrinio’s developers.

The growth of Intrinio’s platform has been so explosive, with new data types and apps being added on a weekly basis, that Intrinio launched the Fintech Marketplace so investors could shop for data and tools to power their analyses. Shopping for investment apps wasn’t a thing until Intrinio came along, but now individuals can search for the analytics tools and data they need right from their phone, subscribing in seconds for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

100 7th St. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (this may change by end of year though...) www.facebook.com/intrinio 24/7 Chat Support on Website - reach out! www.intrinio.com

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WOOTRADER INC WOOTRADER INC, WESLEY CHAPEL FLORIDA WAS FOUNDED BY ATANAS STOYANOV IN 2015.

Atanas had founded and sold a previous Software Development Company which today is the basis of a company called www.smartbear.com. After having the proceeds of the sale being managed by an investment advisor and not being happy with the returns; he founded Wootrader. He then started developing the stock research and investment platform; Financeboards, which utilizes weighted predictive analytics to support the creation of the Financeboards Predictive Analytics Model. This Weighted Predictive Analytics Model, is a tool that measures the performance of 400+ stock metrics from a range of categories (Company Fundamentals, Technicals, Sentiment, Analyst Estimates, and more) and weighs the metrics according to their performance, with the weights being used to determine the overall rankings; it became the foundation of the Financeboards Platform. A News blog was also created providing timely and informative news articles on a variety of S&P stocks that are also linked to research that has been made available on them. The data for the Financeboards metrics comes from a vast variety of integrated data partners data sources, including; Benzinga, Quandl, Zacks, TradingView, IEX, Semrush, TipRanks, Orats and Quantcha. The Financeboards platform uses and weights those stock metrics according to the previous five days

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of market activity to rank a group of over 4000 stocks daily and make the results available to the platform registrants who are made up of Active Stock Market Traders and Investors. In 2016 Financeboards introduced a number of additional major enhancements to the platform, one being the ability to configure your own dashboard(s) of financial data and information by selecting from over 500 preconfigured widgets of data and information that are searchable on the platform. These widgets also include data from the Financeboards models and screeners. Finally, eight of the largest and most innovative brokerages were integrated into the platform allowing platform registrants and subscribers the ability to research a stock and then immediately place a trade if the research supported making an investment. These brokerages include TDAmeritrade, Scottrade, OptionsHouse, Fidelity, TradeKing, TradeStation Tradier, and Ally Investment Group.

At the same time over 40 preconfigured dashboards were made available to platform registrants which could be added to from the widget inventory. Likewise, tutorials were made available that took the participant through the steps of being able to take any API piece of data or information and turn it into a widget and apply it to their dashboards on the platform. Another feature that was added was the ability to add a ticker symbol in a searchable box on the platform and instantly have all of the widgets on all the dashboards updated with that stockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s information being displayed.

Customer Support: San Antonio, FL Phone: +1.813.489-4224 / +1.800.342-06 www.financeboards.com Faceboook: https://www.facebook.com/wootrader Twitter: https://twitter.com/wootrader GooglePlus: https://plus.google.com/+Wootraderinc

Another one of the improvements included a graphical daily update of the predictive model and its screeners, the models that they are a part of and the categories that also make up the overall model. Separate historical information on each categories performance history and models performance history has now also been made available graphically on the website.

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TITLETAP BOTH ALUMNI FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA MASTERS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM, DEAN COLLURA AND ELIOT DILL LAUNCHED TITLETAP IN 2013 WITH A MOBILE APP TO HELP REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS CLOSE FASTER.

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Fast forward four years and TitleTap has grown into a robust online marketing platform specifically tuned for Real Estate Attorneys and Title Agents with five solution pillars including secure websites, email marketing, video marketing, social media management and mobile apps. Currently with 12 on staff, hundreds of customers nationwide, TitleTap has helped facilitate thousands of real estate transactions across the country. “All too often a gap exists with what a customer experiences when they walk into a real estate attorney or title agent’s office compared to what the customer sees online about the business. Typically the office setting will be professional, engaging and overall a warm experience which is contrary to the experience viewers usually have when researching the business online. Since first impressions are significant, and the majority of those first impressions happen online, our mission is to close the gap. A dynamic online presence opens the door to new relationships, builds trust and ultimately helps generate business opportunities and that is exactly what TitleTap helps our customers do,” Collura said. Passionate about the customer experience, the two have created a business culture with their team that encourages personal growth, account ownership, communication and autonomy. “Our team is incredible. For most requests, the team member across the line is able to deliver a resolution without bouncing the customer across the organization. We also communicate with them often and our customers love that,” added Dill. In addition to holding their team and customers in high regard, Dean and Eliot are both family men and work hard to balance the demands of their business with being present at home. “The ability to be plugged in at home and create experiences that fill the cup is a huge driver for why we set out to be entrepreneurs, it is very important to us and one that we carefully continue to balance as our business grows. Knowing that years down the road our kids and spouses can look back with a smile having watched us grow something from the ground up that wasn’t at their expense, makes all the difference in the world,” they both stated.

Phone: (877) 303-3183 www.TitleTap.com 91

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#GETSPARED

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Student debt is a massive problem. 44 million Americans are holding roughly $1.4 trillion in student loan debt, and it’s impacting more than just their finances and ability to travel the world.

Milestone life events like marriage, home ownership, and starting a family are being put on the back burner while young professionals work to get out from under the debt they accumulated to achieve their educational goals. Making minimum monthly payments is costly in the long run, and we all know it, but many people find it difficult to chip an extra $50 towards their debt at the end of the month. Blowing off some steam with friends is a much easier decision to make.

Spared

Living life on one’s own terms starts with severing ties with student debt. Spared is the creation of University of Tampa MBA graduates Ryan Lockwood and Ryan Deitrich, both veterans. Ryan Lockwood is a Tampa native who attended Jesuit High School and was an All-American baseball player at USF. After four years in the Navy, he returned to Tampa to complete his MBA and met Ryan Deitrich. Deitrich, a New Jersey transplant, has lived in Tampa for eight years. A Coast Guard veteran, professional poker player, and licensed financial advisor; Deitrich also runs a YouTube series about achieving financial freedom. He and his girlfriend paid off $50,000 in student debt and now live aboard a beautiful sailboat in St. Petersburg.

That’s where Spared can help. Spared simply monitors member bank accounts, rounds daily transactions up to the nearest dollar, and pays that “spare change” directly toward the member’s student loans. So $3.50 spent on coffee becomes a coffee plus a $0.50 student loan payment. By using Spared, members will save thousands in interest payments and reach debt free years faster.

Email: support@spared.com | www.spared.com

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THE FUTURE OF CYBERSECURITY JEFF SAUNTRY In our increasingly interconnected world, we have created an always on, intimate and personalized relationship with the systems and people we connect with via the Internet. Data is actively being captured and shared in real time by almost every system and institution we interact with throughout the day. This data is being used to build a digital profile of our lives, patterns and preferences. Leveraging artificial intelligence, big data analytics and advanced cryptography we can protect some of our digital and on-line activities. Creative solutions using behavior-based digital biometrics, self-journaling crypto currency and leveraging knowledge of past transactions to identify potential fraud activity in near real-time are emerging capabilities designed to protect our interest in cyber space. Not everyone on the internet has our best interest at heart. There are no innocent spectators in this conflict; only vigilant cyber citizens and exploitable victims. All healthy relationships have boundaries. The boundaries between you and the internet should be well defined. Without a well-defined boundary, authorized data use and privacy protection can quickly become confusing: Who owns and maintains the ambiguous space? Which rules apply when crossing a boundary? When the boundary is clearly defined and respected, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need walls or electric fences and information can be shared via mutually agreed upon terms. However, when a boundary is violated in order to do harm or take advantage, digital and procedural safeguards are needed. As we increasingly create even more intimate relationships by granting greater access to our lives, bodies and loved ones; we must protect the physical, emotional and private elements that are dear to us. As we look to the future, we need to establish that everyone is accountable for establishing and maintaining this boundary. Each of us has to acknowledge the shared the responsibility to keep our community safe from an increasing array of sophisticated threats and bad actors. From the Board of Directors to individual consumers, we must all strive to balance our online safety and privacy considerations with the competing market pressures of cost, ease of use and speed to market. A well trained work force, using machine assisted learning, exercising appropriate due care is required to protect our critical and sometimes very personal data assets.

Jeff Sauntry Mr. Sauntry is the co-founder of two Tampa Bay-based companies focused on security, AppliedG2 and Invision Communications. AppliedG2 provides consulting and advisory services on cyber security and compliance issues. Invision Communications provides turnkey solutions for physical access control, video surveillance, data and high value asset protection. Over the span of two and a half decades, he has held executive management roles leading cybersecurity and consulting teams including: Synopsys, Cigital, Unisys, AT&T Consulting, Computer Associates, Novell, STMS and big three consulting firms KPMG and PWC.

Jeff Sauntry appliedG2 Managing Partner & CISO 4654 SR64 E Suite 136 Bradenton, FL 34208 Phone: 941-465-6417 Email: jsauntry@appliedg2.com www.appliedg2.com Jeff Sauntry Invision Communications Founder & Chairman 4654 SR64 E Suite 136 Bradenton, FL 34208 Phone: 941-460-5737 Email: jeff@invisioncom.com www.invisoncom.com

He currently holds the following industry certifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional, Payment Card Industry Professional, Certified Information Security Manager, Certified Computer Forensics Examiner, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Building Security In Mature Model Assessor. Jeff lives in Bradenton, FL. When he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t helping customers solve tough security problems he enjoys digital photography, sport bikes and introducing people to the many awesome aquatic opportunities the Sunshine State has to offer by leveraging his Department of Homeland Security 50 Gross Ton Merchant Mariner Master rating and as a Professional Association of Dive Instructors - Master Scuba Diver Trainer to certify new scuba divers.

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Established by the Florida Legislature in 2014 and located on the campus of the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (FC2), serves as a statewide resource. With a geographic footprint that spans Florida and encompasses all twelve institutions in the State University System (SUS), the Center serves as a centralized hub for creating connections, building partnerships, capitalizing on opportunities and encouraging collaboration among stakeholders in industry, academia, government and defense.

Key Objectives â&#x20AC;˘ Position Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity through education, research, and community engagement. â&#x20AC;˘ Assist in the development of a highly-skilled cyber talent pipeline, enhance the existing cybersecurity workforce, support economic and workforce development, and attract new industry to the state. â&#x20AC;˘ Act as a facilitator for industry, military and higher education communities to share cybersecurity knowledge, resources and training.

Progress Led by a nationally-recognized Board of Advisors chaired by Vice Adm. (retired) Mike McConnell, former director of national intelligence, the Center has focused on the development of programs and initiatives to support a legislatively-

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drive interest and support development of a cybersecurity talent pipeline in Florida. • Launched a Capacity Building Program in 2017 that awarded $720,000 to support SUS projects focused on curriculum development, lab/technology development and community outreach.

Research • Awarded more than $1.5 million as part of a Seed Award Program to fund cybersecurity research projects – linking researchers from across Florida’s SUS to support cross-institutional collaboration and development of a cyber research ‘ecosystem’ in Florida. • Supports efforts of SUS institutions to secure National Center of Excellence designations, including USF’s recent designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research. • Organized and hosted a 2017 Research Symposium that brought together industry, academic researchers from across the SUS and students to share their work, learn about new cybersecurity research and connect with fellow researchers from across Florida.

mandated mission built around education, interdisciplinary research and community engagement.

Education • Facilitates a SUS Advisory Council on Cybersecurity to connect the twelve SUS institutions in Florida and create a forum for information-sharing and collaboration. • Developed and launched a nationally-recognized pilot cybersecurity training and certification program for veterans. New Skills for a New Fight fast-tracked deserving veterans into the workforce – creating post-military career paths to help fill critical workforce shortages. • Assisted USF with development of an interdisciplinary master’s in cybersecurity program that offers four different concentrations and boasts an enrollment of more than 450 students. • Led efforts resulting in the award of a federal grant to develop and launch a new training program for Army reservists as part of the U.S. Army Reserve P3 initiative. • Launched and supported cybersecurity programs for high school students to

Community Engagement • Maintains a robust community engagement program that serves a variety of audiences. FC2 participates in and supports numerous events to build awareness and encourage dialogue on key cyber topics. Recent activities include an event, co-hosted with The Christian Science Monitor Passcode, for a discussion on ransomware and sponsorship of B-Sides Orlando 2017, a security event that connects industry veterans with new and aspiring cyber experts. • Hosts an annual fall conference, the Center’s signature event, at the Tampa Convention Center to bring together stakeholders from industry, government, academia, students, and the military to share information, network, explore ideas and learn about emerging trends and today’s hottest cyber topics.

As director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (FC2), Sri Sridharan provides strategic oversight of the Center and is responsible for spearheading initiatives focused on driving workforce development, attracting new industry, and positioning Florida as a national leader in cybersecurity. A seasoned expert with more than forty years of experience, Sridharan brings a base of knowledge acquired from his work with companies ranging from small start-ups to international industry giants like IBM.

Sri Sridharan Director, Florida Center for Cybersecurity

During his career, he has held top management positions focused on: technology-based continuous availability solutions for complex business challenges, solutions for service-quality intelligence on IT performance against business objectives, solutions for wireless mobility/ business process integration, ASP (Application Service Provider) solutions with eight international data centers, custom applications for global procurement and

distribution management, and hosting in-house hospital information systems. At the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, Sridharan has applied his business acumen to create the infrastructure of a statewide center that was formed to serve as a resource for cybersecurity education, community engagement and innovative, interdisciplinary research within an academic environment. In this capacity, he has developed critical industry and government relationships, and positioned the Florida Center for Cybersecurity to become a national player on the cybersecurity landscape. Sridharan holds three masters’ degrees (computer science, mathematics, and applied mathematics) and he lives in Tampa, Florida.

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KnowBe4

TRAINS PEOPLE HOW TO MAKE BETTER SECURITY DECISIONS SO THEY DON’T GET DUPED ONLINE.

KnowBe4 was started by Stu Sjouwerman, formerly co-founder of Sunbelt Software, developer of VIPRE Antivirus, which in 2010 was acquired by GFI Software, a portfolio company of the Insight Venture Partners.

Retired for 5 days after the sale, KnowBe4 CEO Stu Sjouwerman felt the security awareness training market was underserved, and started KnowBe4. He began with the help of two software engineers that had worked for him at Sunbelt and in off hours, spent time designing the training and simulated phishing platform. When he was ready to launch, he added a support manager and a sales manager. He grew with additional technical resources and used his extensive experience to research and hone the training, including the codification of years of experience and information from the former world’s most wanted hacker, Kevin Mitnick. After all, who better to find out the methods used than a reformed hacker? KnowBe4 grew quickly and established itself as a company to be reckoned with, with one of the Big Four accounting firms as a client.

Stu Sjouwerman, founder and CEO of KnowBe4, Inc

Word of mouth and excellent customer service, helped catapult KnowBe4’s recognition and fed its growth. KnowBe4 won Tampa Bay’s top spot as the Best Place to Work in 2016 for Companies Under 50 employees and in 2017, won top honors for large companies, having grown by several hundred employees in just over a year. Add to that a nice debut on the Inc 500 in 2016 at #139, a spot at #50 in Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 and a spot in the top 100 in Cybersecurity Ventures Cybersecurity 500.

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KnowBe4 has a bright future ahead and has managed to garner more customers than all its competitors combined. As the provider of the most popular security awareness training and simulated phishing, KnowBe4 continues to expand. KnowBe4 Mission We are in the business of training employees to make smarter security decisions. KnowBe4 Philosophy • We are happy to go against the grain. • We’re not a company that turns out bloatware year after year. • We don’t work with only the bottom line in mind. • And we feel fine with all that. • We’re a team of free-thinking techies, who look at IT security issues a little differently. • Where other IT security companies may value profits, we value, well… security. • We are not in the pocket of any of the large players. • We answer to no one but IT admins in the trenches. Our rules are: “Do it right the first time, do it fast, and have fun while you do it”. • We work like that, because we think it’s the only way to go. • We believe that only with community can you effectively secure your domains. • We believe that as IT Admins we need to hang together, because if we don’t we will hang alone. We’re not just a different kind of security company, we are a security company that together with you, makes a difference. KnowBe4 delivers ‘new-school’ security awareness training combined with set-it-andforget-it simulated phishing attacks for an extremely effective user education program. KnowBe4 has become the world’s most popular integrated Security Awareness Training and Simulated Phishing platform. Thousands of enterprise accounts are using it, 25% of which are banks and credit unions. Based on Kevin Mitnick’s 30+ year unique first-hand hacking experience, companies now have a tool to better manage the urgent IT security problems of social engineering, spear phishing and ransomware attacks. With this world-class, user-friendly and effective Internet Security Awareness Training, KnowBe4 helps keep employees on their toes with security top of mind, and can provide instant remedial online training in case an employee falls for a simulated phishing attack.

Contact Support Phone: 855-815-9494 Email: support@knowbe4.com www.knowbe4.com

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SECURESET TAMPA BAY IS HOME TO A DYNAMIC TECH COMMUNITY. EMPLOYING MORE THAN 40,000 PEOPLE, THE REGION HAS BECOME A ROBUST AND AGILE TECHNOLOGY HUB. CYBERSECURITY IS ONE OF THE AREAS THAT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY VITAL TO ALL INDUSTRIES.

From left to right: Kimberly Rishton-Nitzschke, Admissions Counselor, SecureSet Tampa; Jason Scott, Lead Instructor, SecureSet Tampa; Adam Sheffield, Campus Director, SecureSet Tampa; RJ Burney, Technical Instructor, SecureSet Tampa; Karla Mastracchio, Community Manager, SecureSet Tampa; Ken Compres, Instructor, SecureSet Tampa

Changes in innovation and technology coupled with a lack of qualified candidates, however, has created a global shortfall to meet emerging threats. Recognizing that there is a need for environment-ready cybersecurity professionals in Tampa Bay and a community full of people who are excited about cybersecurity, SecureSet is committed to closing the critical gaps in employment and to building a broader tech ecosystem through community partnerships and public outreach.

immersive cybersecurity education for students who want to gain experience solving real-world security issues in a bootcamp style program. Through SecureSet’s courses and programs, students have the opportunity to learn in an intense, hands-on environment with industry expert mentors and world-class instructors. SecureSet graduates have the necessary skills to immediately begin in working cybersecurity environments.

As the nation’s first bootcamp-style, comprehensive cybersecurity education program , SecureSet is bringing to Tampa Bay an array of resources that innovates the next generation of cybersecurity technology and builds a pipeline for the security workforce of the future. The academy’s innovative approach provides

Located in Historic Ybor City, home to entrepreneurs and visionaries for over 100 years, SecureSet is more than a place students go to attend class. This unique organization is fostering a broader tech culture by becoming an anchor for the entire community while also honoring the history of innovation that is integral to

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Ybor City. SecureSetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impressive campus is housed in a historic building, formerly the Don Vincte Hotel. It has been completely renovated to serve the needs of its high-tech students while retaining the historic feel and architecture of the original hotel. This old-world meets new-world collaborative hub has become a regular meeting space and a place for the security community to call home. In using their new campus to create a collaborative security culture, students and members of the tech community participate in weekly meet-ups, hackathons, and social events.

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1915 N. Avenida Republica de Cuba Tampa, FL 33605 Phone: 800-445-0024 https://twitter.com/SecureSetHQ https://www.facebook.com/SecureSet/ www.secureset.com

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A TIMELY IDEA FROM UNDER THE SHADE TREE The idea for Trace Eye-D, a can-do little security startup, headquartered in Bradenton, Florida, came out of a moment of reflection with his son, Chris, according to Ray Baden, a retired rancher and entrepreneur.

“We were just a couple of fellows,” he said, “and it was like we were sitting out there under a shade tree, wondering what we could do.” As a result of their time together, Ray, chairman, and Chris, president, believe their company can help make the world a safer place. Although Chris sees his father as the storyteller in the family, he and Barry Gorski, Trace Eye-D’s director of research and development, have some of their own. When Barry learned about the Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015, he called Chris from the company’s Sarasota lab.

Chris Baden, president, Trace Eye-D (left) Rob Hartwell, president, Hartwell Capitol Consulting (right)

According to the news, TATP, or triacetone triperoxide, a homemade explosive used by the terrorists, couldn’t be easily detected with existing technology. “What if I look into it?” Barry asked. He wasn’t surprised by TATP’s

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power or it’s presence in Paris. As a Marine Corps veteran, he knew how powerful small amounts of improvised explosives could be when detonated in an attack. In the days that followed, Chris and Barry decided to change their business direction. Instead of working on the new tracking solution Barry was developing, he would create an instant, easy to use way to detect TATP that wouldn’t require a lab or expensive equipment. Out of their inspiration, Formula PB-33 was created. Although the idea and the momentum came quickly, Barry took great care in developing and testing the formula. He got the help he needed to validate his tests through the efforts of Dr. Jose Ors, Natural Science Department, Chair, at the State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota (SCF). As Barry and Jose worked together, they drew on the school’s resources including its students. Through Trace Eye-D’s collaboration with SCF, internships were created and all parties benefited by bringing the students’ schoolwork together with real world experience.

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Although Trace Eye-D’s Formula PB-33 was created to identify the presence of TATP, it can identify the presence of all hydrogen peroxide-based explosive threats, including but not limited to HMTD and MEKP. These are the three main homemade explosives used by terrorists. PB-33 qualitatively identifies a sample as a member of the peroxide-based class of explosive materials. It does not detect individual explosives. When PB-33 comes in contact with an explosive precursor or impurity through a simple wipe and look process, it turns purple to indicate a threat is present. PB-33 is easy to use. It requires no extensive training or

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expensive equipment. All a tester with a premoistened wipe needs to do is: Open, Wipe, and Look. Trace Eye-D calls this the OWL process, where the tester will:

Palmetto, Florida, the Trace Eye-D team has made contacts in Washington, D.C. and around the world to take its products and processes to the next level.

• Open the wipe, • Wipe it across the test surface and, • Look to see if the formula on the wipe has changed color.

To make these advances possible, Rob has teamed with Dr. Will Rees, the former deputy under secretary of defense for the Department of Defense Laboratories and Basic Sciences, and Dr. Hans Mumm, a retired member of the Department of Defense, Technologies & Intelligence, to guide Trace Eye-D’s business direction and scientific development.

A change in color indicates a positive test, which means a hydrogen peroxide-based explosive threat is present. As Trace Eye-D rolls out PB-33, it will offer a variety of products including wipes, pens, spray, drops and other applications customized to its customers’ needs. It will also offer additional threat detection formulas and products for government, military, law enforcement and private security markets. Through its association with Rob Hartwell, of Hartwell Capitol Consulting, a global technology development firm located in

Front row: Trace Eye-D team: Ray Baden, chairman; Barry Gorski, director of research and development; Chris Baden, president Back row: Rob Hartwell, president, Hartwell Capitol Consulting; Peter Nealis, partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

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Public relations and digital media support for Trace Eye-D have been provided by James Judge, president, of Judge Public Relations, and Justin Mayfield, public relations and digital media manager. Judge PR is a national, full-service public relations, marketing and creative services firm headquartered in Tampa.

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"Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.â&#x20AC;? ANDY ROONEY

INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

EDUCATION 102

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Field trips have never been so easy... At long last, the outdated process of hand signing permission slips (and relying on children to deliver them) is coming to an end. The signature and payment processes for all communications between parents and teachers can now be digitized. And if you’re thinking, “Surely there was a way to do that already,” you’re not alone.

UI/UX design complimented Patrick’s experience as an enterprise software engineer in the finance and healthcare industries. By spring of 2016, the first version of the Script mobile app was ready to launch. In the app, users could create, manage, approve, sign, and pay for school trips. What used to take 3 weeks now took no more than a few minutes. It was beta tested in local charter schools and soon institutions nationwide were signing on for the 2017 school year.

Aaron White and Patrick Cahill knew they had hit on a business opportunity when they realized how much time and money was wasted or unaccounted for at schools in the Tampa Bay area. It didn’t take more than a couple looks at stacks of coffee stained papers and receipts for them to start thinking, “There’s got to be a way to digitize this that works for educational institutions.”

But that’s only the beginning of the story. Script’s latest release includes a storefront for teachers and administrators, so parents can pay for things like tuition and yearbooks, in addition to field trips. They can even round up their student’s costs to help pay for students whose families can’t afford to participate. Onward and upward!

But there wasn’t. So they started building it. With no former experience in entrepreneurial startups, they began working on a web-based application to help solve the problem. Soon after, they turned to John Legg, a charter school administrator, to provide strategic expertise and business development knowledge.

Script was recently accepted into the Tampa Bay WaVe, a nonprofit accelerator program that gives resources to the most cutting edge startups in the Bay Area. And with a growing client base and an unmatched product, the team plans to continue scaling, growing, and encouraging innovation in education for years to come.

As work on the first version of Script began, the team began to fire on all cylinders. Aaron’s background in IT systems management and

www.scriptapp.com

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PIKMYKID WAS FOUNDED WITH THE VISION TO SIMPLIFY THE STUDENT DISMISSAL PROCESS, INCREASE SAFETY AND SECURITY, EASE TRAFFIC, AND REDUCE THE CHAOS IN SCHOOLS AND NEIGHBORHOODS. PikMyKid is the only company in the United States that provides a comprehensive dismissal solution that addresses all of the dismissal needs of a school without the need to purchase, install, or support ANY additional hardware. As a true “Software as a Service” platform, teachers and staff are able to use their existing devices to manage PikMyKid. PikMyKid has partnered with Florida Department of Transportation to use predictive congestion planning to ease traffic around schools with traffic bottleneck around dismissal times. PikMyKid also uses machine learning to influence driver behavior in order to lower peak traffic loads in a very cost effective manner. With PikMyKid’s rapid adoption among schools, we are increasingly being used as the de facto channel for communication by schools for reaching out to their parent community through push notifications. We are quickly evolving from being a stand-alone solution for a single problem to becoming a platform where other products and services are offered to our impassioned community. This is possible due to rapid adoption from the

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for districts

parent community averaging over 85% in every school with a very high end user engagement on our platform on a daily basis.

for administrators

and other consumables. PikMyKid is able to effectively manage all the above without tracking students using biometrics, scanning cards/codes or any form of additional hardware requirements.

PikMyKid system is sold as an Annual Site License to single schools, school districts, after school programs, YMCAs, etc. Our highly qualified in-house development team is constantly working to improve the PikMyKid program using cutting edge innovations regularly. As a part of the Annual Site License, each client also receives all of the future product enhancements and innovation.

PikMyKid Schools regularly see 85% to 95% parent adoption within four weeks of launch. PikMyKid also includes an integrated Parent Notification System. Every successful student dismissal prompts a push notification automatically to each parent. Schools are also able to send custom notifications for any reason; late bus, emergencies, cancellations and any other reason.

Set-up, Training and Support is included in the Annual Site License for Staff & Parents. PikMyKid has a team of 100% USA based support reps ready to help. Support is 24 hours a day, seven days a week 365 days a year for our schools and families. PikMyKid Platform was designed with a simple idea: provide a safer dismissal process using the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing devices and infrastructure, eliminating any need for costly expenditures on hardware, scanners, servers, ID cards

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DYNAMIC COMMUNITIES DYNAMIC COMMUNITIES STRIVES TO MEET A SIMPLE GOAL - TO UNITE PEOPLE OF ALL LEVELS THROUGH COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITIES PROVIDE PEER-TO-PEER KNOWLEDGE-SHARING AND NETWORKING IN AN INNOVATIVE, LEARNING-BASED ATMOSPHERE TO HELP ALL SOFTWARE USERS ACHIEVE BETTER PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND BUSINESS SUCCESS.

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The value members find in these communities is based on the foundation of excellence that began in 2004, when a small group of CIOs discovered great value in sharing knowledge and experience with each other about their ongoing system and business strategies. Over the last 13 years, Dynamic Communities has established many user communities and brought their community best-practices to other associations seeking to optimize value to their members. “Our goal at Dynamic Communities is to create safe communities where users can grow their knowledge, competency, and confidence with their technology systems and business applications,” said Janet Lampert, President and COO Dynamic Communities. Today, the Dynamic Communities Groups represent over 120,000 individual members worldwide, representing 20,433 companies across many industries, disciplines, and software applications. By facilitating value exchange among members and providing business and event management, Dynamic Communities enables volunteer leaders to focus entirely on cultivating rich community engagement and delivering authentic member value. Volunteers are the driving force of the Communities: delivering content, sharing their knowledge, and helping to shape the future direction of the community. There are over 1,500 volunteers dedicating their time and sharing their knowledge to grow the communities. Microsoft recognizes Dynamic Communities as their go-to partner for organizing and supporting global user groups for many of their enterprise products.

“D365UG/CRMUG has been a huge enhancement to my career. It has given me an excellent avenue to continually learn about Microsoft Dynamics CRM and what’s new in upcoming releases. And I’m excited to start sharing more about what I have learned about CRM with the community!” – User Group Member “I love giving back to the community, and I challenge myself by trying to answer Open Forum questions. I do a little research, and if I can provide guidance to someone I’ve learned something and feel good about it! In a word, it’s the true meaning behind “Community!” - User Group Member

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Dynamic Communities founder, Andy Hafer cultivates a rich company culture of innovation and servanthood. Employees are encouraged to ‘fail forward,’ meaning taking, smart risks to drive innovation and garnering learning from failures. By being constructively dissatisfied, Dynamic Communities continues to drive new ideas and experiences for the user communities. To learn more about Dynamic Communities and to find out how to get involved, visit: www.dynamiccommunities.com/about

Phone: (877) 324 8880 www.dynamiccommunities.com

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In over 151 countries and 14 plus languages, Kornukopia is turning education upside down with a robust platform provided to schools at no cost. 108

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School System Canada Frustrated with the sophisticated ERP system that required them to change their operations to fit with the rigid process, this school system went looking for a better answer. Every school has common issues: the need to communicate, track students and their progress, provide learning content and operate the school. However, educators are constrained by inadequate legacy systems, with newer fragmented solutions resting on these historic frameworks. At the same time, educators are tasked by business and government to increase quality outcomes, and innovation is hampered in a struggle to penetrate a market that is huge, dysfunctional, and has limited resources and evolving demands.

“When our teachers took a look at Kornukopia they saw a system that was going to help them do their jobs more effectively. Our teachers work hard enough as it is; we can’t use a system that asks our teachers to become data input clerks. Kornukopia is a system that adds not only value to education but helps the teacher get the job done easily and efficiently. African Schools with over 6,000 Students In this part of Africa, access to wireless data and internet communications is not an issue – it’s the ability to distribute education content that is the pain-point for many national education efforts: last-mile access to education, educators, and existing education networks. Kornukopia is partnering with the education system, using the Kornukopia platform, not only to manage the education process and facilitate student-teacher communications, but also to distribute their education content.

Within this landscape, Kornukopia has released a feature-rich, easy to implement and easy to use FREE software as a service platform. It creates a seamless distribution network and delivery system for services modules, content and communication while bringing value to the schools, students and parents.

Improving Education – one school, one teacher, one student at a time.

The Revolution Begins Kornukopia’s size, growth and scale is the mechanism for educators to leverage this global education revolution in order to shape the future of education.

Charter School in Southeast Florida In Southeast Florida, this K-8 charter school uses Kornukopia for its operations at all grade levels. Class assignments, calendaring and communications are transmitted through Kornukopia basic communications modules. They manage student data, information on student progress, home, demographics, vaccinations, allergies, etc. – they are intense users of the Kornukopia SIS and LMS modules, storing key data within the Kornukopia ecosystem.

John Shine, Founder & CEO Kornukopia founder John Shine has had a significant career in technology and innovation, and a family steeped in education. Shine’s personal experience helped him realize how far behind the technology supporting education was, and he knew that only a revolutionary approach would dislodge education from its current obsolete position.

The school primarily caters to bilingual families. Kornukopia has the unique ability to cater not only to the school’s chosen primary language, but to the user’s chosen language, so parents and students can be more engaged in the learning process.

700 7th Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: (727) 365 6112 www.Kornukopia.com

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TECHNOLOGY HAS ENABLED TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES TO IMPROVE BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS, BUT FOR SOME REASON PROGRESSION STOPS AT COLLEGE TUTORING.

Team photo (from left to right): David Stoker (CTO), Shawn Doyle (CMO), Samyr Qureshi (CEO), Austin Doyle (Head of Community & Engagement), Dennis Hansen (CPO).

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Access to information is plenty, but existing resources for peer-to-peer tutoring and learning aren’t always convenient, affordable, or relevant. Students are left confused and relying on limited, disparate options – professor office hours, online self-help, or tracking down a tutor courtesy of a fortunately placed flyer. Enter Knack, a mobile app that connects college students who are struggling in a course with verified Course Experts (tutors) who have aced that exact class previously. Knack is not only a great way for students to get relevant, in-person, and on-demand help, it also provides flexible employment opportunities to excelling students. Students can meet up with Knack’s Course Experts one-on-one or in group settings.

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the Demo Day Pitch Competition at the 2015 Thiel Summit, and lastly raising institutional funding from multiple venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. The platform has processed thousands of hours of tutoring at multiple universities across the country. The team also strives to make a social impact, specifically serving underrepresented minority students seeking academic help. Knack has partnered with organizations including the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) to provide sponsored tutoring scholarships for students in need. While traditional scholarships help students pay for tuition, there are few that provide ongoing tutoring support to ensure successful degree completion.

Knack’s founders met while studying at the University of Florida. After facing the same problem in their own studies, they came together to develop a solution at UF’s business incubator, The Gator Hatchery. It was here that the idea gained traction and an initial user-base. The founding team includes Samyr Qureshi (CEO), Dennis Hansen (CPO), David Stoker (CTO), and Shawn Doyle (CMO). The team originally bonded over the desire to create an efficient peer-to-peer platform that would leverage the power of domain experts to help locals learn skills.

Knack seeks to provide academic support from the first day of freshman year through to the last day of senior year.

Knack continued to garner validation through a series of wins: taking 1st place at the University of Florida’s Business Plan Competition ($25,000 cash prize), winning

The app can be found in the Apple AppStore, Google Play Store, or on the web at JoinKnack.com.

The Knack team moved operations to Tampa Bay for the sunny weather, the vibrant community of entrepreneurs, and its proximity to other major cities with large universities. Knack plans to continue to grow and offer new lines of services as they “knacktivate” campuses across the nation – follow them as they revolutionize college tutoring through peer-to-peer learning.

Phone: (727) 412 2139 Facebook.com/JoinKnack | Instagram.com/JoinKnack Twitter.com/JoinKnack | www.JoinKnack.com

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E-NORTH AMERICA INC. BRINGS SWISS LABELED TRAINING KNOWLEDGE AND THE DANISH NR. ONE PERSONALITY TOOL TO TAMPA BAY.

This is also a story about a Father/Daughter Company Until July 2016 both Ronald and Jessica lived in Switzerland where they had been working with their company Siegel-HR in the trainer business. The new psychometric tool e-stimateÂŽ was the initial reason to come to Tampa Bay. Until a few years ago this tool was more or less only known in Denmark where it had been developed by Jorgen C. Friis in collaboration with the University of Arhus. Having a 25-year experience with psychometric tools such as e.g. Insights or MBTI the Siegel-HR Group immediately recognized the great Ronald Meier

Jessica Meier

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value of e-stimate and decided to translate the tool and bring it into the global market under the brand of e-International, Switzerland. With regard to the size of the U.S.-American market the Meier family took the chance to start a new company by founding e-northamerica in the summer of 2015. The preparation for setting everything up took about one year and was followed by promoting the training services of Siegel-HR as well as e-stimate at trade-shows such as Association for Talent Development (ATD), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Select USA in Las Vegas, Denver and Washington.

Training Having settled in the U.S. market, e-northamerica Inc. is now providing Swiss Labelled Trainings of highest Quality in the area of leadership, sales, negotiation and communication. The trainings are always conducted in a hands-on way and are tailored to the needs of the participants according to their respective business setting. In addition the impact of the “personal factor” (the individual personality of each participant) on business behavior always plays an important role in each training.

PSYCHOMETRIC PERSONALITY TOOL Apart from the trainings mentioned above e-northamerica focuses on introducing the psychometric tool “e-stimate®” to the U.S.-American market, thereby acting as the main agent for North-America giving out licenses and conducting accreditations for companies, trainers and consultants who want to work with a tool that has been rated no. 1 in Talent Development, Coaching and Leadership by the branch report Supana.

Innovative Project: www.coachtheworld.com To promote these ideas Jessica has developed the project “coach-the-world.com”, a platform where trainers, coaches and entrepreneurs can place their services on a virtual world map in order to become part of a global coaching network.

“This International Coaching platform”… “Coming soon“

E-Mail: ronald.meier@e-northamerica.com jessica.meier@e-northamerica.com www.e-northamerica.com www.coachtheworld.com

Image by John Weatherby

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“He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.” THOMAS CARLYLE

INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

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Molekule is a science based clean air company dedicated to eliminating indoor air pollution, for everyone, everywhere. The company was born of a father’s desire to alleviate his son’s debilitating allergy and asthma symptoms.

In 1995, Dr. Yogi Goswami found that existing air filtration solutions for poor indoor air quality were fundamentally unable to solve the problem for his son. Instead, he turned to his own expertise and research in solar energy and asked whether a new approach to clean the air could be found. Then followed 20 years of research and development at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida, with support from the U.S. government including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Defense. After numerous publications and patents, the technology behind Molekule was born. By combining nanotechnology and scientific processes, Dr. Goswami developed a revolutionary way to eliminate contaminants from the air, and this innovative technology has FDA clearance. Molekule’s ability to completely eliminate volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, bacteria, viruses, and even ozone has been independently tested and verified by

third-party laboratories, including the University of South Florida Clean Energy Research Center. Today, Dr. Goswami’s son, Dilip, and daughter, Jaya, are cofounders along with him to bring this technology to everyone in the form of a physical product. Molekule, founded in 2014, shipped the first product, a molecular air purifier, in April of 2017. Molekule has already helped many beta testers and consumers breathe easier in their homes and has been shown to alleviate symptoms of allergies and asthma. Molekule is the first of its kind in the air purification market to completely eliminate the full spectrum of airborne contaminants. The company’s vision is to expand the Molekule technology into business, airplanes, hospitals, and more, so that all indoor air pollution can effectively be eliminated, making the indoors safer and healthier for everyone. To learn more about Molekule, please visit molekule.com

Contact Information: Address: 1184 Harrison St. San Francisco, CA 94103, and 3802 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 143, Tampa, FL 33612 Website: www.molekule.com | Twitter: @molekuleair | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molekuleair/

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Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, St. Petersburg, Florida

Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, located in St. Petersburg, is the most advanced children’s hospital on Florida’s west coast. We stand at the forefront of discovery, leading innovative research to cure and prevent childhood diseases while training the next generation of pediatric experts. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital consistently keeps the patient and family at the center of care while continuing to expand its mission in treatment, research, education and advocacy.

Jonathan Ellen, M.D., President, CEO and Physician-in-Chief, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital; Vice Dean and Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

The Johns Hopkins All Children’s health system includes a 259-bed inpatient teaching hospital with 11 outpatient care centers and collaborations with 13 community and regional hospitals that allow us to provide the right care, at the right place for best value and best possible outcomes for our families. Ranked as a U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital, Johns Hopkins All Children’s is one of the largest freestanding children’s hospitals in the southeast and one of only three freestanding children’s hospitals in Florida.

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Sharon Ghazarian, Ph.D., senior director of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Health Informatics Core, and Prabhu Parimi, M.D., director of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Maternal, Fetal & Neonatal Institute NETWORK OF CARE Johns Hopkins All Children’s is committed to helping families receive the highest quality of care and build healthy communities. Our reach extends beyond the walls of our hospital to impact: • 425 pediatric hospital beds and 500,000 annual patient visits managed throughout westcentral Florida; • 3,200 employees; • 2 million families touched annually by community benefit programs and services; • $600-plus million in total economic impact in Florida. As part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, we have rigorous standards to uphold our long-standing tradition in clinically based pediatric care and commitment to advance education and research in children’s health. Our centers of excellence include

four institutes focused on brain protection sciences; maternal, fetal and neonatal care; cancer and blood disorders and heart disorders in children. The institutes include internationally recognized leaders in congenital and pediatric heart surgery, thrombosis and stroke, and brain and spinal tumor surgery. In addition, our Departments of Medicine, Anesthesia and Surgery are home to numerous nationally recognized leaders in their fields, including an expert in congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a rare birth defect affecting about one in 3,000 babies resulting in a hole in the diaphragm which allows abdominal organs to move into the chest. HEALTH INFORMATICS The amount of electronic health care data available today creates several analytical challenges, including how best to strategically use the data to

Johns Hopkins All Children’s clinical nurse, Latasha Robinson, delivers high-quality, patient-centered care. guide care. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Health Informatics Core brings electronic health data to the bedside to impact the patient in the moment of treatment. Complementing clinical research, experts in computing, biostatistics and research methods develop meaningful analytical methodologies to make sense of the data. Clinicians can then use the data to provide high-value care that fosters the best outcomes, ensures the highest level of patient safety and lowers the cost of care. GLOBAL REACH As international patient demand rapidly grows, Johns Hopkins All Children’s plays an integral part in providing alternative access to pediatric health care services and a greater geographical reach to diverse patient markets. The International Program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s will primarily serve families in Latin America and the Caribbean, working closely with the Johns Hopkins International Global Services and Patient Services located in Baltimore, Maryland.

David Kays, M.D., a national leader in the treatment of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Neuro-Oncologist Stacie Stapleton, M.D. with a neurofibromatosis patient

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Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital 501 6th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: 727-898-7451 or 800-456-4543 HopkinsAllChildrens.org

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Rendering of the future Johns Hopkins All Children’s Research and Education Building opening Fall 2018

The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Research and Education Building, opening in fall 2018, will serve as a pediatric innovation center focused on new discoveries and treatments for childhood diseases. The 225,000-square-foot facility will house a 250-seat auditorium, research core facilities and offices, simulation center and research lab space. It will be home to an estimated 200 faculty, educators, researchers, physicians, nurses and support staff. Raquel Hernandez, M.D., (center) leading morning rounds with Johns Hopkins All Children’s resident physicians.

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Jennifer Arnold, M.D., medical director of the simulation center

Rendering of the operating room in the new simulation center

PIONEERING RESEARCH Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital already is home to more than 350 pediatric clinical research studies, including funding by grants from the National Institutes of Health. The new facility will further expand Johns Hopkins All Children’s research mission and strengthen collaborative research across many areas of pediatric medicine. Major research components in the building include:

• Standardized patients - actors trained to present clinical symptoms - as part of the Johns Hopkins’ Standardized Patient Program, for medical students to practice clinical skills in a simulated environment.

• 40,442 square feet of laboratory space, including more than 27,000 square feet for wet labs, providing ample space for bench research. • An accredited pediatric biorepository, with high-tech low-temperature storage and a capacity of over 2 million specimens. • Collaborative space for the hospital’s teams of specialists and for conducting clinical, translational and basic science research that can be translated to improve health and well-being in the future. • Flexible, open lab spaces that can be configured in various ways to fit the needs of particular research teams with adjacent office and meeting spaces designed to encourage collaboration.

