The Weekly Collective

Thoma Bravo to Acquire Tampa Bay Unicorn ConnectWise
PE Hub Network • Officials announced Monday that ConnectWise, the largest software development firm in Tampa Bay last valued at $1.2 billion, is pending acquisition by Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity firm. This deal will make millionaires out of 70 employees.

Fast-Growing Data Integrity Company Expands in Tampa
St. Pete Catalyst • Validity, a tech platform that works in conjunction with CRM databases to ensure information is accurate and useful, will open its 23,000 square-foot office in the Westshore Business District. Since August, Validity has already hired 80 new employees and plans to make 35 new hires in the future.

Can Culture be Counted? Why Local Connectedness Matters for Your Startup
Startup Genome • In their 2018 Global Startup Ecosystem Report, Startup Genome found that local connectedness—especially relationships with other founders—is strongly associated with higher startup performance. The converse is also true - not being locally connected is strongly associated with lower startup performance.

Elevator Pitch: The St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation (EDC) promotes economic prosperity by marketing St. Pete as a world-class business and career location, generating and closing leads for new operations, and working with prospects and existing businesses to retain and create more high quality jobs.

Position: Sales Development Associate

Position Highlights: The Sales Development Associate will use all available sources to identify local and out-of-market companies that would enhance the St. Petersburg community by growing high quality jobs locally. The Sales Development Associate will work closely with members of the digital marketing team to manage the EDC’s CRM system and to create and execute digital campaigns that resonate with prospect companies and bring them on a journey to ultimately choose St. Pete as their center for growth. In addition, the Sales Development Associate will nurture relationships with prospective companies and manage the varying stages of the lead to expansion or relocation process.

Apply Here

How to Nail Your Startup's Pricing
As you're building your startup, pricing your product or service should always be top of mind. Sophia Sunwoo writes, "It’s hard to put an equation behind why one business puts a 50% markup on their products, while another one uses a 500% markup." In her Medium post, she describes the basics startups should have down before determining how much their product or service costs. This is a great resource to give you a few tips on how to find your startup's sweet spot on price.

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What (Really) Matters When Hiring Your First Employees
Growing a strong team is vital to scaling your startup. When your startup demands ramp-up and your team needs to expand quickly, there's a lot to consider before bringing everyone on board. In this article, we provide tips on how to overcome challenges when building a team and what traits and skills to look for when considering your first employees.