Tampa Bay Innovation
Center Events
Tuesday
October 9, 2012
8:30 - 10:30 am
Tampa, Florida
October 23, 2012
5:00 - 7:00 pm
Tampa, Florida
November 1, 2012
12:00 - 1:30 pm
Tampa, Florida
Clearwater, Florida
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Partner Events
BarCamp Tampa Bay October 13, 2012 Tampa, Florida Understanding SBA Loans
November 1, 2012
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Clearwater, Florida
Sales and Marketing Workshop
October 27, 2012
9 am - 12 pm
Tampa, Florida
9th Annual Industry Achievement Awards GalaNovember 16, 2012
6:00 - 11:00 pm
St. Petersburg, Florida
2013 Florida Venture Capital ConferenceJanuary 30 - February 1, 2013
Ponte Vedra, Florida
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
October 7 - 9, 2012
Miami, Florida
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 WELCOME
Opportunities for Tampa Bay's entrepreneur environment continue to be cultivated. The Tampa Bay Innovation Center has been selected as one of 10 Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs) to participate in the GrowFL Economic Gardening Initiative, designed to support entrepreneurship and second stage growth companies in Florida. This allows us to work with and nurture up to 15 technology entrepreneurs during the next year - a perfect complement to our mission of "accelerating entrepreneurial success."
And speaking of successes, the Sold Out - 2012 Florida Defense & Technology Showcase attracted approximately 300 attendees to the Sheraton Sand Key September 17-19. Now in its sixth year, this reverse trade show for defense industry contractors and subcontractors was presented by Tampa Bay Innovation Center and Florida Federal Contractors and hosted by Congressman C.W. Bill Young. This annual event highlights defense related technologies and services from existing Florida companies, including Tampa Bay Innovation Center clients and graduates, to national prime contractors.
As we are on the topic of success, we are pleased to welcome our newest accelerator client, The Talent Shopping Network (TTSN). Additional information about TTSN is provided in this newsletter.
Finally, the Tampa Bay Innovation Center has been selected as a finalist for Tampa Bay Technology Forum Service Provider of the Year. It is an honor to be nominated and to have the support of the Tampa Bay community, our volunteers and leadership in order to be considered for this award!
Tonya Elmore
President
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 | Tampa Bay Innovation Center selected
for GrowFL Economic Gardening Initiative | During the next year, Tampa Bay Innovation Center will work with 13 existing businesses to help these second-stage entrepreneurs grow and prosper as part of the GrowFL Economic Gardening Initiative. Now in its fourth year, GrowFL has helped more than 400 companies create more than 1,400 new jobs statewide.
Economic gardening is a philosophy that embraces strategies to grow existing businesses and is the basis for the entrepreneurship programs at the Florida Economic Gardening Institute at the University of Central Florida. It is now a critical component of the state's overall entrepreneurial structure and economic development strategy. Programmatic support is provided in part by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
Some of the businesses working with the Innovation Center are: |
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TECH Talk Insights
PR: This could be your new best friend for business growth
By Suzie Boland
|  Public relations is probably the least understood and most underutilized tool in marketing. (And it doesn't help that PR practitioners have a relatively low "approval rating" that ranks somewhere near members of Congress in terms of respect!)
One of the best things about public relations is that it's so approachable in terms of the costs. The first step, though, is to decide if it's right for your business. We say there are three times a business needs public relations:
* When their competitors get all the attention (and therefore
all the sales queries)
* When they say they are "the best kept secret" (no brand
awareness)
* When they don't know how to handle a crisis
Fortunately, something can be done to address all these issues - on whatever scale your budget dictates. There are a number of tools at your disposal, so let's discuss each of them.
Community involvement
What we call "enlightened self interest" allows you to do well while you do good. In other words, you can get a marketing benefit from your good deeds if you select organizations carefully to spend your time with.
First, study the group's membership to see who they are and how closely they suit your ideal client profile. If there's nothing in the relationship for you, it's much harder to justify the time and resources you'll put into it. Many business owners become involved with business-related not for profits in which there are good networking opportunities with other volunteers. Of course, the volunteer time you choose to spend on your own is an entirely different matter. (More ...)
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| Innovation Center welcomes new accelerator client:
The Talent Shopping Network
|  Founded in 2009 by Will Quinones, The Talent Shopping Network (TTSN) is an interactive auditioning platform and social networking website specially designed for the entertainment industry.