The Research and Education Building brings Johns Hopkins All Children’s closer to uniting innovation and collaboration among physicians, scientists, residents, fellows and the community so that we are able to improve the future of children’s healthcare. Working together, these teams will allow us to develop more precise approaches that will impact the treatment and prevention of disease not just when they are children, but throughout their lives.

TRAINING MEDICAL STAFF The building also will serve as a training ground for physicians, residents, fellows, nurses, some patient families and other highly-specialized professionals, offering an innovative simulation environment to ensure the safest and best care for children. New Simulation Center medical director Jennifer Arnold, M.D., M.Sc., FAAP, a national leader in the field, will lead the transition into the new state-of-the art facility, which will include features such as: • High-fidelity, simulation-based rooms for clinical teams to practice a variety of skills and procedures on medical mannequins that are capable of human-like reactions, such as pain, bleeding and seizures. • Debriefing spaces for medical students to review their recorded training sessions and critique and learn from their clinical simulations. • Several multipurpose rooms designed to act as trauma, patient or other medical rooms where clinical teams work together.

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Pediatric transplant cardiologist Alfred Asante-Korang, M.D. with a heart transplant patient Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital 501 6th Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: 727-898-7451 or 800-456-4543 HopkinsAllChildrens.org

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MOFFITT CANCER CENTER TAMPA, FLORIDA WE ARE THE PRODUCT OF INNOVATION. AND OUR GOAL IS TO MOVE IT FORWARD, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PATIENTS WE SERVE AND ALL THOSE WHO WILL FACE A CANCER DIAGNOSIS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Moffitt Cancer Center is Florida’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute’s highest ranking for clinical and scientific excellence. Comprehensive centers are also a major source of discovery and development of more effective approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Since opening in Tampa in October 1986, Moffitt has worked tirelessly in the areas of patient care, research and education. Our 5,600 team members share a singular mission: To contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. Each and every team member makes a difference, whether they are part of our research institute, our free-standing inpatient 206-bed hospital, or active outpatient clinics on Moffitt’s main campus and its two satellite outpatient facilities. Moffitt focuses on cutting-edge research aimed at rapidly translating scientific discoveries into improved diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic advances. Research activities are focused around five programs consisting of multidisciplinary teams who investigate all aspects of cancer. Moffitt has more than 400 active clinical trials, with more than 150 initiated by Moffitt investigators. One distinctive innovation is Moffitt’s development and commitment to Total Cancer Care® – a comprehensive approach to cancer care that enables researchers and caregivers to identify and meet all the needs of a patient and their family during the patient’s lifetime. Launched at Moffitt in 2006, the protocol provides a standard system for tracking patient molecular, clinical

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(left to right) Dr. Alan List, President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center, and Dr. Thomas Sellers, Executive Vice President and Center Director of Moffitt Cancer Center

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(left to right) L. David de la Parte, Esq., Executive Vice President and Moffitt General Council; Jarett Rieger, Esq., Senior Director of Moffitt’s Office of Innovation and Industry Alliances; Dr. James Mulé, Associate Center Director of Translational Research at Moffitt Cancer Center

and epidemiological data and follows the patient throughout his or her lifetime. Moffitt’s majorityowned subsidiary M2Gen manages the protocol, which has now been adopted by 15 other cancer care institutions that are members of the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN®). ORIEN has gathered data from more than 160,000 consented patients, creating one of the largest data warehouses in the U.S. dedicated to the improvement of personalized medicine. In 2016, M2Gen® and ORIEN® launched the Avatar™ Research Program. This program helps to solve a systemic challenge in pharmaceutical research and development by dramatically increasing the patient population that can be screened for clinical trials.

As Moffitt’s research yields results, there is a need to provide protection and, in some cases, commercialization of its innovative discoveries. This is why Moffitt created the Office of Innovation and Industry Alliances in 2003. The Innovation Office evaluates whether these discoveries are novel and non-obvious under patent law, as well as determines their commercial viability. Such efforts are critical to effectively offering Moffitt’s commercially valuable inventions to the private sector – and ultimately, to cancer patients. The mission of the Innovation Office is to advance technologies through partnership between our faculty, staff and industry. This mission is being accomplished by the growing number of licensing

deals with established companies, as well as assisting Moffitt in forming biomedical startup companies. Over the last three years, the office has achieved the following: • • • • •

$49 million in global funding 11 active start-up companies 41 U.S. patents issued 8 registered trademarks 49 licenses

Moffitt’s Innovation Office also actively cultivates new strategic alliances with industry. These relationships facilitate Moffitt’s ability to achieve access to new technologies, industry expertise, funding and intellectual property licensing – all essential for advancing the development of new technologies. The Innovation Office also offers an Executive in Residence Program to match successful business executives with Moffitt faculty who want to create startups to further develop Moffitt technologies. Moffitt recruits local and national executives who have expertise in growing companies and who are interested in giving back to their communities through mentoring.

For more information about Moffitt Cancer Center, visit Moffitt.org.

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MORPHOGENESIS, INC. A company of firsts. For instance, Morphogenesis was one of Florida’s first biotechnology companies and one of the University of Florida Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator’s first tenants. Morphogenesis was also one of the world’s first companies to work on developing immunotherapy products and the world’s first and only company to provide personalized whole-cell cancer vaccines to pets with cancer. It’s not easy nowadays to be the first at anything, but the Morphogenesis Team has its aspirations set high. The team is passionate, dedicated, committed, motivated and driven, and realizes that as the business of science evolves, maintaining the status quo is not an option. Commitment to leading the charge into the scientific unknowns for the betterment of people’s lives and the determination to continue being pioneers leading the way is what keeps them going. True to the Company logo’s tagline, “change is the way of life,” the Team continuously seeks to embrace changes, adapt to them and influence them. In addition to aspiring to create a device that will find and isolate extremely rare cells, such as stem cells and circulating tumor cells from blood and bone marrow, the Team is looking to create banks of cells that can replace damaged cells and tissues without having to use immunosuppressive drugs that can be extremely debilitative over time. This technology holds extreme promise for diseases such as diabetes, cancer and sickle cell disease to name a few. The Team has also developed a way to treat many types of cancer in a patient-friendly manner for a fraction of the cost of current therapies. The Company’s direct DNA cancer vaccine can be freeze dried and shipped anywhere in the world. Once on site, the vaccine can be reconstituted and injected directly into the patient’s tumor.

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This sophisticated, cutting-edge, side-effect-free treatment could easily be available to patients in developing countries where even therapies that are considered outdated in most of the developed world are either unavailable, unaffordable or both. The side-effect-free part is not only patient-friendly but also adds to the affordability because there is no supportive care necessary to treat the toxic side effects associated with the majority of current cancer therapies. As of this writing, the Morphogenesis cancer vaccine is about to enter human trials for the first time. However, the Morphogenesis Team is not concerned about safety or efficacy issues when the study gets underway. This may seem rather unusual, but the way the Team figures it, their vaccine has been used to treat so many animals of different breeds of different species with different types of cancer, that they are fairly certain that it will perform similarly in people. In fact, Morphogenesis has created a subsidiary that does nothing but prepare a personalized form of the vaccine for pets with cancer. Veterinary Oncology Services works with veterinarians across the U.S. to help dogs, cats and horses (”Heroes”) with many different types of cancer. Morphogenesis is also expecting its veterinary form of the Direct DNA vaccine to be approved shortly for use in treating horses with melanoma - a first.

Dedicated to the Company’s mission to “end needless suffering,” this Team is starting here at home in Florida, in Tampa, to make sure their community is first when people around the world think about home-grown innovation accomplished with compassionate heart!

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INNOVATORS IN CARE COORDINATION. UNAPOLOGETICALLY PATIENT-CENTERED. CareSync is the leading provider of Chronic Care Management products and services. We are on the cutting edge of healthcare and healthcare reform, supporting patients with software and clinical services to manage their chronic conditions, and supporting physicians with industry-leading technology and solutions to transition to value-based care.

Travis Bond, Founder and CEO, CareSync

Serving over 1,000 healthcare providers at more than 300 locations across the United States, we leverage compassionate human resources with technology and clinical services to provide patients with 24/7/365 care coordination.

between office visits. Family members feel confident their loved one is being looked after. Caregivers receive support in managing someone else’s care. And patients receive better quality care around the clock, not just in the exam room.

What is Care Coordination? Care coordination helps patients achieve better health outcomes, follow through on their doctor’s instructions, and obtain the resources they need to reach their healthcare goals. This can be especially important when patients have conditions that require continuous monitoring and management, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

A Team Ready to Serve Our Health Assistants work day and night to answer health questions, ensure patients have better healthcare experiences, and help patients overcome healthcare challenges, such as finding transportation to appointments, or locating discounts for prescribed medications.

Through care coordination, doctors gain valuable information about each patient’s care and progress

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emergency responders received important medical information in time, and saved lives by identifying what could have been serious and potentially fatal drug interactions. Everything they do in service to the patient supports the provider’s practice as well. Health Assistants follow each doctor’s preferences and protocols to ensure true continuity of care. Healthcare organizations can quickly expand patient access to care and new services. And physicians can demonstrate and report on achieving the quality and performance measures new healthcare programs require. An Evolution in Care What we humbly began in 2011 has been reshaped by exciting innovations in healthcare technology (our own and others), patient experiences in navigating a fragmented healthcare system, and Medicare programs that are dramatically changing the way healthcare is consumed and reimbursed. Strong partnerships with industry-leading healthcare technology companies such as athenahealth, NextGen, and Allscripts have helped to extend our reach, and connect us with

In 2016, CareSync was named Technology Company of the Year by Tampa Bay Technology Forum. As CareSync CEO Travis Bond said at the time, “We believe Tampa Bay is a growing hub for healthcare and technology services and an ideal place to live, work, and play. We want to show the world you can build successful technology companies in zip codes other than California, Massachusetts, and DC.” even more healthcare organizations looking to leverage care coordination to improve quality and increase revenue. Today, the combination of our technology, integrations, services, patient engagement tools, and partnerships, all wrapped in a HITRUST, Drummond certified, secure framework, position CareSync to remain the leader in care coordination services for decades to come.

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VISUALIZING HEALTHCARE MEDIVU WAS FOUNDED BY EXPERTS IN WORK-FLOW PROCESS AND DATA VISUALIZATION.

Visual Healthcare Timeline Through years of designing solutions to help businesses become more productive in reaching their goals, one common element would always be present – if you could provide users all the necessary information required to make decisions in a way that allows them to quickly consume that information with minimal cognitive load, the user will become more efficient and the business more successful. Scientific studies have proven that the brain can process visual images thousands of times faster than reading text and information obtained visually is retained three times longer than other learning methods. With this knowledge, our team began designing a technology that can present information through a dynamic image that is actionable and allows users to quickly understand all the important information at a glance to make better decisions.

Glenn Palmiere, VP of Business Development

We began designing a technology that can present information using intelligent iconography, which

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is a dynamic image that provides a way to visualize multivariant data to amplify human cognition. MediVu’s visualization technology is patented and is currently focused in the healthcare sector but is applicable to manufacturing, financial, government, and the transportation sectors. Any business that requires tactical decisions to be made based on dynamic data points can benefit from this visualization technology. In the healthcare sector, our applications are used by providers, payers and patients to help them interact with healthcare data throughout the delivery continuum. Our first application for the Tampa Bay area is used by Tampa General Hospital, Tampa General Medical Group and the University of South Florida Health System. It is an application that allows clinicians and patients to have a conversation about the patient’s health while

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Engage the patient is at the clinic. The application is named Engage because its focus is to activate and engage a patient in their healthcare. National studies have found that an engaged patient has a 22% lower annual health care cost than a patient who is not engaged. By utilizing the MediVu visualization technology, Engage displays information to the user through an intuitive pictorial interface that minimizes the confusion and allows them to focus on areas of concern. The clinician uses the application as a teaching tool to help answer questions the patient may have, identify areas where they are doing well, and other matters that may need some attention. The Engage application is also accessible by patients on their smartphone when they are not at the clinic. In the Tampa General Hospital health system, Engage connects to their Epic electronic health record (EHR) system but our technology is data source agnostic and can easily plug into any hospital, any ambulatory, or any payer EHR system. In addition to Engage, MediVu’s product suite includes: • Universal EHR Viewer – This application delivers patient data based on the user’s role from the EHR system. • Visual Healthcare Timeline – This application provides an interactive, visual map of all patient events throughout the healthcare continuum with drill-down capabilities. • Telehealth Monitoring System – This application visually fuses EHR data, home health monitoring

Universal EHR Viewer

device data, and personal fitness tracking device data so a clinician can monitor patients out of the hospital with a chronic disease in real-time to prevent emergency department and/or hospital events from occurring. MediVu has developed a technology that can improve the user’s ability to process information and ultimately improve outcomes. Since our technology is language agnostic, device agnostic, and data source agnostic, it allows us to develop products that can complement existing applications as well as develop new solutions to help organizations achieve their goals.

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3903 70th Ave E, Ellenton, FL 34222 Phone: (941) 586-1832 | Twitter - @MediVu www.MediVu.com

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A DYNAMIC DIGITAL HEALTH STARTUP THAT EMPOWERS HEALTHCARE COMPANIES TO QUICKLY MAKE SENSE OF THEIR DATA.

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Using the Metasense cloud data platform, customers gain fast actionable insights to improve health outcomes, enhance efficiency, and lower healthcare costs. The company’s cutting-edge Analytics Accelerator software is a quick, easy, lightweight alternative to increase the productivity of a healthcare data science team by driving lightning fast actionable insights. Key Customer Benefits and Differentiators • Light, fast implementation. Sign up, log in and start working. No long, complex and expensive implementation process. • Enhances your existing data infrastructure. Get answers without waiting weeks for data sources or element changes. Govern, collaborate, share and reuse data and insights between Metasense and your existing infrastructure. • Rapidly proliferate real-time insights into front-line actions. Integrate insight feeds directly into dashboards and action prompters. • Free up IT and Data Science bottlenecks by decentralizing analytics. Empower your business users to lead their own data projects with our business rules focus that eliminates hand software coding. • Robust business rules management. Focus on managing business rules and eliminate software hand coding. • Answer your organization’s unique questions. Infinite analytics use cases combined with easy algorithm builder releases your team from vendor use case constraints. Organizational Users • Medical informatics team • Data management team • Business users • Data scientists • Business analysts • Data “citizens”

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Key Product Features • Cognitive healthcare data intake: accelerated with Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing for intelligent, automated, real-time data ingestion. • Self-service data preparation: empowers business users and accelerates time-to-insight. • Fast analytics: powered by Project Stencils™ and Artificial Intelligence, integrates insights into workflows to drive smart action. • Enhances existing data infrastructure and Business Intelligence tools without disrupting them. • Secure, encrypted and HIPAA compliant cloud. Metasense was founded in 2016 by an experienced team of healthcare and data experts, who are deeply mission-driven and believe that, by empowering faster understanding of data, its software will help people lead healthier lives and lower healthcare costs across the U.S. The company has been a finalist in several startup contests, including the Harvard Business School New Venture Competition (southeast), and is a member of the Tampa Bay WaVE startup accelerator. Metasense is proud to be headquartered in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Bay Area’s developing startup ecosystem, technical and business talent, and excellent healthcare and academic institutions, make it a great place to do business.

500 E Kennedy Blvd, Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813.586.4390 | Email: info@metasense.tech www.metasense.tech

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NFC

Skynet

Healthcare TechnologiesÂŽ BLE

All emergency call systems are not created equal. The Skynet emergency call system shows the staff the exact location of a resident in real-time on an interactive map display. A resident can make an emergency call from anywhere in the community with our simple tap to call feature on their wristband. Staff are immediately notified via communication panels located throughout the community and iPod touch communication devices. Staff can respond to the call and easily clear the alert on the communication panel or the staff iPod touch. In addition to the wrist call alerts, residents can utilize the bathroom pull cord or pendant alerts as well.

Toll-Free: 844-537-1376 www.SkynetHealthcare.com Twitter: @skynethealthcaretechnologies

The Skynet real time location system and interactive maps help provide increased safety and better quality of care.

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PCB Design

Vertically Integrated Product Development From software and hardware to materials and finishes, Skynet develops the entire ecosystem in-house. With a newly established Product Development team, a production scale 3D print lab and plans to move all PCB production in-house; Skynet is leading the way in the development of user-friendly healthcare solutions. By utilizing next generation technology and cutting edge materials and production processes, Skynet is introducing a more modern approach to the way we typically think of products in the healthcare industry.

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Software Developed from the Ground Up The Skynet software engineering team builds all the software in-house, including everything from firmware, to iOS apps, to touch screen applications that allow residents to touch and see their digital community. Our software ecosystem is a true IoT architecture built on micro service principals running components both on premise and in the cloud, and leveraging state of the art telemetry through MQTT and predictive analytics using Azure ML. Our engineers are experts in C++, .NET core, HTML5 and CSS3, Objective C, Swift, and a myriad of JavaScript frameworks.

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THERAPY ASSISTANCE ONLINE (TAO) Dr. Sherry Benton, founder and inventor of TAO (Therapy Assistance Online), is a woman with a vision - one in which every person who needs mental health treatment is able to access it easily and affordably, regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status. After serving as the director of the counseling center at the University of Florida, which provides services to a population of 50,000 students, she was made starkly aware of the supply and demand problem for mental health therapy. University counseling centers

are often under-staffed and under-funded and it is common for students to be subjected to a waitlist before receiving treatment. The situation for access to traditional treatment is not much more optimistic for the rest of the country- 56% of U.S. counties have no licensed mental health providers and over 90 million people live in federally designated mental health underserved areas. Dr. Benton felt this disparity was “intolerable” and set out in an entrepreneurial pursuit to revolutionize the landscape of behavioral telehealth solutions. The TAO platform - an online suite of tools accessible from any device with an internet connection - is designed to address this pervasive problem of access and affordability and bring effective treatment to those who have had limited access in the past. The TAO product was first developed out of the University of Florida’s College of Education in 2012, and by August of 2013, the treatment was offered on UF’s campus for students suffering with anxiety. The overwhelming success of the treatment led to the roll-out of the beta product to nine additional universities for testing. Since then TAO developed additional treatments, grown the company with investments from prominent firms, secured two National Science Foundation grants for the development of a machine learning-based counseling system, and moved it’s headquarters from Gainesville to St. Petersburg, Florida.

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TAO allows therapists to interact with clients via secure videoconferencing and monitor their progress while also providing their clients with engaging educational videos and interactives, daily “homework” and logs, artificial intelligenceinformed tools, and the convenience of having treatment materials accessible to them 24/7. Understanding the need for a business-minded leader at the helm, TAO brought on Bob Clark, former healthcare executive and software developer, as Chief Executive Officer in 2015. The TAO team is a harmonious balance of science, creativity and business savvy, with salespeople, developers, designers and administrative support,

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all working to support the vision and mission of social justice through technology. Located on the bustling 600 Block of Downtown St. Petersburg, TAO fits in well with the entrepreneurial spirit of the locally-owned economy for which this city is lauded. TAO is currently utilized internationally at more than 60 university counseling centers, in several private practices and in 1 EAP - and those numbers continue to climb as the platform gains traction as a viable solution for addressing the shortcomings of the current behavioral health system. With depression and anxiety becoming more prevalent

in today’s fast-paced world, people are searching for a solution that they can fit into their busy lives. Using TAO, a patient can connect with a therapist from the privacy of their home, their office, a café - anywhere with an internet connection. Combining the videoconferencing capabilities with the breadth of online tools for accountability and progress, TAO’s treatments have been shown to be more effective than traditional face-to-face therapy alone. The TAO Connect mission is no small undertaking, but TAO is making huge strides in delivering a telehealth solution to improve the future of behavioral health.

TAO Connect 600 1st Avenue North, Suite 305 St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Phone: (844) 438-8262 www.facebook.com/TAOConnectinc/ twitter.com/TAOConnect www.taoconnect.org 133

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SYNDAVER LABS MANUFACTURES THE WORLDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MOST SOPHISTICATED SYNTHETIC HUMAN TISSUES AND BODY PARTS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ALL DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED RIGHT HERE IN TAMPA BAY.

Our SynDaver Synthetic Human bleeds, breathes, and employs hundreds of replaceable muscles, bones, organs, and vessels which are made from materials that mimic the mechanical, thermal, and physicochemical properties of live tissue. This validated technology is used to replace live animals, cadavers, and human patients in medical device studies, clinical training, and surgical simulation. SynDaver Labs was founded in 2004 to commercialize a novel system of synthetic human body parts for the medical device industry. These sophisticated models replicate human anatomy in great detail, including individual muscles, tendons, veins, arteries, nerves and organs, all made from complex composites that mimic the properties of discrete living tissues. Made from water, fibers, and salts, each of these tissues have been validated for mechanical, chemical, thermal, and dielectric properties against the relevant living tissue.

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In fact, SynDaver Labs maintains the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest database of LIVE tissue properties, and our products are used in such diverse fields as surgical training, medical device testing, consumer products evaluation, and ballistics testing. Work on this technology was initiated at the University of Florida in 1993. Initial studies involved the manufacture of synthetic trachea models to replace live animals in the testing of airway devices and the development of interpenetrating polymer-fiber networks to mimic lumenal structures such as vessels.

SynDaver Labs 8506 Benjamin Road, Tampa, Florida 33634 Phone: (813) 600 5530 Fax: (813) 600 3235 www.syndaver.com

The materials developed as a result of these studies are now used extensively in the industry as simple vein and artery mimics.

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THE WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED THERMAL REHAB MACHINE POLAR BREEZE® BY STATIM TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

The Polar Breeze® microenvironmental air-chiller is the only device that can lower brain temperature 1°F. every two minutes! In actual tests, Polar Breeze® has lowered firefighter temperatures in Thermal Rehabilitation from 104.3°F. to 98.6°F. in 11 minutes. Independent outside testing confirms this observation.

Physiologists now recognize cooling the brain as the most critical component in the treatment of Thermal Stress Illness (heat exhaustion, heat injury, heat stroke) and must be started as soon as possible to prevent the complications that can progress to heat stroke. A deep review of the physiology literature from the last half-century reveals an effective mechanism to treat Thermal Stress Illness but has never been effectively implemented. Polar Breeze® now incorporates that technology with newer technology that creates vastly more efficient cooling of the brain through special structures of the human scalp and face, as well as employing cutting-edge physiology research to cool the bloodstream directly through the lungs. The human lung has ~59x the surface area of the skin and is approximately 60% the size of a single’s tennis court! Here the bloodstream is separated from inhaled cold air only by the thickness of one cell-layer in the lung’s air sacs surrounded by blood capillaries. And that one layer of cells in the air sacs has no fat as insulation to hold the heat in the bloodstream, unlike trying to cool the body through the skin. Thus, with Polar Breeze® comes cooling of the body from the inside-out instead of from the outside-in, as occurs with cooling by sweat on the skin. Fat in the skin acts as insulation to hold body heat in. The first organs to be cooled with Polar Breeze® are the ones usually most damaged by Thermal Stress Illness - the brain (hypothalamus), heart, lungs, and gut. This should provide greater relief and help protect against the advancement of thermal stress progressing to heat stroke.

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Benjamin R. Kugler, President

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This disruptive technology has amazed all who have tried it at firefighter burns and demonstrations; athletic practices; and more. Its ability to cool the ambient air 30°F in a single pass has meant comfort and relief of heat-stress for all who have tried it in high Heat Index conditions. Polar Breeze® is the result of 20+ years of research by Tampa Bay anesthesiologist and former emergency physician, Ralf Blackstone MD. Polar Breeze® is designed, engineered, and assembled in Tampa Bay with quality American components. We know of global warming and, as such, the incidence of heat waves resulting in Thermal Stress Illness and heat stroke are likely to increase over the coming years. The data is daunting: • In the mid-to-late summer of 1995, Chicago experienced its worst heat wave; over 650 individuals died of heatstroke in a two week period. In research conducted by the University of Chicago, an additional 1,000 people who survived their initial bout of heatstroke perished 6 to 12 months later of their heatstroke injuries. • The world’s worst heat wave occurred in Europe between July and August 2003, taking the lives of 70,000 people. France alone reported 14,800 heatstroke fatalities with the other European countries reporting the balance. • On average, over 7,000 people worldwide die each year from heatstroke. Countless thousands more who survive are handicapped by its debilitating residual effects. • The second leading cause of death and injury to athletes worldwide is heatstroke, second only to cardiac arrest. Current studies may yet prove a direct link between heatstroke and cardiac arrest in athletes. • Per the CDC; the leading cause of death and injury in high school sports is heatstroke.

Our Goal, at Statim Technologies LLC with our Polar Breeze® microenvironmental air-chillers and Hoods, is to help limit Thermal Stress Illness and thereby help prevent its progression to debilitating injury. In this manner, we hope to make the lives of firefighters; athletes training and/or playing on the field; or workers in high heat and humidity worksites better and safer in this and the coming years. 510 Garden Ave., Clearwater, Fl. 33755 Toll Free (877) 474–2841 www.polarbreeze.net 137

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THE BEST INNOVATIONS ARE THOSE THAT MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE BY SOLVING AN EXISTING PROBLEM AND ENHANCING THE WELLBEING OF THOSE WHO USE IT. It’s even more intriguing when the innovation is locally manufactured and globally distributed; but never originally intended for the retail market. This is the story behind the creation of Asteeza. Jorge Astorquiza, a local and well respected chemist for over 45 years was suddenly confronted with an unexpected family health issue. His son in-law; Randy a sports enthusiast suffered a life altering foot injury that would keep him from enjoying an active lifestyle that included coaching his daughters. The pain caused by the condition left him with a decision no one wants to make, discontinue doing the things he loved; or become a statistic among those addicted to harmful pain killers. Astorquiza sprang into action and relied on his experience as a chemist and passion for nature inspired remedies to embark on a global investigation in search of an alternative option. The exhaustive study would span five continents and include centuries of closely guarded medicinal plant secrets. The result was a precise formula that combined highly coveted herbs with modern technology unique to anything ever developed. After the first application of the topical ointment, Randy felt relief from the pain that had plagued him for so long. The distinctive combination was unlike anything on the market. It didn’t irritate his skin, emit an unpleasant odor nor produce irritable hot or cold sensations. Friends soon found out about the discovery and the family began to share it with those suffering from joint discomfort, muscle soreness and overall body aches. It quickly became apparent that there were many others eager for a natural, non-addictive alternative. Due to the outpouring of requests, Astorquiza began to manufacture, package and distribute the ointment to be sold at Walgreens, local independent pharmacies, national distributors and abroad. Asteeza even caught the attention of USF’s prestigious school of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation as well as its School of Pharmacy where it is currently featured as a cutting edge product in their new state-of-the-art pharmacy. Alexis Morgado, Astorquiza’s granddaughter says “Asteeza was a Godsend that helped my dad and it’s our duty to share it with others, especially those in our local community who have supported its development”.

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MAKE IT

TAMPA BAY IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC...

DOWNLOAD THE GLOBALVILLAGE AR APP TO VIEW 100 AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEOS IN THIS BOOK! To experience the future of print, download the Global Village AR App from the IOS or Android App stores. Open the App and hold it about 30cm above any page that contains an image with the “play” Icon.

Make sure your back camera is pointing at the page. Click the Play button that appears onscreen and immerse yourself in the latest updated content with reference to that page.

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"Opportunities don't happen. You create them." CHRIS GROSSER

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MOBILE HAS CHANGED TODAY’S CUSTOMER JOURNEY Mobile has revolutionized today’s customer journey. We have now become a “mobile-first” society where we turn to our mobile device as our first point of interaction for most of our needs, and having a strategy to reach us through this device has become crucial for nearly all companies to do business.

But trying to do this business isn’t easy. New technologies, shifting laws and changing consumer tastes are constantly reshaping the mobile landscape, and navigating all these challenges has truly come to require an expert guide. Syniverse, headquartered in Tampa, has been serving as this guide since the dawn of mobile, starting in 1987. Today we connect more than 1,000 operators and over 500 other companies in almost 200 countries. Our specialization is bridging technology islands and commercial worlds, so our customers can reach, protect, and engage their mobile users anytime, anywhere. And we do this all with an entirely cloud-based approach. Our history as a leader in delivering on the promise of mobility has been earned from enabling interoperability for hundreds of customers. We know that today’s users take it for granted how routinely they connect with one another, but in the early days of mobile, users were “stranded” on islands of technology, able to talk or text one another only if they used the same operator. Syniverse became a bridge to connectivity by working with operators to solve the problem of how to connect all users regardless of device, network or region.

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We now sit at the center of the mobile universe, processing trillions of transactions a year – a volume similar to credit card issuers, except our currency is the voice, data and text-message communications we pass across the world’s mobile networks. That means that mobile service providers and businesses can gain unmatched customer touch points through Syniverse, and they can rely on us to forge the agreements necessary to connect with almost all the world’s 7 billion-plus mobile devices. We serve two broad categories of customers. We enable mobile service providers like operators and internet companies to tackle challenges of connectivity and interoperability for today’s telecommunication and internet technologies. These include testing and deploying LTE and other next-generation networks, managing roaming services and partnerships, providing mobile fraud protection fraud and revenue assurance,

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and developing new solutions for the rapidly rising internet of things. We also empower enterprises like retail, travel and financial services companies to reach their connected customers and employees in the “mobile moment” through more personalized marketing and engagement. Our cross-channel solutions offer our customers a number of ways to break through the noise and engage consumers through channels such as mobile wallet, text messaging and push notification. Simply put, today’s rapidly evolving mobile ecosystem requires an experienced guide. Syniverse excels as this guide, serving as a force at the center of connections that pulls the mobile world together in real time. We have been figuring out complex mobility issues since the dawn of the industry, and we have become a vital mobile link among billions of people around the world.

www.syniverse.com

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Enhancing operational efficiency for the telecommunications industry.

About the Founder Steve Lazaridis began his entrepreneurial journey long before his endeavor with Phonism. The Lazaridis family has owned and operated restaurants since they moved to the U.S. in the 1960s. Steve ventured into the family business and co-founded a restaurant in his early twenties. In the late 90s Steve started getting into tech and eventually the restaurant took a back seat. Over the next 20 years, Steve would go on to build his skills in software development and networking technologies that ultimately laid the groundwork for what was to come next. In 2015, Steve launched Phonism, a cloud-based VoIP (Voice-over-internet-protocol) phone provisioning service. Phonism is a software solution that helps service providers save time and money on the deployment of VoIP phone service. Phonism eliminates the manual tasks associated with setting up and supporting these phones. Everything can be done through a centralized interface, saving service providers time and money and allowing for greater versatility. Steve Lazaridis, Founder

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Financing the business was still challenging. However, Lazaridis would soon find new meaning to the words “Elevator Pitch.” Steve stumbled upon Phonism’s first angel investor, Richard McIntyre, in an elevator of the very building he worked in every day. As President of McIntyre Thanasides law firm and owner of the building, Richard frequented that elevator every day. With just a little luck and due diligence, Lazaridis was able to secure Phonism’s first $25,000 of angel funding from Richard McIntyre. Phonism later received another $25,000 angel investment from Greg Ross-Munro of SourceToad Ventures, a well known face in Tampa’s startup scene. All of this culminated in early 2017, when Lazaridis officially raised $350,000 in seed funding from First Round Tampa Bay, founded by Richard McIntyre and David Henderson, Director of HFO Investments. Phonism now has five employees, and has recently expanded their office space to the Tampa Bay WaVE’s larger facility in downtown Tampa’s Channel district. The Phonism team have their eyes on something much bigger, however. Steve’s ultimate goal is to build a thriving tech business right here in sunny Tampa Bay. Keeping jobs local and contributing to a budding entrepreneurial community is something that has remained important to Steve over the years. Steve adds “With Tampa Bay up and coming as a tech community, it’s not just about growing your business here. It’s about contributing to the expanding tech ecosystem here in the Tampa Bay region. Having a community level impact is much harder to do in places like Silicon Valley.”

About the Company If you’ve ever worked in an office you’ve probably had a VoIP phone at your desk. Nowadays, those phones run over the internet rather than landlines. That may sound hi-tech but surprisingly the technology around this is somewhat primitive. Service providers (like Spectrum, Verizon, and Comcast) incur significant costs when setting up and supporting VoIP phones. Many providers still have to send technicians out to the customer’s location and set these phones up manually one by one. This is an obvious and unnecessary problem, one that Phonism was determined to solve. Phonism was founded right here in Tampa Bay. The idea originally started as a “scratch your own itch” problem when Steve’s brother Niko Lazaridis was deploying VoIP at another company. He noticed a lack of tools on the market for device provisioning and management. It was then when Niko approached Steve, the software engineer, with an idea to improve the system for VoIP service providers. After some time and coercing, Steve saw the market opportunity and brought in his friend Bill Edgington to help. They built the first version of Phonism a few hours a week working nights and weekends. They attended a few trade shows and had drawn some interest from potential customers before launching in 2015. After more than four years of nights and weekends, they released the first publicly available version of Phonism. Around that time, Steve joined a local co-working space/accelerator program called Tampa Bay WaVE to find mentorship and connections. By March 2016, Steve had already landed a few customers and hired his first employee.

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“Unlike Speech analytics… RankMiner’s approach is a game-changer” “I loved how RankMiner was able to predict which customers were most likely to pay” “RankMiner’s Agent Insight models have increased TRUST IS EARNED. LOYALTY IS THE RESULT. our QA productivity by over 50%” “I didn’t realize how much money was being left behind… the results opened my eyes. It definitely works!”

RANKMINER’S UNIQUE VALUE RANKMINER PREDICTIVE VOICE ANALYTICS PLATFORM ENABLES CALL CENTERS TO DO THREE THINGS... IDENTIFY WHICH CUSTOMERS ARE AT-RISK, WHICH CUSTOMERS WILL BUY MORE, AND WHICH AGENTS MAY HELP, OR HURT, THEIR BUSINESS. Our patented and proven Artificial Intelligence algorithms help Call Centers to drive more predictable business outcomes directly from voice calls. The RankMiner Approach: Direct-to-Ops Predictive Modeling RankMiner takes a fundamentally different approach to traditional speech analytics solutions; our primary concern is in predicting future outcomes. We do not simply generate more data to provide company analysts with a “jumping off” point for deeper study. We start with the end-game in mind. What does the company want to see more of? Increased sales? Improved customer experience? Greater spend from existing clients? What does it want to see less of? Reduced agent turnover? Reduced customer attrition? RankMiner’s approach is different – unlike Speech Analytics, we correlate voice-based emotions and behaviors to specific

business outcomes, creating “vocal imprints” that are used to predict future outcomes, therefore eliminating the requirement of human observation and hypothesis testing, a necessary process to utilize traditional speech analytics solutions. RankMiner Technology RankMiner’s unique feature extraction technology adapts techniques similar to those used in facial recognition. Facial recognition technology exploits symmetry and localized characteristics to identify various facets of the image. Speech signals can be analyzed in much the same way, because its frequency spectrum can also contain symmetry and contextually adjacent indicators. Most audio analysis applications rely solely on pitch-based features in a fixed frame of reference. Unfortunately, these coarse measurements are not always effective at identifying the same emotions

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increase accuracy in translating to text, then expecting the translation to “speak for itself.” RankMiner Summary • Only solution that identifies emotions and behaviors directly from the voice to predict future business outcomes Fuses the link between emotional response and customer/agent activity without the need to first translate and analyze the dialogue. • Fast & Efficient implementation Can process data, extract features, generate predictive analytics, and deliver prescriptive reports for a highvolume call center using an off-the-shelf PC. • Language independent; Patented technology Innovative methods for feature extraction and predictive modeling across languages. • Expert development team with solid analytics background Extremely capital efficient development team with expertise in mathematics, predictive modeling, machine learning and signal processing.

Preston is currently CEO & Founder of RankMiner Predictive Analytics, a company that analyzes voicebased emotions and behaviors to predict human behavior. Call Centers use RankMiner’s patented machinelearning technology to systematically increase profits by predicting future business outcomes and improving agent and customer success. Starting in Moscow, he spent the first 10 years of his career building businesses across Central and Eastern Europe. Prior to RankMiner, Preston held senior management positions with DialogBank, EuroNet Worldwide, Aurum Technology and FIS where he focused on growing the companies’ electronic payments and data analytics business. Preston holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida with his wife and three kids, where he has held multiple leadership and board positions including First United Methodist Church, the Rotary club of Downtown St. Pete, Studio 620 and other organizations. He loves to cook, play tennis and spend time with his family.

Preston Faykus - CEO

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GOOEE: THE FUTURE OF SMART BUILDINGS WHILST FLORIDA IS USUALLY KNOWN BY MANY AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS, IT IS ALSO RAPIDLY BECOMING PLACE OF TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FOR THE INTERNET OF THINGS.

Gooee is a St. Petersburg based company that designs and engineers a sensing and data analytics platform for the global lighting industry. Founded in March 2014 by Andrew Johnson, Simon Coombes and Neil Salt, Gooee officially launched in 2016, starting the roll out of development kits to its increasing number of lighting manufacturer partners and beginning pilot installations with major global brands.

room temperature and ambient light levels, human activity such as motion and motion direction, LED lighting performance, space and energy analytics, and enable human engagement via beacons. Working alongside lighting manufacturers, and by using the lighting infrastructure as a host, Gooee’s vision is to build a network of sensors that connect the four dimensions of building activity: People, Products, Location and Time. Secure access is then provided to this data for third parties to develop a range of applications, reporting tools and integrations, to complement the features Gooee offer.

Simon Coombes, Chief Technology Officer at Gooee, says “Smart Buildings is a really exciting sector to be working in and we see a lot of innovation happening, including technology in complementary fields. Being based in Tampa Bay, we have been excited to find access to resources and expertise required to develop and grow our business, which are essential for us to remain at the forefront of this sector.”

FUTURE-PROOFED IOT PLATFORM Gooee comprises a full stack of technology from sensing, gateway, data engine, service layer, analytics, machine learning and eventually AI. These components integrate with an enterprise scale cloud platform, providing a servicedriven, scalable framework for commercial, retail, hospitality and industrial applications..

Designed to meet growing business demands and requirements for smart buildings and simplistic, easy-to-use systems, Gooee combines sensing microchips, wireless communication hardware and a cloud-based data platform to capture and display smart lighting installation data, environmental information such as

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To control Lighting Products, Gooee has developed their Gooee Core - a module designed to handle communication and sensing data, that integrates into Lighting Fixtures or LED Drivers. This manages device activity, power monitoring along with other sensing data and communicates this back tot he cloud via a gateway. The Core also provides Beacon functionality for human engagement enabling indoor navigation and physical product tracking. Connection across a multitude of different environments requires a network that is cost-effective to deploy, easy to install and secure. Using interfaces such as Bluetooth Mesh, Zigbee, Thread and TCP/IP, Gooee’s technology is interoperable thanks to its IoT gateway, and can cater for large amounts of data exchanged between the building and the cloud. Using its primary communication stack; Bluetooth Mesh, vast amounts of data can subsequently be transmitted to improve efficiencies or highlight areas that could enhance revenue. It also provides the stability required to ‘manage’ thousands of lights, and in an interoperable way that futureproofs new configurations. A NEW IOT TEST LAB & GLOBAL EXPANSION Gooee has a rapidly growing team of more than 50, most of whom are part of the software engineering team based at the modern St. Petersburg Headquarters. The executive team consists of technology, LED and semiconductor veterans with decades of lighting industry experience. Through a growing number of global partnerships, expansion has led to the establishment of additional offices and facilities in London (UK) and Hsinchu (Taiwan).

testing over prolonged periods, giving us a rich set of data to analyze. Data is also stored in the Cloud for analysis between product releases and various scenarios we design.” Where lighting brand owners and end users might traditionally have trialled their products on a small scale in an engineering office, the large-scale IoT Lab now gives customers adopting Gooee’s platform the opportunity to comprehensively test commercial lighting implementations at scale in real world scenarios, before committing time and money to further development and deployment.

One of Gooee’s most recent and largest ventures is the establishment of its new state-of-the-art 14,000 sq. ft. IoT testing lab - equivalent in floor area to seven tennis courts - based in St Petersburg. The company began fabricating the Test Lab in November 2016 before commencing full automation testing in February 2017.

UNPARALLELED FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES The lighting sector has an almost unparalleled opportunity for development, improvement, and innovation.

Coombes says “Establishing our IoT Lab in Florida has allowed us to focus on continuing to test existing and new products. We have developed a suite of robots to simulate motion and activity, allowing fully automated

“The fundamental technology is over 100 years old, which means for new buildings and lighting installations there is an opportunity for enormous installation, energy and maintenance cost savings,” said Coombes. “We are focused on the challenges that the future brings, and with our base in St Petersburg we can easily expand and develop our expertise and give back as much to this community as we receive.” LOCATIONS St. Petersburg, USA, London, UK, Hsinchu, Taiwan

Simon Coombes, CTO Email: simon@gooee.com YouTube: youtube.com/gooee Facebook: facebook.com/gooee Twitter: twitter.com/gooee Website: gooee.com

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WEBTALK A GLOBAL BIG DATA SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY COMPANY FOCUSED ON RELATIONSHIP-BASED DATA MINING, STORAGE AND SEARCH TECHNOLOGIES TO POWER THE NEXT GENERATION COMMUNICATION AND COMMERCE UTILITY.

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RJ Garbowicz Cofounder/CEO

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Using a patent-pending data labeling process, Webtalk has been able to reinvent online relationship management through a user experience unparalleled in the industry; creating an entirely new class of product to manage contacts, communication and content seamlessly.

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Webtalk will quickly move into the online commerce industry using relationship-based, patent-pending, search technology as the differentiator, and Webtalk’s proprietary affiliate software as the driver. The end goal is to create the first relationship-based marketplace for services and products that becomes THE destination to do business online. Imagine LinkedIn, Facebook, Slack, Dropbox, Amazon and Freelancer rolled into a single application that’s powered by a robust and powerful contact management utility to channel communication

Basit Hussain, PhD. CTO

and enable better relationship management, marketing, collaboration and business development for small businesses around the world. Webtalk has raised over $6MM in financing since being founded in 2011. Over $4MM was raised after 2013 when the company made a significant pivot to focus on search and data management technologies. In August 2016, Webtalk recruited Basit Hussain, PhD., NLP and Information security consultant to multiple Fortune 500 companies, to join Webtalk as CTO; in November 2016, Jamie Pews, CPA, MBA and former management at Deloitte, joined as Webtalk’s VP of Finance and In April 2017, Andrew Peret, BA, former VP of Information Technology at American Express, joined as Webtalk’s VP of Engineering.

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MYAREA NETWORK WHEN IT COMES TO ADVOCATING FOR TAMPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LOCAL COMMUNITY, THERE IS NO BETTER SUPPORT SYSTEM THAN MYAREA NETWORK.

