Tampa Bay WaVE is Welcome to the inaugural release of STARTUP, a new section for The District where we shed light on Tampa’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and the groundbreaking innovations being homegrown right in our backyard. MOVING & SHAKING 88 One glance at their news page or their event calendar and you learn three things about the Tampa Bay WaVE - they are fun, they are busy and they are making real impact for Tampa. Hidden in a historic downtown brick building on Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa Bay WaVE, Inc. has been a mover and shaker, transforming the startup community since 2008. With ‘by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs’ as their motto, they support over 150 tech startups and over 250 entrepreneurs that call Tampa Bay home. ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� organization hosting both a co-work space and a growth accelerator program. Unique in this industry, the WaVE takes no equity and has a low cost of entry. The WaVE focuses on technology entrepreneurial endeavors, and selection for their program consists of an application, interview and presentation of a solid business plan. By Melanie Hicks PhD. Tampa Bay WaVE launched its nationally recognized FirstWaVE Venture Center and tech business accelerator program in March 2013, thanks to the 2012 i6 Challenge Grant, awarded to a collaborative regional partnership including the University of South Florida (USF) and Tampa Bay WaVE, along with a network of universities, ������������ ������������������������ �������������������� �������� �������������� �������������� partners. FirstWaVE has been incredibly successful in connecting high-growth startups with mentorship, early stage capital and other critical resources to foster an innovation-driven economy for the region. To date, FirstWaVE has supported over 125 local startups who collectively have created and retained over 500 jobs, and raised over $20 million in outside S T A R T U P “Entrepreneurship is not a part time job. Its not even a full time job. It’s a lifestyle.” - Carrie Layne CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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