Moving beyond more traditional talent websites, TTSN has developed the site around industry professionals and their need to conduct convenient, efficient and cost effective auditions and talent searches. State of the art technology makes the difference, with an easy to use audition management tool and unique multi-person video conferencing feature.
Businesses of all sorts can also benefit from TTSN's innovative features by utilizing its Promotion by Contest platform and viral marketing capability to advertise products, services and upcoming events.
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| eHub's Sponsor Spotlight | We are particularly grateful to this month's featured sponsor, The Young-Rainey STAR Center. Owned and operated by the government of Pinellas County, the STAR Center is home to Tampa Bay Innovation Center and more than 40 technology companies that employ more than 1,500 workers.
As a bit of background, the STAR Center was the nation's first successful conversion of a former U.S. Department of Energy defense manufacturing facility to a commercial, high technology center. The STAR Center's success signifies the commitment to economic development utilizing local public and private enterprises. The Center has been the recipient of national, state and regional awards acknowledging the successful facility conversion.
Our special thanks go to Paul Sacco, Director of Real Estate Management, Pinellas County Government, who oversees STAR Center operations and serves as member of the Advisory Board of Tampa Bay Innovation Center.
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| TECH Talk
|  The October TECH Talk presentation will be held Tuesday, October 9, 2012 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Microsoft Headquarters offices, 5426 Bay Center Dr., Suite 700, Tampa. Curt Creely, partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, will present "Granting Equity to Employees and Contractors." Foley, a national law firm with approximately 900 attorneys in 21 offices, provides award-winning business and legal insight to clients across the country and around the world.
Presented by Tampa Bay Innovation Center as part of the eHub, TECH Talk is the area's only free monthly breakfast, networking and education event developed specifically to meet the interests of the local technology community.
If you haven't yet attended TECH Talk, we hope you'll put this on your calendar. There is no fee to attend, but space is limited. Click here to register.
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| StartUp Xchange | Have you defined your target markets? What financing options are available? How do you protect your ideas? Are you ready to bring in partners or investors? Have you defined your value proposition? Innovators and start up entrepreneurs can get some answers at our monthly StartUp Xchange. Accessing Tampa Bay Innovation Center mentors who are available to answer your questions as you navigate your entrepreneurial journey.
October mentors are Mike Eitler, business consultant, Group 125 LLC, and Chris Paradies, Intellectual Property Attorney, Fowler White Boggs,
Presented by Tampa Bay Innovation Center as part of the eHub, StartUp Xchange is an informal monthly gathering of entrepreneurs, innovators and Innovation Center mentors who are available to share their advice and experience to help further your idea or start-up. Learn more at www.meetup.com/startupxchange.
DATE: Tuesday, October 23, 2012
TIME: 5-7 p.m.
LOCATION: Tampa, Florida
COST: No charge; refreshments are the responsibility of each attendee
REGISTER: www.meetup.com/startupxchange
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| Innovators Digest | In case you missed them, here are some recent articles and blog posts for innovators and entrepreneurs.
You've Outgrown Your Marketing Plan. Now What?
By Niel Robertson for Inc.com
Your ad hoc marketing plan may have worked to get your company where it is now, but chances are it won't drive your future success. (More ...)
Find the 15-Minute Competitive Advantage
By Rosabeth Moss Kanter for Harvard Business Review
It's is also hard to get traction for ideas that are so far ahead of their times that the infrastructure or human habits do not yet support them. (More ...)
3 Stages of a Company's Social Integration
By Nathan McDonald for Mashable.com
Exactly where social media lives within a company depends largely on what goals have been set for social media. And these objectives are in turn usually a function of how far along a business is on the adoption curve. (More ...)
Enterprise Startups Come of Age
By Peter Burrows for Bloomberg Businessweek
A host of startups are moving into the enterprise software business and positioning themselves to go public or be acquired.
(More ...) |
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Based in Largo, Florida, Tampa Bay Innovation Center is an innovation and entrepreneurship center that assists emerging and entrepreneurial technology companies in accelerating their success.
If you'd like to learn more about our services, click here for our website, email us or call 727-547-7340.
Tampa Bay Innovation Center
7887 Bryan Dairy Road, Suite 220
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