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Launched with the mission to connect people to the businesses, places, and things to do in their communities, MyArea Network has become the leading source for where local residents and Tampa visitors go to find the best things to see, eat, and do in their area. “It’s not just businesses that want a stronger local connection. It’s also residents and visitors,” Conlon says. “People are shying away from national brands and big chains. They want to find local spots that offer more connection and authenticity. They want to support local business, but often, they don’t know where to find them. We help them do that.” MyArea Network believes everyone should be able to act and live like a local in any city. The idea was triggered in 2004 when Conlon was living in Maryland and struggling to find the best place to eat crab cakes. He found himself wishing there was a source that could tell him where the locals go. This desire led Conlon to the idea of creating a media platform that would include stories about local businesses, written by local residents. It would be different from other media platforms because its writers wouldn’t be a network of staff writers. Its writers would be city residents and local experts who could share authentic, first-person stories and recommendations on what to do, see, and eat in the city. Conlon turned his concept into a reality shortly after moving to the Tampa area when he launched 813area.com. It wasn’t long before Conlon launched platforms in other cities, and soon, there were MyArea Networks in 75 cities across the country. The local connection concept wasn’t something that only worked in the Tampa area. Cities across the country embraced MyArea Network’s unique approach to using local influencers to connect businesses and people in their community. MyArea Network has experienced massive growth and was recently awarded a top spot for the USF Fast 56 Award, which recognizes the fastest growing Bullowned businesses. The media company is slated to grow even more as they are currently a part of the Tampa Bay WaVE, an accelerator that specializes in helping tech companies grow and raise capital. With high industry demand and the resources they need, MyArea Network will continue to expand its ability to support local communities by building better connections between people, businesses, and the cities they call home.

Scott Conlon, Founder and President But for MyArea Network, it’s not just about helping people find the best in their area. It’s also about helping local businesses become the best in their area. MyArea Network is also a full-service media and marketing company that helps businesses attain visibility in their community. Through multi-channel media platforms, technology solutions, and online and offline marketing services MyArea Network provides businesses with tools to attract and retain local customers.

615 Channelside Dr Suite 108, Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: +1 813-534-0320 www.facebook.com/myareanetwork www.linkedin.com/company/myareanetwork www.myareanetwork.com

“There are so many great local businesses that don’t get the attention they deserve. We wanted to develop a platform and solutions that would help more people find those businesses,” explains founder and President, Scott Conlon.

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ConnectGO

Sam Altman, an Operation Iraqi Freedom Army Infantry Veteran and current MBA in Entrepreneurship candidate at the University of Tampa, along with civilian partner Tom Gaffney have been hard at work creating ConnectGO, an event management platform aimed at making event attendee and presenter interaction for business purposes much more efficient. More importantly, Sam and Tom believe ConnectGo is a startup that highlights everything that is right, and exciting, about the Tampa Bay area startup ecosystem that has been building momentum over the last few years. First, Sam and Tom were able to meet at 1 Million Cups based in the Ybor City Entrepreneur Collaborative Center on August 31st, 2016 when Sam presented his original concept, and was in search of a technology partner that could help make it possible. Tom, with an extensive technology background, had been devising a way to make business networking more efficient, and thanks to 1 Million Cups, they were able to meet, combine concepts, and rapidly develop the platform to where it is today. Secondly, Sam and Tom were lucky enough to be accepted into the second cohort of the Veterans Florida Entrepreneur Program (VFEP) presented through Hillsborough County Community College and Operation Startup. This class, along with the MBA Entrepreneurship program at University of Tampa, helped take ConnectGO to the next level. Perhaps most importantly, these programs have been instrumental in helping ConnectGO get to know the resources and warm business climate of the Tampa Bay area. Sam hopes to inspire the community to embrace ConnectGO as a startup they helped build in less than 1 year.

Tom Gaffney. Co Founder Chief Technology Officer

Sam Altman, Co Founder University of Tampa, MBA

To learn more about ConnectGO, and to join the ConnectGO story, visit us: University of Tampa Lowth Entrepreneurship Center 401 East Kennedy, Tampa, FL 33602 Operation Startup, 2101 East Palm Ave, Tampa, FL 33605 Phone: (703) 624 1599 | www.ConnectGOApp.com | twitter.com/ConnectGOapp www.facebook.com/connectgoapp | www.linkedin.com/company-beta/16169625

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VENUE VIKING VENUE VIKING IS A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT HAS CHANGED THE GAME OF EVENT-PLANNING FOR VENUES, VENDORS, AND PLANNERS ALIKE. Comprised of both technological and operational features, Venue Viking conquers a plethora of challenges faced by all in the event industry.

“I like to think of Venue Viking as a constantly evolving, multi-tool for the event industry. We thrive on providing value and individualized assistance for our venues, vendors, and our explorers; and want nothing more than to see them succeed.”

Founder and CEO Michael McAleenan says,

From a technological standpoint, Venue Viking offers online listings and a lead generation tool that assists venues and vendors in getting more localized exposure; in turn, increasing the amount of bookings. What sets Venue Viking apart from other event-listing sites is that our platform offers 3D digital mapping, allowing explorers to virtually tour the venue without leaving their homes! Additionally, we offer: • Unlimited high-res photos • Detailed information about the venue/vendor edited by our content director • Unlimited reviews that can be shared via social media • Links connecting explorers to venues’/vendors’ respective social media sites • Personalized forms that allow clients to directly contact the venue or vendor Venue Viking also offers operational and administrative assistance to venues and vendors. Some of these services include: • Social media management • Content writing for service packages, blogs, and/or newsletters • Menu design and printing services • Brand development • Event space design • Website development • Operations consulting • Event-planning services. Combined, our team has over 25 years of experience in the Event-Planning and Hospitality industries. We understand first-hand that navigating the rough waters of event-planning can be both challenging and time-consuming without proper assistance. Allow our fleet of professionals to assist you with all your event-planning needs, and start setting sail on your smooth event voyage.

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TRUST IS EARNED. LOYALTY IS THE RESULT.

Trust is earned. Loyalty is the result. CONSUMER TRUST The advertising and media landscape remained relatively unchanged from the introduction of television in the late 40s up until the internet and mobile world exploded with Facebook, YouTube and the iPhone. As previously sponsored television content moved to streaming adfree formats like Netflix, advertising struggled to maintain consumer attention and tolerance. By 2017, advertiser frustration with digital advertising and the lack of real, human exposure to ads reached a tipping point and overwhelmed consumers continued to turn away from adsupported experiences.

Every moment of every life matters. Susan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neal - Founder

Around the same time that consumers and advertisers were reaching the height of their frustrations, Adjoy founder Susan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neal realized that consumer relationships built on manipulation could never be as valuable or as sustainable as consumer relationships built on the same values that create trust between human beings - transparency, mutual benefit and trust. Based on these principles and ideals, Adjoy was founded in Tampa, Fla. in 2014 to create the conditions under which a real trust and authentic loyalty could be cultivated between consumers and companies. TAMPA ROOTS Deep in the heart of West Tampa sits the historic Santaella Cigar Factory, which during its heyday touted Babe Ruth and Sir Winston Churchill as its most frequent customers. Today, the rustic brick walls and aged pine floors primarily house artist studios and a fast-growing 156

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technology startup seeking to drastically change the way advertising is delivered to consumers. In 2015, Susan and long-time Tampa tech industry veteran Marvin Scaff set out to build a team focused on elevating the ad industry from one that exploited consumer’s time and attention to one that honored it, and by empowering consumers to become active partners with the advertisers they care about. ATTENTION MARKETPLACE Today, Adjoy is a revolutionary marketplace enabling advertisers to buy time and attention direction from

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consumers, instead of via the media companies and social media platforms. In their downtime, while on break at work, by the pool relaxing, or sitting in car line, Adjoy users choose to mutually interact with the advertisers of their choosing, ranging from entertaining videos and other interactions. In return for spending their valuable time with the advertisers, Adjoy users are compensated for their time. By creating this new attention marketplace, Adjoy lives and advances company and consumer’s own understanding that every moment of every life has value. CULTURE & COMMUNITY Being in the Tampa Bay area is extremely important to building the workplace culture at Adjoy. Cuban sandwiches, craft beer, flip flops and dog-friendly restaurants are commonplace in Tampa and the Adjoy offices are no different. Susan O’Neal sums up the Adjoy culture with, “Life is better in Tampa, no matter who you are or how you measure your life. The talented professionals that choose Tampa have chosen to create their life, rather than react to it. Adjoy taps into the passion of these professionals to power this advertising revolution.” The Adjoy team expects to continue to grow in size and influence, to contribute to the higher evolution of the advertising and marketing industry as well as serve as a beacon for what’s possible in beautiful Tampa Bay.

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REVCONTENT REVCONTENT WAS FOUNDED BY JOHN LEMP IN 2013 ON A 12-ACRE CAMPUS HEADQUARTERS IN SARASOTA, FLORIDA. REVCONTENT HAS RAPIDLY EXPANDED FROM A SELF-FUNDED TECH STARTUP TO THE LARGEST CONTENT RECOMMENDATION NETWORK IN THE WORLD. With a goal of providing personal discovery experiences around the web and giving publishers the tools to empower their own voices, Revcontent serves the media and publishing industry, powering over 250 billion content recommendations to premium brands every month, including Forbes, Newsweek, Reuters, and more. As of 2017, Revcontent reaches 97% of U.S. households according to Quantcast. As a young company, Revcontent established principles of “fast failure, less is more, and people first.” These principles are what have shaped Revcontent’s rapid growth over the past 4 years. One of the biggest strategic decisions for this organization was to focus on people - whether it’s their media partners, consumers or employees. When Revcontent was founded 7 years after the market was already established and crowded,

its leadership saw a need for innovation in the industry and a need for a focus on the user. Revcontent entered the industry with a goal to empower freedom; freedom of ideas, freedom of speech, and freedom of innovation.

market. In 2017, Revcontent announced the acquisition of Silicon Valley tech company, Rover, an innovative brand with shared values.

With a culture of innovation in all aspects, Revcontent has been able to be first to market several technology products such as the first retargeting tool for content recommendation, the first publisher referral program for content recommendation, and multiple widget technologies such as the shifter unit on mobile and tablet.

By partnering with and acquiring companies with shared values, Revcontent has molded its culture and organization into something truly unique. Revcontent has grown quickly without losing sight of its values. More than just great perks, a family atmosphere, flexible schedules, and bringing your dog to work, Revcontent has built a culture of empowerment, growth, and innovation by focusing on core values and ideals.

In 2017, Revcontent has grown over 900% since its founding and established itself as a global brand with headquarters in Canada, India, and London. In 2016, Revcontent acquired the largest European content recommendation network, securing a physical presence overseas and gaining strong relationships with key players in the European

With events like Beer Cart Fridays, Chili Cook Offs, Nerf Sniper Wars, Spirit Week, Field Day, our annual holiday party, and our TGIM (Thank God It’s Monday) breakfast each month, Revcontent also ends the year with giving back. Each year, Revcontent hosts a Thanksgiving food drive for the local Sarasota community and has a long-standing

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Top row from left to right: John Lemp - Founder & CEO; Richard Marques- Chief Marketing Officer; David Fairey - Chief Financial Officer; Chris Maynard- Chief Product Officer Bottom row from left to right: Sarah Chase - Vice President of Operations and Compliance; Jon Mitchell - Vice President of Advertising; Trey Brenner- Vice President of Business Development

tradition of helping families in need with Christmas gifts. The Revcontent team adopts 100 families, shops for gifts, and then wraps and delivers those gifts together. The people behind Revcontent are inspiring individuals who are constantly striving to empower others through honesty, integrity, and selflessness. Every Revcontent team member is empowered to take control of their position, own their success, embrace failures, and contribute to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success as a whole, bringing value through honesty, integrity, and transparency to the long-term success of partners, consumers, brands, and the Revcontent team.

With headquarters in Sarasota, Florida as the main campus, over the last 2 years, Revcontent has built physical presences around the world in London; Mumbai, India; Toronto, Canada; and numerous U.S. locations like San Diego, San Francisco, and New York. 2016 was a record year for Revcontent in terms of hiring and growth. In 2017, Revcontent has actually doubled its hiring from last year and plans to continue that growth throughout the end of the year. Revcontent now has over 150 employees all around the world, including the U.S., U.K., India, and Canada.

With its continued expansion in terms of physical offices, team members, and innovative technology, Revcontent is well on its way to reaching the goals and visions set at its founding. Revcontent is excited for the future of personalized content recommendations and the potential to inspire people. They hope the inspired leadership and team members at Revcontent will move the world forward tomorrow.

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ONE WORLD EXPLORER The One World Explorer iPad application is an interactive tablet experience created for visitors to the new One World Trade Center in New York. The One World Observatory, on the 101st floor of the tallest building in the western hemisphere, includes various interactive and innovative technologies, immersing visitors in an informative and engaging environment where they can experience New York City like never before.

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Haneke Design was asked to create a unique, interactive iPad experience for guests and a profitable offering for the client. Guests can rent the customized iPads, preloaded with Haneke Design’s application, to orient themselves with the city and take virtual helicopter tours of over 40 New York landmarks.

THE REQUIREMENT The One World Observatory Explorer iPad application was one of Haneke Design’s most challenging app development projects to date. It had to be embraced by an extremely diverse group of visitors of all ages, interests, education, and language backgrounds, during the day and at night, and provide a 360-degree view of the New York City skyline in clear weather, as well as fog, rain, and other poor visibility conditions.

“This is by far the most exciting and emotionally meaningful mobile app project we’ve ever created,” said Jody Haneke, president of Haneke Design and a New Jersey native. “It’s an honor for my team and me to have the opportunity to design and develop the One World Explorer app and bring New York City’s skyline and rich history to life for today’s visitors.”

OUR SOLUTION The team devised a solution that would give visitors the ability to explore over 40 points of interest as they strolled around the observation deck. As opposed to pure augmented reality, using a 360-degree panorama shot during peak visibility allows visitors to see a pristine view, regardless of the weather conditions outside. Adding to the immersive experience is a digital video shot from a helicopter flown from the tower to each of the points of interest.

To create a heightened sensory experience, the Explorer app includes a 3D sound engine capable of providing binaural audio. The sound engine can adjust sounds based on the viewer’s orientation in order to manage and maintain a rich audio landscape within limited device memory. As the visitor scans the city below with the iPad Explorer app, the app automatically implements an algorithm for accurately calibrating the view in the display with the direction the tablet is pointing, thus maintaining a high level of accuracy. As points of interest pop up in the frame’s panoramic view, they’re highlighted, and with the tap of a finger, visitors ‘fly’ into the locations for a closer look, via virtual helicopter tours narrated by famed American novelist Jay McInerney.

THE RESULTS Client Joel Baumwoll, CEO of One World Explorer Productions, was extremely satisfied with the final product. “Haneke Design worked with us from the inception of this project,” he said. “Their user interface is excellent, and the application program functions beautifully. They brought creativity and technical expertise to the table at the highest level. I could not have asked for a better partner on this important and highly visible project than the Haneke team.” The One World Explorer app can be experienced exclusively at the One World Trade Center Observatory. In the first summer, over 100,000 visitors rented iPads preloaded with the Explorer app for $15, and it continues to be a hit with visitors on top of New York City’s most iconic new building.

Phone: 813-605-3586 Haneke Design, 306 East Tyler St. 3rd Fl. Tampa, FL 33602 www.hanekedesign.com twitter.com/hanekedesign facebook.com/hanekedesign @HanekeDesign linkedin.com/company/haneke-design

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AUGMENTED REALITY

Courtesy of USF and Diamond View Studios

HARRY POTTER MOVIES INTRODUCED MANY OF US TO THE CONCEPT OF “PLAYABLE” PRINT. IF YOU SAW THE MOVIES, YOU MAY REMEMBER THE “DAILY PROPHET” NEWSPAPER WITH PICTURES THAT MOVED. VidPic AR, a Tampa Bay technology company, has brought playable print mainstream, and opened a world of marketing possibilities for businesses. Tampa Bay first experienced playable print in the Tampa Bay Times when the Lightning retired the jersey of Marty St. Louis. With the assistance of the VidPic AR App, readers could view the full page ad (see image) and see the jersey retirement ceremony come to life.

Tell the Story Behind the Image Through image recognition and augmented reality (AR) technology, VidPic AR helps businesses bring a little magic to their print marketing. No special glasses required, just a smartphone. A VidPic tells the story behind the image with video that plays in a printed direct mail piece, magazines, brochures, banners and signs at venues, package inserts, tutorials and instruction guides, newsletters, sports and entertainment programs and more. It increases customer engagement through an experience that brings a smile to the user and value to the business. (Download the VidPic AR app, and check out the demos in this article).

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Co-Founders: Ron and Jeff Rudderman

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The founders of VidPic AR share a passion for the latest technology, and have a partnership that combines tremendous technical and artistic talent with years of business experience. Cofounded by the father-son team of Ron and Jeff Rudderman, VidPic AR’s innovation and success is driven by a relentless effort to make augmented reality simple and approachable for any business. “AR does not have to be complicated”, said Jeff Rudderman. “It can be as simple as an image and a video - two assets most businesses already have”.

A New Channel For Video Marketing Businesses are constantly seeking new ways to engage consumers, especially with their digital platforms. VidPic AR offers a new channel that is simple for consumers to understand and use just download and open the VidPic AR app, view the image through the screen - and tap play.

Tampa Mural

VidPics are fun to view, but also bring real value. Businesses can offer discounts and deals for viewing a VidPic, giving the consumer incentive to engage. The discounts are stored in the app for later redemption. And, once a reward has been stored in the app, it can be renewed by the business on a regular basis with different deals and discounts served to the device owner. Rewards can also provide added value with links to product pages, calls-to-action, data collection for phone numbers and email addresses, and contact requests. The video content can be changed at any time, providing the user with dynamic content from any print image. VidPic AR is helping sports teams, entertainment and tourism venues, universities, supply chain and point of sale marketers, small and large scale print production vendors, real estate, retail, and a variety of other businesses bring print to life. Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning

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SavvyCard DAVID ETHEREDGE IS NO STRANGER TO CHALLENGES. AS A TEENAGER, HE WON REGIONAL AND STATE COMPETITIONS IN ACTING, PUBLIC SPEAKING AND DEBATE DESPITE BEING PAINFULLY INTROVERTED.

As a young professional, he taught himself about computers & programming and pursued positions with interactive entertainment companies so he could learn the industries behind the hobbies he enjoyed. David helped companies like Microprose and Hasbro Interactive develop and launch multi-million dollars software products and secure major licensing deals and – in the process – learned the software development and distribution business. After 15 years of working for others, David became an entrepreneur when he formed a digital agency with his wife Lisa in 2001. In 2009, he envisioned a new way for people to connect through mobile devices to the businesses and products that were most important to them. David & Lisa joined forces with co-founders Daud Power & JohnDavid Sims to raise funds from friends & family and formed SavvyCard®, now one of St. Petersburg’s rising technology start-ups. SavvyCard is a platform that enables people to publish SavvyCards, which are a combination of interactive digital business cards and mobile optimized websites that are specialized by industry. The company’s first target market is Real Estate. As of August 2017, over 71,000 real estate agents have SavvyCard accounts. Each agent SavvyCard includes an MLS search tool, lead generation & tracking tools, business analytic tools and the automatic creation and marketing of mobile websites for all the agent’s listings. SavvyCard expects to grow to over 250,000 real estate agents on the platform in 2018. “Today we’re very focused on real estate, but in the next few years

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we expect to launch in other verticals like Insurance, Financial Services and Education,” says David, who is SavvyCard’s CEO. The company moved to St. Petersburg in 2013 and currently employs 13 people. SavvyCard’s offices are located in Priatek Plaza, in the heart of downtown. “We wanted to be sure we were located in a location that offered a quality work/life balance,” states Etheredge, and he agrees the city has played a pivotal role in the company’s early success. “Potential employees love the idea of moving here, especially from up north. The Tampa Bay area has beautiful weather, a high quality of life and low cost of living. We’ve also had four of our investors move to St. Pete from New York, London, Philadelphia and Perth, Australia in the past year alone. St. Pete in particular is a becoming a magnet for high quality talent and more sophisticated angel investors.” Daud Power, who runs R&D and Customer Support for the company, also moved to St. Pete from the U.K. in 2013. Power believes that SavvyCard will be a major employer in the area and along with other local startups will drive growth in satellite industries such as technical schools and recruitment services. “Our business model could easily support hundreds of high paying technical and sales jobs in 3 to 5 years,” says Powers. “It’s great to see software development schools like the Iron Yard moving into the downtown area in anticipation of that need.” Lisa Nalewak, who runs Marketing for SavvyCard, is excited by the quality of talent SavvyCard has attracted, both young and old. “We’ve got a diverse mix of successful business veterans and young, hard-working millennials all willing to do whatever it takes to make the company successful. A company is only as good as its people and we’ve got exceptional people who’ve chosen to be a part of our team.”

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Etheredge echoes the sentiment that community support in Tampa/ St. Pete is essential to driving the success of startups like SavvyCard. “Organizations like the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and other local startups like Lumastream and Priatek have done so much to promote our company, that we feel a civic obligation to give back to the community and to mentor and foster other entrepreneurs. The cooperative spirit of this city is inspirational and reminds me of Austin back when that city was emerging as a top destination for startups back in the late 90s,” notes David.

“We wouldn’t have gotten where we are today without the amazing support of the people and businesses of this community.” More information on SavvyCard can be found at SavvyCard.com.

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Standing tall on the beautiful St. Petersburg skyline is Priatek Plaza, home of the groundbreaking prize promotion company Priatek. They have the distinct honor of being the only technology startup company with a Class A office tower bearing its name. Priatek is the first company to offer performance-based digital signage. They have built a revolutionary platform for advertisers to interact, engage, and sell products in the marketplace. Their patented technology is the only solution for managing server-based prize promotions simultaneously across multiple locations. The Priatek team builds turn-key prize promotions which operate on their network of digital kiosks, a custom mobile app, and across social networks under their in2win brand. Prize promotions advertised on the digital kiosks engage consumers in a unique and fun way. Consumers select the advertised products they want to win, and always receive a prize or coupon that can be used to purchase the products directly from the in2win kiosk, mobile app, local retail stores, or online. Industry-changing innovations include the only freeto-play prize kiosk and a platform that bridges the gap between the retail space and online. Priatek makes it easy for advertisers and retail locations to create and manage prize promotions. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convenient for consumers because they can access promotions from multiple advertisers in a single location. What makes Priatek compelling for advertisers is that the company doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t charge them for impressions. Instead, advertisers are only charged when a consumer selects and registers for their prize promotion. Each promotion is measurable and cost-effective. The in2win kiosks are designed for public venues such as malls, retail stores, restaurants, airports, hotels, sporting venues and movie theaters around the world. Currently the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kiosks are placed in malls around the Tampa Bay area and will soon be seen in locations across the country. Priatek has introduced a 55-inch multi-touch screen kiosk that includes advanced software upgrades and interactive games. Priatek technology is very scalable to the needs of any organization interested in new, exciting ways to reach their target audiences. Consumers can also interact with promotions through the in2win mobile app. They can play to win all of the same great prizes and coupons, and keep up with

EVERY ENGAGEMENT COUNTS in2win is revolutionizing the way brands attract, engage, and market products to consumers through a network of touchscreen kiosks located in high-traffic locations. Consumers select a prize promotion and always win a valuable prize or discount. Consumers are re-engaged through the in2win mobile app, social media, and email.

INTRODUCING IN2WIN Priatek is the creator of the most relevant, innovative and powerful marketing tool available.Using breakthrough strategies that leverage the power of gamification and social networks, we developed the in2win experience. in2win is an Omni-platform network of touchscreen kiosks located in high-traffic locations, mobile apps, and social engagements where consumers can access targeted promotions for the businesses of their choice.

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all of the latest promotions in their specific area or even while traveling. Priatek was founded in 2009 by its President, Milind Bharvirkar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Priatek is proud to be part of the growing technology sector in the St. Petersburg area,â&#x20AC;? he explained. He leads a management team with a wealth of expertise in digital advertising, point-of-sale, game development, online tournaments, locationbased operations, technology development, and manufacturing. In 1998, long before Priatek existed, Mr. Bharvirkar founded Global VR, a Silicon Valley-based gaming company. Their products grossed over $150 million in sales. In 2002, Mr. Bharvirkar was well known for the EA Sports PGA Tour online golf tournaments. The company administered online tournaments for cash and prizes in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, and South Africa. In the US alone, the company awarded $1 million in prizes annually. The product and online tournaments were a huge success. Through their ecosystem of products, Priatek technology benefits every strategic partner involved including consumers, game developers, retail locations, distributors, and advertisers. Strategic partners receive access to data analytics showing detailed real-time results of their promotions. Using this powerful information their partners receive important data to improve future prize promotions. This bright star in the St. Petersburg technology community is redefining the market with its ability to measure and deliver cost-effective prize promotions for its customers and strategic partners.

WORLD CLASS LEADERSHIP Digital and mobile advertising is extremely competitive and often fails. in2win is a revolutionary platform that creates customer engagement with your brand through fun experiences in high-traffic locations where consumers select the discounts and offers theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for. Our team of experts develop and implement a successful customer engagement strategy that unlocks key insights about your target audience.

200 Central Ave, Floor 23 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: (727) 375-5616 | Fax: (727) 375-5484 Email: info@priatek.com | www.priatek.com 167

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INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

FOOD, BEVERAGE AND HOSPITALITY “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” BRENE BROWN

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EATMOBILE - THE FOOD TRUCK CONNECTION CHANCES ARE, YOU’VE EATEN AT A FOOD TRUCK, OR AT LEAST CROSSED PATHS WITH ONE. In 2008, we saw the beginning of a boom which led to “The Food Truck Craze”. Popularity, acceptance, and numbers all grew explosively. However, organization, structure, direction, and technology did not. Currently, food truckers are mainly on their own. They take the entrepreneurial plunge, and cross their fingers. There is no true partner or resource to genuinely help them effectively sell, market, and run their businesses through connecting technologies, content creation, and operational software. Until now. EatMobile is the Food Truck Connection. As an advocate for the industry we collaborate with food trucks directly to determine the best plans of action to help lead to greater success for all. Everything we do, say, and develop goes through them resulting in our efforts being a relayed message from the industry itself, and the birth of a movement.

Eat Local | Think Global “Connecting communities with local business is how EatMobile strives to change the world.” – Jacob Lishen | CRO

Together, what we’ve found is an overall need to reduce risk for food truck owners. One of the main challenges is a lack of information and data for the food truckers to leverage to make business decisions. The trucks are provided little to none, and even inaccurate information making almost every decision they make a gamble (events, parking spots, and menu items for example). We have found a way to solve this problem coining a tagline: “Driven by Data, Fueled by People”.

Family, Friends, and Good People EatMobile believes in the strength of family and friendship, and the values that come from spending time together.

Local Business

We are building a Food Truck Platform. While understanding that each truck is its own unique and independent business, we leverage data and analytics to best match them with qualified catering and event opportunities that make the most sense for their specific needs. All powered through a custom booking platform.

By helping small businesses be more profitable, EatMobile helps economic growth and gives more people the opportunity to support their families and achieve the American dream.

Additionally, we create and market quality content to share their stories and passions with the public through a custom food truck profile where we also provide connecting technologies like geo-location, real-time menus, and much more.

As food trucks see more business and the industry grows, the local economy benefits, and more money is circulated into the community.

Local Spending

Stronger Communities More profitable local businesses and steady jobs means stronger, more stable communities.

About Us From humble beginnings to the Fortune 500, we bring a unique set of life and work experiences to the food truck industry. Between global enterprise-level software development paired with creative marketing, and a tenacious work ethic, we stand ready to disrupt and bring new positive change to an incredible industry. A company driven by passion, innovation, and good wholesome people: We are EatMobile.

From left to right: Matt Land; CEO – EatMobile, Megan Carlson; Community Engagement Manager – Feeding Tampa Bay, Thomas Mantz; Executive Director – Feeding Tampa Bay, Lori Townsend; COO – EatMobile, Jacob Lishen; CRO – EatMobile

www.eatmobile.com

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DEEP-DIVE ON WELBILT, INC.

Welbilt has one of the broadest portfolios of hot and cold foodservice equipment in the industry, from ovens, fryers, steamers, grills, ranges and induction cooktops to beverage dispensers, blenders, refrigerators and ice-makers. But Welbilt is more than just individual pieces of kitchen equipment: Welbilt’s intelligently connected equipment with intuitive interfaces helps ensure our customers’ kitchen equipment works seamlessly together, optimizing the kitchen – and ultimately the business – by improving speed, quality, flexibility and productivity. We serve customers in more than 100 countries, and our global network of over 3,000 dealers and distributors means our customers are never far away from a Welbilt solution. Welbilt develops new proprietary technologies every day and currently holds around 700 active patents and approximately 300 patents in application. We invest in innovation that addresses the current pressures foodservice businesses face, such as food safety and waste, space, rising labor costs and sustainability. Our commitment to energy savings has been recognized by receiving an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for eight consecutive years.

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Hubertus M. Mühlhäuser President & Chief Executive Officer of Welbilt, Inc.

At our Customer Innovation Center in New Port Richey and around the world, we combine the expertise of fully-trained culinary professionals and engineers to drive practical and simple product creation and innovation. We are agile and work closely with our clients by creating complete tailor-made kitchen solutions for their restaurants or chains. For example, when one of the world’s leading coffee chains needed an innovative equipment partner to help them launch a new program, they turned to Welbilt for a solution. Welbilt brand Multiplex® developed an innovative nitro coffee program from concept to pilot store test in only three months. The Multiplex N2Fusion™ is an innovative gas infusion system that infuses coffee with nitrogen

to enhance the taste and appearance of the coffee beverage. Its simple yet practical approach means the technology can be used for other beverages too – which could lead to numerous future beverage innovations. A trade show encounter introduced a leading U.S. casual dining chain to Welbilt’s brand Frymaster FilterQuick® oil conserving fryers with automated filtration and a patented oil quality sensor. The sensor is a breakthrough technology that tells the user when the fryer’s oil must be replaced – a pragmatically innovative feature that lets the chain ensure consistent food quality at all its locations. The fryer is also intelligently connected, tracking valuable usage data that can

help managers run their fry stations more productively. Intrigued by FilterQuick®’s promise of reducing operating expenses while improving food quality, they put the system to the test in 25 of their locations all with astounding success: Frymaster is now the exclusive fryer supplier for the entire chain. Another innovative and successful concept is Welbilt’s fitKitchen (“food inspiring technology”) that addresses the needs of chefs operating a kitchen in a smaller environment while serving high quality food. Instead of fitting equipment inside available kitchen space, fitKitchen designs kitchens around the interaction of food, beverage, people and equipment to reduce labor costs, increase productivity, boost sales and revenue, and keep menus fresh. These and other innovations have made Welbilt’s 12 global brands leaders in their category. We challenge the status quo every day and are fast in responding to customers’ needs by creating more seamless solutions for the next generation of commercial kitchens.

www.welbilt.com

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“Eat Fresco is challenging yesterday’s model of mass produced packaged foods, made with questionable ingredients, shipped frozen around the country.”

Leading the market, Eat Fresco has developed a fresh and local approach that reimagines packaged foods and elevates the standard for fresh prepared foods.

Fresco Foods, Inc. was founded in Tampa in 2015 by Rob and Tracy Povolny. Personally, they were looking for great tasting food they could feel good about eating, without sacrificing time, flavor or nutrition. Frustrated with the available options, they created Eat Fresco. Taking the leap of faith into the entrepreneurial world from corporate life was surprisingly, not a difficult decision. Both Rob and Tracy felt passionate about the venture and confident in the opportunity. Rob spent many years working in the consumer packaged goods industry. He saw firsthand the disconnect between big food manufacturers and what people were seeking. “There’s such a void in the market for convenient packaged foods that aren’t mass produced and shipped frozen around the country. We’re taking a local or regional approach, rather than building a factory in the middle of the country. We are creating a fresh solution free from preservatives or anything artificial.” Eat Fresco caters to regional and seasonal tastes - something the big manufacturers find operationally challenging. Tracy had a long-time interest in nutrition and healthy living. From a young age, her family instilled in her the importance of eating right and staying active. “It’s rewarding to see our vision taking shape and gratifying to be part of our mission.” Their vision is to change the way packaged food

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Eat Fresco’s mission is to create fresh, delicious food, made locally. We strive to make life easier with real food you can feel good about eating!

products are made and distributed, making lives easier by offering fresh, deliciously local, real food. Recipes focus on robust flavors, quality ingredients, all natural proteins, and organic vegetables. The result is a delicious, yet healthy entree, high in protein with significantly less sodium than other packaged foods, on average 400 calories. Innovative packaging locks in freshness without the need for freezing or preservatives. The clear, see through film offers transparency, showcasing real food. Meals are ready to eat in less than 2 minutes with microwave cooking. The line currently includes eight entrees, such as Balsamic Glazed Salmon with orzo and Roasted Chicken in Sriracha Barbecue Sauce with green beans and macaroni and cheese. Ultimately, other products will be added to the Eat Fresco brand, such as breakfast bowls and entrees geared towards kids.

Since the launch into their first store in February 2015, Eat Fresco is now sold in over thirty retailers across the Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Orlando areas. The brand continues gaining momentum throughout Florida in specialty food and mainstream grocery stores among other retail channels. In February 2017, Fresco Foods opened their own state of the art commercial kitchen in East Tampa, designed with production capacity to service approximately 1,000 retailers throughout Florida. Future plans include expansion into other regions by establishing additional commercial kitchens to scale the business. Fresco Foods has assembled a strategic team and the essential resources to build a large-scale, industry altering business. They aspire to positively impact our community by providing employment opportunities and contributing to local charities such as Feeding America Tampa Bay and Daystar Life Center.

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@eatfrescofoods www.eatfrescofoods.com

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CURIOSITYDRIVES

INNOVATION

Superior Uniform Group is curious, very curious. We constantly ask ourselves: “How can we provide more value to our customers?” and “What challenges do our customers have now, and what challenges will they have in the future?” Our passion for answering these questions drives our quest for innovation. This passion, combined with our 97 years of experience, global presence, investment in technology, and creative thinking, has allowed us to develop long-term partnerships with some of America’s most prestigious companies.

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With offices around the world, we extend our presence from Tampa Bay to Asia, Europe, Africa, The Caribbean, South America and Central America. We leave no stone unturned in finding our customers the best products and value. Here in the U.S., our Distribution Center, located in Arkansas, is an innovative marvel, bringing the huge advantages of semi-robotic distribution and advanced embellishment technologies to our customers. Through our signature brands, we manage award-winning uniform apparel and promotional product programs for major corporations and brands like Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, NAPA Auto Parts, Taco Bell, Denny’s Restaurants, Publix Supermarkets, BayCare Health Systems, Twitter, Tesla, and Holiday Inn to name just a few. Our HPI-Direct® Brand utilizes award-winning in-house Fashion Design and Graphics teams to create innovative uniform programs for restaurants, hotels, retail stores, airlines and service companies. Through our Fashion Seal Healthcare® brand, we provide the healthcare industry with an innovative and fresh look for apparel, one that will visibly contribute to a healthcare organization’s brand and support their mission of patient-centered care. BAMKO®, our promotional products and branded merchandise brand, designs, manufactures, and delivers award-winning merchandise that creates lasting connections between brands and their customers. Finally, The Office Gurus® provides custom contact centers and back office support services as an extension of the customers’ organization. They are recognized as a leading contact center and BPO provider by delivering an exceptional experience and level of service. Uniforms, promotional products, branded merchandise and call centers you ask? Absolutely! We built our company based on our curiosity surrounding those two questions: “How can we provide more value to our customers?” and “What challenges do our customers have now, and what challenges will they have in the future?” Our unique brands, technology, distribution, manufacturing, and exceptional customer service have all been designed to provide tremendous value to our customers, and strategically position us to help them well into the future. As Superior Uniform Group approaches its 39th year in the Tampa Bay area, it seems appropriate to reflect on all of the milestones we’ve reached. Much of it has been made possible due to the great community in which we live, and the talented and hard-working people we are privileged to have as neighbors. We’re happy to be here, flourishing in a supportive, creative and enjoyable area of the country that has so much to offer. As we move forward, we do so with curiosity still in our hearts, knowing that it will continue to steer us toward new innovations each and every day.

10055 Seminole Blvd. Seminole, FL 33772 | Phone: 800-727-8643 Email: info@superioruniformgroup.com www.superioruniformgroup.com

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THE LAUNDRY EXPERIENCE THAT LETS YOU RESERVE AND PAY FOR MACHINES FROM YOUR SMARTPHONE. NO WAITING. NO QUARTERS. NO HASSLE. When Todd Belveal purchased a rundown Tampa laundromat as an investment property in 2014, he never expected it to spawn his second startup venture. Fresh off launching Silvercar, the popular mobile-enabled car rental company based in Austin, TX (now owned by Audi), Belveal and his family acquired a laundromat in Tampa with the goal of renovating it and generating passive cash flow. The store was soon robbed.

Todd Belveal, Entrepreneur and Advisor, Washlava founder and Silvercar co-founder

“They took crowbars to the change machines and pulled them out of the wall,” he explained. “They grabbed the cash and left quarters everywhere. It made me wonder why those quarters were there in the first place.” Belveal began looking for a system that would eliminate cash from the store and enhance his customers’ experience, but only found old, clunky, expensive technologies. “Once I realized there was nothing forward thinking out there, it occurred to me that I could make my own technology and apply what I did with Silvercar to the laundry industry. Different application, but similar business model.”

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WASHLAVA TODAY Three years later, Belveal’s company, Washlava, has created a patent pending platform and corresponding mobile app that lets customers reserve and pay for washers and dryers from their smartphones. There’s no waiting, no quarters, and no hassle. The company ran a successful beta test at the University of Florida and is now rolling the technology out to other college dorms and apartments. It also deployed the technology at the original scene of the crime – Belveal’s Tampa laundromat – the world’s first exclusively app-enabled laundromat. The technology makes laundry more convenient for users and gives unprecedented control and visibility to housing managers and laundromat owners by creating a seamless connection between owners, customers, machines, and employees. Through the platform, businesses can target new customers through refer-a-friend marketing, enable demand-based pricing, monitor and control equipment remotely, and much more.

WHAT’S NEXT The company’s team of five have successfully raised Series A funding and are turning the laundry industry on its head, using Tampa as its home base. “We are launching a technology-driven consolidation strategy aimed at upgrading vended laundry services under one brand across laundromats, dorms, and apartments,” says Belveal. “The beauty of what we’re doing is that we can license the technology, open our own stores, and affiliate with other operators who share our vision. The sky is the limit and we intend to make our platform the de facto standard in the industry.”

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Phone: 813.773.5282 Email: info@washlava.com twitter.com/Washlava facebook.com/Washlava www.washlava.com

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TORCHFI TorchFi is the 5th startup of my life and Tampa is the 4th city I have lived in. I have been part of startups in India and Singapore, and this time I was keen to explore the market in the U.S. After I moved to Tampa I got selected by a local accelerator program Tampa Bay WaVe, and they helped us to launch our product in less than 6 months. I trust, this time I have hit the right market at the right time with the right product.

Anup Balagopal Founder & CEO

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I started my career in the telecom industry at the beginning of the mobile app era, where I used to develop java and symbian apps for Nokia phones. I believe mobile app as a platform to engage with customers is reaching a saturation and I started TorchFi with the vision to build an alternative medium of mobile engagement that doesn’t require apps. TorchFi is a simple plug and play router that converts a wifi access point into an interactive application, that people can access from their phone without need to install it. We call these wifi-apps. While the technology is really cool, it’s important to apply the technology to solve a real world problem. We have started with the restaurant industry and identified a critical problem to be solved, which lead to our first product - WiFi Waiter. WiFi Waiter allows customers to skip the long lines during rush hours, and place an order from their phone by simply connecting to the Wifi Waiter access point. This can be applied at cafes, malls, stadiums, airports, etc. While restaurants improve the customer’s ordering experience they also get to collect customer data.

The term ‘customer data’ is often mentioned alongside ‘privacy concerns’. The beauty of TorchFi is that, it’s not an app and can’t collect any data from the customer’s phone apart from the ordering usage. This eliminates any privacy concerns and protects the consumers. TorchFi is able to identify the customer when they visit again and allows a customer to easily repeat their order and get their favourite meal on click of a single button. This is a revolution for the brick and mortar industry as identifying a customer and personalizing their experience is only delivered by online players currently. My goal is to revolutionize mobile engagement for all brick and mortar brands. TorchFi will enable users to place an order, pay for the purchase, search the product catalog and also chat with the brand representatives at real-time while they are present at the store. You can use this at retail stores, restaurants, malls, stadiums, airports and more.

Phone: +1 813 442 0112 Email: anup@torchfi.com www.twitter.com/torchfi www.facebook.com/torchfi www.linkedin.com/company/torchfi www.torchfi.com

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“Apart from education, you need good health, and for that, you need to play sports.” KAPIL DEV

INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

SPORTS

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Localive is a real-time and on-demand livestreaming platform that allows anyone from anywhere to order a livestream of a game or event they cannot attend or wish to watch at a later date.

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From a product standpoint this had to be simple, effective, high-quality, and available to everywhere and from anywhere. From a business perspective, this had to be scalable with financial incentives for everyone involved. From a growth perspective, we had to build a world-class management team with incredible experience. There aren’t a lot of businesses you can create where you are bringing the joy of being a part of the most important things in your life, creating value-based revenue for everyone involved, and helping to wipe out things like pediatric cancer. We’re doing all three and I’m extremely proud of where we are and where we’re going. Being able to do this in the Sarasota-Bay Area, that’s the icing on the cake.”

We work directly with teams, leagues, and organizations to make all of their games and events available on the Localive platform. It is ideal for parents, families, friends, and associates who cannot attend the game or event in person or participants that want to replay their own events. Localive brings major league livestreaming access to the most local events in every single community worldwide. This company was founded on the premise of one simple concept… Why can’t I get my kid’s game on my phone? Any parent with multiple kids, a hectic work schedule, or just an inability to keep up with the ever-growing volume of their kids’ activities has realized the heart-felt frustration of missing out on a very important part of their lives. Not to mention all the relatives and friends that don’t live in the area. These aren’t events that we want to see — these are events that we NEED to see. Localive solves that problem by making every game and event in every community available for real-time and on-demand live streaming at a rate reasonable enough for everyone to afford it and a generous revenue share program for leagues, communities, and youth-related charities to receive significant contributions. Not to mention relieving the stress of trying to get updates from your spouse! As Founder of Localive Chris Dyson says: “As parents, aunts, uncles, and coaches we’ve all lived through this frustration. It’s a problem that needed to be solved.

Christopher Dyson | Email: dyson@localive.com | www.localive.com 181

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PEERFIT REDEFINE WELLNESS WITH PEERFIT: PERSONALIZATION AND FLEXIBILITY FOR YOUR CORPORATE WELLNESS PROGRAM

Scott Peeples, President & Ed Buckley, CEO

Peerfit is a digital wellness platform that makes it easy for companies, their employees, and local fitness studios to share amazing fitness experiences. Peerfit has created a community that helps people discover the best fitness classes and motivates them to attend and share with their friends, family and co-workers.

Peerfit was started by University of Florida graduates, who saw a need to change the way the industry does wellness, and more specifically, fitness. Peerfit is all about cultivating a culture of fitness within organizations that genuinely care about improving the health and wellbeing of their teams. Ed Buckley, PhD and Scott Peeples, the masterminds behind the creation of Peerfit, said “We like to think of it as unbundling the fitness industry, by making it easy for users to access local fitness studios through their employer.” Now, Peerfit is unbundling the fitness industry as a whole. Going from one state to more than a dozen and approaching nationwide status, Peerfit will continue to change wellness as we know it.

