"Being a mindful leader encourages us to be present instead of running on autopilot. We are aware of what is happening with ourselves; understanding people around us better and becoming more skillful, working with changes in the world."

—Yizhao Zhang on 3 tips to practice your mindfulness and bring it into leadership

Founder: Theo Harvey

Company: SynsorMed

Thoughts: Focus on the key things that will get you traction in the marketplace. Everything else, outsource.

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Social Media Strategy Mapping

Develop an Actionable Social Media Strategy

Presented by General Assembly

Tuesday, December 29 at 7PM ET

Design Like A Pro in Canva

Learn How to Use Design Software Canva

Presented by InLab@HCC

Wednesday, January 6 at 3PM ET

Digital Crafts Immersive and Flex Coding Bootcamps

Learn to Code with the Option of a Hybrid Learning Experience

Presented by Digital Crafts

Immersive Program starts January 11. Flex Program starts January 19.

BlockSpaces & LinkUp FL Receive Chainlink Grant for NEAR Integration

Chainlink • Embarc Collective member BlockSpaces and its partner LinkUp Florida were selected for a joint grant through the Chainlink Community Grant Program. This grant will help to accelerate the development of applications on the NEAR blockchain.

Tampa Startups Raised Over $440 Million in 2020

TBBJ • This article recaps total funding announcements made by Tampa Bay technology teams, led by a $300M investment into ReliaQuest. Embarc Collective member companies Peerfit, Knack, and Panther were also highlighted.

Attracting the Builders: The Move to Florida

Embarc Collective • With the rise of remote work, Florida is seeing an increase in startup founders and investors relocating to the state. We interviewed recent transplants to the Tampa Bay area to understand what motivated their move to the region from larger markets outside of Florida.

Profile on SaLisa Berrien, COI Energy

Republic • The crowd investment platform just released a profile on Embarc Collective member SaLisa Berrien of COI Energy. With businesses wasting 30% of the energy they consume, COI Energy allows them to gift the energy to communities that need it most.

The Penny Hoarder Acquired by Sykes Enterprises in $102.5M Deal

Tampa Bay Times • Millennial-focused finance publication the Penny Hoarder has been acquired by Sykes Enterprises for an all-cash purchase of $102.5M. The St. Petersburg-based digital media company, founded in 2010 by Kyle Taylor, posted $50M in revenue in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30.

Company: Pocket

Elevator Pitch: Pocket Network is a decentralized API that incentivizes people and companies to run full nodes for any blockchain. This is done through a protocol that connects blockchain developers with full RPC access to the network of nodes.

Position: Solutions Architect 

Position Highlights: The Solutions Architect will advocate for the Developer and Node actor within the Pocket Network, both from the technical and economical standpoint as well as collaborate, educate and/or manage Engineering Resources internally and externally to the organization (via the Pocket Network Ecosystem).

Apply Here

With the stress of the holidays and end of year to-dos for your business, it's easy to finish 2020 with an increased amount of anxiety. This week's resources focus on tools for instilling mindfulness in your life.

💫 Meditation for Startup Operators with Michael Joly of solu - Michael Joly of Embarc Collective member company solu shares a schedule and tools to incorporate meditation in your life. Be sure to check out more about solu here.

🧠 The Mindful Founder: Modern Stress Solutions - The article from Startup Grind outlines different techniques you can leverage to build more calm into your day. 

🧘🏽Mindfulness & Entrepreneurs: How Meditation Makes You a Better Leader - The positive impact of meditation is well known, but often difficult to sustain. This guide details different approaches to mindfulness and meditation so that you can build a habit that will stick.

What Science Tells Us about Time and Happiness with Ashley Whillans

Brainfluence interviews Harvard Business School Professor Ashley Whillans to understand how our time management can influence our happiness levels.

Listen Here

Black New Venture Competition

The 2nd Annual Black New Venture Competition (BNVC) connects promising early-stage Black entrepreneurs with resources to develop their ventures into dynamic powerhouses. The event serves as a launching pad for innovative ventures founded by Black entrepreneurs, providing exposure to capital, mentors and advisors. Founders will have the opportunity to virtually pitch their venture to a panel of esteemed judges and compete for $175K (non-dilutive) in total prize money.

Deadline: January 2

Apply Here

LAUNCH Accelerator

Over 14 weeks, 7 startups will meet 200+ investors and join an immersive growth program. Over the course of a year, founders have monthly check-ins with Jason Calacanis and the LAUNCH team. Companies with a product in market with traction and revenue are encouraged to apply.

Next Cohort Begins: January 16

Apply Here

Please take a moment to help those in our Tampa Bay community for the holidays. We've organized two virtual drives to make it easy for those who wish to donate: a food drive for Feeding Tampa Bay and a toy drive for Metropolitan Ministries.