Tampa Bay Innovation Center Unveils Design for New Building

• The Innovation Center is kicking off a fundraising effort to support the project and create new programs and services for entrepreneurs at the Center.

• The building is scheduled for completion in mid-2023.

• Projections indicate that the new building could create 228 new direct jobs and $28 million in economic impact by 2026, and should be sustaining 1,265 direct and indirect jobs and its clients and graduates should be generating $127 million in annual revenues.

Tampa Bay Innovation Center, a tech incubator and accelerator has unveiled the designs for its new home. The 45,000-square-foot building will offer leasable space and will be the first building in Pinellas County purposely constructed to focus on entrepreneurs and technology startups. It was made possible through the investment and partnership of the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Pinellas County, and the City of St. Petersburg.

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center, designed by The Beck Group, will serve as a permanent home for the Center’s programs and the entrepreneurs it serves. A key component of the new facility will include a digital fabrication lab outfitted with 3D printers and laser cutters that will help entrepreneurs design and test their vision for products. The venue will serve entrepreneurs and small businesses in the tech industry at every stage of their business providing access to mentors, investors, and other critical resources. In addition to the digital fabrication lab, there will be 30,000 square feet of dedicated incubator space, classrooms for training programs, a wellness room, podcast studios, a large event space, a community cafe and 10,000 square feet for corporate innovation partners.

“A state-of-the-art Innovation Center is key to Pinellas County and the region in growing and solidifying the local entrepreneurial ecosystem,” according to Tonya Elmore, President & CEO of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. “It will not only continue to establish Pinellas County and the region as center for technology and innovation but drive investment dollars and create hundreds of jobs.”

The new facility will be located within the St. Pete Innovation District with the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins Research All Children’s Hospital, SRI International and the Poynter Institute. Pinellas County’s climate and beaches combined with the thriving urban technology community in St. Petersburg make the location perfect for growing tech companies.

“When completed, the new Tampa Bay Innovation Center will be an important component of our economic gardening efforts to encourage new technology and manufacturing entrepreneurs,” said Mike Meidel, Pinellas County Economic Development Director. “These entrepreneurs will create new opportunities and stimulate job creation in Pinellas County and our region.”

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center has a successful track record of working with early-stage tech founders and accelerating entrepreneurial growth. Projections indicate that the new building could create 228 new jobs and $28 million in economic Impact by 2026, and should be sustaining 1,265 direct and indirect jobs and its clients and graduates should be generating $127 million in annual revenues.

“It is exciting that our partners have made such a substantial financial investment in the small businesses and growing companies that create high-wage jobs in our community,” said Chris Paradies, Chairman of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. We look forward to working with the private sector to take this project over the finish line.

The Innovation Center is kicking off a fundraising effort to support the project and create new programs and services for entrepreneurs at the Center. The building is scheduled for completion in mid-2023. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, naming rights or leasing, please contact Tonya Elmore at (727) 547-7340 or elmoret@tbinnovates.com.

About Tampa Bay Innovation Center:

Tampa Bay Innovation Center supports entrepreneurial success, fosters the creation of high-tech jobs and develops new sources of technology and manufacturing capabilities by nurturing early stage ventures as they grow and launch their products into the marketplace. The Innovation Center offers programs that are tailored to the innovator/entrepreneur and address business intelligence, planning and business formation, strategy execution and technology transition.

Follow Tampa Bay Innovation Center on Twitter, www.twitter.com/tbinnovates, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/tampa-bay-innovation-center, Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/tbinnovates/ and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tbinnovationcenter.