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Peerfit Team at CAMP Tampa

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Peerfit is all about personalized social experiences and giving users the flexibility to choose fitness studios, when they want it and where they want it. Premium experiences, community, and simplicity are the keys to employee engagement, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what Peerfit offers.

Peerfit Team at Pure Barre Gainesville

Photo by: Steven Le, Thee Photo Ninja

When Peerfit first began, it was consumer-facing, but along the way Peerfit discovered it could be a major disruptor in the wellness industry overall. It opened worksite wellness up to a personalized user community with flexible access to the best fitness experiences. For the program administrators, Peerfit designed a system that is data-centric while prioritizing interoperability with other wellness solutions.

Peerfit understands that the key to employee engagement and forming a culture of fitness is social influence and community. Working with companies to redefine wellness in their workplace gives Peerfit the ability to connect colleagues around something enjoyable, all while cultivating a culture full of positivity and motivation, keeping employees and businesses healthy. Visit peerfit.com for more information on how to share fitness experiences.

Contact Information: Email: info@peerfit.com | www.peerfit.com facebook.com/peerfit | twitter.com/peerfit www.linkedin.com/company/peerfit-inc | instagram.com/peerfit 183

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BORN OF CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE DESIGN, AND BACKED BY A RELENTLESS, HARDWORKING AND IMAGINATIVE TEAM, LIVE WATERSPORTS LOOKS TO REDEFINE THE NORM IN THE PADDLE BOARD WORLD.

Our goal is to create and design boards that help everyone, old and young, big and small, athlete and weekend warrior to find and enjoy their passion. After all, it all boils down to one question:

WHAT DO YOU LIVE FOR?

“What Do You Live For?” is not just a question, but a lifestyle. Each one of us has an individual passion, hobby, or true calling that drives us to create a life we enjoy. Here at LIVE Watersports, we are inspired by the idea of creating pristine standup paddle boards that are as versatile as your passions - bringing a new way for you to explore these activities. Whether it’s fishing, yoga, windsurfing, racing, or even simply spending time outdoors with family and friends, our paddle boards are created to handle it. LIVE Watersports has created a giant leap forward on the progression scale, redefining the boundary between angler and nature. Fishing from a paddle board puts you completely in control, and completely in touch with your surroundings. Though the challenges of paddle board fishing can be great, the rewards are so much greater.

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Located on the West Coast of Florida, we utilize a detailed molding process to ensure the highest quality and precision. We incorporate cutting edge marine material technologies to increase strength, durability, and comfort while still minimizing weight for maximum portability. The result of this revolutionary design are LIVE Watersportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stand up paddle boards: the L2Fish and L2Utility. They are nearly impossible to roll or pearl, yet light enough and comfortable enough for paddlers of all sizes to enjoy. Â

Paddle Board Accessories

Part of the LIVE Experience and the advantage of our paddle board collection is the capability to customize and accessorize your paddle board. The integrated Yak Attack tracks on the L2Fish and L4Expedition allow for the installation of dozens upon dozens of accessories to fit your needs. From the simple tie-downs providing anchor points for your cooler and seat, to an assortment of fishing necessities, such as rod holders, fish finder holders, paddle holders and fish wells - your choices are nearly limitless.

LIVE Watersports is the brainchild of head honcho John Cleckner.

#LIVE4FITNESS #LIVW4ADVENTURE #LIVE4FISHING www.livewatersports.com 185

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THE FUTURE OF GUIDED OUTDOOR ADVENTURE Picture this: The weekend’s approaching. The weather’s looking great. You have a desire to get outside and enjoy the sunshine - but no idea where to go, or even what you’d need to bring.

SOUND FAMILIAR? The truth is, for many of us, spending time in nature isn’t easy. In the United States alone, there are 114 million people who view themselves as outdoorsy and want to get outside but have no idea where or how to start. Tom Mulliez - Founder and CEO

outside. He’d had more than one expensive chartered experience ruined by abrasive guides or inhospitable conditions - and, thanks to a childhood that instilled a love of the outdoors, he had actually spent plenty of time outside! He wondered if an outdoor native was running into barriers, how would a first-timer ever get to experience the Great Outdoors comfortably?

The folks at iTREKKERS have the solution: Guided Outdoor Adventures for Everyone.

That’s where iTREKKERS comes in. From our headquarters in the heart of downtown Tampa, we make getting outside easy and accessible for everyone. We know the best guides, and they’ll show you where to go. All equipment and gear are provided, and any setup or cleanup is covered. On fishing charters, captains will even clean and fillet anything you catch!

iTREKKERS was established in 2014 after founder Tom Mulliez had an epiphany following a disappointing guided trip: There must be a better way to get people

Easily browse trips, activities, and locations for private charters on our sleek, mobile-enabled website. Once you pick a date, we’ll partner you with the best Guides

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that spending time in the outdoors has on everything from working more effectively to getting better sleep. Best of all, every single charter is a private experience, making the day a memorable one for the whole group. Some of the most popular iTREKKERS private guided charters include inshore and deep sea fishing, kayak and stand up paddle tours, seasonal no-hassle camping, and sandbar day trips. We even offer private lessons and specialty charters like guided scalloping and hiking. in the state of Florida. Each Guide in the iTREKKERS network has been vetted for skill and personality, to ensure that every guest experience is a great one.

Simply reserve your private trip, show up, and make new memories. No need to buy or maintain gear. No hassle. No setup or cleanup necessary. Just experience a fantastic time in the great outdoors!

We envision the world where everyone loves spending time outdoors. Show the next generation the value of spending time outside on a family inshore fishing trip, and bond over shared memories in nature. Research proves that being together in nature has a positive effect on families.

iTREKKERS 500 E Kennedy Blvd. #304 Tampa, Fl 33602 Phone: (844) 468 8735 Email: info@itrekkers.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iTrekkersLLC/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itrekkers/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/iTrekkers www.iTREKKERS.com

It works for companies, too. Think outside the box for your next corporate retreat and foster creativity in a fresh, natural setting. People really start to feel free to explore ideas and work together when they get to do it in a stimulating outdoor environment; multiple studies have proven the effect

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LIFTSYNC

TRANSCENDING THE BARRIERS OF FITNESS. LiftSync develops fitness wearable devices and supporting applications that automate the logging of athletes’ workouts and provides trainers and coaches with more meaningful, robust, and accurate analytics.

LiftSync ensures that trainers and coaches can easily access the compiled movements of their athletes such as reps, sets, and weight lifted and also review more advanced analytics such as power, velocity, body symmetry, and work. LiftSync’s patent-pending hardware utilizes two fitness wristbands in order to both capture one armed lifting workouts, and more accurately measure two armed workouts. The wristbands contain accelerometers that track all movements comprising an athlete’s lifts. The wristbands sync with on-weight trackers in order to accurately measure the weight being lifted. The real-time data is captured by the proprietary application so that players, coaches, and trainers can all access the data in real time, or review historical data and analyze progress and trends at any time. LiftSync was formed by three University of Tampa students focused on entrepreneurship opportunities and development. LiftSync was first created in November 2015 after competing in, and winning, Startup Weekend Tampa by presenting its initial fitness device concept. Since the Startup Weekend victory, LiftSync has won the Global Startup Battle, the Southeastern Entrepreneurship Conference, and the USF Daveler Competition. The team currently works out of the University of Tampa Entrepreneurship Center in their Spartan Accelerator/Incubator program. LiftSync also recently partnered with Ark Applications, a private equity group from the Tampa Bay Area. The partnership came with an investment, which has allowed LiftSync to accelerate their growth and leverage additional resources. LiftSync is available to professional and collegiate teams, with plans to expand the product into other areas such as fitness facilities and consumers. If you would like to learn more about LiftSync and how the fitness wearable product works, you can visit their website at www.LiftSync.com

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(From left to right) Patrick Schroeder - CFO, Mariner Cheney - COO, Matt Phillips - CEO

Matt.Phillips@LiftSync.com https://www.facebook.com/liftsync/

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INNOVATIONS OF TAMPA BAY

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL

“I'm not a non-profit person. I think of myself as an entrepreneur who wants to work on global education.” ADAM BRAUN

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MOTE MARINE LABORATORY TODAY’S RESEARCH FOR TOMORROW’S OCEANS. Science Mote Marine Laboratory scientists conduct world-class research to expand and ultimately transform our understanding of the ocean – the life-support system that provides essential oxygen, food, medicines and enhanced quality of life for communities worldwide.

Mote scientists work in the waters around all seven continents, leading more than 20 diverse research programs based at Florida campuses from Sarasota to the Keys. They are investigating new cancer- and infection-fighting substances from the sea; finding innovative ways to restore, in our lifetime, dwindling coral reefs – the ocean’s “rainforests”; elucidating and mitigating the impacts of climate change, ocean acidification and major oil spills; educating the public on conservation techniques and marine science; developing new technology and expanding vital ocean observing efforts; uncovering threats to sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals and other imperiled wildlife; seeking new ways to sustain fisheries while boosting sustainable seafood farming; and much more. With more than 30 Ph.D. scientists in its staff of more than 200, Mote has intellectual power comparable to many colleges of marine science, but the Lab stands out as an independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit institution. Independence allows Mote to respond quickly to emerging environmental challenges, think outside the box to find innovative solutions and prioritize its research to do maximum good. Mote is able to maintain this important independence through the generosity of philanthropic supporters. The Lab’s guiding “roadmap,” the 2020 Vision & Strategic Plan, emphasizes studying the sea to support conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity, healthy

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habitats and natural resources. It also lays out goals for translating and transferring research to benefit the oceans and human society. Mote shares its discoveries through intellectual property products, with around a dozen patents obtained and several more pending. Mote-patented technology helps detect wastewater contamination, monitor for red tides that can severely affect Florida communities, enable sustainable seafood farming and more. Mote’s estimated economic impact is $86.8 million in Florida. The Lab’s research helps to fuel the marine-driven “Blue Economy,” which is critical: Ocean-related activity contributed $17.5 billion to Florida’s gross domestic product as of 2010. The fishing, ecotourism and aquaculture industries, and rising powers like marine biomedical research, are critical to a healthy economy. The Lab’s most priceless gift is shared knowledge. Mote provides independent, science-based information and expertise for policymakers, resource managers and other decision makers. Mote scientists also exchange knowledge with fishers and others who value marine resources; the Lab conducts inclusive workshops and leads citizen-science projects such coral-restoration and monitoring efforts with the help of volunteers.

“Mote’s estimated economic impact is $86.8 million in Florida. The Lab’s research helps to fuel the marine-driven “Blue Economy,” which is critical: Ocean-related activity contributed $17.5 billion to Florida’s gross domestic product as of 2010.

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Recent research highlights: • In May 2017, Mote opened its new Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration at its existing Summerland Key campus. The facility emphasizes research on the challenges facing Earth’s coral reefs and the scientific solutions for restoring reefs in this lifetime — including identifying and selectively restoring genetic strains of coral resilient to challenges such as warming water temperature, ocean acidification and coral disease. • Since the early days of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which began April 20, 2010, Mote has played a significant role in research investigating how oil exposure can affect marine life during and after a spill. Currently, Mote scientists are working toward developing rapid health - diagnostic tests based on sub-lethal responses that will better predict short - and long-term impacts of oil exposure in Gulf of Mexico fishes. Mote Senior Scientist Dr. Dana Wetzel is Toxicology Task Lead in the Deepwater Horizon research consortium CIMAGE II (and its predecessor, C-IMAGE), which is based at the University of South Florida, which has St. Petersburg and Tampa campuses. • The toxic Florida red tide algae, Karenia brevis, affects people and wildlife and can cost Florida’s economy millions of dollars. Mote scientists are working to take red tide research and response efforts to new levels. Their current work includes: developing new tools to better detect the red tide toxins that can affect wildlife and people; expanding knowledge about red tide impacts on shellfish to protect public health; developing new smartphone apps to significantly improve the reporting of red tide impacts and help the public choose the best beach on a given day; exploring the possible uses of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) for better detection of red tide; and more. • Mote has hosted three lionfish derbies – competitive events where divers remove this harmful invasive fish, Mote scientists study its impact and the public learns how to fight the invasion, while tasting delicious lionfish dishes from local chefs. • Mote scientists work closely with their communities to study popular sport fish, gaining knowledge to benefit Florida’s $6.5 billion saltwater fishing industry. For example, in 2016 Mote scientists released hundreds of hatchery-reared, ID-tagged juvenile snook into Phillippi Creek in Sarasota County for an ongoing study seeking the most effective methods to replenish and enhance wild snook populations. The researchers worked with creek-side residents to place antenna arrays on residential waterfront property to monitor for the fish, sharing knowledge in the process.

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• At Mote Aquaculture Research Park in eastern Sarasota County, Mote scientists are studying new ways to clean and re-use fresh and salt water in closed-loop, recirculating systems, to grow fish for seafood and environmental restoration, sea vegetables and plants for wetlands restoration in ways that sustainably utilize natural resources — especially water. Their goals emphasize environmental and economic benefit. One recent example: Mote’s 2016 research demonstrated that excess mullet from the local Cortez commercial fishery could be used to produce a healthy commercial diet for a farmed, freshwater fish — a major first step toward new income opportunities for west Florida’s heritage mullet fisheries and an important line of research the Lab plans to continue with farmed saltwater fish.

Education and outreach Mote’s Education, Aquarium & Outreach Division plays a significant role in our effort to translate and transfer science and conservation information to our communities and the world. We inform and engage hundreds of thousands of people each year through: • Mote Aquarium, which features more than 100 marine species — from sharks, other fishes and invertebrates to sea turtles and manatees — and highlights the work of Mote scientists; • Interactive education programs for pre-K children through adults; • Distance learning efforts involving traveling exhibits and SeaTrek digital learning programs that reach people across the U.S. and beyond;

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• Events such as science cafes and an annual lecture series; • A chapter of the Gills Club geared toward engaging girls in science; • Conservation-focused fundraisers such as Mote’s annual 5K Run for the Turtles (which recently had its 30th year of raising support for sea turtle conservation and research); • Policy-oriented briefings and publications. For example, we provided 21 briefings/testimonies to government representatives in 2016. Mote Aquarium continually introduces new exhibits. Our latest additions, “Otters & Their Waters: Exploring a Florida Ecosystem,” and “The Teeth Beneath: The Wild World of Gators, Crocs & Caimans,” feature North American river otters and several crocodilian species as ambassadors for watersheds, highlighting the connection between watersheds and oceans while providing wildlife- and environmentfriendly facts and tips. More than 1,500 Mote volunteers donate their time as Aquarium docents, trained educational ambassadors, Aquarium, education and scientific program support volunteers and much more.

1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236 | www.mote.org Phone: 941-388-4441 | Find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and more: @MoteMarineLab

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Divers placing coral fragments to grow on a PVC coral tree in the ocean bed near Cuba

INNOVATING TO SAVE FLORIDA’S CORAL REEFS. We enjoy an extraordinary blue backyard here in Tampa. It includes tributaries and aquifers that flow into beautiful Tampa Bay, the gateway to the bountiful Gulf of Mexico, which then expands south to The Florida Keys. Coral reefs are among our most highly productive ecosystems, providing us with an incredible number of benefits for both leisure and livelihood, such as: beautiful diving and snorkeling, protection of our coasts and habitats, and acting as nurseries for both commercial and recreational fisheries. They also provide critical habitat for other species such as sea turtles, dolphins and sharks — all key species for maintaining healthy resilient ecosystems. Sadly, our coral reefs, one of the many of precious ecosystems upon which we depend here in Florida, are disappearing faster than scientists had forecasted. The issues are many and complex—from ocean acidification and pollution to climate change and boat impacts. Because The Florida Aquarium believes we can and must protect and restore our blue planet, part of our effort is diving in to save the precious animal we call coral and our declining Florida Reef Tract, the third largest barrier reef in the world, running 360 miles through the Florida Keys.

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Our work includes scientific and technological prowess in four key areas: We are learning the process of reproducing staghorn coral to increase the genetic diversity of this species and to ultimately create more resilient coral reefs. When coral spawns (once a year in August), The Florida Aquarium’s group of experienced scientific divers collects coral sperm and eggs (spawn) from the Coral Restoration Foundation’s underwater offshore nursery in the Florida Keys. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and other coral conservation partners assist in this complex event. To date, we have learned how to collect eggs and sperm and, in our labs, create embryos that develop into free-swimming larvae. Many larvae are released back into the sea; the rest we settle in aquatic systems which are designed to help them grow into new colonies. The first and longest-living sexually reproduced staghorn colony under managed care began to grow in 2014 at our Aquarium. Our urgent mission is to replicate and ramp up this process. We are building coral arks at our Center for Conservation at Apollo Beach. These living labs are where we grow critical species such as staghorn and pillar coral, as well

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as the long-spined urchin, which are all very important to create and maintain healthy reef ecosystems. Also, here we study the diseases affecting wild coral populations through samples of coral we have rescued. We are expanding internationally with the National Aquarium of Cuba (NAC). Cuba is home to the most pristine reefs in the Caribbean, which provide us with a model for our restoration work. In turn, NAC is learning to be more proactive in caring for its reefs should theirs begin to decline. Thus, we have created an immensely beneficial partnership whereby NAC participates in our coral projects, and we are helping them build their own underwater coral nursery and coral ark. Cryopreservation — or freezing of gametes— is critical to safeguard against the loss of genetic diversity and allows us to work with this threatened species throughout the year. South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation is our partner in this effort. The future of our coral work is exciting and expands daily as our Tampa community and scientific partners rally with us.

Baby Cervicornis (Staghorn coral)

The Florida Aquarium 701 Channelside Drive Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: (813) 273-4000 Facebook: @FloridaAquarium Twitter: @FloridaAquarium Instagram: @FloridaAquarium Flaquarium.org

Inside a coral ark at the Aquarium’s Center for Conservation at Apollo Beach

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USF COLLEGE OF MARINE SCIENCE THE COLLEGE OF MARINE SCIENCE LEGACY BEGINS IN 1967 WHEN USF OPENED THE MARINE SCIENCE INSTITUTE HERE WITH ONLY THREE FACULTY MEMBERS. In 1972, the Marine Science Institute became the Department of Marine Science within the USF College of Natural Sciences and in 1978 the Florida Board of Regents awarded the Department of Marine Science a Center of Excellence designation and doubled the number of faculty members. In the 50 years since this modest beginning, CMS has expanded in size and capability, and is now internationally recognized as a leader in ocean science. There are presently 26 faculty, about 100 graduate students, 47 full-time support personnel, and 48 temporary staff. CMS researchers currently attract about $15M in annual research expenditures and there is a total endowment of about $18M. The CMS impact on the local economy goes beyond our research expenditures and our endowment. The CMS has served as the nucleus for the development of the St. Petersburg Marine Science Cluster. The Florida Institute of Oceanography was established at the same time that we began. In 2000, we became the College of Marine Science and Peter Betzer was named Dean. With Peterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership and later with Bill Hogarth (2008 to 2011) and Jackie Dixon (2011 to present) leading the way, the pieces fell into place. The USGS Office of Coastal Geology made St. Pete its home in

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the renovated the Studebaker Building in 1989, USF and FWC celebrated the groundbreaking of the jointuse Knight Oceanographic Research Center in the Congressman Bill Young Marine Science Complex in 1994, NOAA NMFS moved to their Bayboro Building in 2005, and SRI St. Petersburg was recruited in 2008. CMS faculty and students have led the creation of a number of innovative private companies. For example, CMS graduates created the highly successful and internationally known Ocean Optics and Blue Water Recoveries companies, and SRI was born from the CMS Center for Ocean Technology. Several faculty members have created successful businesses. For example, one of our faculty created PureMolecular to market the â&#x20AC;&#x153;grouper detectorâ&#x20AC;? that you might have seen on the news. This technology is also being expanded to detect red tide. Another faculty member has partnered with the USGS to develop a novel pH

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detector that is accurate, inexpensive and portable, and will enable citizen scientists to contribute to ocean acidification studies. And our basic research enables future innovative applications. Our scientists were first responders to the Deep Water Horizon disaster and continue to study the event in order that we will be better prepared for the next one. We have developed state of the art computer models of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico that will be applied to storm surge warning, red tide prediction, fisheries management and many other problems. Our people are leading the way in studies of environmental issues from the global to the local scale and providing tools and knowledge that allows our leaders to plan for a sustainable and resilient future for all of us.

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140 Seventh Ave South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: +1 727-553-1130 www.marine.usf.edu

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ST. PETERSBURG OCEAN TEAM

THE ST. PETERSBURG OCEAN TEAM IS THE PREMIER CONSORTIUM FOR MARINE SCIENCE, OCEANOGRAPHIC, AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS IN THE SOUTHEAST AND ONE OF THE TOP SUCH INDUSTRY CLUSTERS IN THE NATION. Industry “clusters”, like the one represented by the St Pete Ocean Team, are a concentration of interconnected institutions, agencies, and industries with complementary, competing and interdependent topical interests, that support the economies of the communities in which they are located. The St. Petersburg Ocean Team is one of the most important economic drivers for the City of St. Petersburg. In addition to being the home of the largest concentration of marine scientists in the southeast, it is estimated that the St. Petersburg Ocean Team and its related cluster agencies and businesses employ over 1,600 people. According to a 2010 economic analysis performed by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, these employees generate an estimated $143 million in annual household earnings and contribute $251 million to Pinellas County’s Gross County Product. The continued growth of the St. Petersburg Ocean Team and its members will mean that like-minded research institutions and agencies, as well as businesses seeking to capitalize on technology transfer will continue to locate nearby. This will amplify the synergies between the organizations along with not only their impact on the scientific community but also their economic impact on the city, surrounding region, as well as the entire state. The Ocean Team representatives meet on an ongoing basis with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and his staff in order to continue the dialogue between the members.

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University of South Florida - College of Marine Science and USF Research Foundation www.marine.usf.edu USF RESEARCH FOUNDATION | www.research.usf.edu Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission/Fish and Wildlife Research Institute myfwc.com/research SRI International - St. Petersburg | www.sri.com U.S. Geological Survey St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) coastal.er.usgs.gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine Fisheries Service | www.nmfs.noaa.gov International Ocean Institute - USA | www.imars.usf.edu/international-ocean-institute-usa Tampa Bay Estuary Program | www.tbep.org The Florida Institute of Oceanography | www.marine.usf.edu/FIO U.S. Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg www.atlanticarea.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/District-7/Units/Sector-St-Petersburg/ USF - St. Petersburg | www.usfsp.edu Secrets of the Sea Marine Exploration Center and Aquarium | www.thesecretsofthesea.org Eckerd College | www.eckerd.edu/academics/marinescience University of Florida/Florida Sea Grant Marine Extension Program â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pinellas County pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/marine Tampa Bay Watch | tampabaywatch.org Blue Ocean | www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org/ Stetson University College of Law | www.stetson.edu/law/international/biodiversity/index.php St. Petersburg College | http://www.spcollege.edu Port St. Pete | www.stpete.org/port

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LEMUR CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Nestled between orange groves and farms on the outskirts of Sarasota-Bradenton, Lemur Conservation Foundation operates its conservation breeding facility in Myakka City to increase populations of some of the most endangered lemur species. The 130 acre reserve is home to over 50 lemurs and includes multi-acre, protected forest habitats that provide an enriching environment for its residents.

After leading a trip to Madagascar for the American Museum of Natural History, Penelope Bodry-Sanders was inspired to found the Lemur Conservation Foundation in 1996 to protect the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most endangered group of mammals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lemurs, and their native habitats in Madagascar.

Although closed to the public, the facility which is certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums regularly hosts researchers and students from

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www.lemurreserve.org

around the world who are interested in lemur behavior and conservation. To increase awareness of the importance of lemurs and the challenges they face, the Lemur Conservation Foundation developed the Ako Conservation Education Program, a national resource for elementary teachers. The program is based on the beautifully illustrated Ako children’s book series written by the late Dr. Alison Jolly, an esteemed lemur expert.

help support Madagascar National Parks, ASSR and its neighboring communities by visiting the reserve and staying at Camp Indri, the reserve’s exclusive camp constructed by the foundation. The Lemur Conservation Foundation also works to improve the livelihoods of community members by supporting agricultural training, tree nurseries, local libraries, literacy and health initiatives, and educational opportunities for elementary and graduate students.

In addition to the Myakka City lemur reserve, the Lemur Conservation Foundation supports a diverse set of conservation initiatives in Madagascar, the only place where lemurs exist in the wild. The Foundation’s primary effort is supporting AnjanaharibeSud Special Reserve (ASSR), a 70,000 acre rainforest reserve and its neighboring communities. The reserve is home to 11 lemur species including the critically endangered silky sifaka and indri. Adventurous tourists and researchers can now

The Lemur Conservation Foundation’s programs in both Myakka City and Madagascar hope to ensure the survival of lemurs and their ancestral home. While daily resources are dedicated to the Myakka City lemurs, visitors can get a peek of the reserve and learn more about this fascinating conservation organization during the annual open house event held in the fall.

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eSMART RECYCLING

ESMART RECYCLING HAS BENCHMARKED AN INDUSTRIALIZED, FULLY SCALABLE WHITE GLOVE SOLUTION TO RECYCLE COMPUTERS, ELECTRONICS AND END OF LIFE IT EQUIPMENT FROM LARGE COMPANIES WHILE BEING COGNIZANT OF PROTECTING OUR PRECIOUS PLANETARY ECOSYSTEMS. The game changing model blends industry leading operational and logistical competencies that engage seamlessly with underfunded, urban clusters. Bold, daring and empathetic, eSmart’s award-winning community driven social enterprise has, in record time, powered past market peers to be at the cutting edge of solving a chronic, socio economic need on the national and international stage.

Our passionate belief is to be part of an evolutionary movement that can educate every single child without adding to any Global Federal Budget. The relentless desire in reaching out to the goodwill of the local community while embedding sustainable business practices has created a ripple effect among forward thinking companies who have partnered with eSmart to tackle the global problem that is perceived as the ‘palliative, digital divide’. Improving core literacy and reinforcing the importance of pre-workforce readiness through access to technology, we believe, is a patriotic duty of all Americans. It is in this context that eSmart Recycling actively supports creating an agile, 21st century international economy that is vital for the next generation to achieve their full potential. The eSmart Initiatives™ team embraced this idea from a standing start in 2014 while expanding their Americas footprint with

tier one tech incubators in Venezuela and Peru. These groundbreaking programs demonstrate unequivocally that occupational and geographic immobility is no longer a valid excuse in seeking to shape the horizons of tomorrow’s leaders. Our multi-lateral crusade to end the cycle of poverty by 2030 has enabled us to purposefully overpower traditional myths covering business growth, client reach and wider civic engagement. eSmart’s ‘Big hairy goals’ reflect inspirational geopolitical partnerships that culminated in the ‘2020 One Million Laptops Campaign’. Today, we continue to receive Equipment from across the Americas and work tirelessly towards 2030. One laptop can impact the lives of 10 children. Think twice before trashing your old IT equipment, as together, we can be the change we wish to see.

www.esmartrecycling.com www.onemillionlaptops.com @esmartrecycling @tselvaggio #TechForTheKids

Tony Selvaggio CEO/Founder

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JUST GROW STRENGTHENS SOCIETY’S CONNECTION TO NATURE THROUGH GARDENING TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN.

Cesar Mendoza - Director of Engineering, Bekah Vigil - COO, Dan Holahan - Director of Operations, Djimo Serodio - CEO/CTO, Ed Williams - Director of Business Development, Monica Petrella - Director of Programming.

Just Grow is disrupting the indoor gardening industry with a sustainable solution that reduces the time, energy and cost needed to bring nature indoors. Djimo Serodio (founder & CTO), began working on a product to help reconnect urban society with nature. After years of research, he found that global food production is the leading cause of disruption to the natural environment and that our disconnect from nature has led to the over consumption of nonrenewable resources. Just Grow was founded in 2015 to provide a solution. The result was a sophisticated and sustainable gardening experience for the indoors. Just Grow’s garden, Malawi, is a compact yet complete living ecosystem that combines nature and technology to provide an innovative adaptation to gardening for indoor environments. Just Grow is also launching a 501c3 educational branch, Just Learn. They believe STEM education is an essential way to cultivate the future generation’s interest with the environment and critical thinking skills. Just Learn has gardens in 25 classrooms in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties as part of an Academic Pilot. They are testing Malawi as a compact environment-based learning tool, developing inquiry-based curriculum and supporting teachers through professional development workshops that encourage their confidence in engaging students in STEM. Since fall 2016, the team has grown to include Bekah Vigil (COO) and five directors from the pool of young talent in Tampa who are driven to create positive impacts in the community. Student at St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School

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IS A CROWDFUNDING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PLATFORM. We empower citizens to invest in their community and create real change. In 2012 when money for civic projects became constrained, many were placed on hold due to a lack of funding and we were personally impacted in our neighborhoods. As we explored the problem, we discovered that if given the opportunity, citizens would propose, and even be willing to pay above what they already pay in taxes, to see projects they care about come to life now, not 10 years later when the city might have the budget.

Joy Randels, CEO, Citizinvestor

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www.citizinvestor.com The list of projects like renovating neighborhood pools, building new parks and constructing playgrounds, libraries, or educational and cultural programs are nearly endless in every municipality. Because government doesn’t always know what citizens want, we also provide tools for citizens to propose ideas for projects and programs they want to see in their communities.

While we would love to take full credit for inventing this form of civic engagement, crowdfunding of public projects in the United States can be traced as far back as 1884 to the Statue of Liberty. Today we are witnessing the rise of the micro-philanthropist and crowdfunding platforms are empowering average people with five or ten dollars can be modernday Carnegies and Rockefellers and build things they feel most passionate about. We are witnessing the democratization of philanthropy and we are proud to be the catalyst for that movement.

“Citizinvestors” believe in their community and they want to contribute. Since we began we have seen thousands of citizens around the world come together turning vacant lots and dangerous eyesores into playgrounds, youth centers, or community gardens. Citizens pledge to donate, tax-deductibly, to the projects they care about most and once the project reaches 100% of its funding goal, the project is built!

If we are willing to invest our money, our time and our ideas, we, the crowd, can build a better Tampa Bay together. We can build the next great American and Global cities and truly change the world. We hope you will join us.

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WHO WE ARE Eckerd Kids is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, that has given much-needed second chances to nearly 200,000 children and families since its founding by Jack and Ruth Eckerd in 1968.

Eckerd Kids served more than 34,000 children and their families last year through life-changing child welfare, juvenile justice and workforce development programs in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

Eckerd Kids’ mission is to provide and share solutions that promote the well-being of children and families in need of a second chance.

SECOND CHANCES TO NEARLY

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INNOVATIONS IN ACTION In 2012, Eckerd Kids developed Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback® (ERSF) to battle an alarming increase of child abuse deaths in Hillsborough County, Florida. ERSF is a unique data analytics and coaching solution that identifies the highest risk cases and provides targeted support to the responsible staff. The success of ERSF in Florida has resulted in this nationally recognized program being deployed in nine states. Now, the innovative combination of coaching and predictive analytics used in ERSF is being applied to other pressing national challenges across the country.

Serves more than

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To learn more visit www.eckerd.org. Follow us on Twitter at @eckerdyouth, Instagram at Eckerd Kids, and “like” us on Facebook at facebook.com/eckerdyouth. Eckerd Support Center 100 N. Starcrest Drive, Clearwater, FL 33765 Phone: 727-461-2990 Toll free: 800-553-4357 www.eckerd.org

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RECYCLING SOAP. SAVING LIVES.

What happens to those bars of soap after you check out of a hotel? Shawn Seipler asked himself this question nine years ago, during a time when he was traveling for work four days a week. After further research, Seipler discovered that more than 2 million bars of hotel soap are thrown away every day in the United States alone. At the time, 9,000 children, 3 million annually, died every day from acute respiratory infection (pneumonia) and diarrheal disease (cholera, dysentery), illnesses that could be prevented by up to 65% through regular handwashing with bar

Since 2009, Clean the World has distributed more than 40 million bars of

soap. This inspired him to act, and Clean the World was born. Clean the

soap to children and families in 118 countries worldwide and has diverted

World collects and recycles soap and bottled amenities discarded every

over 14.8 million tons of hotel waste from polluting landfills in North

day by the hospitality industry. Through the distribution of these and

America. Currently, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global programs provide soap and

other donated products to impoverished people, Clean the World prevents

hygiene amenities to people in need coupled with proper handwashing

millions of hygiene-related deaths each year.

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HOW CLEAN THE WORLD WORKS Its Soap in Schools program in Kenya, for example, reduced hygiene-related illnesses by 60% and increased school attendance by 45% for the 4,000+ elementary school children participating in the program. Domestically, Clean the World hosts after-school programs and summer camps to teach children and their family members in the Orlando and Las Vegas areas how and when to properly wash their hands. Clean the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hotel recycling program has evolved into an industry standard for the hospitality business. Hotel properties put an emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by diverting waste and saving lives. Clean the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CSR program offers a sustainable future while meeting the needs of hotels and consumers. In 2013, Clean the World launched its hygiene kits, another CSR program, to repurpose all the hygiene-related items from hotels. These repurposed amenities are given to children and families at food banks, homeless and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shelters, and disaster relief organizations in the U.S. By hosting hygiene kit builds, companies create a unique team building exercise for their employees while supporting a charity of their choice. During the Hygiene Kit build, participants assemble bags containing newly recycled soap, bottled amenities, a wash cloth, specialty items, and a hand-written inspirational note. This program, which includes a standard kit as well as specialized kits for children, women and veterans, has helped over 1.5 million people. Clean the World, a leader in Global Health, is committed to saving lives through recycled soap distribution and hygiene education programs.

With a record-breaking

year in 2016, the company distributed more soap and served more people than ever before.

They are

graciously supported by contributions from individuals and organizations, through its Hospitality Recycling Program fees, in-kind donations, Hygiene Kit builds, and fundraising events. 2544 E Landstreet Rd, Suite 600, Orlando FL 32824 Phone: (407) 574-8353 Email: info@CleantheWorld.org For more information, please visit www.CleantheWorld.org

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NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA

It was a problem that needed solving. While the average employment growth rate in nonprofit organizations is significantly higher than business and government sectors, finding nonprofit leaders with management skills equal to their passion for addressing societal needs is a challenge.

So, the Nonprofit Leadership Center and the Conn Foundation partnered with The University of Tampa to develop a nonprofit management program to strengthen the effectiveness of leaders in the social sector organizations in the Tampa Bay area. The nonprofit management program is unique in that it is based in the Sykes College of Business, instead of a public administration program or social work school. The program focuses on topics designed to help nonprofit leaders better manage their organization such as effective board governance, strategic planning, understanding and creating budgets, marketing and fund development, developing a business plan and growing their leadership potential. Now in its 11th year, the program has trained hundreds of Tampa Bay nonprofit leaders who sought to pursue their passion by developing management skills. The program, ranked 25 nationally in the 2016 Top 50 Nonprofit Masters/Certificate Programs (Top Management Programs), is taught by doctoral degree faculty in partnership with leading nonprofit practitioners. The courses are delivered as intensive cohort-based, one-week seminars representing 12 credit hours of graduate-level instruction. Students can participate in the program in the certificate track or apply to the MBA program and earn a concentration in Nonprofit Management as part of the MBA program.

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Clara Reynolds started her career as a clinical social worker and later had the opportunity to start a nonprofit organization. She soon realized she needed additional business training, and decided to enroll in UT’s MBA program with a concentration in nonprofit management. Today, as president and CEO of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Reynolds draws upon the skills she learned in operations, fund development, strategic planning and more.

“UT’s nonprofit management program is truly a ‘must have’ for any nonprofit executive director, CEO or aspiring leader. Like many in the field, I became an executive director due to my program and clinical experience, not my business acumen. From a clinical perspective, I knew what I was doing, but running a nonprofit is running a business. I needed more training and more support, and UT was the perfect place for me to go. I know I wouldn’t be standing where I am today if I had not gone through the program.” Clara Reynolds

Amy Beekman, UT associate professor of management and director of Graduate Business Programs and director of Nonprofit Management Program, added that the nonprofit management program seeks to build the capacity of the nonprofit community.

“In a time where donors, funders, grant providers, and the government are looking for transparency and accountability, this program gives nonprofit leaders the skills they need to successfully lead their organizations into the future” - Amy Beekman

In partnership with:

And supported by:

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The University of Tampa Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies Phone: (813) 253-6249 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, FL 33606 www.ut.edu/graduate/nonprofit/ facebook.com/UTampaGradAdmissions twitter.com/UTampaGrad

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"Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion." TONY HSIEH

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CHAPTER FOUR

FUNDERS AND

INVESTORS

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FLORIDA VENTURE F

The Florida Venture Forum is a statewide network that successfully prepares, coaches and connects entrepreneurs and growing companies with equity investors throughout Florida and beyond, via events, conferences and other networking platforms and activities.

Since its founding in 1984, the Forum has become an increasingly important contributor to Florida’s economy. To date, Forum companies have raised approximately $3 Billion dollars in capital funding after presenting at a Forum event. The Forum’s mission is critical in support of Florida’s economic development strategy of creating an innovationdriven economy for the generation of high-wage, high-skilled job growth in the 21st Century.

Kevin Burgoyne President & CEO, Florida Venture Forum

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The Forum’s role is also critical to Florida’s economic development drive for its unique ability to cross major metropolitan borders in a large

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geographically diverse state. Most organizations connecting entrepreneurs, early-stage companies and investors are city/ region focused, while the Forum is statewide, allowing for greater connectivity across Florida. The Forum also plays a critical role in attracting investors from other states. This is critically important to Florida companies as out-of-state

investors offer unique strategic connectivity and growth opportunities, and it is important to the State’s economic vitality as outside sources of capital have a much more pronounced effect and spending multiplier on the economy. For more than 30 years, the Forum has been creating much-needed business “collisions” among entrepreneurs, early/growth-stage companies, infrastructure support organizations such as higher education institutions, and venture capital firms. These collisions support greater linkages across the state, and between Florida and other states, accelerating and fostering the creation of a statewide innovation and knowledge-based economy for 21st Century growth. Simply stated, the Florida Venture Forum’s mission is to connect Florida entrepreneurs and capital sources to foster a thriving innovation economy.

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Florida Funders is on a mission to create a Florida as well known for technology and innovation as it is for tourism and oranges.

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Florida Funders is a hybrid of a venture capital fund and crowd-funding platform that invests in early stage technology companies here in Florida. The firm is led by an experienced team of serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and experienced angel investors with proven track records of successful exits and a shared passion for growing the next generation of Florida tech companies. Florida Funders is committed to helping start-ups grow into successful enterprises that will positively benefit the Florida business landscape and overall economy. The key to the firm’s success lies in its ability to identify the very best investment opportunities by applying a rigorous, highly structured vetting process and solid investment thesis developed by its highly experienced investment committee. The selection process starts with a company’s founder. Florida Funder’s mantras is: “We bet more on the jockey than the horse.” Because everyone on the investment committee is an entrepreneur who has successfully built and exited one or more technology companies, they know that grit, perseverance and stamina are primary character traits for an entrepreneur to be successful. Beyond the founder the investment committee looks at: • • • • •

Size of the addressable market Scalability of the business model Technology and the problem it is solving Competitive landscape Potential for at least a 10X return

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Tom Wallace

The involvement of Florida Funders does not stop once it has provided a company with funding. Post-funding, the firm treats its portfolio companies as partners, providing value-added resources to help their businesses grow.

Marc Blumenthal

Florida Funders assigns an operating partner, who typically takes a board seat and works closely with the CEO to ensure their investment dollars are being deployed wisely. The firm uses its partners, their networks, and its investors to provide coaching, industry advice, and introductions to potential customers as well as later-stage venture capital firms. These resources give start-ups the best chance to succeed at building a break-out technology company that will in turn hire highly skilled professionals, lease valuable commercial space, and make a positive economic impact on Florida’s communities.

“We bet more on the jockey than the horse.”

Florida Funders has a committed venture capital fund that takes part in every vetted Florida Funders investment opportunity. The Florida Funders online equity crowd funding platform allows accredited investors to register to review detailed information on investment opportunities, and invest in these companies alongside the Florida Funders venture capital fund. Since the Florida Funders venture capital fund invests in each offering, investors always know they are investing alongside smart money. Accredited investors can register for free to become investors on FloridaFunders.com where they get access to investing details and transaction-relevant information posted by the companies that Florida Funders has carefully selected and vetted for funding.

Kevin Adamek

1311 N. Westshore Blvd., Suite 101 Tampa, FL 33607 www.floridafunders.com

Mark Sokol

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THE FLORIDA ANGEL NEXUS

THE FLORIDA ANGEL NEXUS WAS CREATED IN 2013 TO MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THE NUMBER OF DESERVING COMPANIES SUCCESSFULLY RAISING CAPITAL IN THE STATE BY BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF ACCREDITED INDIVIDUALS, FUNDS, ANGEL NETWORKS, AND FAMILY OFFICES EAGER TO BUILD PORTFOLIOS OF FLORIDA VENTURES.

Thanks to partners like USF, UCF, and the High Tech Corridor Council, NEXUS members have invested over $16M into 59 Florida companies and over $26M including co-investment partners. NEXUS has launched chapters in Orlando, Tallahassee, Ocala, Palm Beach, and supports a virtual network for dispersed investors. Seeds are planted to launch Tampa, St. Pete, Melbourne, Miami, a university alumni chapter, and a statewide chapter for female investors. In order for us to launch a chapter, we seek at least 3 individuals and one entity (fund, family office, corporation) willing to: join annual membership ($950 per individual or $3,000 per entity - donation to a nonprofit), invest $50K + in the first year, and recruit their peers to join the group. Early-stage companies should apply at floridaangelnexus. com. NEXUS receives 10+ applications for funding per week via our online portal and hosts a weekly webinar on Wednesday mornings that showcases two Florida companies. Research shows the importance of adequate deal

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flow, building a portfolio of over 10 companies, and pooling due diligence from investors with diverse expertise. The Board of Investors for each chapter have control over how their chapter operates. As NEXUS launched, significant research was conducted interviewing investors on the barriers to building a portfolio of Florida ventures. And interviewed investors outside the state to learn best practices to reduce risk and drive returns. NEXUS built platforms and workflow to enable investors to use their time efficiently and effectively, allowing them to focus their time on creating value for their portfolio and community. The chapter’s Board of Investors can decide: • How often, when, and where they meet • Which companies come to present at live events (the centralized NEXUS team provides a list of the companies that have risen to the top) • Who is invited to join the chapter

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“Becoming a NEXUS member has been a game-changer for me and my portfolio. NEXUS connects me with Florida’s best and brightest entrepreneurs and investors and showcases the top early-stage companies in the state. It also provides a platform to educate communities on the merits of angel investing. It’s a fantastic organization.” - Matt Johnson, Johnson Magrath & Partners Angels and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem The secret is out and an increasing number of accredited investors are now allocating a portion of their wealth to build portfolios of growth-oriented ventures. Florida’s strong network of research universities and institutes along with our state’s history with aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing makes our region a hotbed for tech investment opportunities. The activity of investor communities and investment funds is on the rise, providing direct and passive opportunities. Startups and the American Economy • Volume: Angels invest around $25B into 70,000 companies each year • Returns: Research shows 20-25% portfolio returns plus creating next generation jobs/companies • Prolific: Angel investors support up to 90% of outside equity raised by startups • Jobs: Over a 25-year period, firms younger than five years accounted for all of the net new jobs in the U.S. • Avg. wage: Technology workers earn 30-50% more than the median wage in major SMSAs • Economic growth: Research shows that the largest growth comes from high-growth, innovative ventures (the kind angels fund)

University System • Home to 135 colleges - 78 public and 56 private • 12 member state system produces > 10,000 STEM grads • Powerful research institutions with billions of dollars of intellectual property ripe for commercialization Science and Technology • 1st in computer training employment • 2nd in space and defense manufacturing employment • 3rd overall in engineering services employment • Established mid-sized businesses serve as management talent pool and potential strategic alliances

Entrepreneurs Count on Angels • Capital to bridge the funding gap to institutional capital • Business mentoring, monitoring and guidance • Critical connections for customers, strategic partners, additional funders, and acquirers • Connecting business growth and exit wisdom, subject matter expertise, and innovative ventures

Public Support • Incubator, co-working space, and entrepreneur centers • Public funding boosts early stage returns within FL Phone: (386) 530-3714 | @FLAngelNexus www.floridaangelnexus.co

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ARK APPLICATIONS ARK APPLICATIONS IS A SMALL PRIVATE EQUITY AND CONSULTING FIRM LOCATED IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA.

