The Weekly Collective

Fintech Makes First Strategic Acquisition with Purchase of Lilypad Solutions, LLC
Business Observer • Financial Information Technologies, LLC, a leading business solutions provider for the beverage alcohol industry based in Tampa, announced that they have acquired Tampa-based Lilypad Solutions, LLC, the alcohol industry's ultimate sales platform. The strategic acquisition enhances Fintech's offering, expands its expertise and broadens its client base nationwide.

A View From The Sun Belt: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn Interview
Forbes • In this exclusive interview, outgoing Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn reflects on his 8 years serving as the Mayor for Florida's third-largest city. He explains his start in politics, his thoughts on Tampa's economy, and what's next for the growing city.

How A Tampa Clean Energy Startup Bootstrapped Its Way To A $1M Contract
Moguldom • COI Energy Services, a Tampa-based startup that enables customers to monetize their renewable energy resources by buying and selling energy back to the grid, was recently awarded a $1M contract. Founder SaLisa Berrien goes into detail about how she started COI Energy Services, bootstrapping for the contract and why she chose Tampa to build her startup.

Rise of the Rest Homecoming: Interview with Genna McKeel of Google for Startups
Embarc Collective • In this exclusive interview, Genna highlights the importance of organizations like Rise of the Rest and the upcoming tour taking place in Florida and Puerto Rico. She explains why Google for Startups and Rise of the Rest are partners, what she’s looking forward to at the Tampa Bay tour stop, and more on how Google for Startups supports global startup communities.

Company: Synapse

Elevator Pitch: A platform to connect and organize Florida's innovation community.

Position: Marketing Director

Position Highlights: The Marketing Director is responsible for the management and overall execution of marketing for Synapse. The Marketing Director will coordinate statewide marketing for this 501c3 nonprofit organization and collaborate extensively with the programming and business development teams. The ideal candidate has an entrepreneurial mindset and can-do attitude, and would find it exciting to be part of a startup organization.

Apply Here

Bootstrapping Versus Raising Capital
Determining how you'll fund your startup is key to getting it off the ground. Most startups rely on their own savings and early revenue to get things rolling and later move on to raising capital. However, there are a few startups who decide to continue bootstrapping as their startup grows, leaving many founders asking which approach is better. Jonathan Brodsky, CEO of Finder.com, answers why some startups continue bootstrapping through the early and mid-stages. He also explains what that scenario looks like, noting it's often not pretty, and what mindset founders should have when determining the best funding option for their operations.

Why Unit Economics Are So Important
What is unit economics you ask? Unit economics are the numbers behind your product‘s Lifetime Value (LTV) and Cost to Acquire a Customer (CAC). This is important to venture capitalists to understand if your product is worth investing in and has the potential to scale in the future. Elizabeth Yin, Co-founder and General Partner of Hustle Fund, explains in a Twitter thread why unit economics are often an afterthought for founders when it should be the focus from Day 1. She explains why VCs care about unit economics and why founders should too when determining if their product is successful and scalable with steps to determine your own unit economic metrics.

Early-Stage Capital Conference Presentations
Apply to present to investors and compete for the Accelerating Innovation Award at the Florida Early Stage Capital Conference hosted by Florida Venture Forum.
Deadline April 18 (Today)
Apply Here

Acceleprise SaaS Accelerator
Apply for a 4-month program in San Francisco and New York City focused on helping startups access mentors, educational programming, strategies to close your first few paying clients and conversations with early-stage investors.
Deadline May 15
Apply Here

2019 Startup of the Year Applications
The top 100 will compete for the Startup of the Year title and a potential $100K investment.
Deadline May 20
Apply Here