The Weekly Collective

"When founders come to me, I ask them about the kinds of mentorship and coaching they’ve received in their careers. Frequently, men have received coaching around business strategies and tactics, while women are coached on navigating internal politics, building confidence, and presenting themselves in the workplace. Often, women are taught how to fit into the work culture, with less focus on how to use their own strengths to get ahead."

— Whitney Sales on pathways to progress for women entrepreneurs

Mayor Jane Castor Takes Early Steps for Turning Tampa into Tech Hub
TBBJ • As part of Mayor Jane Castor's four pillar approach to improving Tampa, she plans to focus heavily on technology. Specifically, she wants Tampa to be well-known as an innovation hub for tech organizations and startups across the nation. Castor's first step will be to create a task force, which she's previously called the innovation and entrepreneurship advisory council, to help determine better opportunities to serve local startups and tech companies.

Sunshine State Grows Up, Emerges As Player on World Stage
Forbes • Florida is increasingly gaining a favorable spotlight from the rest of the nation as one of the most diverse and robust economies in the US. Tourism, which at one point made up for most of Florida's GDP, no longer tops the list. Florida's economy today is powered by international trade, agriculture, aerospace, and aviation. Developers are betting on growing demand for land between Tampa and Orlando as these metros expand outward toward one another.

Embarc Collective to Connect Local Startups With Nationwide Networks
Embarc Collective • Knowing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, we have partnered with 50 impactful organizations from around the world to help us support Tampa Bay startup talent. Our wide-reaching partnership strategy is designed to make the Tampa Bay area one of the most hyper-connected entrepreneurial communities in the country.

Company: Proof Network Ventures

Elevator Pitch: A technology and data-driven solutions provider for beverage alcohol brands, wholesalers and retailers.

Position: Operations Manager

Position Highlights: Proof Network Ventures is looking for an Operations Manager to help scale and optimize their operations and key business initiatives company-wide. You will work with Proof Network’s management team to build and refine processes, track and report company goals, and use internal tools to inform strategic decisions by team members across the company globally. This is a great opportunity for an ambitious, hands-on ops professional to roll up their sleeves and help build something from the ground up. This role requires very applied knowledge of project management best practices and tools and will have high-level visibility and interaction with Proof Network’s leadership.

Apply Here

From Making $76k at Microsoft to Selling TinyCo for $100M+
In case you missed it, The Hustle — one of the most popular startup newsletters — launched their podcast this week titled My First Million. In their very first episode, host Shaan Puri, serial entrepreneur and friend of The Hustle, interviews founder Suli Alie on how he sold his game studio TinyCo for $100M+. This new series interviews today's most successful founders, business execs and leaders to share every detail on what they did to make their first million.

The Wrong Ways to Strengthen Culture
As an early stage startup, nailing culture is crucial from the beginning. Strong company culture can help keep the team focused and help better identify "good fits" in your potential talent pool. However, once a culture is adopted, good or bad, it becomes difficult to change as your team grows. An article published in the latest edition of the Harvard Business Review examines the wrong ways to strengthen culture, starting with the way it is described and documented to the team.

GSV Labs Entrepreneurship World Cup Accelerator
Open to any entrepreneur at all stages. Gain access to world-class content, coaching to improve pitching, and engage with a network of mentors with opportunities to compete for prizes, establish business opportunities and investments.
Deadline June 29
Apply Here

Black Founders Exchange by American Underground and Google Startups
A week-long immersion program of curated content, mentorship and community to focus on supporting the unique challenges Black Founders face, particularly in the early stages of business.
Deadline July 10
Apply Here

PS27 Leadership Week
Receive a scholarship to the program which offers intense, hands-on and highly interactive sessions for founders guided by experienced subject matter experts in leadership. Startups have a chance to pitch to investors and win $10K.
Deadline September 1
Apply Here