Founded in 2015, the company has focused on helping startups in the local area realize their full potential through capital investment and mentorship. With several investments in their portfolio, the team has built their company around partnering with companies that share in their core values. The strong belief in partnerships over investments is consistent with the way in which the company was founded. The company believes in creating lasting partnerships with others and working together for the greater good of all parties. 220

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Daniel Greco II, MBA - Managing Director

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Two of the companies that were the first additions to the Ark Applications portfolio also appear within the pages of this book – LiftSync and Peerfit. Both of these companies demonstrated significant potential to transform the industries within which they operate, and make a large impact on the Tampa Bay area. LiftSync is a fitness wearable company that facilitates the recording and analysis of weightlifting performance for athletic teams. Peerfit created a marketplace for wellness credits to be used for a-la-carte fitness activities for plan participants. Both of these companies operate in the fitness space with the intent of improving the quality of life for others.

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Daniel Greco II, MBA - Managing Director

University of Tampa’s Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, additional advisors were added to the team to provide a deeper breadth of resources for Ark Applications. Daniel McDonald, Brayton Bollinger and Jessica Wolfe were added to the team, and have assisted in the execution of the vision that the founders had in mind when they started the company. This group together has begun making an impact on the greater Tampa Bay ecosystem and the local startup community. The company believes that creating a strong team is of the utmost importance in being able to execute and deliver exceptional help to other businesses. Ark Applications intends to create meaningful change in the local community through their continuous involvement with local businesses both large and small. The Tampa Bay area is a thriving ecosystem of hungry entrepreneurs hoping to make an impact on the world, and it is the hope of the company to be able to assist some of these rising stars in their mission. Through their capital investment and mentorship, the founders of Ark Applications believe they have what it takes to be successful.

However, none of this would be possible for the team if it weren’t for a moment of realization after a Thanksgiving dinner. Founders Bob Smith, Dan Greco, and Justin Smith discussed their desire to help grow businesses in the local Tampa Bay community. The founders decided that Ark Applications would help others be successful through mentorship and capital infusion. The timing seemed perfect considering the new level of energy building in the Tampa Bay community for both startups as well as existing businesses. As they became more involved in the Tampa Bay startup community through activities such as mentoring at Startup Weekend, the Tampa Bay WaVe, or the

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GAZELLE CAPITAL AT GAZELLE CAPITAL, NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN STRATEGIC GROWTH. WE LOVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ENGAGING WITH DIVERSE GROUPS TO BUILD HIGH-GROWTH BUSINESSES, AND HELPING THOSE BUSINESSES REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL. “WE ADD VALUE”.

Whether you’re considering selling your business, preparing for your next investor pitch or simply looking for clear visibility into future cash flow, our dynamic team will help you navigate through the toughest business challenges. “We Control Risk”. Our brain-trust understands what makes your business unique, which is why we take the most intimate approach in identifying our client’s needs. “We are Genuine.” We carefully listen to your objectives, aspirations, challenges and frustrations so we can establish a continuum of solutions to help get you where you want to be. “We Create Structure.” Whether you’re looking for help in Finance, Operations or Strategy, we step in as deep and expansive as you need. “We Are Growth Catalysts!” What is a Gazelle Company? A Gazelle Company is a high-growth company that increases its revenues by ≥ 20% annually for four years or more. This growth pace means that the company has effectively doubled its revenues over a four-year period. Gazelle companies are characterized by their rapid growth pace, rather than their absolute size therefore, can range in size from small companies to very large enterprises.

Ashby Green - Founder, Barry Carter - Managing Partner, Holly Cao - Accountant, Carissa Garcia - Executive Administrator

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Oakpoint Advisors was established to identify, refine and deliver world-class alternative investment managers to institutional investors around the globe. investment functions including accounting, cash management, equity execution services, middle-office operations and compliance support to select investment managers. After a previous opportunity brought Gerry Coughlin to Tampa in the early 2000s, the beautiful weather and balanced lifestyle led him to decide to relocate from New York and further develop the business in Tampa. Oakpoint operates out of their headquarters in downtown Tampa, while leveraging offices across the NY metro area, Chicago, and Boston. While most of their clients are located across the U.S. and overseas, the majority of Oakpoint’s management and support staff is based in Tampa. The alternative asset industry is challenging and constantly evolving. Oakpoint has developed a differentiated model that is designed to meet current challenges by integrating both capital raising and infrastructure services. This model allows asset managers to focus on generating alpha, while achieving a cost effective, scalable business. Oakpoint seeks to effectively raise capital for proven investment managers by alleviating the daunting responsibilities associated with growing the AUM of the business. Oakpoint’s process demands a deep understanding of the manager’s investment strategy and management style. Its senior capital team acts as an extension of the investment manager, with the ability to succinctly convey to prospective investors what differentiates their client from peers in the marketplace. Oakpoint’s team has led successful campaigns across a range of strategies, drawing on its extensive institutional network consisting of endowments, foundations, public and private pensions, consultants, insurance companies, sovereigns and large family offices.

As a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Oakpoint has helped attract a number of alternative asset managers to do business here on the Gulf Coast with it’s unique platform based in Tampa Bay. Founded in 2009 at it’s offices at 320 Park Avenue in New York City, the company was led to Tampa in 2013 by its Founder and Managing Partner, Gerry Coughlin. Over the years, Oakpoint has developed into a robust service provider to asset managers. The company provides comprehensive marketing, capital formation services, as well as non-

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In addition to the capital raising platform, Oakpoint provides select investment managers with a customized, integrated operations support platform.Â Oakpointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manager Services offering addresses the noninvestment aspects of the business, allowing managers to focus on their investment process, generating alpha and delivering best-in-class risk-adjusted returns. By leveraging this platform, investment managers gain access to a seasoned team, creating organizational stability while allowing the manager to maintain equity.

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Non-investment functions are critical to the success of every investment manager. Oakpointâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team has a proven track record of executing on fund launches, creating a strong accounting and operational infrastructure, responding to investor due diligence requests and helping develop and implement compliance policies. Together, the capital platform and manager services create a compelling, comprehensive structure to enhance emerging asset managers and set them up for steady growth and long term success.

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100 S. Ashley Dr. #1130 Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: +1 212-588-6400 www.oakpointadv.com

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PILOT BANK

FOUNDED IN NOVEMBER OF 1987 BY LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS, PILOT BANK IS ONE OF TAMPA BAY’S OLDEST COMMUNITY BANKS.

After realizing there was no community bank headquartered in the Temple Terrace area to serve clients, John Puffer, Ann Ross, and Dr. DeWeese secured a charter to establish Terrace Bank which later became Pilot Bank. Founding Director Ann Ross recounts the bank’s humble beginnings, “We were just trying to serve the local community in a way that was missing and that original purpose is grounded in everything we do.” Now, with over 30 years of service and approaching $300 million in assets, Pilot Bank has successfully grown into a regional bank with five strategically located banking centers. There are presently four locations in Hillsborough County serving South Tampa, New Tampa, Temple Terrace, and Upper Tampa Bay. In 2006 Pilot Bank ventured into Polk County and opened a Lakeland office in the city’s business district.

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The holding company for Pilot Bank, Pilot Bancshares, Inc. was established in 1995 and The National Aircraft Finance Company (NAFCO) was acquired the following year. As one of the leading aircraft financing companies in the nation, the acquisition added to the financial strength and diversification of the corporation. NAFCO was of personal interest to the late John Puffer, himself a pilot. His love of flight inspired the name of the bank and its message of piloting your future and successfully navigating the financial world. Today, Pilot Bank is positioned as a solid and well-capitalized financial institution guiding small business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals to new heights. Pilot Bank continues to build around great teams, strong partnerships, and the idea that banking is still, at its core, about one on one relationships. Two of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main core values are integrity and client satisfaction. Uniquely hands on with clients, Pilot Bank goes the extra length to get to know the people and businesses they serve. Each market is led by bankers who know the community inside and out, visiting with clients and their businesses for an unparalleled up close and personal approach. While Pilot Bank helps clients and their businesses travel far and wide, it is a great source of pride for the bank and clients alike that their deposits are reinvested back into the Tampa Bay community. With commercial deposits remaining local, each transaction helps propel small business loans and bring jobs and revenue to the community. Pilot Bank knows that when small businesses work with a community bank, Tampa Bay wins. Celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2017, the bank plans to inspire and assist more entrepreneurs in realizing their dreams, as steady growth continues to lead Pilot Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own expansion. The Pilot Bank team take great joy in being good corporate citizens, remaining highly active in the local community.

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“WHY I BECAME A MENTOR” KENNETH ERVIN YOUNG. I like to think that I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was around 6 to 8 years of age, when I recall wanting some candy. I believe it was my grandmother who said to me, “If you want candy, you need to make a job for yourself and earn some money to pay for it.” At that age, my only “marketable skills” were mowing, raking yards and collecting soda bottles around our home in Lakeland – so that is what I did!

highly needed technology for electronics. He mentored us by letting us learn from our many smaller mistakes as we struggled to create Cypress, but guided us to avoid the “landmines”. This is how I learned many great Mentors give guidance – they let us “learn from the pain” of stepping on M-80 firecrackers, but give guidance to “avoid the landmines” that could cause the death of our dreams.

Although I was too young at the time to realize it, my grandmother was my first Mentor. She and my grandfather had lived through the Great Depression and learned many lessons, which they passed on to me. She and the other Mentors I was fortunate enough to find I hold responsible for helping me achieve the level of success I have in my career.

Although my Semiconductor career focus was in Product Design and Development, I reached out to find Mentors in other skill areas – Sales, Marketing and Finance - that I knew would help me broaden my skill set and advance my career. Their mentoring enabled me to become a better leader and to identify the best people to hire into those roles as I moved my career path towards a CEO role.

After I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at Georgia Tech, my first job was in Dallas, TX as a Semiconductor Design and Product Engineer at 6000-employee Mostek Corp. The founder and CEO, L.J. Sevin, was my first post-college Mentor. He believed in personal responsibility and individual risk taking. Fresh out of school I was put in charge of building up a new semiconductor product line. As a Mentor, he set the target but left it to me to figure out how to succeed.

My wife and I moved to Tampa, FL in June 2015. One of my goals is to take my Mentors’ lessons and pass them on to local Entrepreneurs. Today I serve as a Mentor and Entrepreneur-In-Residence with the Tampa Bay WaVE (www.TampaBayWaVE. org) – the leading Florida High Technology Incubator/Accelerator and provide Technical Solutions and Coaching Services For Every Business Stage via my latest startup – Idea To Growth LLC.

L.J. Sevin sold Mostek three and a half years after I joined and six months later, I got a call to move to San Jose, CA. He was funding $7.5M into a new startup, Cypress Semiconductor, targeting High Performance CMOS – an unproven, but

I continue to seek out Mentors who can guide me as I continue on my life path and encourage you to do the same if you want to achieve the highest level of success – and to give of yourself to those whom you can mentor on their journey.

STARTUP

IDEA

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FIRST ROUND TAMPA BAY IT IS INSPIRING TO SEE PEOPLE GO “ALL IN” WITH A STARTUP BUSINESS. OFTEN TIMES, TO DO THAT, THEY MUST QUIT THEIR DAY JOBS AND RAISE A LITTLE MONEY TO GET THEIR BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND.

The first round of financing is typically too small for traditional venture capitalists, and has the highest risk. The availability of this kind of financing is critical to the development of a tech ecosystem. It should also have the highest potential economic reward. First Round Tampa Bay is a group of local investors who came together in 2016 to fund a local startup called Phonism, LLC through convertible notes. They formed a single purpose Florida LLC called First Round Tampa Bay - Phonism, LLC for that purpose.

Richard McIntyre

The investors include local lawyers, software developers, real estate developers, doctors, business people and tech entrepreneurs. Where possible, the investors mentor and share their advice and contacts with the startup in order to help it grow. While Phonism was the first investment, the idea is to create a process that can be easily replicated to fund other startups with no set cast of investors. First Round Tampa Bay will continue to seek out and fund additional local tech startups in the Tampa Bay area.

www.mcintyrefirm.com

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KEVIN HARRINGTON ENTERPRISES THE DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR BETWEEN COMPLACENCY AND SUCCESS IS NOT ONLY MOTIVATION, IT’S TAKING ACTION! THESE CHARACTERISTICS ARE SOME OF KEVIN HARRINGTON’S DEFINING ATTRIBUTES.

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In the 1980s, Kevin was watching the Discovery Channel when colored bars came across the screen. After calling, he found out that the Discovery Channel was only an 18-hour-per-day network with six hours of downtime. Seeing an untapped opportunity, Kevin worked out an exclusive deal to fill that downtime with products and services. This defining moment forever changed the way people would buy products and was the inception of the infomercial. This radical change gave Kevin the title “inventor of the infomercial”! During these first 30 years, Kevin grew his business and network on a global scale. This led to the creation of one of his most successful companies, Quantum International, which grew into 20 languages, in over 100 countries, on the New York Stock Exchange and grossed over $500 million in sales. After establishing worldwide success, he began innovating in new markets, and trying to discover where his passion lay. Kevin spent his next 30 years cultivating dozens of companies to become driven and fully functional operations. It was during this time that Kevin built over 20 businesses that have each grown over $100 million sales. Kevin was an “Original Shark” on the Emmy-winning show Shark Tank, he is an “As Seen on TV” pioneer, and cofounder of the Entrepreneurs Organization. Today, Kevin is committed to helping others achieve their goals and entrepreneurial ventures through two of his main affiliates, the Angel Investors Network and the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization. Tampa has become a hub of young entrepreneurs and trendy startups, two facets that directly benefit from Kevin’s two ventures.

The entrepreneurial market is now diversified on a multitude of levels. Everyone has the opportunity to create something they’re passionate about and uncover their inner entrepreneur. Yet, these young innovators find themselves lackadaisical as they engulf themselves in the process of building a startup, but this can easily be fixed if you have a “shark in your tank”.

Angel Investors Network was developed by successful entrepreneurs, investment bankers, marketers, lawyers, accountants, and management experts who have all built companies in a variety of fields. This network is a community of experts who actively invest their time, money, and expertise in exchange for equity. Their objective is perpetuating free enterprise, capitalism, and supporting the entrepreneurial spirit while creating wealth and happiness.

Before the show Shark Tank was conceived, there was an old Japanese fable that resonated through Kevin’s endeavors. The Japanese market craved fresh fish. As the demand grew, the local fish populations would dwindle, and the fishermen would need to sail further and further out to sea. The longer the fishermen had to stay out at sea, the more they struggled to keep the catch fresh. They tried to refrigerate their product, but their customers claimed it ruined the flavor. They tried to store the catch live in tanks aboard their boats, but the cramped conditions caused the fish to become dull and listless. A couple of men had the idea to place a small shark in the tanks with the catch. As the shark swam about, it challenged the fish, keeping them moving, energized and lively. Many startups and established businesses today need to be energized and motivated in the same manner. This is what Kevin Harrington brings to the table.

Kevin firmly believes in the next wave of entrepreneurs and the competitive edge they can have in the modern market. The Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization has 250 chapters in all 50 states and around the globe aiming to support and inspire college students to seek opportunity. This diverse network allows students access to mentors like Harrington, whose experience and insight is invaluable to young businesspeople.

It was Zig Ziglar who stated, “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” This is what Kevin aspires to accomplish in the realm of entrepreneurship. We all know that time is one’s most valuable asset and how you use it can change your day, week, and even your life. Do you have a product, business, or idea that needs funding? Do you have a business or service that needs a business advisor or board member? Put a shark in your tank and contact Kevin Harrington.

SHARK TANK

Kevin@KevinHarrington.tv www.kevinharrington.tv

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THE ST. PETERSBURG DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP TECHNOLOGY FUND

For decades, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership has been a champion for long-term strategies to diversify the Sunshine City’s economy. Now, the Downtown Partnership is a direct investor, too. Since 2013, the membership-based, non-profit organization has taken a stake in four local technology start-ups, helping to provide capital - but also connections - for young companies that pledge to keep their home in St. Petersburg. They are: LumaStream, an intelligent LED lighting manufacturer; SavvyCard, a mobile marketing and engagement system for professionals; Priatek, prized-based digital promotions; and PureMolecular, provider of rapid infield genetic information systems.

The strategy is possible thanks to a token gift of stock the Partnership received in 1995 after members had helped Michael Morris, a former University of South Florida College of Marine Science graduate student, launch what became Ocean Optics Inc. When the stock’s value grew, the Partnership established its Technology Fund in accordance with Morris’ wishes to assist technology start-ups. Now, as investments mature, proceeds are plowed back into new companies, creating a self-perpetuating fund to grow St. Petersburg’s future.

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VICTOR LIU AN EXPLORER AND ADVENTURER.

He was born in Hong Kong, studied in Thailand before attending Universities in America and received his BS in Urban Planning from the University of California at Davis and his MBA in Finance from New York University. He has lived and worked in CA, OR, NY, TX, and in Tampa Bay areas of Florida the past 13 years. Besides two short stints working for Macy’s in-store development and for Citicorp in new product development early in his career, Victor has owned and operated several businesses until retirement from operation 3 years ago.

Event Joy, SavvyCard, and UpValet with more to come. Victor enjoys meeting bright, energetic, and resourceful founders and fellow successful investors. According to Victor, FL and Tampa Bay have come a long way in the past 7 years. Then there was almost nothing happening related to startups. He only found a Tampa chapter of a FL East Coast angel group and also joined an angel group in Sarasota and later one in Orlando. Now there are incubators/co-working spaces everywhere: Tampa Bay WaVe, TEC Garage, The HuB, USF Connect, Oxford Exchange, and Station House… There are now investor groups plus new ones in the forming stages, with several funds having raised money for startups in the past few years.

Since 2010, Victor has been an active angel investor with direct investments in 70+ startups and 20+ as part of group investments and has dealt with 25+ exits so far. In 2014, he received the Angel Investor Extraordinaire award from The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Tampa chapter. Victor has been a mentor, on judge panels of pitch competitions, and regularly attends various accelerators’ demo days.

It takes many to work together to build, nurture, and support our startup ecosystem. It will take time but we are on the right path. Victor wants to continue to do his part and help put Tampa Bay on the map; to attract and retain talents to our areas.

Victor is very supportive of Florida startups and has invested in more than a dozen FL companies, including several local Tampa Bay startups: Exmo – later

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"Success isn't just about what you accomplish in your life; it's about what you inspire others to do."

CHAPTER FIVE

INCUBATORS, ACCELERATORS AND ESOs 235

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FLORIDA’S LARGEST & FASTESTGROWING TECH HUB ONE OUT OF EVERY 89 US TECH WORKERS CALLS TAMPA BAY HOME.

That’s more than Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Philadelphia, Detroit, Nashville, Omaha, Las Vegas, Des Moines, Boulder, every other metro in Florida, and half the states in the nation. And a third of our tech workforce arrived over the last seven years, making us one of the country’s fastest-growing tech hubs. Which begs the question: Why is so much U.S. tech talent choosing Tampa Bay? Is it the average annual temperature of 73.35°F? Is it the seemingly endless coastline? Is it the active lifestyle? Of course that is part of the story; however, we would agree that living anywhere in Florida is a pleasure. So, why is so much U.S. tech talent choosing Tampa Bay over other places in Florida?

Daniel James Scott, Executive Director

Might it be that Tampa Bay is more densely populated with tech talent than other Florida markets? Might it be that Tampa Bay is growing its tech workforce faster than other markets in Florida? Might it be that Tampa Bay is the state’s leading employer in two of tech’s hottest jobs: cybersecurity and network architecture? All of these are true, yet maybe not the entire story. There is one factor that may rise above all others in attracting tech talent…

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Tampa Bay’s tech is as diverse as its people. Tampa Bay is one of the top two markets most demographically similar to the U.S. and our tech workforce is just as diverse, with an abundance of career opportunities across disciplines and industries. What industries, exactly, with examples?

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Hardware/Logistics/Managed Services: AVI-SPL, CDW, CenturyLink Business, CIO Technology Solutions, Dobler Consulting, Forsythe, Hivelocity, IT Authorities, Jabil, Jagged Peak, Nutanix, Peak10, Red Hat, Tech Data, Technology Integration Group, Urban E Recycling, Verizon and Vology. Healthcare & Bio-Life Sciences: Cardinal Solutions, CareSync, Empath Health, Healthesystems, Health Plan Systems, Johnson & Johnson, Pilgrim Quality Solutions and Skynet Healthcare Technologies. Marketing: Catalina, GSP, Nielsen, Triad Retail Media and Valpak. Retail & Manufacturing: Ashley Homestore, Bealls, Bloomin’ Brands, Gerdau, Goodwill Industries of the Suncoast, HSN, Masonite, Melitta, PODS, Publix, Rooms To Go, Superior Uniform and Tampa Bay Lightning. Software Development & Integration: 4th Source, Accusoft, AgileThought, Appian, Haneke Design, Mad Mobile, Mercury New Media, Nitro Solutions and Sourcetoad. So, why is so much U.S. tech talent choosing Tampa Bay? Silicon Valley is the leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. Washington, D.C. is the leader in defense technologies. Boston is the leader in biotech and life sciences. Tampa Bay is the leader in tech diversity.

Consulting & Professional Services: Accenture, A-LIGN, Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners, Convergence Consulting Group, Chasm Communications, Deloitte, Holland & Knight, Identity Fusion, KForce, LivingHR, PwC, RIDG, RSM, Simply Axiom, SourceTek, Staffometry, Stonehenge Capital, TeleVoIPs, The Praxsys Group, Tribridge, Valet Living and Wolters Kluwer. Cybersecurity: Abacode, CheckPoint, Ivanti, KnowBe4, LogRhythm, Malwarebytes, Optiv, ReliaQuest, Splunk and the SSL Store. Education: BICSI, Bisk Education, ISC(2), Florida Polytechnic University, Keiser University, Lighthouse Academies, New Horizons, South University, St. Leo University, St. Petersburg College, Tampa Prep, The Iron Yard, Ultimate Medical Academy, University of Tampa, University of South Florida and Vector Solutions. Finance: American Express, AON, Arbitration Forum, Bond-Pro, Fintech, Jackson Hewitt, JPMorgan Chase & Co., New York Life, PSCU, Raymond James, UPC Insurance and Wellcare. Government & NGO: British Consulate, Big Brothers Big Sisters, City of Largo, City of St. Petersburg, Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Geographic Solutions, Panther International, Tampa Bay Water, Tampa Bay WaVE and Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.

The Tampa Bay Technology Forum Team: Jill Pearson & Daniel James Scott Phone: 813-400-1164 Email: team@tbtf.org https://tbtf.org https://twitter.com/thetbtf https://www.facebook.com/TheTBTF/

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ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE, A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE, AND A SAFER WORLD ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH ENTREPRENEURIAL EFFORTS. Krista Covey - Board Member, International Business Innovation Association (InBIA.org) Managing Partner, EdisonMax.

Entrepreneurship is not a zero-sum game. Any community can win if they provide the resources and implement the programs and services necessary to empower entrepreneurship and Tampa Bay is winning. In the ever-evolving entrepreneurship ecosystem, we see Tampa Bay flourish with individuals and organizations working to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. Our startups need many resources, not just to survive the first few years, but to scale and succeed well beyond the initial startup phases in business. We know “business is tough” and that most don’t survive the first few years. However, the International Business Innovation Association reports that “87% of their [incubator] graduates remain in business at least three years after completing the program”. Tampa Bay has seen the challenge and the community has responded. Over the past few years we have seen the ecosystem develop to include incubators, accelerators, co-working spaces, maker spaces, and early stage funders to later stage venture capitalist. In addition, the numerous events geared towards entrepreneurship are almost more than anyone can keep track. These resources are available because of the numerous collaborative efforts of economic development organizations, universities, private organizations and most importantly, the entrepreneurs themselves. So, what do we, as a community, do to continue this momentum? One of the best ways we can serve our entrepreneurs is to be their champion. Talk about them as if they are close friends. Get to know the individuals who have startups and understand their needs, make introductions for them, buy from local companies, and talk about the local successes that drive economic development. This is something we all can do to help those that are working on solving tough problems and getting products to market. If we can continue to help our entrepreneurs thrive we will see life changing technology developed, health issues solved and our world will be a safer place for future generations.

Krista@EdisonMax.com Twitter: @KristaCovey www.linkedin.com/in/kristacovey 238

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DR. MICHAEL W. FOUNTAIN As the Founding Director for our Entrepreneurship Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s educational programs, begun in 2000, it has been my honor and pleasure to work with the University of South Florida administrators, faculty, students, alumni and community leaders in Tampa Bay to create an enduring program of educational excellence at USF. Since our beginning, we have sought to create and foster programs which span the entire campus of USF and which provide education and training opportunities for every student. Our mission for entrepreneurship is to empower our students and faculty to recognize opportunities to think creatively to innovate, to master the skills to convert innovations into new products and services, and create value for customers as well as themselves through the creation of successful ventures and the application of entrepreneurial skills through intrapreneuring within existing enterprises. Our vision is to continue to be internationally recognized as the leader in interdisciplinary entrepreneurship education which educates and trains future generations of globally focused leaders through an engaged clinical approach to education. We celebrate the fact that our entrepreneurship educational program has been ranked as one of the top programs in the United States for the past 10 consecutive years by the Princeton Review and as one of the top 15 entrepreneurship educational programs in the world by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). At USF we recognize our responsibility as an engaged global citizen both in Tampa Bay and for our students from around the world. It is our firm belief that developing a strong entrepreneurially minded alumni base and international alumni ecosystem, strengthens opportunities and networks for all of our students. We are proud of our studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; success in creating enterprises around the world providing employment for themselves as well as others with over 70% of our graduates going on to create verifiable enterprises around the globe. With an alumni base of students from over 50 nations, we seek to develop leaders who will have a positive lasting impact to create and grow sustainable enterprises in Florida and worldwide creating value for themselves, their co-workers, but more importantly for their customers and the communities in which they live. USF, seeks to provide a nurturing environment for student entrepreneurs through our USF Student Innovation Incubator founded in 2012. Located in the USF Research Park in the USF CONNECT complex, it provides a home for student originated enterprises to launch and grow. This environment provides opportunities for collaboration, networking and mentoring from business community leaders. It is our strong belief that entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship are personally transformative and when executed with a focus of creating value for all stakeholders provides the strongest positive effects for the world in which we live. Phone: (813) 974 7900Â www.usf.edu/entrepreneurship 239

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THE LOWTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA

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A Tampa Bay Ecosystem study funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and conducted through the John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center at The University of Tampa, Sykes College of Business found that entrepreneurial ecosystems within small metropolitan areas – such as Tampa Bay – lack the collaboration and vision necessary to instill an entrepreneurial mindset. The solution to growing a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem is increased collaboration between stakeholders in the ecosystem and education. At the Sykes College of Business, the Lowth Entrepreneurship Center’s programs teach skills that are critical for today’s entrepreneur to succeed in a changing business economy, and help build healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems. As an academic program, student learning is at the core of all entrepreneurship activities and programs at The University of Tampa. The focus of the program is to be nationally recognized and engage students and the regional business community in mutually beneficial learning experiences. Additionally, the program provides research opportunities focused on student engagement and entrepreneurship pedagogy. The academic programs within the Sykes College of Business at The University of Tampa include both undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship degree programs. Undergraduate degree programs include majors in entrepreneurship and international business and entrepreneurship and a minor in entrepreneurship. Graduate degree programs include an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship and an MS in entrepreneurship. Launched in 2016, the MS program utilizes design thinking, systems thinking, collaboration and prototyping to help students move from concept to business in 12 months. The Lowth Center offers a customized learning approach to entrepreneurship education and is leading the discipline in innovative approaches to integrating curricular and co-curricular learning and assessment. Through our programs, we bring together prospective student entrepreneurs, educators and experienced entrepreneurs to generate, refine and develop business concepts and to launch new ventures. Through a combination of classroom study and applied learning with the local business community, students learn how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, recognize business opportunities,

conduct marketing research, prepare executable business plans, identify financial needs, acquire funding, maintain liquidity, manage cash flow and much more. The Lowth Center is housed in an exceptional facility that was created with experiential learning in mind. The entire blueprint is based on the assumption that meaningful learning only takes place if it is embedded in the social, as well as the physical context within which it is used. The space provides an environment that is conducive to five learning modalities: apprenticeship, collaboration, reflection, coaching and multiple practice. These learning strategies are reflected not only in the center, but in it’s curriculum and programs. Students and members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem have multiple opportunities to get engaged in a wide variety of diverse learning experiences, including accelerator and incubator programs, networking events with local business leaders and entrepreneurs, pitch competitions, speaker series led by entrepreneurial leaders from all over the nation, coaching from entrepreneurs-in-residence and education seminars. Success at the Lowth Center stems from the ability to build and grow students’ entrepreneurial mindsets so they have the right skills and experiences to further pursue their entrepreneurial career in an evolving economy.

John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center Sykes College of Business, The University of Tampa 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. | Box 2F, Tampa, FL 33606-1490 Phone: (813) 257-1760 | Email: rwhite@ut.edu www.twitter.com/@UTEcenter www.facebook.com/utecenter www.ut.edu/entrepreneurcenter

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TAMPA BAY WAVE, INC. “THE WAVE” AS IT HAS COME TO BE KNOWN, IS A FOCAL POINT OF TAMPA’S GROWING TECH STARTUP COMMUNITY.

As a “by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs” non-profit, Tampa Bay WaVE’s mission is to help entrepreneurs build, launch and grow successful technology companies right here in Tampa Bay. Through the diligent cultivation of entrepreneurs, technology talent and support from community and business leaders, Tampa Bay WaVE has created a unique ecosystem focused on collaborative pathways to success. The 10,000 square-foot space at 500 E. Kennedy, overlooking the downtown business district, supplies its inhabitants with all they need to focus on becoming Tampa Bay’s next breakout success. Oh, and not to mention the coffee bar, hammocks, foosball and open work environment that supports their distinctive culture. History Tampa Bay WaVE began in 2008 as a meet-up of the CEOs and founders of local technology startups. Founder and current President, Linda Olson formed a community of leaders that came together regularly to solve problems and share ideas. The group continued to grow as they became more effective at providing solutions and resources to its members. In 2011, after instituting some programming and organizing around a few key initiatives, Tampa Bay WaVE formally established itself as a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a focus on enabling Tampa Bay to support great technology startups.

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In 2012, Tampa Bay WaVE moved into downtown’s iconic Sykes Building while simultaneously raising $1M from the business community to support its efforts. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) matched these funds with a federal grant that same year. In 2015, the EDA followed up on their commitment with a second grant that allowed the WaVE to continue their mission of helping entrepreneurs build successful technology ventures. Later that year, Tampa Bay WaVE relocated to their current space in the Sunshine Bank Building. This new home effectively supports Tampa Bay WaVE’s mission by providing resources for coworking, workshops, a mentor network, as well as, a home for the FirstWaVE Venture Center and Accelerator Program. The FirstWaVE Venture Center Today’s startup founders require a growing number of resources to support their success. Close proximity and

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collaboration with other founders and CEOs is an invaluable part of this mix. The FirstWaVE Venture Center provides coworking opportunities with flexible, open office space along with the access to resources and the community support that entrepreneurs need. With the added value of workshops and networking events, the Venture Center is an affordable and valuable asset for businesses at any stage of growth. The FirstWaVE Accelerator Tampa Bay WaVE’s FirstWaVE Accelerator delivers a hands-on program that moves startups from an idea to an investment-ready business in just ninety days. This program offers founders the counsel, connections, and the confidence of commitment that will allow them to thrive. This accelerator program is different by design and allows the bootstrap entrepreneur the chance to focus on their idea while maintaining 100% of their equity. With a nominal fee for participation, these founders invest in their idea without divesting their ownership. The FirstWaVE Accelerator provides many additional support resources after the program like meaningful peer relationships built during the program along with beneficial connections to customers and capital. Community WaVE is one of the closest entrepreneurial communities in the Tampa Bay area - and growing more expansive every year. Because helping entrepreneurs is at the heart of Tampa Bay WaVE’s mission, they will continue to expand their services to assure they are contributing value to the Tampa Bay entrepreneurial community. Whether it is more education, leadership and/or capital investment opportunities, Tampa Bay WaVE is committed to building companies and growing the Tampa Bay area’s ability to support a thriving technology business community.

www.tampabaywave.org

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STATION HOUSE ST. PETE CO-WORK | EATS | LOUNGE | EVENTS | TEA & COFFEE | TECH | WELLNESS Lifestyle brand founded by Gianco Companies. Welcome to Station House St. Pete. Let the journey begin, as we introduce to you a concept established in the year 1911 through its historic DNA as a Fire Station and Train Station, with a modern sense of styling and technology, adjoined in harmony to meet the human instinctive desires for community and social interaction.

working space by day and an event space by night. We’ve created this communal environment and set a standard of service that exceeds the expectations of our members and guests. Set in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, we guarantee a unique experience within our five-story building; whether you are saying ‘I do’ on your wedding day, sipping drinks in our speakeasy, or closing your next big deal in one of our board rooms. This is where live/work/play comes into balance, where the 9-5 is dead and where ideas are sparked and made a reality.

Station House is dedicated to providing a comfortable, yet dynamic environment in which our guests can interact socially or professionally, work or co-work quietly, enjoy food, drinks and entertainment, and rest peacefully. We are a co-

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Steve Gianfilippo, Founder

All things unique and extraordinary are derived from a simple thought or idea, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Visionâ&#x20AC;?. With over 200 members that call Station House their home-office, and thousands of visitors that cross through our doors each month, everyone has the unique opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas and share multiple perspectives, all while building an organic sense of community.

260 1st Ave S. St Petersburg, FL 33701 USA Phone: 727.895.8260 | stationhousestpete.com E-mail: info@stationhousestpete.com | events@stationhousestpete.com

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Rosie Lee, Veteran Spouse, COO Divergent Dimension and Operations Manager, OPSU Beth Kerly, HCC Business Professor and Co-Founder of OPSU Andy Gold, HCC Business Professor and CoFounder of OPSU Valerie Ellis Lavin, US Army Veteran, CEO, Luminary Global, and Director, OPSU

OPERATION STARTUP (OPSU) NEARLY ONE IN FOUR ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS WANT TO OPEN AND OPERATE THEIR OWN BUSINESS. OPPORTUNITY, FREEDOM, AND SOLVING PROBLEMS ATTRACT THEM TO THE CHALLENGE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP. Operation Startup (OPSU) is disrupting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Tampa and the U.S., becoming the first business actuator for early-stage entrepreneurs. Incubators and accelerators offer entrepreneurs co-working spaces and amenities at lease terms or equity shares that are unaffordable for early-stage entrepreneurs. As a business actuator, however, Operation Startup serves early-stage entrepreneurs from the military Veteran community who may have not yet fully developed their business ideas and strategies. Even a modestly priced incubator is not a viable starting point for an early-stage business idea, and these entrepreneurs are a long way from attracting investors that may be available through an accelerator. Business actuators, as described by Operation Startup cofounders Dr. Andy Gold and Mary Beth Kerly, bridge that gap for budding small business owners, and are the necessary precursor to incubators and accelerators.

Robert Blacklidge, US Air Force Veteran, Serial Entrepreneur, OPSU Entrepreneur in Residence Travis Ingram, US Army Reservist, Aspiring Vetrepreneur

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“There is a chasm in the entrepreneur eco-system, not just in Tampa Bay but around the world,” explains Gold. “Successful entrepreneurs do not dive into incubators until their business ideas are validated, their products tested, or their businesses have launched.”

Brian Mann, Ed.D., Director, Associate in Science Degree Programs Rosie Lee, Veteran Spouse and Operations Manager, OPSU Beth Kerly, HCC Business Professor and Co-Founder of OPSU Valerie Ellis Lavin, US Army Veteran, CEO, Luminary Global, and Director, OPSU

businesses and high growth scalable enterprises get moving in the right direction with the right business model,” explained Kerly. “Our goal,” says Gold, “is to help these business innovators launch their idea after carefully modeling the business, testing their assumptions, pivoting when necessary and laying the groundwork for long-term success. Equally critical is to prevent the formation of unsustainable business models, saving individuals unrecoverable time and money.” Membership in Operation Startup is currently restricted to Veterans, active duty military, National Guard, Reservists, military spouses, and their civilian business partners. “Five, ten years from now, Operation Startup is going to be noted as the founder of the business actuator, much like Mancuso for the incubator and Y Combinator for the accelerator,” Gold says. Kerly adds, “Businesses developed in this actuator will populate incubators and accelerators across Florida with more viable business ideas, stronger business planning, and businesses with a greater likelihood of success. Investors will actively compete for investment opportunities in actuator-founded businesses, because the ROI will be greater and the regional economic impact more evident.”

Photos by Tom Seiter Photography

Adds Kerly, “But those businesses fail more often than not because they were not formed strategically with a solid understanding of the market, the customers, or the cost involved in starting a business.” “Our niche is helping early-stage entrepreneurs develop an idea, validate the idea, and learn best practices before laying down that first dollar to start a business.” Supported in collaboration with Hillsborough Community College and Hillsborough County government, as well as private and corporate donations, Operation Startup offers all its services, resources, and guidance at no cost to the eligible members. Members participate in workshops on pertinent business topics, from ideation validation to customer discovery to financial planning. Business advisors, local experts who volunteer their time to mentor entrepreneurs, help craft development plans and provide networking opportunities. “We tap into local and national experts, business executives, investors and philanthropists to offer robust services to help new small

You can connect with us at www.operation-startup.com.

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The Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (ECC), established in December 2014, unlocks Hillsborough County’s growth potential and helps strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. The ECC serves as a common location for local business owners to find entrepreneurial assistance.

Within the ECC, budding and experienced entrepreneurs will find shared space and resources for community partners engaged in assisting entrepreneurs; oneon-one consulting, classes, mentoring, events, and networking opportunities; and ECC-hosted online resources, calendars, scheduling and co-operative events.

Veteran Entrepreneurs dedicated work space as well as receive free resources to start their business. • Host of 1 Million Cups, a weekly, national program funded by the Kauffman Foundation that provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to pitch their new business concept and receive feedback from the community. Tampa hosts the largest chapter in the Southeast. »» 200+ presenters since launch in February, 2015 »» Surveys of past presenters have reported a 47% increase in revenue since their presentation »» Surveys of past presenters have reported 20% have hired additional employees since their presentation

• 75+ service providers, non-profits, educational institutions and government agencies utilize the state-of-the-art facility to meet with their clients, network, and conduct training sessions and meetings, all serving and growing the entrepreneur ecosystem. • Home of Operation Start-Up (OPSU), a collaborative effort between Hillsborough Community College and Hillsborough County to provide

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AWARDS/RECOGNITION

• 20,000+ attendees have participated in 1300+ programs and events hosted at the ECC. »» FY 15 – 353 Programs, 4910 Attendees »» FY 16 – 554 Programs, 8834 Attendees »» FY 17 (to date) – 472 Programs, 7401 Attendees

• Celebrated one year for both the ECC (December 2015) and 1 Million Cups Tampa (February 2016) • Selected as the location for Ice House Entrepreneurship Facilitator Training Program National Conference (February 2016) • Recognized in Tampa Bay Business Journal for 2016 Business Awards – Best Accelerator Program • Recognized by Turner School of Construction Management and Florida Minority Supplier Diversity Council for hosting their 2016 Construction Academy • Operate the largest 1 Million Cups in Southeast Region. A total of 90+ chapters exist in the United States

EVENTS/PROGRAMS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1 Million Cups Tampa – Kauffman Foundation FSBDC at Hillsborough County Business Workshops/Consulting Operation Start-Up Programs and Workshops for Veterans Hillsborough County Public Library System Programs including 3D printing, Photoshop, research, marketing Black Heritage Festival – Financing Your Business Hispanic Business Start-Up Week Arts Council – Business Side of Art Entrepreneur Leadership Academy – High School Entrepreneur Program Hillsborough Community College Entrepreneur Program University of Tampa Entrepreneur Program Start-Up Weekend Hispanic Business Tech Academy Chamber Meetings Hispanic Business Initiative (HBIF) Workshops/Consulting SBA Workshops/Programs Ice House Entrepreneurship Training Program National Conference Service Corp of Retired Executives (SCORE) Workshops/Consulting FIRST/Vista Robotics Team Business Pitch Competitions Tampa Innovation Alliance Planning Meetings Many More...

Address: 2101 E Palm Ave, Tampa, FL 33605 | Phone: +1 813-204-9267 http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/entrepreneur-collaborative-center

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Mission:

The Greenhouse is St. Petersburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s front-door to business growth, providing business owners and entrepreneurs with the education, resources and assistance necessary to thrive in the local economy. Comprised of an expert team from the City of St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, along with a wide network of partners, we are committed to the economic growth and development of St. Petersburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. Innovation abounds in Tampa Bay! At The Greenhouse, we have the privilege of helping entrepreneurs launch their big ideas, gain business savvy to succeed, and continue growth as established companies. While many of our clients are in the idea and startup stages, we provide assistance to business owners throughout the lifecycle of their company. We believe that entrepreneurship, economic development, and community are intertwined. Each new business - each microenterprise as well as every larger corporation - plays a role in transforming our local economy. As such, we focus on innovating from within, empowering entrepreneurs and the surrounding community alike to make St. Petersburg the ideal place to live, work, and play.

GROWING BUSINESS AT THE GREENHOUSE

At The Greenhouse, we concentrate the majority of our efforts on business training, consultation, liaison services, networking and promotion. We also run the Small Business Enterprise Program, the Growth Corridor Program, the Eckerd-Greenhouse Experience in Entrepreneurship Program, and the Entrepreneurial Academy. While these service areas represent our focus, we also utilize our wide network of partnerships to ensure business owners receive the support and connections they need. This strategy allows for maximum impact on entrepreneurship, economic development, and the community as a whole.

