"Reframe your story: Playing the long-game is the right play, but you do need to keep your team/VCs believing that you’ll win in the end. Spend some time rethinking your startup’s positioning. Try to create a new category so you're not bucketed with everyone else."

— Micah Rosenbloom on what to do when you have a bigger/better-funded competitor

 
Founder: Danielle Rushton

Organization: Fruutfull

Thoughts: Time is your most valuable asset. Don’t waste it chasing after people - customers or investors - who don’t see the value in what you are building.

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Whiteboard Challenges
Workshop Session on Whiteboarding and Conducting Technical Interviews
Presented by Suncoast Developers Guild & Bank OZK Innovation Lab
Thursday, November 21 at 6:30PM - 8:30PM (Today)


Wins + Wine
Featuring Founder of Dallas's GRIT Fitness Brittani Rettig
Presented by SoGal Tampa Bay
Friday, November 22 at 4:30PM - 6:30PM


The CEO Forum: Tampa Bay
Keynote Presentation from Keith Coker of OrLANtech
Presented by USF CONNECT
Tuesday, December 10 at 5PM - 7PM

Tampa Bay Inno on Fire: The Top 50+ Innovators in the Region
TBBJ • Last night, Tampa Bay Inno held its inaugural Inno on Fire event. The event recognized over 50 innovators in the Tampa Bay area impacting entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Congratulations to everyone who was recognized! 


Junior Achievement Adds Another Tech Partnership, This Time with an Eye on Blockchain
TBBJ • Junior Achievement has teamed up with BlockSpaces to provide a blockchain workshop for teens at the upcoming #PAY Tampa Bay Symposium taking place February 20. The workshop will be an opportunity to introduce the new technology to younger talent and inspire them to pursue a career in this field.


FBDC Continues Partnership with Embarc Collective to Strengthen Support for Tech Startups
Embarc Collective • Embarc Collective is expanding its partnership with the Florida Business Development Corporation (FBDC) to broaden its function-specific support model to high-potential, early-stage technology startups in Tampa Bay. Earlier this year, Embarc Collective began partnership with the FBDC to develop on-the-job startup know-how for its startup membership.

Company: Immertec

Elevator Pitch: A real-time 3D VR communications platform that allows professionals to seamlessly train, consult, and observe any time, anywhere.

Position: Web Application Developer

Position Highlights: Immertec is looking for a Web Application Developer to join its team and help establish a strong engineering culture with an emphasis on innovative application of technologies and user-centric design. The ideal candidate should be a generalist in web technologies. They are looking for someone with experience in design, coding, debugging and shipping high-performance, media-rich web applications and back-end services.

Apply Here

State of Tampa Bay Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Reports & ESO Map
Want to get a pulse on entrepreneurship in Tampa Bay? Start here. Since 2016, The University of Tampa's Lowth Entrepreneurship Center has worked with The Kauffman Foundation to conduct a year-long study on strengthening entrepreneurship in Tampa Bay. This year, The Lowth Entrepreneurship Center has developed an Entrepreneurial Support Organization (ESO) Map to identify accelerator/incubators, investors, educators/trainers, entrepreneurship events, and co-working spaces across Tampa Bay.


The Inside Story of How This Startup Turned a 216-Word Pitch Email into a $2.6 Billion Acquisition
We often generate ideas for our companies from hearing the stories of other startup founders. First Round Review takes an inside look at how Looker, a data analytics startup, was acquired by Google Cloud for $2.6B. The founding team reveals Looker’s recipe for success from every angle, sharing insights on why it worked, how the business was built, and what other startups can learn from its early days.

Using $1K to Build a $100M Deodorant Business
Bootstrapping your startup doesn't always limit the speed of your startup's growth. In some cases, bootstrapping may be the best option to get your business off the ground. In a My First Million episode, Moiz Ali, founder of Native, shares how he built his startup from his brother's dining room table with $1K into a company that sold to Procter & Gamble for $100M, just 2.5 years after launch.
Listen Here

M2 Microsoft Venture Fund Female Founders Competition
Submissions will be judged by a panel of investors and 20 finalists will be invited to pitch their startup at a final event in Silicon Valley. Four winning B2B companies with at least one woman founder will receive up to $2M in investment in the form of convertible note. Companies who have at least one woman founder, currently offer or intend to offer a product, service or platform that solves a critical business problem, and have raised no more than $5M in funding are encouraged to apply.
Deadline December 15
Apply Here


Ignite The Night
10 companies will be selected to present at the upcoming Ignite the Night NASA iTech event. The top presenters will land a spot as one of the top 25 semifinalists for the current NASA iTech Cycle. Companies who are developing technologies that could be potential solutions for NASA's challenges are encouraged to apply.
Deadline: January 17
Apply Here