The grant will support Embarc Collective’s mission to train and develop the Tampa Bay region’s technology-focused workforce
TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Embarc Collective, the nonprofit innovation hub helping founders in the Tampa Bay region build bold, scalable, thriving companies, today announced it received a $100,000 grant from the Florida Business Development Corporation (FBDC) to provide training, coaching, and education to entrepreneurs and to equip startup talent with the necessary skills to succeed in a fast-evolving environment.
Entrepreneurship and the skills required to build technology-based businesses have changed drastically in the last decade. These fast-evolving skills are often best learned from operators who have built the fast scaling ventures themselves. Using the grant from the FBDC, Embarc Collective will continue the work it established in its previous grant by providing on-the-job training for talented professionals building high-growth technology startups.
Over the next twelve months, Embarc Collective plans to deploy the grant funds to accomplish a number of goals intended to attract, retain, and develop specialized tech talent for member companies, including:
- Increasing the number of Embarc Collective individual members to 400.
- Hosting 50 sessions of group programming, including a Founders Summit for members and partner organizations’ startups.
- Bringing in 35 local, national and international experts to speak to members.
- Running one Foundations Program, an idea-stage entrepreneurship curriculum with a specific focus on underrepresented entrepreneurs who meet an inclusion standard.
“We are grateful and invigorated that FBDC is helping us with the continuous challenge of training entrepreneurial talent while on the job through function-specific programming and peer learning,” said Lakshmi Shenoy, CEO of Embarc Collective. “Their initial grants empowered us tremendously in our efforts to develop the startup talent that is critical to our region’s prosperity, and we’re excited to further these efforts through their continued support.”
“There is an incredibly talented and motivated workforce in the Tampa Bay region,” said Bill Habermeyer, CEO of Florida Business Development Corporation. “We’ve seen Embarc Collective really capitalize on this and develop the skilled professionals here into a force that’s attracting some of the technology industry’s most exciting and promising ventures, and we’re excited to further our partnership with them so they can accelerate this important work.”
The FBDC grant award is the latest in a series of recent milestones from Embarc Collective. Earlier this month, it released its second annual Glaring Gap Report, which surveys the state of women’s entrepreneurship in Florida. In October, the organization launched the Freelance Talent Directory, a free, searchable database of professionals within the region trained specifically in serving the unique needs of startups. In September, the organization announced reaching 100 members, making it the fastest-growing startup organization in the state of Florida.
To learn more about how Embarc Collective will use this grant and others, please visit https://www.embarccollective.com.
About Embarc Collective
Embarc Collective is a nonprofit startup hub helping founders in the Tampa Bay region build bold, scalable, thriving companies. Embarc Collective offers hands-on support driven by the unique goals and needs of each member startup. Member companies receive customized, ongoing coaching and support from startup veterans to help propel member companies’ growth.
Embarc Collective works with a growing roster of over 100 early-stage startups at its 32,000 square-foot office in downtown Tampa. Its partners include over 100 expertise-focused organizations and 160 early-stage venture firms across the country dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs. In 2020, Embarc Collective delivered 1,300 hours of one-on-one coaching to its members as well as 65 group learning sessions.
For more information, please visit www.embarccollective.com