The Greenhouse, 440 2nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Phone: (727) 893 7146 facebook.com/StPeteGreenhouse/ twitter.com/STPGreenhouse linkedin.com/organization/9282993 youtube.com/channel/UCwpPm-33RRUNnOIqv7t1KoQ www.StPeteGreenhouse.com

Greenhouse Staff, Top: Ondria McDonald, Tracey Smith, Sean Kennedy, Jessica Eilerman; Bottom: Eric Lavina, Carly Helliesen, Claude Williams

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BREWING BUSINESS INNOVATION AT 1 MILLION CUPS Mission: “To engage, educate, and connect entrepreneurs in their local communities.” On Wednesday of every week between 9 – 10 am, entrepreneurs from over 100 communities nationwide gather for 1 Million Cups (1MC). The program, developed by the Kauffman Foundation, is intended to “build startup ecosystems” through local networking. Each week, two early-stage businesses present their companies to an audience of individuals and fellow entrepreneurs from the local community. After a six minute presentation, the startup founders spend twenty minutes engaged in a question-and-answer session, which encourages collaboration, feedback, and conversations that are beneficial to all in attendance. Coffee is provided for these events and is fundamental to the design; according to Kauffman, this comes from “the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and network over a million cups of coffee.” In Tampa Bay, two communities participate in 1MC: St. Petersburg and Tampa. The first 1 Million Cups community in the area, St. Petersburg began hosting the weekly sessions in October of 2013 at The Greenhouse, a local resource center for business owners and hopeful entrepreneurs.

Each week for over three years (and counting), coffee has been generously sponsored and provided by the locally owned and operated coffee chain, Kahwa Coffee Roasting Company. Since the inaugural event, over 300 pitches have been made at 1 Million Cups - St. Petersburg, which is organized by volunteer coordinators Sean Kennedy, Danielle Callahan, Murray Anne Bowers, Chris Bennett, and Erin Yonke. In February 2015, Tampa launched 1 Million Cups on the other side of Tampa Bay at the Mark Sharpe Entrepreneur Collaborative Center. Over 150 presentations have been made at the Tampa 1MC since then, including several that have gone on to experience success. Approximately 50 attendees show up each week to learn about Tampa’s budding startups. Coffee for the 1 Million Cups event in Tampa is sponsored by Black and Denim, which is located within the Blind Tiger in Ybor City. Just like in other 1MC communities, Tampa’s event is run by volunteer organizers; these individuals include Lynn Kroesen, Andy Gold, Beth Kerly, Danny McDonald, Eric Liguori, Lee Bell, Chris Krimitsos, and Katie Nafe.

1 Million Cups – St. Petersburg The Greenhouse 440 2nd Avenue N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701 www.1millioncups.com/stpete facebook.com/1MCstp twitter.com/1MillionCupsSTP youtube.com/user/1MillionCupsSTP 251

1 Million Cups – Tampa Mark Sharpe Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (2101 E. Palm Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605) www.1millioncups.com/tampa facebook.com/1millioncupstampa twitter.com/@1MillionCupsTPA

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NEARLY 15 YEARS OF ACCELERATING HIGH-TECH ENTERPRISE As we approach our 15th year of operation, we can take pride in reaching an important milestone by serving as a valuable resource for innovators and entrepreneurs. Our ever-growing list of graduates is a testament to our ability to nurture successful high-tech entrepreneurial ventures in West Central Florida. When we launched the Innovation Center in 2003, the concept of an incubator as a vital part of regional economic development was not yet top-of-mind for most people. It surely wasn’t as trendy as it is today to coach, mentor and support startups. We were pioneers in understanding how important it is to assist and nurture entrepreneurs.

Much of our success can be attributed to an outstanding staff with experience in launching and growing tech companies, as well as a group of professionals who volunteer their time to serve as mentors to our clients. Today we continue to improve our program by incorporating the best features and practices of the most successful programs throughout the country. By continuing to focus on the individual entrepreneur, we can address specific needs with specific skillsets, helping to move the young startup more quickly to revenue and success.

BUILDING ON OUR SUCCESS

In 2014, we took the foundation of the Innovation Center and established TEC Garage in downtown St. Petersburg. TEC Garage is an Tonya Elmore, President & CEO innovation and entrepreneurship center that assists emerging and entrepreneurial companies in the technology We are fortunate to count numerous well-respected individuals and manufacturing sectors by accelerating their success. TEC from funding and venture capital organizations, defense program Garage provides a unique mind-to-market model for working with offices, law offices, accounting firms and many more for community entrepreneurs from concept through to exit strategy, providing support. Together they make a significant contribution in helping dedicated coaching, mentoring services, shared equipment, us foster innovation and growth in the high-tech economy in the conference and office space, educational workshops and access to Tampa Bay marketplace. funders. Clients are able to access services either onsite or virtually.

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A CATALYST FOR SPURRING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL AND INNOVATION ECO-SYSTEM We are very pleased to report that we’ve been laying the groundwork for a purpose-built Innovation Center – a technology hub in St. Petersburg’s Innovation District and Pinellas County. With emphasis on healthcare and marine sciences, the new facility will provide tomorrow’s technology business leaders access to the resources, services, networking and mentors they need while also fulfilling our vision of creating high-tech high-wage jobs. The Innovation Center will serve as a focal point where startups, entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors can work in a collaborative environment bringing forth new innovations with a shared vision.

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TEC Garage 244 2nd Avenue North, Suite 9 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: 727-547-7340 Email: info@tbinnovates.com Facebook.com/TECGarageStP

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SPARK GROWTH

Girls committed to the future

THE GLOBAL GROWTH CONSULTANTS AT SPARK GROWTH ARE INNOVATORS WHO SPECIALIZE IN BRINGING CONNECTIONS, RESOURCES AND SOLUTIONS TO SOLVE THE MOST CHALLENGING BUSINESS ISSUES. Customizing our approach to the specific needs of a problem, place and culture – at Spark Growth we draw on the right resources from our talented network of thought leaders and experts to bring high value through strategic innovation and creative problem solving. Working in agile and iterative cycles, we help organizations determine the best courses of action with the highest impact and ROI. Then we guide project implementation with a focus on rapid and effective results.

Smart Cities Innovation Havard NYC

We are in a time of unprecedented change worldwide, with major new challenges facing our organizations every day. As leaders, thinkers and problem solvers, the traditional ways of operating no longer work and even the unspoken rules of business and innovation no longer apply. In this bigdata and information-rich world, context is critical and insight is invaluable to help you

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innovate rapidly and effectively adapt to change. For the future of your organization, how you manage change is as important as knowing what changes to make. Our passion is in connecting the dots – growing people, businesses, and communities. We’re always looking for cool new ideas that make a difference, great people, and awesome partners for projects. These projects take shape across cultures, multiple time zones, industry clusters and profit and non-profit sectors. From the wild west of “Smart Cities”, the culture shifting aspects of thought-leadership workshop retreats and conferences, to the capital creation results of business and economic development. Some of these projects include:

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DaVinci’s Faire – multi-generational sensoryrich community engagement centered around science, technology, makers, inventors and lifelong learners in a unique open-space format.

Station 2 Innovation – building community and growing businesses in Bradenton and beyond with weekly education, coworking, mentoring and more.

3.0 Leaders – convening extraordinary leaders and innovators, “heroes” in establishing innovation cultures to address the tough issues that are facing us all today. What are the latest trends? What questions should you be asking? Where are they investing their time and money, and why?

Cool collaborations – from visiting the UN and State Department, to Innovation Accelerators sponsored by Harvard University, international business networking and impact investment conferences.

Soft-landing services – support business expansion into new markets, and are designed specifically to ensure those businesses are provided with an accelerated introduction into the market’s business practices, regulations and culture. Agile strategy – lean, agile and fast, we teach people how to form collaborations quickly within in their networks, and rapidly generate innovative solutions in quick, iterative cycles.

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Spark Growth was founded in Bradenton, FL in 2013 by entrepreneurs Sara Hand and Stan Schultes. With recognized business development, technology, and organizational skills, we are certified Business Incubation Managers through the InBIA, and certified practitioners of Strategic Doing, an agile strategies development process supported by the Purdue University Agile Strategies Lab. Leaders 2017 Panel

912 7th Ave E. Bradenton, FL 34208 Phone: 941-877-1599 Email: info@SparkGrowth.net www.SparkGrowth.net

Station 2 Grand Opening

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PASCO EDC SMARTSTART THE PASCO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (PASCO EDC) WAS FORMED IN 1987 WORKING TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN BUSINESSES IN PASCO COUNTY, WHILE DEVELOPING A NETWORK OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COMMUNITY LEADERS TO HELP IN THE EFFORT. Today the organization is unique, as it is one of the few of its kind in the United States. Business recruitment and retention is still a primary focus of the organization, however the growth of new and small businesses and services to entrepreneurs is equally important. Pasco EDC is already known as one of the leading economic development organizations for its business recruitment and retention efforts, workforce development relationships and foreign investment and exporting programming. Now its SMARTstart program is known as the ultimate resource for new and growing businesses in Pasco County.

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Whether you’re an established small business or just starting a business, SMARTstart provides the tools needed to establish and grow a strong business in Pasco County. This innovative suite of programs is offered through a network of SMARTstart Entrepreneur Centers and provide the tools growing businesses need for longterm success, including; Pasco Enterprise Network (PEN), Business Incubation, Pasco Microloan, Business Leadership Roundtables, and the CO. STARTERS business development curriculum and SPARC Business Framework. SMARTstart Entrepreneur Centers are places where entrepreneurs of any business stage can obtain information, access resources and network with likeminded business owners. There are 2 Centers strategically located in Dade City and West Pasco that offer services such as; business coaching, mentorship, business development classes and workshops, co-working space, meeting rooms and private offices and weekly events. Pasco Enterprise Network (www.pascoenterprise.com) is a partnership of agencies and business leaders committed to ensuring the success of small businesses. The coordination of programming helps business owners build the confidence to strengthen and grow their businesses through business consulting, individual counseling, education in the form of topical workshops and classes, and technical assistance in a variety of areas and subjects. Business Incubation is a vital service for early-stage ventures when they are most vulnerable. This program is currently offered at 2 of the SMARTstart Entrepreneur Centers, one in Dade City and one in West Pasco. The incubation program provides hands-on management assistance, access to funding and connections to critical business resources or technical support services. There are shared office services, access to equipment, flexible leases, and expandable space all under one roof. The Pasco Microloan Fund was established to help passionate small business owners with solid ideas, good management skills, and a valid business plan get the funding they need when traditional financing is not an option. Loans are available up to $35,000 for entrepreneurs who have the experience and resources to be a successful business operator. Business Leadership Roundtables bring industry CEOs, Presidents, and business owners together monthly for an exchange of information, challenges, and insights. Eight to 12 members from non-competing, growth-oriented companies meet in a confidential setting to share the challenges and rewards of leadership and how it impacts life at work and home. The roundtable experience results in better-informed decision making, more effective visionary thinking, heightened ability to anticipate trends and issues, increased profitability, and enhanced personal satisfaction.

CO.STARTERS is a nationally recognized business development curriculum developed by The Company Lab in Chattanooga Tennessee. This is a nine-week program to equip seasoned and aspiring entrepreneurs with the insights, relationships, and tools needed to turn ideas into action and turn a passion into a sustainable and thriving endeavor. The cohort meets once a week with a trained facilitator and others who share the entrepreneurial spirit and work to develop a successful business model and discover repeatable steps for success that can be used throughout the life of any company. The SPARC Business Framework was developed by Dino Eliadis, business coach and author of Business Growth Simplified. SPARC is a proven system for helping business owners become more strategic in how they run their business with the goal of having the business become selfsustaining. This systematic approach to growing a business includes 6 key steps: Defining Your Passion, Determine Your Growth Stage, Assess Current Resources, Establish Strategy, Create and Action Plan, and Execute, Monitor, and Adjust. The power behind the success of the SMARTstart small business programs is an extensive network of relationships and expertise that come from 30 years of operations by the Pasco EDC. The SMARTstart programs are unique in that any entrepreneur from any stage of business development can find essential resources to help assist with strategic business growth.

16506 Pointe Village Drive, Suite 101 Lutz, FL 33558 Phone: 813-926-0827 www.smartstartpasco.com www.facebook.com/PascoEDC www.facebook.com/SMARTstartPasco Twitter: @PascoEDC | @SmartStartPasco www.pascoedc.com 257

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Clearwater Business SPARK is where success begins. Through the collaboration and coordination of numerous agencies and organizations, Clearwater entrepreneurs and small businesses are turning to Clearwater Business SPARK to find the resources they need to start and grow their small business.

Launched in 2016, Clearwater Business SPARK is a professional business network providing a comprehensive mix of programs and services to support the growth and development of entrepreneurs and small businesses. The network offers customized solutions to support its clients in every stage of development including pre-venture, startup or existing small business.

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If you have an idea and would like to explore the feasibility of starting a business, Clearwater Business SPARK has a partner who can help provide expert guidance and support through one-on-one mentoring, coaching, seminars, workshops and other business development resources, many in both English and Spanish.

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Have you been in business a few years and would like to enhance your marketing strategies to reach new customers? Do you need guidance and advice to do business in international markets? Or perhaps you need help determining appropriate financing options? The network is prepared to assist. Through Studios@Main, a unique makerspace located within Clearwater’s Main Library, the network is equipped with a variety of hands-on tools such as 3-D printers, design and production software, audio and video equipment, and green screens. Use the Studios@Main to shoot a YouTube video for free or let Clearwater Business SPARK’s experts train you on establishing an online business with Etsy or eBay. Whatever business challenges an entrepreneur or small business owner may be facing, Clearwater Business SPARK is committed to connecting its clients with the resources they need to take their business to the next level.

bright and beautiful - bay to beach

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THE CLEARWATER PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM FEATURES INNOVATIVE MAKER STUDIOS. What are Maker Studios? The Clearwater Public Library Systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maker Studios consist of hands-on learning and experimentation spaces, where community members can research, learn, design, prototype, and create works using library equipment, software, databases and other shared resources. The studios are free and open to the public; no library card is required.

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The Studio@Countryside The first Maker Studio located at a Clearwater Public Library branch location, the Studio@Countryside, 2642 Sabal Spring Dr, can be reserved for public use and offers access to computers with digital arts, video and audio postproduction, and office productivity software.

The collection of four Studios located on separate floors of the Main Library in downtown Clearwater, 100 N Osceola Avenue, offers classes, drop-in sessions, and one-on-one training for all ages and interests. The Studios@ Main offer many options to explore and develop interests in arts, science and technology, entrepreneurship and small business, and local history. At the Studios@Main, patrons are encouraged to experiment and explore new skills. The Studios@Main include: • The Creation Studio for Arts & Design (1st floor) • The Discovery Studio of Creative Learning (2nd floor) • The Innovation Studio of Technology & Business (including the Multimedia Studio) (3rd floor) • The Heritage Studio of Community Memory (4th floor)

For more information, please visit http://www.myclearwaterlibrary.com/learn/maker-studios

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HCPLC

ORG

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY COOPERATIVE

Discover

Engage

Transform

The Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library, with 26 locations and two mobile libraries, serves Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa.

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In collaboration with the public libraries of Temple Terrace and Plant City, THPL provides access to materials, technology, and services that contribute to strong individual education and career achievement, culminating in a vital 21st century local economy as well as a healthy, inclusive community. The Library supports STEM education initiatives and the growing maker movement with innovative hands-on learning experiences and collaborative spaces. Through the Libraryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maker initiative; The Hive, communities can learn, make, and create with access to unique tools and resources, as well as classes and events. Learning about 3D printing, coding, and robotics at the library is a service that fits alongside story time and book discussions. By providing access to emerging technology and supporting makers of all ages, the Library enhances the digital literacy of the community and opens new doors to discovery and learning. Recording Studios are available at the John F. Germany Public Library and the SouthShore Regional Library. From songs to podcasts, music videos to commercials, the library provides the hardware and software for anyone to create a pitch-perfect audio or video project. Use of studio space is free for library card holders, and the

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library offers studio orientations and workshops on audio and video editing. Robotics are a great way to introduce all ages to STEM concepts like engineering and coding. The Library leads several youth programs each month, to develop an early interest, and strongly supports local robotics programs like FIRST, providing space for teams to practice and outreach opportunities to help team members develop their leadership qualities. Sewing classes are among the most popular Hive classes led throughout the library system. Visitors to The Hive at the John F. Germany Public Library can use a sewing machine to work on their own projects. Sewing classes and open labs are held across many branches, bringing in diverse audiences, across generations, who learn the basics or create projects â&#x20AC;&#x201C; everything from simple bags to elaborate cosplay outfits. Entrepreneurs are a vital part of the innovation ecosystem, and the Library provides a variety of tools to help small business owners and start-ups exercise their creativity and develop innovative ideas. Valuable resources to assist in businessrelated research, workshops on a variety of topics, and technology instruction courses are available at many locations, to take ideas to the next level. Mobile workers can take advantage of free high-speed WiFi at all locations, as well as collaborative workstations with whiteboards, SMART Boards, and projector systems. Libraries are the perfect public platform for the innovation ecosystem. Along with offering traditional services, like access to books and information, the library features robust digital and online resources including eBooks, streaming audio and video, and free access to high-priced databases, accessible anywhere 24/7. Library buildings are also changing to reflect changes in use. Through The Hive and a variety of quality programs, foot traffic continues to grow, as the public increasingly attends unique events and classes and uses public meeting spaces. Discover The Hive @ THPL and visit your local library â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you may be surprised at what you find!

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THIS DIGITAL ART STUDIO FOUND IN AN UNLIKELY PLACE…

The City of Seminole Recreation Department’s Digital Art Studio known as the “Digital Den” is where creativity and imagination collide with the digital world. The brain child of a local citizen who donated both hardware and software for the digital art studio is a first of its kind in the State of Florida because it’s housed at Seminole’s Recreation Center. The first item you notice is the bright colored mural on the wall and green walls. Your eyes soon take you to the hardware. The Digital Den is home to 10 Apple iMac computers, 10 Wacom Intuos Draw, 5 Wacome Intuos Pro Medium Touch, Wacom Cintiuq Touch, a true Color monitor, a graphic scanner, and 4k 65 inch TV. As impressive as the equipment is what’s housed in the iMacs is where the fun begins. Each computer is home to 24 creative software and 10 programming/gaming software. The software normally designed for professionals allow children, teens and adults the opportunity to use resources never offered at this level. It raises the bar as to what their potential is in learning, and creativity.

The Digital Den offers instructional classes, day long workshops, and open den hours for those wanting to check out the equipment and finish projects. Multi-week programs such as 2D Game Design, Digital Sculpting and Customizing Minecraft are a huge success with children and teens. The adults are gravitating towards Graphic Design and Photo Editing. The location of the Digital Den creates a hub of digital arts in Pinellas County with St Petersburg College (SPC) Seminole Campus located across the street. SPC Seminole Campus has an Associate of Science Degree in Digital Arts and the library puts on a Makers Bootcamp. A child can start at SPC in Makers Bootcamp, fine tune their skills in the Digital Den and then receive a degree all within a half mile. The City of Seminole Recreation Department recognizes that recreation is not just about sports and by reaching out with alternative programming they are educating, engaging and including more members of the community. The way children play is changing and this exciting program and advance equipment gives the ability to reach beyond the sports, fitness and traditional arts and move digital arts and recreation into the future. Becky Gunter, Recreation Director | City of Seminole Email: bgunte@myseminole.com | Like, Tweet, Snap & Follow: @getseminole

Mark Ely, Community Development Director (Donor) & Becky Gunter, Recreation Director

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THE INNOVATION LAB The Dennis L. Jones Community Library is a joint-use facility in collaboration with the St. Petersburg College Seminole Campus and the City of Seminole. A unique feature of this library is their Innovation Lab, which is a collaborative learning environment, oftentimes referred to as a “technology playground” or makerspace. The Innovation Lab is open to the general public where people of all ages and with common interests (e.g., science, technology, engineering, digital arts, and math - STEAM) can meet, socialize and/or collaborate while sharing innovative ideas and learning new skills. The Innovation Lab offers a variety of resources, including a growing list of emerging technologies, books, magazines, and interesting people with a variety of skills and experiences to share. For a list of the lab’s current equipment and resources visit http://j.mp/SPCiLab. Inside the Innovation Lab, there are

no judgements, no grades, and it is encouraged to color outside the lines and to make beautiful mistakes. In October 2015, the Innovation Lab received a $7,500 Curiosity Creates grant from the Walt Disney Company in collaboration with the Association for Library Service to Children to expand their successful Maker Boot Camp program that helps “promote exploration and discovery for children ages 6 to 14.” The Maker Boot Camp works with adults and teenagers too! Imagination and originality, flexibility, decision-making, communication and self-expression, collaboration, and motivation are the critical components of creativity that the Maker Boot Camp with support from the Curiosity Creates Grant has integrated into their curriculum. The Innovation Lab offers Video Game Design, Robotics, 3D Design/Printing, Circuitry/Electronics, Virtual Reality, Drone Building, Video/Audio Editing, and Sewing workshops and have many other educational opportunities currently in the works, including a CoderDojo where free coding workshops are offered a few times each month. The Innovation Lab also collaborates with local inventors to get their ideas to reality with 3D designs and prototypes. In early 2017, the Innovation Lab was awarded three St. Petersburg College Foundation Innovation Grants: ‘Microsoft HoloLens: Holographic Enhanced Learning’, ‘Graphs and Geometry: Engaging and Illustrating Mathematics with 3D Printing’, and ‘Virtual Reality: A Renaissance.’

Chad Mairn, Innovation Lab Manager, St. Petersburg College

Stay connected to the Innovation Lab at spcilab.tumblr.com/ or at facebook.com/groups/ spcilab/ or twitter.com/cmairn | facebook.com/chadmairn St. Petersburg College, Seminole Campus Library 9200 113th Street North, Seminole, FL 33722 E-mail: mairn.chad@spcollege.edu | Phone: (727) 394-6917 265

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INNOVATING THE WORLD ONE STEP AT A TIME ENGLEWOOD INCUBATION CENTER (EIC).

Don Musilli

Formed in August of 2012 by Don Musilli, EIC was created as a 501c3 corporation to assist students and businesses in developing hard technologies and to help create new business opportunities that could help create new manufacturing opportunities and change the economic landscape of our area.

with the STEM engineering classes at the High Schools in Sarasota and Charlotte counties. Schools no longer have any vocational programs so the majority of Middle School and High School students never create anything with their hands and the use of power tools is not allowed any more due to the liability issues.

Background In 1985, I founded Pure Air Systems, Inc. producing high-end HEPA based air filtration systems for the commercial, residential and institutional markets. We manufactured 7 different systems and sold them across North America and overseas. In 2006, I sold the company and moved from Indianapolis to Englewood, Florida.

One of the first High Schools I met with was North Port High School in Sarasota County. They had just received a uPrint 3D Printer and were using Solidworks as their 3D modeling software. I was working on a small project for my old company and had the students create the model and then print it out. It was then that I realized this technology could actually get the students back into making things again and it tied in perfectly to their total competence in working with computers. Two months later we purchased our first MakerBot Replicator 3D Printer.

3D Modeling and 3D Printing. The Future of Manufacturing When I established EIC my main goal was to work

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Once we learned how to use the 3D printer we began to see more powerful, multi-material 3D printers come into the market place. We latched onto the LulzBot TAZ printers and began to place these Printers into other High Schools. We also started working with the local Elementary School and found them to be very interested in getting one for their science classroom.

The ability to provide a method to teach the youth how to design and create objects that have value in both useable devices as well as providing a revenue stream, connects the students and community with a low-cost method of getting back into the â&#x20AC;&#x153;making of thingsâ&#x20AC;? and offers a path, not previously available, for anyone to create a real business without post High School degrees.

In 2014 we started our EIC 3D Mini Camps to teach children ages 8 to 12 how to use Tinkercad 3D Modeling software and create objects they could make on the printers. This camp has become one of the most sought after summer camps in our area and we just completed our 4th EIC Mini Camp in the month of June.

In Conclusion 3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing, as it is now called in the commercial market, is now being used in every industry in the world. It is the most disruptive technology since the invention of electricity and will create the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Fast Forward to 2017 Today, EIC has directly or indirectly been responsible for bringing 3D Modeling and 3D printing technologies to over 30 Schools, Libraries, Youth Organizations, Colleges and Technical Institutions in Sarasota, Charlotte and Manatee Counties.

Note* Don Musilli is the President of EIC and also owns a for-profit operation: LiteWorld LLC. This company is now a reseller for the LulzBot TAZ line of 3D Printers and also manufactures its own Enclosures for 3D Printers.

For more information on both companies please go to: www.englewoodincubationcenter.org and www.liteworldllc.com. Phone: EIC: 317-796-7617. Location: 1398 Old Englewood Rd. Englewood, FL. 34223 Phone: LiteWorld: 941-999-8200. 1141 Arbroid Dr. Englewood, Fl. 34223 Email. donmusilli@gmail.com | www.englewoodincubationcenter.org

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YOUR PRO KITCHEN TAMPA A CULINARY INCUBATOR FOR THOSE WANTING TO START OR GROW THEIR FOOD BUSINESS. A twenty-four hour shared commercial kitchen, with over four thousand five hundred square feet of space, where those in the food business can cook and prepare, without the huge overhead of their own kitchen. Space is also available for team building, pop-up stores, tasting room, and teaching. Kristin assists her clients by offering individual consultations, monthly Servsafe management courses, and marketing expertise through social media. Kristin (Witts) McKinney’s twenty-three years of catering experience is the perfect match for her everyday interaction with her clients. In a little over two years, the shared kitchen is responsible for bringing over sixty-eight bakers, caterers, food truck and retail food products to the Tampa Bay area.

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The problem with opening your own kitchen is not only the initial cost, but the continued overhead. Navigating the State Licensing process can be overwhelming and finding the support needed for breaking into the local market is difficult. Your Pro Kitchen Tampa solves that problem by streamlining the process with ten steps to get licensed within fourteen days. Clients have the convenience of booking as little as ten hours and as much as two hundred per month. With 24/7 access, you work within your schedule. Your Pro KitchenTampa introduces your company to the local market through social media, builds relationships with local retailers to carry your

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“We have been in business 16 years using facilities similar to this and have never found a place so clean, professional, and user friendly as YPK South Tampa. Not just Kristin (the owner) but everyone there is a pleasure to work with, so friendly, and loves to collaborate and help each other grow. It has been an amazing experience and I hope it will be well into the future.” -John Mayer, Elite Events Catering

products, and continue the support through monthly business-building workshops, specific to the food industry. Kristin’s passion stems from years of cooking with her grandmother and mother while hearing the origin of the recipes and the stories that created her family history. As she started a family, her boys were with her in the kitchen during her very first catering jobs, hearing the same stories, continuing a legacy for a third generation. Kristin loves what she does every day because she is not only contributing to the local community but helping families bring their history to others and showcasing their passions, through the art and history of food.

“Your Pro Kitchen Tampa is the perfect fit for the needs of our catering company, Everyday Events. Catering space, prep space, meeting space, storage and an amazing mentor! The best part is the lasting and positive connections to grow our business that have been made through the contacts of Kristin of Your Pro Kitchen Tampa.” -Amy Adams, Everyday Events

“Your Pro Kitchen Tampa has been the perfect place to grow my food business. It’s so wonderful to be around other like minded food entrepreneurs, discussing ideas and feeding off each other’s similar experiences. Kristin, the owner, is amazing and does her best to make sure each of her clients are successful. The facility is well equipped and the perfect place for both startups and established food entrepreneurs.” - Liz Anthony, Liz Anthony Nutrition

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5224 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33611 Phone: +1 727-244-5368 Email: Tampa@YourProKitchen.com Instagram: YourProKitchenTampa Facebook:YourProKitchenTampa www.yourprokitchen.com

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In 25 years of service, Prospera has generated $1.5 Billion in total economic output and impacted more than 26,900 jobs across Florida. Prospera invests expertise and resources in existing and prospective Hispanic-owned businesses, empowering entrepreneurs through training, support, and resources so their business can grow and prosper. Prospera has offices in Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central, south, and west coast regions, and also offers services in other areas of the state on a regular basis. Funded by corporate and government contributions, as well as funds raised through special events and contracts, it is able to offer all of its services at no charge to clients.

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Left to Right Back Row: August Sanabria-President/ CEO of Prospera along with West Coast team members, Fabia Yepez-Vice President, Claudia Johnson-Senior Business Development Consultant, Diana TeixeiraBusiness Development Consultant, Maitte VelezBusiness Development Specialist, Leidys Gonzalez Customer Service Receptionist. Left to Right Front Row: Success Stories Luncheon Honorees were COS Janitorial owned by Oscar Pineda and his family, ISSA Rehab owned by Patricia de la Ossa and Guillermo Saavedra and Paola Beauty Boutique owned by Paola Cruz.

Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S. increased by

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Roberto Torres owner of Blind Tiger Café

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Loans marketed for clients

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$6.3 Million

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5,036 Left to right: Prospera Team: Augusto Sanabria-President/CEO, Claudia Johnson-Senior Business Development Consultant, Diana Teixeira-Business Development Consultant, and Fabian Yepez-Vice President of West Coast

Prospera has partnerships with numerous key organizations to accomplish our mission of supporting Hispanic-owned small businesses in the Tampa Bay area, such as, Clearwater SPARK, Pinellas County Economic Development, Hillsborough County, and the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center.

We strive to make a difference with our clients so that they can be better equipped for their small business endeavors with modern and innovative ways to develop their business model, start, grow and expand. Above are some clients that we have awarded at our Success Stories Luncheon for their prosperous small business successes. Success Stories Luncheon is a signature event that pays homage to several successful clients. With more than 500 attendees, this event brings together government, civic and business leaders to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit in the Hispanic community.

SERVICES BUSINESS SEMINARS | Presented in Spanish, orientations for startups and advanced workshops on topics that are vital for the success of a business. BUSINESS CONSULTING | Ongoing and personalized guidance to identify opportunities and overcome challenges of the existing or prospective business. BUSINESS GRANTS | Subcontracted professional services vetted and paid by Prospera. ACCESS TO CAPITAL | Assistance throughout the process of obtaining traditional and micro-loans.

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THE FLORIDA-ISRAEL BUSINESS ACCELERATOR INNOVATION. COLLABORATION. RESULTS.

FIBA spring 2017 cohort companies from left to right: Bob Reish (WeissBeerger), Oren Milstein (StemRad), Oleg Korol (Tevatronic), Derek Schwartz (Safe-T), David Sachs (Tomobox), Yaniv Shneiderman (BlazePod), and Gonen Vardi (eProc Solutions).

The Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA - pronounced FeeBah) is a Florida-based business development and community engagement project designed to establish and grow successful Israeli tech ventures in the Tampa Bay area. FIBA identifies Israeli technologies that can solve business problems and fill challenge-gaps for Florida corporations and provides a soft landing for companies that are ready to enter the U.S. market. FIBA offers entrepreneurs strategic alignment with corporate partners, consults on product localization and expansion, provides guidance on developing Go-to-Market strategies, facilitates introductions to prospective customers, investors and service providers, assists with sales and lead generation activities and encourages the companies to establish a U.S. subsidiary in Tampa Bay. FIBA offers a variety of unique programs for the Israeli companies. All programs are designed with the entrepreneurs in mind and strive to help them obtain market domain knowledge, resources and industry connections necessary to build a successful enterprise in the United States.

Gonen Vardi (eProc Solutions) presents to mentors, partners and service providers.

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Mayor Bob Buckhorn welcoming Israeli startups to Tampa at a FIBA networking dinner event.

Oren Milstein (StemRad) demos his product at a networking event.

Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center, home to FIBA offices.

The FIBA Launch program is a 12-18 week program, during which the FIBA team works with the entrepreneurs on a weekly basis, both remotely and in-person in Tampa. The program goals are to identify a niche use for the technology, define the target market, explore broader application and expansion to other industries, plan how to localize the product, develop pricing and distribution strategies, coach on sales activities, prepare for customers meetings and demo opportunities, and consult on contract negotiation.

communities, including local business owners, corporate leaders, state and local government officials, and the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading universities, with the Israeli entrepreneurs and with Israeli culture. FIBA is headquartered within the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center, an approximately 100,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility providing a wide range of community programs and services. This historic venue, formerly known as the Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory, hosted such luminaries as Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King, Jr. and President John F. Kennedy. The center was repurposed and inaugurated on December 8, 2016 and houses a state-of-the-art fitness and aquatics center, visual arts center operated by the City of Tampa, a premier event venue, community meeting space, Tampa Jewish Family Services (food bank and counseling offices) and, of course, the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator.

The FIBA PowerConnect program endeavors to make strategic connections between established companies in Israel and Florida. This program is intended for more mature startup companies with an existing operation in the U.S., who are trying to grow their business. FIBA uses its network to open doors and facilitate strategic introductions to the companies based on their business needs. FIBA seeks out and aligns the right partner for manufacturing, distribution, customer support, marketing, sales, or recruitment and/or identifies new customers. For improved results, a subject-matter-expert analyzes the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current operation and product and suggests technological or operational changes to better position the product in the U.S. market.

Visit us: 522 N. Howard Ave. Tampa FL 33606 Email: info@fiba.io Apply: fiba.io/apply-to-fiba Learn more: fiba.io Like us: facebook.com/fibatampa/ Follow us: twitter.com/fiba_tampa Call us: 813.291.2300

Launched in 2016 by the Tampa Jewish Community Centers & Federation, the Florida-Israel Business Acceleratorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is two-fold: First, to foster economic growth and stimulate innovation within the expanding ecosystem in Tampa Bay. Second, to engage the entire spectrum of the Tampa Jewish and non-Jewish

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World Trade Center Tampa Bay (WTCTB) provides a world-class portfolio of key global connections and informational activities to assist regional corporate partners succeed in international markets. As a partner in the World Trade Center’s Association’s global network, the World Trade Center Tampa Bay connects companies to over 750,000 World Trade Center members in 96 countries. Check out our new initiatives coming fall 2017!

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WTC TAMPA BAY TEAM Karl Kaliebe Executive Director Karl Kaliebe has always pursued entrepreneurship and corporate stewardship efforts through extensive collaboration. Karl combines that philosophy with his extensive exposure to innovation, brand management and trade during 15 years working in Asia, primarily Taiwan and China, to guide the WTCTB mission to assist Tampa’s international business exchanges. “The pace of change in Asian society and business has promoted numerous opportunities for companies and people to rapidly advance skill sets and technical savvy. Technological progress is now ingrained in the business mindset throughout Asia. Our goal is to help expose Tampa to such ideas in hopes of adopting a similar zeitgeist.”

Deborah Wilkinson Director, Business Development Over 25 years of experience in diplomacy and protocol, trade and commerce as executive director of Tampa Bay Trade & Protocol Council; Chief Development Officer of Broward County Economic Development; and Deputy Trade Representative for the State of Washington. Recipient of Institute of International Education “Generational Study Abroad” award and United Nations through WTC of Miami “International Woman of the Year” award. Deborah is additionally the Founder of Wilkinson Global Connections, LLC which collaborates with global governments, academia, American Chambers of Commerce and businesses to grow the Global economy in local, regional, state and America.

Kelly Wilson Director, Communications & Media Relations Tampa Business Woman & Entrepreneur, Kelly Wilson comes to WTCTB with over 20 years of experience in marketing, media and public relations. Kelly assumes responsibility for presenting WTC Tampa Bay to the media and the public. Kelly additionally is the Founder & Publisher for EDGE Business Magazine; Tampa Bay’s local business magazine. EDGE provides an incomparable platform that celebrates the mindset of entrepreneurs by building stories around the people behind the businesses.

Sven Boermeester Director, Foreign Relations Sven is a global publishing entrepreneur with a career that spans 20 years visiting more than 100 countries. He was born in Antwerp, Belgium and grew up in Durban South Africa. Soon after he completed his business studies in Cape Town he opened his first media company publishing the trade and industry directories for South Africa followed by launching the Best of the World publishing series in Dubai. Fast forward 20 years and 171 ‘Best of’ editions across 60 countries later he has made Tampa Bay his final city of choice to live. His in-depth knowledge of the world and contacts especially in Africa, the Middle East, and India are an asset to helping connect Tampa Bay to the rest of world.

David Felsen, PhD Director, Foreign Relations David Felsen, PhD, resides in Tampa and possesses extensive experience in the international sphere. David holds a PhD from Oxford University in the UK and currently teaches at Saint Leo University where he also served as Executive Director of International Programs from 2013 to 2016. David previously directed the international studies program at Alliant International University in San Diego and was President of the San Diego World Affairs Council. David has lived for extended periods in Europe and Latin America and publishes and lectures on international affairs and international business issues.

Zenon Olbrys Director, Foreign Relations After many years in Northern Europe and the NE US, Zenon and his family moved to Tampa in 2016. Zenon is pleased and eager to promote business opportunities in Tampa Bay to Northern, Central and Eastern European companies and investors. In “emerging Europe” as he calls it, he was a business leader specializing in start-ups and business transformations. For over 20 years, from the C-Suite, he led Banks, Insurers, and PE ventures in the US, Russia, Poland and the Baltic countries. Zenon was honored as a Business Person of the Year Finalist in Latvia (2000) and Lithuania (2006) as well as an expert panelist and speaker in Russia, Poland and Austria.

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“Our future growth relies on competitiveness and innovation, skills and productivity... and these in turn rely on the education of our people.” JULIA GILLARD

CHAPTER SIX

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AND RINGLING COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN IS OUT IN FRONT OF THIS TREND, WITH FRESH AND INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT SHAPE THE EDUCATION OF FUTURE CREATIVES PREPARING FOR INDUSTRIES AROUND THE GLOBE. Building upon the College’s reputation as a top-tier art and design college, Ringling’s embrace of creativity and innovation is evidenced by three recently developed innovative programs – the Collaboratory*, the Ringling College Studio Lab and the Business of Art and Design academic program. These three ideas are cross-disciplinary and engage students, faculty and the community in unique ways so as to create intensive, innovative educational learning by engaging students with real-world projects for real-world clients.

The Collaboratory was developed by Ringling College in partnership with The Patterson Foundation to provide creative, experiential learning opportunities to all its students. Research demonstrates that experiential learning opportunities, like those in the Collaboratory, more than double a graduate’s odds of being engaged and successful in employment after graduation. The Collaboratory also helps solve the recent graduate’s dilemma: “I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience; I can’t get experience because I don’t have a job.” With this program, they get experience. Through the Collaboratory, students have worked with clients including General Motors, Go-Jo (makers of Purell), Cirque du Soleil, Disney Imagineering, Hasbro Toys, American Zoetrope, Nashville Next, and even the Sarasota Police Department. These companies specifically choose to work with Ringling students because they aim to utilize their creative thinking and innovative problem-solving skills to better the present and future of their organization. Take General Motors, for example - students work with GM’s Detroit Design Center to help design future automobiles. The program centers on sculpture, design principles, graphics, rendering and

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directly with our students on all aspects of media production. Since its creation, Studio Lab has brought productions to Tampa Bay that have been co-produced with students from all majors working with professional crews who together create compelling content. These productions grant exposure and experience to young filmmakers and production designers and allow seasoned professionals to get access the best creative minds by working in partnership with Ringling College.

In 2015, General Motors hired two Ringling seniors full-time; the 2016 class did better, with GM making full-time job offers to five graduating seniors. Just as in the real-world, Collaboratory work is not easy. However, working through a project from start-to-finish, with its challenges and triumphs, develops student competency and courage under the tutelage of our esteemed Ringing faculty – and it directly connects our students with premier companies on local, national, and global levels.

This program also adds to the area’s economic development because professional media productions are now shot in the Tampa Bay area. These productions, with stars such as Kevin Smith, Anna Paquin, Dylan McDermott and Justin Long, are helping establish our area as the new “Hollywood South.”

Collaboratory engagements are also opportunities for students to learn “soft skills”–communication, teamwork and presentation delivery—and interact with the leaders of various organizations.

The latest production had Kevin Smith returning to Ringling College to shoot the first installment of his latest horror anthology,Killroy Was Here.

Another innovative program yielding exceptional benefit to our students is the Ringling College Studio Lab. Created in 2009 with Semkhor Productions, this program complements the relatively new Film department at Ringling College by bringing film industry luminaries and professionals to Sarasota to work

Ringling College has moved the film needle further with the opening of the new Ringling Studios Soundstage and Post Production Complex, the largest such production facility on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

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Created through a unique academic-commercial, private-public partnership between Ringling College, Semkhor Productions and the County of Sarasota. Ringling Studios is comprised of three separate yet cohesive structures: Studio A, Studio B and a post-production facility.

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Both studios are acoustically-isolated 8,400 sq. ft. soundstages with attached production, meeting, editing and makeup rooms, and in Studio B, classrooms and faculty offices. The post production building has three additional 2,500 sq. ft. soundstages, eight editing bays, three mixing rooms as well as a Foley Sound Effects stage, color correction rooms and office spaces.

Studio A is a mixed academic-commercial soundstage and production support facility for use by directors and producers for commercial media productions while employing Ringling students and graduates.

With the Studio Lab, Ringling College has developed a model with tangible educational and production value reciprocity where students and graduates gain valuable experience, contacts and credits, while producers get access to some of the most talented and creative young people in the world.

Studio B is used solely for academic purposes, housing the College’s Film Program led by Bradley Battersby. Ringling’s program was ranked #16 in the Top 25 Film Schools by The Hollywood Reporter, and Battersby was honored as ‘Mentor of the Year’ by Variety Magazine in 2017.

The third cutting-edge program is the Business of Art and Design (BOAD), a relatively new major at Ringling College. We are the first art college to create and infuse a business degree major and minor into its curriculum. BOAD’s outcomes are to: (1) provide a curriculum for students wanting to work in creative industries but not as artists or designers; (2) provide a curriculum for that provides opportunities to infuse creativity and design-thinking into any industry; (3) provide an entrepreneurial curriculum for students interested in starting their own businesses; and (4) prepare students to manage, collaborate with, and direct creative thinkers. Many BOAD graduates go to work for creative industries, like Disney, Google, and LinkedIn and navigate the business and creative sides of the house. Ringling College is at the forefront of the creative world. Art, design and creativity will be the most valuable resource for those organizations that want to not just succeed but thrive in the future. And just think, that resource is right here in Tampa Bay.

2700 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida 34234 Phone: +1 941-351-5100 | www.ringling.edu

Ringling College Collaboratory and Studio Lab Production photos by Rich Schineller

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AMSKILLS APPRENTICESHIPS: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY The First Comprehensive American Skills Initiative in Tampa Bay. The American Manufacturing Skills Initiative, known as AmSkills, is a unique tri-county partnership of Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas Counties, manufacturing companies, government agencies, school districts, local colleges, veteran organizations, staffing agencies, and social service providers to fill the Tampa Bay area’s high demand for a variety of Advanced Manufacturing jobs.

Florida’s workforce and addressing the skills gap.” Recently the Hillsborough-Pinellas County Manufacturing Gap Analysis Needs Assessment showed an increasing shift from traditional manufacturing methods to more advanced methods. The report identified three key areas of improvement including; (1) increase interest in manufacturing, (2) increase workers’ knowledge of the industry, and (3) connect industry with education. In addition, it identified three solutions to address these areas including; (1) Organize manufacturing job opportunities public relations campaign, (2) Increase internship and apprenticeship offerings, and (3) Improve coordination between industry, education, and government.

The customized European-style apprenticeship formula for the Tampa Bay market results in job-ready, industry certified, semi-skilled and skilled trades workers. Instructors are realworld manufacturers and engineers using a combination of 20% theoretical and 80% hands-on application for project completion. Candidates in the program explore a variety of manufacturing tracks to help them determine the best manufacturing career path, as well as important life skills training necessary for long-term job placement and career advancement.

