"The ideal target market has a low propensity for churn. Churn is not just a function of target market as it is largely driven by the value proposition of your solution and the degree of pain associated with the problem you are solving. However, your target market can certainly influence attrition."

— Travis Parsons on five questions to evaluate your startup's target market

 
Founder: Marcus Howard

Organization: ProjectMQ

Thoughts: Whatever product, feature, or strategy you have in mind, you should try to figure out a way to test it with 5% of the time and money you had planned.

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#BlackHistoryMonth

The Fintech Revolution: Talents, Rebels, and Disruptive Technology
Panel Discussion and Keynote from Blockchain Expert Matteo Rizzi on the Fintech Revolution
Presented by BlockSpaces
Thursday, February 20 at 5PM - 9PM (Today)


International Women's Day Breakfast
Panel Discussion with Startup Leaders and Speed-Friend Networking
Presented by Startup Sisters and Embarc Collective
Friday, March 6 at 8AM - 10:30AM


Conversation with a CEO: David Deno
Keynote Presentation from CEO and President of Bloomin' Brands
Presented by USF Muma College of Business
Wednesday, March 11 at 8:30PM - 10PM


TiECon 2020
Keynote Speakers and Panels on Innovation and Investment in the Next Decade
Presented by TiECon Tampa Bay
Friday, March 27 at 8AM - 7PM

StemRad MD Radiation Protection Strengthens Tampa Connection
83 Degrees Media • StemRad, an Israeli tech company with US headquarters in Tampa, is expanding its line of radiation protective gear used in space missions and by the US military. Its new product, StemRad MD, was developed for physicians and their teams to protect them from harmful radiation exposure.


Farewell Fruutfull, Hello Wherewithal
Wherewithal • After launching as Fruutfull in early 2019, the Tampa-based company developing a patent-pending bra design has rebranded as Wherewithal. Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Ellery Linder and Danielle Rushton, share their rebrand journey and what's ahead for the company.


Office Envy: Check Out Knack's Office
Tampa Bay Inno • Tampa-based startup Knack, a peer tutoring platform for universities to increase retention and workforce readiness, invited Tampa Bay Inno to see inside its headquarters. The downtown Tampa office currently houses 11 full-time employees and Koda, Co-Founder Samyr Qureshi’s husky/shepherd mix and ‘Head of Barketing.’

Company: Peerfit

Elevator Pitch: A digital platform for employers, insurance carriers, and brokers to offer wellness solutions to their clients and employees.

Position: Junior Infrastructure Engineer

Position Highlights: Peerfit is looking for a Junior Infrastructure Engineer to join its team. As a Junior Infrastructure Engineer, you'll collaborate with their Lead Infrastructure Engineer in the delivery of modern infrastructure to support the business and its technical contributors as they undergo scaling this year. You will be joining a growing engineering team of polyglot developers who are working to bring the current platform to its next tier of maturity.

Apply Here

The Inside Story on How SurveyMonkey Cracked the International Market
As your startup scales, it's important to consider if you plan to grow outside of your national market. Doing so early can help you create a sustainable model that can be easily adapted in new or international markets. Internationalizing a technical product requires detail to cultural and language differences in other markets and understanding how to reach international audiences. Selina Tobaccowala, former President and CTO of SurveyMonkey, shares insights from her time at the company leading its international launch and outlines steps startups can take to achieve a strong global presence.


How to Stop Playing 'Target Market Roulette'
Before your minimum viable product (MVP) is developed and early customers have a chance to use the product, it can be difficult for startup teams to pinpoint their ideal target audience. Narrowing who you're building the product for can allow for leaner development tied closely to the company's mission. In this resource, author Steve Blank shares a framework startup teams can use to find different potential markets and identify the right ones to prevent changing the design of the product or updating your business canvas frequently.

Escape the Competition
Peter Thiel, Co-Founder and CEO of PayPal, joins Reid Hoffman on the Masters of Scale podcast to talk about the benefit of building a company that creates its own market and escapes the competition. He shares his experience building PayPal in the early days and how they identified their unique market with no competition.
Listen Here

Cooley Capital Call Applications
Capital Call based in Virginia, which connects investors with high-potential companies, is seeking applicants to present their company in three-minute rapid-fire pitches to accredited investors.
Deadline: March 27
Apply Here


2020 Tampa Bay Wave TechDiversity Accelerator
This program gives entrepreneurs of varied backgrounds an opportunity to leverage their diversity for the expressed purpose of realizing their aspirations of success, and to make a positive impact on our growing community. Startups with 51% ownership or operated by a minority, woman, veteran or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender person, or a combination thereof are encouraged to apply.
Deadline: March 31
Apply Here