S T A R T U P
Tampa Bay WaVE is
One glance at their news page or their event calendar and you learn three things about the Tampa Bay WaVE - they are fun , they are busy and they are making real impact for Tampa .
Welcome to the inaugural release of STARTUP , a new section for The District where we shed light on Tampa ’ s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and the groundbreaking innovations being homegrown right in our backyard .
OVING & HAKING
By Melanie Hicks PhD .
“ Entrepreneurship is not a part time job . Its not even a full time job . It ’ s a lifestyle .” - Carrie Layne
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Hidden in a historic downtown brick building on Kennedy Boulevard , Tampa Bay WaVE , Inc . has been a mover and shaker , transforming the startup community since 2008 . With ‘ by entrepreneurs , for entrepreneurs ’ as their motto , they support over 150 tech startups and over 250 entrepreneurs that call Tampa Bay home .
The WaVE is a nonprofit entrepreneurial support organization hosting both a co-work space and a growth accelerator program . Unique in this industry , the WaVE takes no equity and has a low cost of entry . The WaVE focuses on technology entrepreneurial endeavors , and selection for their program consists of an application , interview and presentation of a solid business plan .
Tampa Bay WaVE launched its nationally recognized FirstWaVE Venture Center and tech business accelerator program in March 2013 , thanks to the 2012 i6 Challenge Grant , awarded to a collaborative regional partnership including the University of South Florida ( USF ) and Tampa Bay WaVE , along with a network of universities , local businesses , nonprofits and public sector partners . FirstWaVE has been incredibly successful in connecting high-growth startups with mentorship , early stage capital and other critical resources to foster an innovation-driven economy for the region . To date , FirstWaVE has supported over 125 local startups who collectively have created and retained over 500 jobs , and raised over $ 20 million in outside
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