AmSkills has implemented all three of these solutions by establishing a European-Style Apprenticeship Training Program through the formation of the ICTC Governing Board. This Board is made up of County Commissioners, School Superintendents, College Presidents and manufacturers and through their efforts, are working together to affect positive

The Florida Chamber of Commerce’s #1 Recommendation for the 2017 Legislative Session on Education was “Preparing

Pre-Apprenticeship Phase* M O N T H

Foundational Skills Exploration of 3 Career Tracks

Career Launch Phase

Job Placement* Probationary Period

Job Placement or Apprenticeship Phase

Manufacturing Career Launched Paid Work, Additional Skills Training for Career Track Dual Coaching with AmSkills Coach & Company Mentor

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change for youth, adults, veterans, and manufacturers.

required to take part in a Mentor Training Program.

The AmSkills Pre-Apprentice Program is designed to replicate a real-work environment. Pre-Apprentices must clock-in and out, meet attendance goals, participate in team building exercises and complete hands-on projects. Based on skill level, adults and veterans who complete either the youth or adult pre-apprenticeship program have the opportunity for job placement within four to six months.

After job placement with a manufacturing company, as they continue working and completing the Career Launch Phase and Apprenticeship Training. This dualcoaching method helps candidates develop the skills and support needed as they launch their career.

Apprentice Candidates begin a 90-day “Manufacturing Career Launch Phase” working at a manufacturer that has been identified as the “best fit” for the candidate, which includes their interest in a specific career track, the company and successful completion of all program goals. To help Apprentice Candidates succeed on a long-term basis, AmSkills has implemented an innovative “dual-coaching” system, which ensures that program participants receive the assistance and support needed for long-term success. Before job placement occurs, the manufacturer is asked to identify potential “mentors” within their company who are

Finally, at the conclusion of the 90-day Career Launch Phase, the manufacturer, the Apprentice Candidate and AmSkills map out the Candidates Training Plan; and the Candidate officially becomes an Apprentice, working for the manufacturer and supported by the AmSkills Coach. The opportunity for paid, on-the-job skills building with top manufacturing and trade businesses while in high school, college, or training helps students gain greater insight to determine the appropriate progression to achieve their career goals. This program is innovative because students’ technical and soft skills are assessed before placement and matched with the needs and culture of corporate partners awaiting skilled workers. Students employed following AmSkills certification have a greater chance of a long-term career.

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We are an enterprise for change in the way we understand health and how it transforms our quality of life. USF Health is committed to improving the full spectrum of health, from the environment, to the community, to the individual. Together, through talent and innovation, USF Health is integrating research, education and health care to reach our shared value - making life better.

USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is making bold moves to implement and envision the future of health in an era of unprecedented change.

USF Health is the partnership of the Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and USF Health Care, our faculty clinical practice.

Since the opening of our college 46 years ago, we have been committed to providing the most advanced medical education, research and innovative, patient-centered care. We are comprised of the medical school, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the Biomedical Sciences Graduate School and Postdoctoral Programs. We also play an integral part in a health sciences campus that also includes the USF Health Colleges of Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy and a faculty group practice plan consisting of more than 600 health care professionals. We believe in the spirit of discovery and transformation, and we believe in the future of health.

USF Health is an integral part of the University of South Florida, a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success.

MORSANI COLLEGE OF MEDICINE A Transformative Vision Shaping the Future of Medicine Now Health care is evolving at a rapidly accelerating pace, and the

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the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular sciences, and neuroscience, and our clinical trial volume has doubled in three years.

Building a Leading Infrastructure in the Heart of Downtown Tampa The new co-located USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in Water Street Downtown Tampa both symbolize and house our trailblazing and ambitious vision. We are one of a select group of medical schools nationwide making the move to the city’s urban core. More than a new building, we are building a future that will change the way we educate and train the next generation of physicians, pioneer innovations and therapies for heart health, and improve care delivery for patients and their families living in Tampa Bay and beyond. Our all new infrastructure in downtown Tampa, will serve as a key anchor for one of nation’s largest urban redevelopment projects, and world’s first wellness district being planned by Strategic Property Partners. Medical knowledge is expected to double every 73 days by the year 2020, which greatly affects the way we need to train tomorrow’s doctors. The flexible, functional, efficient and flipped classroom architectural design by Skanska/HOK will adapt to the ever-evolving technological changes in academic medicine now, and decades into the future.

A large portion of the new building will feature our Cardiovascular Sciences Department. The practice has grown five-fold and is one of the largest in the state with expertise in specialties ranging from cardiac imaging and cardiooncology to heart failure and electrophysiology. We will assemble a critical mass of cardiovascular researchers and clinicians close to both CAMLS and one of the country’s busiest centers for cardiac surgery, heart transplant and medical cardiology services at Tampa General Hospital.

Proximity Drives Opportunities for Collaborative Learning and Discovery Among its many advantages, the new location will place our college and Heart Institute in close proximity to Tampa General Hospital, our nationally ranked primary teaching hospital where our medical students do most of their clinical training and our clinical faculty admit most of their patients. In addition, our new location will be only a five-minute walk from the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), at the forefront of surgical and clinical training emphasizing the highest quality of care, innovation and patient safety. This world-class center for medical learning and simulated training will help revitalize the urban core, create new jobs, and attract medical device manufacturers and other high-tech industries, including biotech and pharma startups.

Our NIH-focused Heart Institute will function as a vital hub with four floors devoted to cardiovascular and precision medicine research. Teams of basic, translational and clinical scientists will work together to translate heart health findings from bench to bedside more effectively and efficiently by better understanding the genetic, molecular, and environmental drivers of heart and vascular disease. Our Heart Institute ultimately aims to better personalize heart health care-related interventions to detect and prevent this dreaded disease before life-threatening complications occur.

Working Across Academic Disciplines to Accelerate Scientific Inquiry and Innovation

Speeding Translation of Discoveries from Bench to Bedside to Improve Cardiovascular Care

While the downtown Heart Institute is expected to yield $28 million a year in additional NIH research expenditures when the new cardiovascular facility attains full capacity, we will continue to grow our other research strengths. These key research areas include brain health at the USF Health Neuroscience Institute, and diabetes at the USF Health Diabetes Center. We also leverage our interprofessional partnerships with the colleges of nursing, public health, pharmacy and the school of physical therapy as well as colleges outside health like engineering, business and arts, in which we particularly invest and excel.

Seeking answers to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of hospitalizations and deaths in Florida and nationwide – is the founding principle of our Heart Institute. It’s an endeavor that has taken on greater urgency in recent years as a growing body of evidence has mounted that cardiovascular disease is the greatest public health threat in our nation.

One example is the newly formed Department of Medical Engineering, an interdisciplinary PhD degree program between our college and the USF College of Engineering. The department not only matches our core mission, but it also will allow us to develop a creative learning model for today’s burgeoning field of drug discovery and development, and medical device innovation. Physicians and engineers will work side-by-side in health care environments at Tampa General Hospital and the CAMLS Innovation Center to capitalize on research opportunities turning scientific discoveries into practical health applications. This partnership will greatly improve patient outcomes, and help attract biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to drive regional economic growth. Visit health.usf.edu/medicine for more information.

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COLLEGE OF NURSING Transforming Health Care, Transforming Lives: Creating the Nursing Leaders of Tomorrow and the Research that Improves Health The USF Health College of Nursing is leading the state in educating a ready workforce to help meet the growing demands in health care. Coupled with a robust research program, the school is on target for a continuing rise in national rankings, as well as advancing international recognition for shaping the nursing profession.

Research that Improves Health â&#x20AC;˘ USF College of Nursing is # 1 among the State University System of Florida in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding. USF nurse scientists are engaged in leading-edge research initiatives that are advancing science in acute and critical care, bio behavioral mechanisms, big data, cancer prevention and management, caregiver support, chronic illness management, complementary and alternative therapies, digital interventions and virtual support, microbiology, immunology and microbiome, psychoneuroimmunology, sexual and reproductive health, and symptom management. Among many projects, our researchers are studying the links between the gut microbiome and the brain, the anti-infective and immune factors in human milk, the physiological effects of genes when there are changes in DNA activity, and the use of technology for digital interventions, symptom management and virtual support of patients.

Creating the Nursing Leaders of Tomorrow â&#x20AC;˘ USF College of Nursing is the # 1 RN-BS nursing program in the State University System of Florida

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• USF College of Nursing is the # 1 graduate nursing program (tied) in the State University System of Florida as ranked by U.S. News & World Report Confronted with the projected nurse workforce shortage capable of crippling Florida’s health care system, the USF Health College of Nursing has developed multiple, innovative pathways to prepare thousands of nurses with the knowledge, compassion and leadership required to provide high-quality care to Floridians. In addition to a strong four-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, five additional pathways allow students from non-traditional routes to earn that same degree – online and second degree options for current RNs, a partnership with Hillsborough Community College for a seamless transition to USF, a program for veterans who earn credit for their military training and experience, and an option for students from other USF campuses who are majoring in biology to take the accelerated nursing program on USF’s Tampa campus.

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Our graduate certificate program in Advanced Pain Management is one a few programs in the United States that provides a curriculum devoted to understanding the pathophysiology, transmission, and modulation of pain. Our PhD in Nursing program prepares our next generation of nurse scientists. Providing a vital link between practice and research, our PhD program trains students to create science that impacts patients, families and communities, potentially impacting millions of lives and improving foundational knowledge for providing the best in patient care.

Advancing with Innovation The USF Health College of Nursing is forging ahead with innovative education, research and patient care, attracting and educating the best and brightest students, and recruiting top-tier faculty – all aimed at improving health and creating health care leaders. Visit health.usf.edu/nursing for more information.

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COLLEGE OF PHARMACY Innovative Education The USF Health College of Pharmacy launched in 2011 with an approach to pharmacy education that completely flipped the traditional model. Going well beyond the typical retail pharmacist curriculum, the USF pharmacy program is creating a ready workforce based on current employer demands that include more research, direct patient care and drug development. Pharmacists are an integral part of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health care teams and will play increasingly stronger roles in tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health care landscape. In order to prepare for that future, the USF Health College of Pharmacy took a pioneering approach to pharmacy education and has become the pacesetter for teaching the pharmacists of tomorrow in an ever-changing health care field.

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This innovative curriculum has revolutionized pharmacy education, offering a wider range of more patient-centered interprofessional training, including geriatric pharmacotherapy, translational pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine, health informatics, and leadership and management. We view our pharmacy program as being a clinical apprenticeship as much as it is a degree-producing program. We are training pharmacy health practitioners to graduate with a mindset to transform the health care arena, and not simply exist in it.

Turning the pharmacy model around Aimed at changing the way patients tap into the expertise of their pharmacists to better manage their health, the USF Health College of Pharmacy launched the USF Health Pharmacy Plus, an on-site pharmacy of the future that goes well beyond simply filling prescriptions by offering advanced support to patients, and a futuristic, hands-on setting for pharmacy student rotations. Pharmacy Plus, a national prototype for providing innovative patient engagement, education and monitoring, offers technology at its core while providing a personalized, patient-centric experience with on-site pharmacists who are part of the entire health care team. On display in Pharmacy Plus, you will find the newest of mobile technologies that coincide with the College’s vision of the future: Prescribe medication, prescribe knowledge, and prescribe an app. This vision utilizes the latest innovations in digital platforms and mobile technologies to allow the patient and pharmacist to better track patient health so that interventions can occur before the next visit to the doctor.

Transforming drug delivery Nanopharmacy and nanomedicine are unique interdisciplinary sciences that integrate the knowledge of natural sciences and engineering with pharmacy and medicine to develop nanopharmaceuticals, the next phase for targeted drug delivery, diagnosis, treatment monitoring, tissue regeneration, personalized medicine and more.

Also housed in Pharmacy Plus is the Pharmacogenomics Clinic, which is led by our specially trained pharmacist who will use an individual’s genetic information to guide selection of medication or dosage to optimize treatments and minimize adverse drug events. Pharmacy Plus is one of the few clinics offering pharmacogenomics, which hints at the future of pharmacy where all patients are treated with personalized medicine to ensure better health.

The USF Health College of Pharmacy is taking the lead on research that helps have a better understanding of the burgeoning technological advances in science at the nanoscale. In addition to translational nanomedicine, the College is also pursuing cutting-edge research in basic and clinical pharmacogenomics and industrial pharmacy. These thrusts are in keeping with the recent advances in cell, genomic, and nano-technologies, which are expected to revolutionize health care in the 21st Century – enabling us to gain new insights into diagnostics, as well as therapy, and contributing to the development of new generations of pharmaceutical products and services.

Leading the way The USF Health College of Pharmacy is boldly redefining pharmacy education to create the next generation of trusted health care advisors. Our groundbreaking research and new treatment models and inventions are helping us lead the vision for the future of science in Tampa Bay and nationally. Visit health.usf.edu/pharmacy for more information.

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COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Transforming Health in Every Community The USF Health College of Public Health was the first school of public health in Florida and remains the first for transformative education and research that is protecting us all. With its focus on health promotion and disease prevention, the field of public health provides a foundation for our health care system that ultimately means lower health care costs. Our College of Public Health is closely tied to that effort and partners with other USF Health colleges with an interprofessional approach that provides stronger team learning and collaborative research, ultimately improving the quality of health services, health care and our greater public health. The College is also closely engaged with all forms of public agencies and private corporations that are determined to promote health and offer disease prevention. Our faculty are frequently called on, in both crisis situations and preemptive planning, for a range of important public health issues. Our experts are asked to examine water contaminants, study risk factors for heart disease, evaluate risk of injury to assembly line workers, promote good eating habits and prenatal care, evaluate health programs, and determine the health care needs of communities. More recently, our faculty have been on the frontlines for evaluating mosquito populations carrying Zika virus, a known threat to citizens across Florida. This work builds on the Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world-renowned expertise in global infectious diseases with faculty battling some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major health threats such as malaria and River Blindness.

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Advancing with Innovation in Education

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Today, with the deluge of online learning offerings, the College of Public Health is still making inroads for how students learn and earn advanced degrees. Master’s degrees in six concentrations and 11 online graduate certificates from USF are now available across the world, creating more public health professionals with comprehensive online programs.

• The USF undergraduate public health program is # 1 in College Factual’s “Top10 Veteran-Friendly Public Health Schools” list. • The USF College of Public Health’s Master of Public Health degree program is #2 in the country by Nonprofit Colleges Online, a website that helps students find offerings in affordable online degree programs.

Strong Research for the Public Good USF Health College of Public Health is conducting transformational research and engaging in an interdisciplinary work that aims to solve some of our greatest public health challenges. We are building research strength in areas that matter to health: infectious disease control, reproductive health, health equity, chronic illness, environmental and social risk factors and global health systems.

The College of Public Health recently launched the state’s first transformed core curriculum for the Master’s in Public Health program, an entirely new approach to building foundational knowledge and skills based on Framing the Future: The Second Hundred Years of Education for Public Health, a national initiative that is transforming public health programs across the country to better train the public health workforce and improve population health.

The College is home to 10 research Centers and Institutes focused on key areas of public health importance such as maternal and child health, occupational health, violence prevention, behavioral health, and biological threats.

Our Doctor of Public Health program, delivered primarily online in response to student demand, continues to grow in numbers and in the diversity of student experience and aspirations.

Preparing for Tomorrow

Our undergraduate program continues to produce outstanding graduates that are fully prepared to join the workforce or to pursue graduate or professional degree programs in an array of fields that impact population health.

The USF Health College of Public Health is at the forefront for educating public health professionals. From community and family health practitioners to health policy leaders to biodefense analysts and trainers, the College is helping build tomorrow’s leaders in public health.

The USF Health College of Public Health was a pioneer for online learning, launching a successful distance-learning initiative long before online classes even existed, and likely the first university to offer them.

Visit health.usf.edu/publichealth for more information.

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"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” THOMAS EDISON

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BUCHANAN LABS Buchanan Labs is an innovative offering of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney that is dedicated to delivering full-service and cost-effective legal solutions to emerging and early-stage companies. Buchanan Labs delivers its services in a cost-effective way through a unique subscription model. Our clients pay a modest, pre-determined, fixed fee over a defined period in return for a fixed number of hours of legal consultation tailored to each client’s unique needs. We understand the cash flow limitations of new companies, and our model allows us to deliver top-tier legal advice and guidance at an attractive price. At Buchanan Labs, we are here to position our clients for long-term success. Where to Find Out More Buchanan Labs provides continued content on its startup blog, which serves as a resource for emerging and early-stage companies to learn more about all phases of company creation and completion, including where to start, how to finance, how to govern, how to protect, and how to exit. Who We Are A dedicated group of seasoned legal professionals who apply their legal talent and experience as a team to provide efficient solutions to those legal and business issues most often experienced by new companiesincluding areas such as corporate structuring, financing, securities, commercialization of technology, compensation and employment issues, IP protection and strategy, FDA and regulatory considerations, immigration and compliance with labor and employment regulations.

Jennifer Minter, Shareholder Pittsburgh Office

What We Do Buchanan Labs partners with emerging and earlystage companies as outside general counsel to provide hands-on, proactive, practical advice on legal and business issues such companies face. The platform uses a suite of solutions designed to best position companies to avoid costly problems as they develop and grow. We leverage our strong relationships with various financing and capital sources, as well as other business service providers, to strengthen our clients’ networks and enable them to focus on growing the company.

Robert Jones, Shareholder Fort Lauderdale Office

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To get more information on Buchanan Labs and to stay up to date on the latest developments in the startup space, visit the Buchanan Labs blog at www.buchananlabs.com. About Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney Buchanan has 500 attorneys and government relations professionals in 17 offices across the U.S. We offer: • A flexible, candid, easy-to-work-with firm grounded in authentic clientcentric values. • Sophisticated yet affordable attorneys to represent your most complex legal and business needs. • One-stop, full-service access to legal and government relations services across a geographically diverse and collaborative knowledge base. Clients today want firms that are serious about changing their legal service delivery model to provide greater value. Clients also want more open, honest, transparent conversations about their needs and expectations along with a strong “no

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• Forty-six attorneys selected for inclusion among America’s Leading Lawyers by Chambers USA 2016. • Ranked as a leading law firm in Pennsylvania in Antitrust, Banking & Finance, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Corporate/M&A & Private Equity, Environment, Healthcare, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation: General Commercial, and Real Estate. • Ranked as a leading law firm in Northern Virginia in Intellectual Property. • Ranked as a leading law firm in Florida in Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Healthcare, Immigration, Labor & Employment, Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use and Tax. Super Lawyers • More than 100 attorneys named to 2016 Super Lawyers and Super Lawyers Rising Stars Lists in California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. Florida • Numerous attorneys named annually to Florida Trend magazine’s Legal Elite list. • Ten attorneys recognized in the South Florida Legal Guide 2016 as Top Lawyers or Up and Comers

surprises at billing” credo. We heard you loud and clear, and we have initiatives in place to better communicate with you and deliver true value. We are dedicated to serving as honest, knowledgeable partners to our clients and we are proud that we have received some of the top honors in the legal profession. We are confident that our practice will continue to be recognized by our clients and peers. U.S. News & World Report–The Best Lawyers in America® • Twenty-nine national honors and 84 first-tier metropolitan rankings on U.S. News & World Report’s 2016-17 “Best Law Firms” list. • Nearly 140 (132 to be exact) attorneys and specialists recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2018®. • Ten attorneys named as The Best Lawyers in America 2018® “Lawyer of the Year,” an honor given to only a single lawyer in each practice area in each community. Chambers USA

Rhea Law – Chair, Florida Offices 401 E. Jackson St., Suite 2400 Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: 813 222 1179 Cell: 813 417 5292 Email: rhea.law@bipc.com

Jennifer Minter – Chair, Corporate Finance and Technology One Oxford Centre 301 Grant Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412 562 8444 (o) Email: Jennifer.minter@bipc.com

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Caitlin Vile – Business Development Manager, Corporate Finance and Technology One Oxford Centre 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412 562 1029 | Cell: 412 215 8174 Email: Caitlin.vile@bipc.com

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DE LA PEÑA & HOLIDAY

Whether you are resolving a dispute, starting a company, inventing intellectual property, or conducting just about any kind of business, we at de la Peña & Holiday welcome you. We will strive to make your experience with us more valuable, efficient, and enriching than the many alternative legal resources available today. We know you care about results, and we will not stop fighting for them.

de la Peña & Holiday has offices in 3 major metropolitan centers around the United States; San Francisco, Los Angeles and Tampa Bay and are always looking to expand our footprint wherever we are needed. OUR EXPERTISE Appellate; Business; Construction; Emerging Companies; Entertainment; Insurance; Litigation; Real Estate; Intellectual Property and Technology Transactions; Cyberliability. COMMUNITY We believe in giving back and benefitting the communities where we live and work. Our firm has a long and proud tradition of providing leadership, financial support and pro bono services to charitable and community organizations throughout California, Florida and beyond our borders. This commitment is demonstrated both individually by our attorneys and staff members, and together as a firm. Whether we are providing support to local food banks, non-profit organizations assisting families, health and wellness causes, education advancement in underprivileged communities, and animal rights causes – de la Peña &

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400 North Tampa St. Suite 2840 Tampa, FL 33602 Phone: (813) 452 2000 Fax: (813) 489 2520 www.dlphlaw.com

ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, or beliefs. Our purpose is to attract, retain and promote exceptional lawyers who reflect the global interests and communities that we serve. We strive to achieve greater diversity and inclusivity, as we deem it vital to our understanding, growth and success.

Holiday is committed to the betterment of our community. de la Peña & Holiday is a minority and woman owned firm and as such we are committed to promoting diversity within our firm and throughout the legal profession. We are steadfast in creating opportunities for lawyers of all backgrounds, regardless of gender, race,

BRENT C. J. BRITTON Brent C. J. Britton is a technology lawyer in de la Peña & Holiday’s San Francisco and Tampa offices, and is the managing partner of the Tampa office. He focuses on emerging companies, intellectual property, and technology transactions. For the past 20 years, Brent C.J. Britton has been assisting entrepreneurs and technology companies of all sizes in corporate and intellectual property transactions. A dot-com era Silicon Valley veteran, Britton’s legal career has included tours of duty in several major firms in San Francisco, New York City, and Tampa. In his third year out of law school, Britton founded the noted San Francisco technology law firm, Britton, Silberman & Cervantez, LLP, which was later acquired by Thelen Reid & Priest, LLP. Britton has been a prominent voice for the cultivation of Tampa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem while maintaining strong roots in the San Francisco Bay Area’s emerging companies community. Britton’s clients range from startups to international conglomerates in the fields of digital media and software development, video games, education, mechanical devices, entertainment, telecommunications, healthcare, and nanotechnology. Britton’s legal work covers a full range of services of value to technology companies, such as corporate formation, venture funding, technology licensing and transactions, intellectual property strategy and prosecution (patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade

secrets), due diligence and auditing, innovation lifecycle management, mergers & acquisitions, website policies and terms of service, sweepstakes and gambling rules and procedures, employment agreements, and regulatory advice. While in law school in the early 90s, Britton clerked for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. A former computer scientist and software engineer, Britton is the only lawyer who holds a graduate degree from the MIT Media Laboratory. Alongside his Master of Science from MIT, Britton also holds a Bachelor of Arts in computer science from the University of Maine and a Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of law. Britton is admitted to practice law in California, New York, and Florida. Britton is an adjunct professor of Creativity and Innovation at the University of South Florida, he is the co-founder of several startups, and he writes and speaks frequently on entrepreneurship, creativity, ethics, and the philosophy of happiness and success. Britton’s book, “Ownability,” an introduction to intellectual property law for entrepreneurs, is available on amazon.com.

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MCINTYRE THANASIDES WE ARE A FULL SERVICE TAMPA LAW FIRM WITH A PASSION FOR BUSINESS AND OUR LOCAL TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM.

Sharing a 90-year-old historic building with the Tampa Bay WaVe, a technology incubator, and the Attic Cafe, has provided us the chance to know and interact with many of the best technology startup companies in the Tampa Bay Area. There is a lot that goes into starting and running a company. We employ a holistic approach to this process that draws upon actual business experience together with transactional, litigation, labor and banking law practices. Our 20+ lawyers can help with business problems ranging from drafting employment agreements to complex commercial litigation. They can also assist with personal financial, domestic, and even criminal issues, in addition to personal injury and real estate matters. When we meet a client, it is our goal to form a life-long relationship. We want to receive the first call for every legal question or problem. If we can’t handle it, we will find the right person who can, locally or nationally. 298

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Rich McIntyre and his team at McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliot Guito & Matthews, PL have been unbelievably supportive of the tech ecosystem here in Tampa Bay. When we decided to raise an angel round, Rich found out and he promptly became our first Angel investor. He followed through with putting together a syndicate that invested in our seed round. They have been a valuable resource not only for investment capital, but also for legal assistance and mentorship. They are always looking for opportunities to introduce us to potential partners & customers. We couldn’t be happier with our partnership with them and would not be where we are today without them. Steve Lazaridis Co-founder & CEO,

Richard McIntyre

We don’t just counsel technology companies, we invest in them. Members of our firm have created angel investment vehicles to fund multiple WaVe companies, including but not limited to Saavy Card, Peerfit, Phonism and MyArea Networks. We help companies position themselves for a raise, pull together investors, negotiate investment terms, and work on due diligence, both for others and ourselves.

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“Rich is one of the most active business people in the Tampa / St. Petersburg area in supporting startups. He understands that without direct participation by local business and community leaders, we’ll never develop a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem. Unlike folks that just want to talk startups, Rich rolls up his sleeves and takes meaningful action. He organizes and hosts regular pitch events, networks startups with capital sources, provides founders with professional advice and promotes the activities of entrepreneurial support organizations like Tampa Bay Wave. If we have 100 more people like Rich in Tampa Bay, we’d be the next Austin in 5 years.” David Etheridge, CEO

At McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi Guito & Matthews, PL we want to be your lawyers for life.

McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi Guito & Matthews, PL 500 East Kennedy Blvd., Suite 200, Tampa FL 33602 Phone: 813.223.0000 www.mcintyrefirm.com

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THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS Building Your Florida Business on a Healthy Foundation.

As you build your business from the bottom up, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to have a solid foundation in place. Each building block strengthens the structure; if one or more blocks are missing, your business may not collapse, but it will be more vulnerable and less valuable. Hunter Business Law encourages you to build your business on a healthy foundation so you can be rewarded with the maximum return on your investment of time and money.

Be Your Brand Focus on Profits as well as Revenue Engage in Strategic Planning

Develop a Business Succession Plan

Resolve Disputes Prior to Litigation Whenever Possible

Secure More Funding Before it is Essential for Survival

Keep Detailed Company Records

File Annual Reports for your Entity on Time

Monitor Your Financials Monthly, Quarterly and Annually Comply with Employment Laws

Prepare an Employee Handbook and Job Descriptions

Develop Operations Manuals for Your Business

Have an Attorney Prepare Written Contracts to Use with Partners, Customers, Vendors, Contractors & Employees

Obtain Insurance to Manage Your Risk Open a Business Bank Account Obtain your Federal Tax ID (EIN)

Obtain Required Federal, State or Local Business Licenses

Have a Business Plan

Understand Your Federal, State and Local Tax Obligations Protect Your Intellectual Property (file patents, copyrights) Form the Most Suitable Business Entity

Set Up an Accounting System

Select and Protect (Trademark) Your Companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Name Create a Budget

Obtain Start-Up Funds

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Five Aspects of a Healthy Business 1. Well Maintained Business Entity All new and existing business entities which conduct business within Florida must register with the Florida Department of State and file an annual report between January 1st and May 1st of each year. Company records should be maintained securely and important decisions documented.

2. Protected Intellectual Property The value of a business includes its brand and good will and is significantly impacted by its intellectual property and protection thereof. IP should be protected by trademark and copyright registration, having confidentiality agreements in place and, when an option, obtaining patents.

3. Good Contracts Strong businesses have written contracts for internal and external use, between and among owners, investors, employees and with vendors, customers, and strategic partners. Good contracts clearly identify the expectations of the parties, including what each party will do and by when, for how much compensation.

4. Risk Management All businesses face risks but they can be mitigated. Healthy businesses comply with applicable laws, including tax, licensing and employment laws; obtain commercial insurance; and consult with legal counsel to help resolve disputes before lawsuits erupt.

5. Know the Numbers

Sheryl Hunter, Esquire

It’s not enough to know how much money is in the company’s bank account. Healthy businesses make budgets and track financial data including revenue, expenses, profits and losses, and the costs of all goods and services. The ability to run reports on a monthly basis and use this data to make smart decisions is crucial.

“After 20 years of working with hundreds of growth-focused entrepreneurs and their business enterprises, I know the value of building a business on a healthy foundation. The attorneys at Hunter Business Law act as outside general counsel to our clients, working with entrepreneurs throughout the lifecycle of their business, guiding them from start-up to buyout. We are committed to the smart, strategic growth of the clients we serve.” - Sheryl Hunter, Esquire

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CHRIS PARADIES PARADIES® IP | IPMASTERCLASS.COM

Small business owners change lives: their own life, their families’ lives, the lives of their employees, and even customers’ lives. The ability to make quick decisions is the greatest advantage of any small business. A startup’s decision loop from idea to product can be much shorter than their larger corporate competitors. A small business may try, fail, retool, retry and eventually succeed, with persistence and hard work, before competitors can decide how to respond. By focusing on a particular customer, rather than a mass market, this particular customer can receive better service and solutions. Employees benefit, because employees of a small business are not fungible human resources but integral members of a team within a startup culture where job titles mean little, when a job needs to be done. Paradies® IP and IPmasterclass.com helps entrepreneurs to own and protect innovation and creativity generated for a small business by employees, contractors and others, building equity in the business, an essential step in the life of a startup. I pulled apart a clock that wasn’t working, fixed it and put it back together at an early age. I was hooked. I started stripping every mechanical and electrical machine that I could find to parts. Some even worked after putting them back together again. Others were sacrificed to satisfy my curiosity about how things worked. It’s a good thing doing something you love. It’s not surprising that I would become an intellectual property attorney and

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registered patent attorney. I get access to new inventions long before the public knows anything, and I get paid for it. Bonus! Intellectual property, or IP, includes much more than patents. Small business owners often become confused about what is needed to protect an idea. It doesn’t help that the law is constantly changing. IP is a complex system. If mastered, it can protect aspects of almost every business. However, like a machine, it is hard to see how it works from the outside. Too often, first-time entrepreneurs don’t do anything to own and protect valuable IP. Trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets, copyrights, domain names and patents are component parts of an IP system, and like clockworks, these parts must be fitted together just right to function properly. Unfortunately, I have found over the years, as a co.Starters facilitator and attorney, that some startups do nothing to own and protect IP, risking disaster, and others listen to unsound advice from a person only slightly more knowledgeable about IP. If you don’t own your IP, somebody else does. IPmasterclass.com is an affordable solution for early stage entrepreneurs to own, protect and grow equity in innovation. IP masterclass includes an IP agreement library and online, step-by-step video instruction for customizing and using IP agreements that are critical for owning IP rights. If a startup doesn’t own its IP, then somebody else does. IPmasterclass.com fills the gap creation and the day a startup can afford to hire a skilled IP attorney to protect critical IP assets.

Chris Paradies | Paradies® IP Phone: 727.201.2585 5300 W. Cypress St., Tampa, FL 33607 https://IPmasterclass.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParadiesIP LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paradies 303

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AgileThought

IN TODAY’S BUSINESS LANDSCAPE, INNOVATION MEANS MORE THAN USING A NEW DEVICE.

Innovation for enterprise level companies means taking advantage of machine learning, rapidly developing a new product or service offering, or transforming how they view, approach, and deliver value to their customers. At AgileThought, we accelerate our clients’ businesses by delivering innovative software solutions and collaborating with clients to help them envision, build, and operate custom solutions. Companies across the globe are tapping into the true potential of their teams by adopting an agile mindset as part of their culture. Born from the need for large teams to rapidly deliver working software, agile practices have evolved to become applicable across all areas of a company that wants to minimize wasted effort and focus on continuously delivering value.

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Dorrell added, “Our clients often either need to solve a complex set of problems or have an idea they want to take to the next level, and together we help them envision and deliver a solution with a process that eliminates noise and waste, and focuses on providing the most value to the end customer.” Our rapid prototyping services are based on design thinking and Lean UX principles that test ideas and digital experiences within two weeks in an environment that allows creativity and measurable user feedback to lead the rapid design of a new product. This proven process, led by a strategy expert, has successfully delivered working prototypes and wireframes for global applications used by professional services firms and healthcare focused mobile applications. Clients see progress on a daily basis, which creates opportunities to innovate at an accelerated pace. Companies that want to change the way they approach and deliver solutions partner with us for agile coaching or for a full agile transformation. We have a successful track record of stewarding companies through an agile transformation to become a truly “agile

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Left to right: Ryan Dorrell, David Romine, Jeff Alagood, and John Wagner.

organization” that fosters a culture of innovation, focused on rapidly delivering value to customers. Agile frameworks and practices provide transparency and support collaboration between delivery teams and their customers. This open process drives our clients to quickly innovate their products with each iteration, enabling experimentation for new features and capabilities to occur inside the development process – while increasing their overall speed to market. This approach encourages new and unbounded ideas, leading to real innovation and user oriented solutions.

As solutions using artificial intelligence (AI) such as sentiment analysis, neural networks, and machine learning are being explored in enterprise organizations, we stand with our clients at the forefront of these new tools to properly design and scale these capabilities. Our proprietary process for delivering AI and machine learning solutions enables clients to quickly realize undiscovered value and insight inside their business. Enterprise companies are also seeing the power of Internet-of-Things (IoT) and are working with AgileThought to deliver exciting IoT solutions in industries ranging from healthcare to manufacturing. AgileThought is headquartered in Tampa Bay, has over 300 passionate professionals across the country, and is one of Fortune’s “20 Great Workplaces in Tech.”

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Our mission is to create digital experiences that amaze and delight.

HANEKE DESIGN

Haneke Design, started in 2002 by Jody Haneke as an interactive design agency, was designing for desktops and mobile phones, preiPhone. Think back to the early days of browsing the Internet on your Motorola Razor; the challenge of designing for these different screen sizes was the Wild West of mobile design. But with this challenge, came the realization that mobile was the next frontier in all things tech. We thought, “If it’s this hard, it’s definitely worth something.” When Haneke Design began, we were designing for the screen, but not physically building the back-end development.

Haneke Design is a custom software development company focused on delivering user-centered solutions for connected devices. Our core services center on iOS and Android mobile application design and development and website/web application design and development.

Since the shift from being an interactive design-focused firm to a fullstack development house, we aim to use the latest technologies and expand our services based on the needs of our clients and community.

Haneke Design has been designing and developing mobile applications when the iOS and Android platforms were first made available and has been designing interactive digital user experiences for the web for over fifteen years. The Haneke Design team is comprised of a cohesive, creative and dedicated group of designers, developers, and project managers all collaborating in our downtown Tampa office.

We have expanded to creating mobile apps, websites, and custom digital solutions. In all industries, but especially in the tech space, being ahead of the curve is critical to a company’s success. The goal is to stay in Tampa and be a technology company that thrives in this unique market.

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When you are a tech company outside of the major industry hubs like California or New York, you automatically face an uphill climb, but we have fought to put Tampa on the map for this type of work. The first challenge is finding good talent. There were years where finding developers was nearly impossible in Tampa. But now with Tampa being a hub for young people, facilitated by our wonderful universities and local coding academies, the tide is turning for our city. When we create these digital experiences, they should be as delightful as possible, easy to use, and become a part of the user’s day-to-day life. Our office culture is very unique in that our employees are highly motivated by their work. At Haneke Design, we keep our employees on their toes by the type of work we bring through the pipeline. We like to keep a variety of clients. Our client base ranges from start-up companies, to small to medium sized organizations, all the way to Fortune 500 companies. This allows our designers and developers the opportunity to work with the latest technologies and motivates them to always continue learning and pushing their comfort zone. Our goal is for everyone in the organization to become a mentor in a specific subject or technical skill. We will support the training and materials they require to become an expert in the discipline they’ve chosen. In turn, each mentor will become the agency’s go-to resource on that topic, responsible for educating and assisting colleagues as needed. As we grow to become a nationally recognized company, it is so important that we stay in Tampa to achieve this mission. We are just one piece of the up-and-coming tech companies in the Tampa Bay area. We are all working together towards a day when someone asks about getting quality technology, and the answer they get is: “You need a mobile app? Oh, Tampa is the place for that”.

Phone: 813-605-3586 Haneke Design, 306 East Tyler St. 3rd Fl. Tampa, FL 33602 www.hanekedesign.com twitter.com/hanekedesign facebook.com/hanekedesign @HanekeDesign linkedin.com/company/haneke-design

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ROBRADY DESIGN

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Scientist, Author, Futurist In Florida’s Suncoast region, ROBRADY design has been producing things out of thin air for over two decades. Via their continually refined process of research, design, engineering, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing - what they coax into reality is at once exciting, innovative, and disruptive. Yet, it is always something more.

“We humanize technology.” - Rob Brady, CEO / founder, ROBRADY design After graduating from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles and beginning his professional career with the Cigarette Racing Team in Miami, Rob Brady founded ROBRADY design, a multidisciplinary design and development studio, in 1990. From his work in marine design, he quickly expanded his focus and team into diverse market sectors: transportation, consumer/electronics, industrial, medical, and graphic/interactive, collaborating with clients to identify the greatest areas of opportunity for producing innovative designs that drive profitable results. Yet, no matter what project the studio undertakes, all the work shares one common trait: it exists at the nexus of organic and OMG.

Rob Brady, CEO / founder, ROBRADY design

Walking through the ROBRADY complex in the sultry Sarasota heat, it’s easy to be captivated by the studio’s industrial chic interior and displays of sleek, futuristic projects that look like something from Syd Mead’s garage. It’s easier still to be impressed by the on-site CNC machines, 3D printers, welders, and more. These tools allow the studio to transform sketches into CAD

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ROBRADY’s capacity to rapid prototype elements of the FORTIS exoskeleton dramatically reduced the development timetable. In some instances, testing could be performed on physical prototypes within hours of their design, saving significant time and expense and contributing in large part to the success of the project. The studio garnered multiple awards for the work on FORTIS, including “Best of the Best” from internationally recognized Red Dot Design.

drawings and physical prototypes faster than ever before — in some cases, a matter of hours. Yet, the studio’s physical assets only tell part of the story. The studio’s personnel roster is a deep bench of expertise and experience, not just in design, engineering, and manufacturing, but also in material science, management, marketing, and regulatory guidelines. ROBRADY’s acumen allows it to navigate the regulatory environment of agencies such as the Department of Transportation, the American Medical Association, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communication Commission, and the FDA.

ROBRADY’s collaboration with Ziivaa, LLC is a clear example of the studio’s commitment to their client. From design work on the revolutionary belt to development of the brand name, packaging, international regulatory certifications, a suite of intellectual property and launch of the company, ROBRADY design was there for Ziivaa, LLC at every stage.

Yet, a finished product does not mean a job completed. ROBRADY’s standing in the design field is in large part to its perspective that invention and innovation are not enough. There must also be intention. In other words, how will the design be implemented for maximum impact and benefit? Beyond understanding the needs and concerns of all stakeholders, ROBRADY knows how a product will be introduced to market. The studio mantra of research to reality very often includes a third step, retail. To better support and realize their clients’ visions, the studio formed ROBRADY capital to provide support and management for particularly promising ventures.

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Customer loyalty and admiration aside, the studio has become a familiar and critically acclaimed presence on the global stage. It has amassed an impressive and constantly growing list of accolades from organizations including: Red Dot Design, the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA), Good Design, Universal Design, The Medical Design Excellence Award, SPARK, and Designpreis Deutschland. Each attest to ROBRADY design’s commitment not only to being a leader in the field of design, but to delivering on its vision to humanize technology and having a positive effect on our world.

1040 Commerce Boulevard North Sarasota, FL 34243 Email: studio@robrady.com Phone: 941-359-6656 robradyblog.com facebook.com/ROBRADYdesign twitter.com/ROBRADYdesign www.robrady.com

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SPARXOO

HELLO TRENDSETTERS. A DIGITAL AGENCY BORN TO ACCELERATE GROWTH.

As a leading digital agency, Sparxoo is a trendsetting powerhouse where badass talent, inspired ideas and ‘wow’ results lead the pack. Since its founding in 2010, Sparxoo has landed on the Inc. 5000 list and been named a finalist for Tampa Bay’s Best Places to Work, Coolest Office Space, and Small Business of the Year. Sparxoo’s growth trajectory is buoyed by its focus on being an innovative, world class digital agency. Their team of experts — who have earned more than 75 digital certifications — create high-performing campaigns for a range of clients. With an innovation and leadership mindset, the team of award-winning storytellers, designers, animators,

Never a dull moment, Sparxoo blends digital expertise with innovative design.

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At Sparxoo, every client and project is unique—and treated as such.

Be First, Be Inventive, Be Connected, Be Energized, Be Badass

A brainstorm session in action (writing on the wall is encouraged!).

developers, and digital marketers fuse their technical expertise into deliverables that make strategic impact for clients. From initial brainstorming and communication to the final product, the Sparxoo team blends visual masterpiece with the core of all work — a focused strategy. Inside the office, the Google certified agency inspires its Xoolebrities through team building events, brainstorming workshops, and motivating educational programs such as a monthly Rise & Energize leadership series, where Tampa community leaders share their career journey over coffee and breakfast. The agency also sponsors and participates

in Leadership Florida, Leadership Tampa, Tampa Connection, Ad2 Tampa Bay, Equality Florida, and Community Tampa Bay. Further, living up to their name as trendsetters, Sparxoo is Tampa Bay’s first LGBT certified business. In the digital world, performance can be tracked and optimized. Through data driven campaigns, iterative testing, advanced technology and agile scrum methodology, Sparxoo combats any preconceived notion that marketing isn’t money well spent. In the Tampa Bay region, Sparxoo has launched the Water Street brand, partnered with Florida Polytechnic University in optimizing their admissions funnel, and served as a key agency partner for Tech Data in the accelerated growth of their Cloud offering. Beyond Tampa Bay, the agency applies digital expertise on behalf of Fortune 500 brands in health & wellness, sports & entertainment, and technology.

Sparxoo is a catalyst of Tampa Bay’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The digital passion is palpable at their Digital Power Hours, which bring together more than 50 emerging digital leaders on a quarterly basis. These forums connect the Tampa Bay digital community by bringing together CEOs, CMOs, and emerging talent. The agency stretches their involvement onto the college campus, previously donating pro bono work through the University of Tampa Innovation Center and establishing a strong presence at University of Tampa, University of South Florida and Florida Polytechnic University. Sparxoo fiercely and proudly proclaims itself a badass digital agency. The team is energized to ignite growth, solve the unsolvable and uncage potential across its community of amazing talent and growing clients.

Sparxoo | 450 Knights Run Ave, Unit 1, Tampa, FL 33602 | Tel: 813-402-0208 | www.Sparxoo.com

Regular Executive Updates ensure staff is aware of important milestones.

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SOURCETOAD SOURCETOAD IS A TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FIRM THAT WORKS ON LARGE DIGITAL-TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS FOR ENTERPRISE COMPANIES. Access to data is critical for modern enterprise organizations. Good data can unlock new revenue streams, boost your current profits, and give you important insight into where to make future investments. However, the primary challenge in harnessing this data when designing software is pulling it together from disparate systems scattered across the organization. Data is all over the place, stored in different formats and with unique structures. Older systems make leveraging this data even more challenging. Data might be trapped inside of legacy databases, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, or pre-web desktop applications. Trying to maintain these old systems can result in lost productivity, frustrated employees, and an inability to meet the rising

expectations of customers. What makes developing software for enterprise even more complicated is the number of devices out there that need this data. iPhones, Android devices, Smart TVs, digital kiosks, and a thousand different Internet of things (IoT) devices all rely on being able to communicate with each other. This is where Sourcetoad comes in. The Tampabased software consulting and engineering firm specializes in unifying these data sources into a single, powerful collection. “Our new CORE system allows enterprises to create a single source of truth for all these systems,” says Greg Ross-Munro, founder and CEO of Sourcetoad. “CORE wires everything up together, monitors the health of all the connected systems, and gives

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you real time analytics on what’s going on.” Once all that data is streamlined through their CORE system, Sourcetoad then helps their clients use it in powering other applications. “The most exciting aspect of CORE is that we can add custom modules to it,” says Justin Weber, CTO and partner at Sourcetoad. “We’ve built modules to allow our clients to run their digital signage systems, interactive TV interfaces, and mobile apps. With everything streamlined, we can build apps that would have normally taken a year to make and launched them in three months. That’s unheard of in the enterprise space.” Sourcetoad’s main areas of focus are the healthcare, education, and cruise industries, but they have also worked with organizations as diverse as

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Sony DADC, Hillsborough County, SOCOM, and Luxottica. “The cruise ship work we do is the most interesting to me,” says Nick DeMelas, a Sourcetoad partner and the Director of Projects. “Cruise ships are extremely complex floating cities, without the

usual crutch of a constant Internet connection. If you want to build a basic app for passengers, you need to talk to restaurant booking databases, weather systems, GPS trackers, WiFi portals, and guest services. On one ship alone, we pull and push data to over 20 subsystems and make the whole experience seamless, even when there isn’t a stable

web connection. We’re really proud of what we’ve built here.” This domain expertise has helped the company land three of the major cruise lines, and has grown the firm into a two-continent, 30-employee organization. “The work is immensely rewarding,” says RossMunro. “We get to work on problems of a massive scale and systems with a huge amount of visibility. But we still get to be a super-geeky company that has a startup feel. I work with some of the smartest people in the world on some of the most challenging business problems, and I get to wear a t-shirt every day. What more could you want?” With a client list that includes some of the who’s who of the Fortune 500, Sourcetoad is a Tampa company that is making waves in the cruise industry and beyond.

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ABSOLUTE MARKETING SOLUTIONS HEADQUARTERED IN TAMPA BAY, ABSOLUTE MARKETING SOLUTIONS IS AN AWARD-WINNING, FULL-SERVICE DIGITAL AGENCY ESTABLISHED IN 1999.

Alfred Goldberg, a Tampa native, and his business partner, Dumitru Vlad, founded the company. We strive to help small and medium-sized enterprises achieve their business objectives using the latest best practices in SEO, social media marketing, advertising campaigns, web design and much more.

companies and brands that we have worked with include Pepin Distributing Company, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Taco Bus, Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), the Florida Holocaust Museum and Ciccio Restaurant Group.

Absolute Marketing Solutions has worked on more than 200+ projects and have won several awards for its excellence in website design and digital marketing. We are the proud recipient of multiple Horizon Interactive Awards, the W3, the American Business Awards, the Communicators, and the Hermes Creative Awards.

“Absolute has worked with us on several initiatives that have helped us further our impact in the Tampa Bay community. From Pepin Heart Hospital, our non-profit Pepin Academies, Pepin Hospitality Center, and of course Pepin Distributing, Absolute has been an essential extension of our marketing team and has been an invaluable digital partner.” – Oytun Tutuncu, Interactive Marketing Manager, Pepin Distributing Company.

Although Absolute has worked with companies all over the world, we are especially proud of the local companies we have served. Some local Alfred Goldberg - President 314

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When you’re a digital agency, you can never become comfortable with what you knew yesterday, as it might not be relevant today. We believe that technology and the way in which consumers engage with brands are in a constant state of change. However, we also believe that change presents opportunities to those businesses who can quickly adapt. Absolute Marketing Solutions has a passion for delving into the minds of consumers and crafting a strategy to help our clients achieve the results they seek. The Absolute Marketing Solutions team is a collective of top level programmers, web developers, graphic artists, content creators, editors, marketers and video production specialists. Together, we forge compelling content and deliver it to our clients’ audiences using the latest in digital technology.

“Everyone at Absolute Marketing Solutions has a passion for what they do, and a desire to do it better, every time. Technology evolves, best practices change, and in order to get results, you need to keep growing. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new and use it to deliver real-time, business results for our clients that make an impact that resonates with the community.” – Miné Salkin, Digital Marketing Manager, Absolute Marketing Solutions Our team is a diverse group with many talents across the digital realm. We are capable of delivering powerful results and have a passion for working with clients on their projects all over the world.

500 East Kennedy Blvd. Suite 401 | Tampa , FL 33602, US Phone: 813 908 6862 facebook.com/AbsoluteMobile twitter.com/absolutemobile https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AbsoluteMobileSolutionsTampa/ linkedin.com/company/absolute-it-solutions

For more information, visit www.absolutemarketingsolutions.com.

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NOMINATED FOR TECHNOLOGY PROJECT OF THE YEAR, FINALIST FOR TECHNOLOGIST AND TECHNOLOGY LEADER OF THE YEAR BY THE TAMPA BAY TECHNOLOGY FORUM, CLEARLYAGILE IS A CUSTOM MOBILE AND WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FIRM BASED IN TAMPA, FLORIDA FOUNDED BY FRED MASTROPASQUA AND EDMUND GORSKI. We develop enterprise apps and software for big businesses as well as assist start-up companies by building apps to bring to potential investors. Unlike “factory model shops,” we pride ourselves on developing strong partnerships and relationships with our clients to ensure their success from the beginning of the project until well after the task is complete. We also provide Agile Training & Coaching services for other teams in the Tampa Bay area and throughout the country to assist them in Agile transformations. ClearlyAgile sponsors numerous events and helps out the local community as well as provides office space use and technical support at no cost to a local church. One such event, GetSmart, mentoring 4th-12th graders in technology, kids received drones, and Edmund Gorski taught the kids how to program the drones and introduced them to aspects of programming and roles on a software team. Fred Mastropasqua hosts a monthly event called LeanBeer (www.leanbeer.org) where members from the community come to learn new techniques around Agile Software Development. Techniques he has picked up from his travel around the globe working with various clients and training teams. Fred Mastropasqua, Co-Founder of ClearlyAgile, Inc.

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“Our goal is to help clients solve their business challenges through software. Understanding the problem and recommending various solutions from legacy systems, integration points to new product development. We are here to help and guide our clients.” – Fred Mastropasqua

Phone: (800) 228-9144 www.clearlyagileinc.com

Edmund Gorski, Co-founder and CHIEF Architect

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POPKORN APPS FROM KERNEL TO CONCEPT EMPOWERING YOU TO TURN YOUR MOBILE APP IDEA INTO A REALITY AT A PRICE YOU CAN AFFORD.

Brian Kornfeld; CEO/Technical Director, Popkorn Apps How many times have you been sitting with friends and one says “there should be an app for that”? How many people have an idea and never get it started? Popkorn Apps is the solution for the person with the idea that isn’t quite sure how to get started and does not have access to an infinite budget.

Florida, and being a Six-Sigma Black Belt, specializing on finding better ways to complete a process, Brian knew his idea was not going to die based on cost. So Brian put pen to paper and his rocket scientist brain to work, discovering a process to slash costs while removing technological concerns for those first entering the startup world. In addition, Popkorn Apps has established strategic partnerships with different service providers locally, so anyone with an idea can easily be introduced to legal, accounting, financing, and marketing teams required to get started. Popkorn Apps has quickly become its own small-scale startup incubator.

Popkorn Apps was founded in 2014 by Brian Kornfeld as he was on his quest to launch his first app to the world. Previously, Brian had multiple ideas but never acted upon them due to fear. While in New York City during 2008, he even had sent a text message to a friend stating “I wish I could point at a map on my phone to tell a cab exactly where I am to come pick me up.” With this in mind, Brian set off to launch his first app, no longer wanting to be the guy regretting somebody else’s profiting off his ideas.

Popkorn Apps firmly believes that if an idea never gets started, it is an absolute tragedy. For that reason, Popkorn Apps has a mission to make sure all ideas get the opportunity to allow entrepreneurs to reach their dreams.

While Brian was researching ways to get his idea to market, many development companies gave him quotes on what seemed to be a simple design that were sixfigures. Having spent ten years as a program manager for large scale engineering developments, working on completing his M.B.A. at the University of South

In addition to app development for new entrepreneurs, Popkorn Apps also develops for corporate clients and does consulting for business processes or

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Brian with Matthew Cole, founder of examen life technology. Brian likes to make development enjoyable and creative for each of Popkorn Apps’ clients. He works hand in hand with each of his entrepreneurs to ensure they get the innovative design they are trying to achieve. He works with a creative team to help application look sharp while providing a great enduser experience. Matt Cole, founder of examen life and current client told us that “Popkorn Apps made the process accessible, affordable, and fun!” The team uses a mixture of agile and lean methodology to make sure that all parts of a client’s app continue to provide value to the end user. “Working with Popkorn Apps has been seamless and efficient; everything you hope your project will be from conception” is feedback from Brittany Ward, marketing coordinator for Tampa Nails, a local chain of

nail salons and a client of Popkorn Apps. This is exactly how the Popkorn Apps team thrives and functions for all of their clients. Popkorn Apps views an idea as a kernel. When one sees a kernel, there isn’t a lot one can do with it. However, once that kernel pops, it becomes something that one can eat and enjoy. Once an idea comes to Popkorn Apps, it goes from being a kernel to an innovative mobile application that is ready for market and live on the Internet, Apple App Store or Google Play. Contacting Popkorn Apps is the first step in turning your kernel of an idea into an innovative mobile solution.

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Phone: (727) 415 6705 Email: Brian.Kornfeld@popkornapps.com Facebook: facebook.com/popkornapps Twitter: @popkornapps www.popkornapps.com

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URBAN BUFFALO MARKETING

Photo credit: Savannah Lauren

“RECREATING THE WORLD ONLINE”

Growing up as a 5th generation farmer working in the family grove, Wes Lehman never imagined his office chair would be anything more than a tractor seat. But during a fateful stint as a musician in a budding folk band, Wes took on the roles of social media marketing. He immediately fell in love with the world of digital communications. During this time Wes would routinely visit businesses throughout the Tampa Bay Area that were struggling due to lackluster online presences, but had no budget

to hire an agency. He immediately drew parallels to tougher seasons on the farm when shortages of resources led to difficult decisions to be made. But, after observing his father and grandfather for years, Wes was no stranger to creative solutions to unique problems. In the Summer of 2015 Wes launched Urban Buffalo Marketing with the goal of allowing businesses to fully project their voice across every online platform. With the mission of “Recreating the World Online” Urban Buffalo Marketing strives to fully capture the essence

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of any business and recreate it through web design, social media, and content marketing. By pulling together a flexible, but consistent team, Urban Buffalo has been able to work with businesses spanning from local startups to international corporations. The true passion of their work stems from the desire to bring alive the voice and personality of the brand to an online medium. “Whether it’s recreating a website to feel like you’re walking into that store or cracking a joke on a Tweet through the distinct voice of a brand… we just want to provide the platform for authentic, effective exposure to our client’s customers”, Wes said. For Cindy Kurth, an abstract artist and client, the team at Urban Buffalo used photographs of her in her creative environment and recreated abstract art within her website. Cindy spoke on the project saying, “Urban Buffalo Marketing created an incredible professional, one-ofa-kind website for me that captures the true essence of who I am as a person and an artist… It has transformed my journey as an artist by allowing me to simply paint, and be me.” And to Urban Buffalo Marketing, that’s the sweetest sound they could ever hear. Phone: 813-727-5941 Email: wes@urbanbuffalomarketing.com UrbanBuffaloMarketing.com @UBMtampa 321

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IT AUTHORITIES FOUNDED IN TAMPA IN 2006, IT AUTHORITIES IS A TAMPA-BASED INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (IMSO) SERVING CLIENTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. Valuing the power of innovation and motivation when it comes to managing and supporting IT infrastructure, IT Authorities deploys powerful, process-driven solutions to boost productivity, foster innovation, and yield revenue-generating results. IT Authorities optimizes IT infrastructure to successfully cultivate and carry out business objectives with ease for a variety of industries, including bottling, nonprofit, manufacturing, distribution, accounting, construction, financial, legal, and publishing. IT Authorities stands out from the competition by hiring progressive and innovative leadership while also filling a gap in the Managed Services space with their unique approach. Hiring the leadership in the technology sector can be a challenging task but IT Authorities has

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strategically structured their hiring model based on more than just qualifications. They look to hire the best in the business while also keeping their company culture and values a main priority. This has enabled them to bring on some of the best talent in the industry while also keeping their employee satisfaction and morale at an all-time high. Their leadership team drives innovation, inspiration and commitment for their clients, their employees, and themselves. Managed Services has become a highly-sought after solution in the Tampa Bay area and IT Authorities is at the top of the list for providers because of their unique approach to the business. The managed services space is devoid of

adequate documentation and process mapping. By documenting practices and procedures, they have built an extensive knowledge base that will be an invaluable resource for the company and industry. In return, they will be able to more efficiently address repeat incidents and develop new innovative solutions for current and future problems. IT Authorities will continue to deliver superior support for its customers and will strive to be the best in the business for mid-to-enterprise customers and bottling companies throughout the U.S. while maintaining their high standards for hiring the best in the business to shape the technology industry.

5540 Executive Dr, Tampa, FL 33609 Phone: (813) 246-5100 www.linkedin.com/company/it-authorities www.facebook.com/ITAuthoritiesTampa twitter.com/itauthorities www.itauthorities.com

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Photo Jose Lopez at My Area Network

qualifiedMEETINGS

Left to Right: Whitney Marshall, Matt Wheeler, Eric Byrd

qualifiedMEETINGS is an Inside Sales firm dedicated to improving the efficiency and quality of the sales development process by creating and managing Sales Development programs for high tech firms seeking to grow qualified pipeline opportunities in U.S. and Global markets. With our proprietary 23-52 Touch lead development process and our Optimizer Dialer software, we are able to quickly and effectively increase pipeline, reduce the length of sales cycles, and provide valuable lead source data intelligence for improving return on marketing investments. Our clients depend on us to recruit, hire, train, house, and manage sales representatives for their account using our proven sales processes and methodology to achieve maximum results.

were making buying decisions based on a quick glance at a company’s website. As the economy worsened, sales leaders could no longer sell based on a historic relationship. The market was changing and sales were made based on major business problems being solved for the organizations. He also recognized most sales representatives had a “farmer mentality” that left them waiting for the phone to ring. He knew immediately we had to get more sales representatives to be trained to be professionally aggressive about approaching targeted organizations and educating them on the full scope of our technology offerings and how they solve business problems. The evolution of the next generation

In 2010, Matt Wheeler recognized that there was a major transition in sales underway “the PO machines were not spitting out orders anymore” and buyers

“I moved to Tampa back in 2015 after looking at other cities like Austin, Atlanta, Raleigh and San Francisco. We wanted to pick a city that had a certain synergy with startups and was going to be a place where people were moving to, not leaving”. – Matt Wheeler, CEO & Co-founder

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The qualifiedMEETINGS Team

Photo Jose Lopez at My Area Network

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of sales was under way. “Hunter mentality” sales representatives will lead the industry in sales and will literally separate successful sales organizations versus the ones that fail to meet objectives.

their own internal inside sales and were constantly setting the bar for the peers in their industry. Their process was constantly evolving, becoming more repeatable, predictable, manageable and results-driven. The QM team evolved to a point of helping other organizations with under-performing inside sales teams drastically improve their delivery. They’re now building world-class inside sales programs for complex, highly competitive, and disruptive high tech organizations, allowing them to scale at will in a predictable manner.

The core qualifiedMEETINGS team (Matt Wheeler, Eric Byrd and Whitney Marshall); began working together in 2014 and realized they had the ability to change the insides sales industry. By 2015 they had drastically improved

“Matt and his team are phenomenal inside sales leaders; they think strategically, motivate teams to execute, and can scale-out an organization. They hire the right talent that enables them to be successful; earning respect from clients they support, as well as kudos from sales and marketing. You can rest assured that an SDR program will yield results with qualifiedMEETINGS at the helm.” – Scott Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at RiskIQ

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qualifiedMEETINGS contact info: Phone: 813-644-6449 https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/10913319/ https://www.facebook.com/qualifiedmeetings2352/ https://twitter.com/QualMeetings www.qualifiedmeetings.com

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Dr. Hank Hine, Executive Director of The Dalí and Co-Director of Innovation Labs.

Nathan Schwagler, Co-Director of Innovation Labs.

THE DALÍ INNOVATION LABS The Dalí’s Innovation Labs offers one-of-a-kind programs that carefully combine more than 60 years of psychology and management research on creativity, creative problem solving, and innovation, infused with Dalí’s philosophy and methods to unlock a team’s true untapped creative potential. SOLUTIONS LABS – Ideation Workshops The design and facilitation of applied creativity workshops that address a client’s specific goal or challenge SKILLS LABS – Skill building for creativity, innovation, and change leadership The design and delivery of proprietary creativity and innovation classes to train the specific skills, and provide the learnable mindsets, of creative thinking and problem solving that drive organizational innovation LEADER LABS – Team building and offsite leadership retreats The design and facilitation of group retreats for senior leadership

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For more information contact Labs Co-Director Nathan Schwagler at nschwagler@thedali.org Right Image: Image Rights of Salvador Dalí reserved. Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Figueres, 2016. Left Images: ©2016–Salvador Dalí Museum, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL.

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PRESTIGE LEADERSHIP ADVISORS

“Innovation is very adventurous. The future is unchartered territory. With tools to navigate and a competent team to get there through inspiring leadership, any ethical, purpose-driven organization can make its future vision come to fruition” - Joe Yazbeck. Joe Yazbeck is the Founder and President of Prestige Leadership Advisors whose mission is to train, facilitate and advise executives and leaders in business, community and public service in becoming dynamic, confident and powerful communicators, so they can positively influence the world around them. Joe Yazbeck and his leadership advisory team have worked with heads of state to leaders of major corporations as well as high-ranking military officers, political candidates to best-selling authors.

Joe Yazbeck; Founder & President

Joe Yazbeck is a highly sought-after leadership and communications coach. Government and business leaders around the globe seek his counsel and his company’s services at critical times such as PR and strategic direction, media communications training for launching a new brand, product or service, influencing board members and company team members, speaking to government committees,

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winning a political campaign, launching an author, creating a successful exit strategy - all programs pointing in the direction of supporting professionals to become highly respected, reputable and widely recognized authorities in their industries. To compliment the services of Prestige Leadership Advisors, Joe is an internationally published bestselling author of “No Fear Speaking : High Impact Presentation Skills and Public Speaking Secrets to Inspire and Influence Any Audience” and has created the No Fear Speaking Training System which offers a host of leadership communications service includes executive level speaker training, on-camera training, negotiation skills, media presentations for webinars, podcasts and traditional radio and TV, sales presentations and addressing small to large audiences as a paid keynote speaker. His best-selling book is available in seven additional

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“The most effective and inspiring leaders happen to be confident, dynamic speakers; and to get there, it takes competent, professional training!” Joe Yazbeck “My decision to mentor someone always includes evaluating that person’s willingness to positively influence others and create improved conditions around them. It is a joy helping people whose purpose is helping others. Work should be joyful!” Joe Yazbeck

Meeting with US Senator Marco Rubio

Seminar in St Petersburg, Russia

“I find that you build and grow an organization with more effortlessness teaming up with purposed individuals. To me, purpose is everything. It is an impassioned, driven, intentional and inspired individual who is fully present and invested in the game of winning to the finish line. You can tell just by looking who has their “purpose on”. Imagine an entire team dedicated to its purpose!! What a fun and exhilarating illustration of hard work paying off where everybody wins!!” Joe Yazbeck Best selling book “No Fear Speaking”

Spanish version

languages including Spanish, Russian, German, Hungarian, Chinese, Slovakian and Czech.

are also available from a specialized skilled team of trainers using Joe Yazbeck’s successful system.

In addition to the Leadership Communications programs the company offers, Prestige Leadership Advisors offers publishing services for aspiring and current authors as well as PR and branding support for clients interested in raising their brand value and increasing their positive image and reputation.

Some national and local clients and companies include Hewlett-Packard, PNC Bank, TE Connectivity, The Fechtel Company, Bobit Media Group, numerous Tampa Bay Area and national political campaigns, Solar Sanitation, Sun Country Cleaners, Tampa Bay Innovation Center, USA Staffing Services, Plasma-Therm, and a host of international companies on several continents. To review a full media collection of videos, photos and reviews go to www.nofearspeaking.com.

These training programs are delivered through introductory and major workshops, personalized one on one coaching, online training and special customized corporate training programs for executives and staff. Training the trainer programs

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Prestige Leadership Advisors 2600 East Bay Drive Suite 230, Largo, Florida 33771 Phone: 727 489 2349 or 727 741 1029 Email: info@prestigeleader.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joeyazbeck Facebook: facebook.com/nofearspeaking www.facebook.com/ PrestigeLeadershipAdvisors Twitter: @joeyaz7 You Tube: youtube.com/results?search_ query=joe+yazbeck+no+fear+speaking www.nofearspeaking.com

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Located in Sarasota, Florida U.S.A., and with over 45 years of printing, prepress, and packaging experience, Trinity Graphic manages custom, creative, and branded digital print solutions for clients nationwide. Trinity Graphic offers full turn-key packages from initial creative concepts to full production, shipping and installation. Our design and project solutions teams work with your architecture, design and marketing groups to develop, create, and implement custom branded solutions.

Let’s take a look at what we offer: Custom Print Solutions - Clients partner with Trinity Graphic not because we are a premium digital print applications provider, they come to us because they have challenging project opportunities that require some “out-of-the-box” print, design or installation consideration. Whether it is wall covering, commercial advertising, retail signage or product displays, we make it our goal to create solutions that enhance your brand message.

Our investment in the best industry equipment means that your printed projects are produced and delivered complete, correct and on time - every time. We take pride in understanding our customer’s needs, and by partnering with your buyers, marketing and creative teams, we are able to collaborate and provide solutions to meet those needs.

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Creative Print Solutions - We offer a complete, ‘soup-to-nuts’ digital print experience that starts with our experienced team of national and strategic account managers who will work with you to understand the goals, parameters and budgeting needs of your project. Our partnership continues with our creative design team and production managers who develop the graphic and structural elements and then coordinate the timelines and resources necessary for your project. Our production and quality assurance teams guarantee that every part of your project meets or surpasses our high standards, industry standards and your expectations.

Branded Print Solutions - Your brand identity represents your inherent values, your purpose, your positioning, and your voice. You trust us to protect everything about who you are, and we take that very seriously. Your brand is our compass that sets the target for our creative, production and quality assurance teams. Providing solutions to meet your needs is what we do best. There really is no way to describe the true essence of what we do, except to experience it yourself. We’re actually not looking for customers, we’re looking for partners, to collaborate with for the long term. If your current resources are satisfying all your digital print needs, we are happy for you. Call us anyway and we’ll show you what you might be missing.

Trinity Graphic Managing custom, creative, and branded print solutions. 885 Tallevast Road Sarasota, FL 34243 Phone: 941-355-2636 331

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CREATING AMAZING EVENTS DCE PRODUCTIONS SINCE ITS INCEPTION JUST FIVE YEARS AGO, DCE PRODUCTIONS LOOKS AT THE WORLD OF LIVE EVENT PRODUCTION THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS.

Dissatisfied with the status quo of audio visual services received for events they were managing in hotels and convention centers, DCE’s founders decided they could do the job better on their own. With no prior A/V production company experience, they applied professional strategic planning and execution skills and started investing in equipment and people. And one event at a time, DCE Productions began delighting meeting and event planners with technically sophisticated shows. Today, DCE has produced some of the most spectacular events in the Tampa Bay region and has a hand in producing more than 450 events a year for hundreds of customers. According to CEO Paul Harris, their work begins months, or even years, before the event. “One of the key differentiators of DCE vs. the alternatives is our involvement in the planning process. The sooner we can start brainstorming and collaborating with our client’s event team, the more dynamic the end-product. We tend to cause our clients to raise their goals and elevate their game when it comes to events.” DCE Productions is dedicated to developing, designing, planning and producing successful events for organizations across the country. They pride themselves on

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helping companies and organizations communicate their message using technology in both live event environments, in creative video production projects, and with hybrid in-person / remote attendee events using the latest in live streaming and web conferencing. Their resources include the sharpest, technically savvy producers, videographers, video editors, graphic artists, event experience designers, technical directors, project managers, audio engineers, video engineers, lighting directors, IT specialists, audience response technicians, webcasting technicians and digital signage technicians. “We roll up our sleeves early and develop concepts that ensure memorable experiences for each events’ attendees,” said Harris. A key to DCE’s formula is rooted in one of its founding tenents: Become a vital part of the customers’ event management team. Most AV companies serving live

events begin by compiling a detailed list of equipment and seeing how fast they can inflate a number on the bottom line of a price quote. DCE approaches each project asking “What is the objective of this event?” By assuming an interest in the overall success of each event, they become accountable to their customers on a different level than in-house AV providers or mom-and-pop AV companies. “It’s all about providing an event experience that motivates and inspires the audience while maintaining the integrity of the event,” added Harris. Regardless of the scope of the event or the size of the audience, DCE applies its formula for success. From a meeting for 25 people to a keynote for 10,000. And based on overwhelmingly positive customer satisfaction, Tampa-based DCE Productions has clearly succeeded in re-inventing the live production business.

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5415 West Sligh Ave., Suite 102 Tampa, Florida 33634 Phone: 813 606-4107 Email: heidi@dcelive.com Twitter: @DCElive facebook.com/DCELive www.dcelive.com

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STARTUP TAMPA BAY STARTUP TAMPA BAY IS A NONPROFIT THAT EMPOWERS ENTREPRENEURS AND INSPIRES THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS IN TAMPA BAY. Ryan Sullivan, Gracie Stemmer, and Trey Steinhoff founded Startup Tampa Bay in 2016, but the nonprofit’s spirit was born in 2010 when Tampa hosted its first Startup Weekend. Since then, hundreds of volunteers have come together to host events that have impacted tens of thousands of people. United by a common belief that entrepreneurs shape the future of their communities, the organizers, volunteers, and business partners of Startup Tampa Bay serve as a foundation for our community by creating opportunities, inciting collaboration, and providing support to entrepreneurs from all walks of life. The organization believes these efforts will embolden entrepreneurs to solve meaningful problems, build innovative technology, create jobs, excite our citizens, attract top-notch talent, and develop Tampa Bay into a national entrepreneurial focal point.

(Left) Mayor Bob Buckhorn declaring Tampa Bay Startup Week is officially recognized by the Tampa legislature. (Right) Startup Tampa Bay co-founder Gracie Stemmer.

Startup Tampa Bay’s cornerstone event is Startup Weekend. Known globally for its ability to cultivate innovation, this event brings together developers, designers, and hustlers to pitch ideas, form teams, and launch companies over the course of 54 hours. Tampa Bay’s Startup Weekends culminate in pitches to local influential entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors. These thought leaders decide which startups return home with prize packages designed to jump start their companies. Multiple standout companies formed at Startup Weekend Tampa Bay since its inception, including the ticketing platform Eventjoy (acquired by Ticketmaster in 2014). In an effort to bring the lean startup lessons of Startup Weekend to a younger audience, Startup Tampa Bay began hosting Startup Weekend Youth in 2014. The event is a weekend-long crash course in creativity and entrepreneurship for children ages 10-12.

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As a testament to the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Tampa Bay, Techstars selected our community to host Startup Week for the first time in 2015. Now in its third year, Tampa Bay Startup Week has empowered over 15,000 attendees. This community curated conference packs over 70 free, public events into five days that cover a variety of topics. Past workshops include coding boot camps, legal counsel for businesses, IoT panel discussions, craft-beer sampling, pitch competitions, investor Q&A, one-on-one mentoring, group yoga, design speed dating, and more. Entirely supported by local businesses and volunteers, Tampa Bay Startup Week is a crowdsourced platform for knowledge sharing and community engagement.

In 2017, Startup Tampa Bay will host its first Hackathon where partner companies will present their business challenges to the community of problem solvers. Over the course of a weekend, new technology will be built to address these problems and the winning teams will go home with generous prizes. The organization also hosts monthly “Startup Socials,” casual meetups that alternate between Tampa and St. Petersburg that seek to create collisions which spark innovation. Startup Tampa Bay is volunteer driven and community backed. The non-profit exists as a platform for passionate individuals and businesses to get involved with the growth of Tampa Bay’s entrepreneurial community. Startup Tampa Bay welcomes collaborations of all kinds.

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TechNova Florida Inc. is an all-volunteer organization devoted to fostering collaboration and peer-to-peer education among startup founders, freelancers, and other grass-roots technology professionals in the Central Florida tech ecosystem.

The Best Tech Minds and Startup Founders in Tampa Bay

No Geek too young or old

Primarily known for two long-running events in the Tampa Bay area BarCamp and Ignite!, TechNova Florida Inc. is a Florida-based 501(c)3 organized by individuals with decades of tech industry experience and a deeply held belief that our region’s economic health is tied to improving the talent pool of individuals driven by innovation. Outside of the hosting of our signature events, TechNova’s leaders have initiated many other activities to support the growth of the tech ecosystem. From tech and business skills focused workshops, founder mentoring, co-working, hosting local entrepreneurial support events like the Kauffman Foundation’s Global Entrepreneur Week and Startup Grind founder interviews to speaking at events all over the state in support of the Tampa Bay tech community. TechNova’s leadership is a driving force in the local Tampa Bay tech ecosystem frequently lobbying government officials, local journalists, and business community leaders on topics such as STEM education, workforce diversity, improvements to transit, and a more evolved view of economic development to make our region a top producer of innovation and tech talent. Ignite speakers challenge the status quo

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Participation is Its Own Reward

Ignite Entertains and Informs

Our signature event BarCamp is part of an international network of user-generated conferences primarily focused around emerging technology and the Internet. They are open, participatory workshop-type events, the content of which is provided by participants in what is called an “unconference” where topics are crowd sourced at the event to create a just-in-time agenda. Attendees then move from session to session picking the topics that most interest them. Past topics have included everything from software development, robotics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, social media, to game development, and much more. Every year brings new topics and new attendees who are often inspired to give their own talk at future BarCamp events. The first BarCamp in Tamp Bay was held in 2008 and attracted just over 100 participants. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, BarCamp Tampa Bay typically draws 800 people covering a wide range of interests, professions, and ages. Unlike tech networking events, BarCamp attracts mostly practitioners and enthusiasts interested in hands-on skills and who are motivated to develop new products and services based on emerging technologies and opportunities for solving problems through innovation.

Ignite! Tampa Bay, also organized and hosted by TechNova is a platform for expanding beyond just tech related topics of interest to include more community engagement, social entrepreneurship, and issues that impact everyone in the Tampa Bay region. The motto of this event is “Enlighten us, but make it quick.” Ignite is a series of speedy talks where presenters get just 20 slides, automatically advancing every 15 seconds to share their passion for some topic they feel deserves broader community support. The goal of the Ignite model of accelerated story telling is to help anyone anywhere learn to present their ideas & stories and to drive others in the community to get involved.

Team at Tampa Hackerspace

BarCamp Crowds

Wrap-up Session at BarCamp 2015

The result is a night of 20 fast and fun presentations that lasts just five minutes but often leave the audience engaged to learn more and maybe even become an active advocate for a newfound cause. Ignite talks occur in 350+ cities around the globe driven entirely by volunteers and passionate individuals that encourage active participation and change to make their communities more engaged and aware of the innovative programs, purposes, and people around them. Email: info@technovaflorida.org TechNova: www.technovaflorida.org BarCamp Tampa Bay: www.barcamptampabay.org Ignite! Tampa Bay: www.ignitetampa.org 337

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AMY ESPINOSA WORLD IA DAY - LOCAL CONNECTIONS. GLOBAL IMPACT. What is an Information Architect? Although the concept of the ‘architecture of information’ dates back to IBM’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) in 1970, Richard Saul Wurman holds the credit as the Father of Information Architecture. He coined the term ‘Information Architect’ in 1975 while serving as the National Chairman of the American Institute of Architects convention held in Philadelphia in 1976. From this time until the mid-nineties, the field was mostly unknown. It was not until the rise of the world wide web that information architecture went mainstream. In 1998, Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville wrote a book, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, which officially launched the field and the term Information Architect into our vernacular.

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Our field is still relatively young and the definition of Information Architect still varies to some degree. But as the lines between physical and virtual environments blur, I still believe the best definition is given by Richard Saul Wurman in his book Information Architects:

In•for•ma•tion Ar•chi•tect [L infotectus] n. 1) the individual who organizes the patterns inherent in data, making the complex clear. 2) a person who creates the structure or map of information which allows others to find their personal paths to knowledge. 3) the emerging 21st century professional occupation addressing the needs of the age focused upon clarity, human understanding and the science of the organization of information.

Why is World IA Day Tampa Bay important?

What is World IA Day? World Information Architecture Day is a one-day annual celebration hosted by the Information Architecture Institute and held in dozens of locations around the world. We are a community of like-minded professionals and enthusiasts who share the common goal of practicing, learning, teaching and shaping the future of information architecture.

Why did you bring World IA Day to Tampa Bay? I brought World IA Day to Tampa Bay because I believe in information architecture. I believe it is important for people to understand and I am very passionate about growing awareness of this practice. It was also very important to me to mentor people in our community and create bridges across disciplines. World IA Day Tampa Bay is a free day of learning. A place where it is safe to ask questions and explore concepts to further understanding. You do not have to have the title Information Architect to architect information. It is important to understand that people practice information architecture all the time whether they realize it or not. Information is all around us and we produce and consume it more now than ever before. If people recognize when they are practicing IA then there is a better chance they will consider their structures and language thoughtfully, helping make the world a clearer place. World IA Day gives us a vessel to bring IA awareness to our community while connecting with other like-minded people in Tampa Bay and around the world.

My long term goal with World IA Day has always been to empower others in the community to step up and lead. I worked for the first two years to lay a solid foundation for the celebration to exist; making it easier to one day hand over to others in our community. Because of the work I have done in Tampa Bay, I was asked to be the Global Executive Producer for World IA Day 2017. I accepted and through this volunteer position, I served and supported organizers around the world in more than 24 countries. It was a truly amazing experience. Through this work Tampa Bay now has a place within the global IA community, which will be important as our economy grows and companies begin to understand the need for Information Architects. I bring my learning back to our community to freely give it to others. World IA Day Tampa Bay is a collaborative effort that enables people to learn and understand information architecture through real-world projects that have a positive impact in our community. Since our first celebration we have helped a community garden bring clarity to members and visitors through signage, we have explored possibilities that would bring nature back into our cities and support carfree living and we have helped a local non-profit bring certainty to their mission and purpose to improve their website and community engagement efforts. We are excited about the work we are doing and hope to continue it well into the future.

About Amy Espinosa Amy Espinosa is an Information Architect based in Tampa, Florida. She has a passion for growing IA awareness and is an active member of the Information Architecture Institute.

Photo by Matias Pigni

Dots & Cubes is her consulting practice which focuses on information architecture in urban environments. She is particularly interested in cultural and historical preservation as well as transportation planning and community gardening.

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ET CULTURA

PEOPLE OF ST. PETERSBURG CREATE. We paint murals on walls, make music and movies, craft new plays and develop new technologies. This town is full of artists and their inspiration. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just one form that defines St. Pete. But, the newest event to hit the Sunshine City is on a mission to spotlight the creative and innovation culture coursing through our streets and bring the world to inspire, collaborate, and discover! Et Cultura: a festival, a destination, a culture! Where you can explore a macrocosm of innovative thinking, community action, eclectic music, thought provoking films, and hand crafted wares, in a city rising to claim its future!

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Each November, Et Cultura crafts an event that focuses on 4 highly curated branches: Interactive + Music + Film +Art. EtC INTERACTIVE Et Cultura has partnered with the Open Partnership Education Network (OPEN) to design a series of Themed interactive experiences that bring next level thought leaders and nationally recognized speakers to the festival. These Themes will provide the opportunity for our community here in St. Petersburg to connect with year round discussions that will engage, entertain, spur discussion and create an opportunity for fresh ideas, collaboration and action. EtC MUSIC rings out from several of St Peteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Musical Landmarks including Jannus Live, The State Theatre and bars/music venues throughout downtown and up Central Ave with a combination of national, regional and local music touching almost every music genre over the 5 day event! EtC FILM is a chance to discover new people, places and ideas brought to life by the imagination and dedication of the independent filmmakers. Programmed with a growing global obsession with short films in mind, our festival is designed to take you on a journey while creating an inclusive environment where filmmakers and audiences can come together during post film discussions and Q&A sessions. EtC ART pop ups of varying mediums including Projections Mapping, Photography, Graphic Arts and more are curated by St. Petersburg Arts and Culture businesses and feature not only local artists, but artists from across the country. Find your journey through this collection of creativity and innovation to define your own Et Cultura!

www.etcultura.com

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PARTICIPATORS INDEX !p: Potential Unleashed 43, 44 1 Million Cups 251 Absolute Marketing Solutions 8, 314 Accenture 60 Adjoy 156 AgileThought 304 AmSkills; American Manufacturing Skills Initiative 282 appliedG2 93 Ark Applications 220 Asteeza 138 Buchanan Labs 294 Cabinets.com 70 CareSync 15, 124 Citizinvestor 204 Civic Innovation 20 Clean the World 208 ClearlyAgile 316 Clearwater Business SPARK 258 Clearwater Public Library 260 College of Engineering at the University of South Florida 30 ConnectGO 154 Convergence Consulting Group (CCG) 74 Dalí Innovation Labs 326 Dali Museum 292, 326 DCE Productions 332 de la Peña & Holiday 54, 296 DEFENSEWERX 28 Digital Den 264 Doolittle Institute (DI) 28 Dynamic Communities 9, 106 Eat Fresco 172 EatMobile 169 Eckerd Kids 206 EdisonMax 238 Englewood Incubation Center (EIC) 266 e-northamerica 112 Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (ECC) 248 eSmart Recycling 202 Et Cultura 340 First Round Tampa Bay 227 Florida Angel Nexus 218 Florida Aquarium 194 Florida Center for Cybersecurity (FC2) 94 Florida Funders 12, 216 Florida Venture Forum 214 Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) 272 Gazelle Capital 222 Geographic Solutions 76 Gianco Companies 244 Global Safety Management (GSM) 68 Global Village World 1, 345 GO PUCK 80 Gooee 140, 148 Haneke Design 160, 306 Harvest CROO Robotics 72

Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) 50 Hunter Business Law 300 Idea To Growth LLC 228 Information Architecture, Amy Espinosa 338 Innovation Cities, Peter Kageyama 42 Innovation Lab 265 Intrinio Fintech Marketplace 14, 86 Invision Communications 93 IT Authorities 322 iTREKKERS 186 John P. Lowth Entrepreneurship Center 13, 240 John Weatherby Photography 4, 83, 212, 276 Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital 114, 116 Just Grow 203 Kevin Harrington Enterprises 230 Knack 110 KnowBe4 96 Kornukopia 108 Lemur Conservation Foundation 200 LiftSync 188 LIVE Watersports 184 Localive 181 LumaStream 82, 230 McIntyre Thanasides 229, 298 MediVu 126 Metasense Analytics 128 Moffitt Cancer Center 120 Molekule 115 Morphogenesis Inc 122 Mote Marine Laboratory 190 MyArea Network 152 Oakpoint Advisors 224 One World Explorer 160 Operation Startup (OPSU) 246 Paradies® IP 302 Pasco EDC SMARTstart 256 Peerfit 182 Phonism 144 PikMyKid 104 Pilot Bank 226 Polar Breeze® 136 Popkorn Apps 318 Prestige Leadership Advisors 328 Priatek 166, 232 Prospera 270 qualifiedMEETINGS 324 RankMiner 146 Revcontent 16, 158 RIDG 6, 34, 342 Ringling College of Art + Design 17, 278 ROBRADY design 308 SavvyCard 164, 232 Script 103 SecureSet 98 Skynet Healthcare Technologies 130 SOFWERX 26 344

Sourcetoad 19, 312 Spared 92 Spark Growth 254 Sparxoo 310 St. Pete Innovation District 37, 38 St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership 232 St. Petersburg Ocean Team 198 Startup Tampa Bay 334 Station House St. Pete 244 StatWeather 78 Strategic Property Partners, LLC (SPP) 10, 22, 52 Superior Uniform Group 174 Synapse Florida 1, 11, 32 SynDaver Labs 134 Syniverse 142 Tampa Bay Tech 7 Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF) 236 Tampa Bay WaVE 242 Tampa International Airport 58 Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library 262 TAO Connect 132 TEC Garage 252 TechNova Florida Inc 336 The Greenhouse 250 The Hive 262 The Penny Hoarder 84 The University of Tampa 13, 36, 210, 240 The University of Tampa, Non Profit Management Program 210 Thunderdome, Dave Scott 24 TitleTap 90 TorchFi 178 Trace Eye-D 100 Trinity Graphic 330 University of South Florida (USF) Cyber Security 94 University of South Florida Research & Innovation 46 University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) 37, 41 Unlocking the Labor Cage; Vinny Tafuro 21 Urban Buffalo Marketing 320 USF Center For Entrepreneurship 239 USF College of Marine Science 196 USF Health 284 - 291 Valpak 64, 66 Venue Viking 155 Victor Liu 233 VidPic AR 162 Visit Tampa Bay IFC, 56, 102, 139, 168 Washlava 176 Webtalk 150 Welbilt 18, 170 Wootrader Inc 88 World Trade Center Tampa Bay (WTCTB) 274 Your Pro Kitchen Tampa 268

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BEST OF THE WORLD

Our mission is to proudly showcase the Best Innovations and Organisations in every Nation, and City in the World. We are an ever growing tribe of media entrepreneurs, colleagues, and friends that publish the ‘Best of the World’ and ‘Innovation of Cities’ series of books both in print and online. Our publishing network and book series cover more than 50 international territories, from Bangalore to Belgium.

The books showcase entrepreneurial spirit and innovation establishing powerful global networks and aid the bridging cultures. The result is the ultimate interactive corporate gift and P.R. marketing tool for governments, companies, hotels and business people providing leading products and services for their region. Please join us in promoting your country or city as we unite the Globe into a Village, info@globalvillage.world.

IT’S A KIND OF MAGIC...

Make sure your back camera is pointing at the page. Click the Play button that appears onscreen and immerse yourself in the latest updated content with reference to that page.

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“Tampa Bay, a region where people flock to dream, create, build and play.” SVEN BOERMEESTER, INTERNATIONAL GROUP PUBLISHER