TAMPA BAY INNOVATION CENTER ANNOUNCES STARTUP ACCELERATOR

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – (February 8, 2022) – Tampa Bay Innovation Center (TBIC), a early-stage tech incubator, accelerator, and coworking hub, announced it is accepting applications to its Spring 2022 Accelerator program for B2B tech ventures.  The Pinellas County-based startup accelerator program is seeking high impact tech startups from a broad range of industries that serve enterprise and SMB customers.  Founders will engage in a rigorous program that includes coaching, design thinking, user research, and insight from industry professionals.  The program begins on Wednesday, March 23rd and is currently scheduled to be held in-person at TBIC’s downtown St. Petersburg office.

“A startup’s journey to find sustainable product-market fit is one that is achieved by understanding the user’s job, their ideal outcome, and points of friction that impede them from meeting their objectives. Startups that focus only on the technology often fail to achieve the traction they need to turn their ideas and efforts into a sustainable flow of paying customers. This program helps founders build the credibility and confidence they need to launch and grow scalable products based on that user insight and real market demand,” said Ken Evans, managing director, tech accelerator.

Founders in the program create a demand-driven product strategy and go-to-market roadmap gaining insights from extensive customer discovery and market research. They develop strategies for testing and implementing thought leadership, pricing models, industry partnerships, and hyper-focused demand generation.

The program is made possible by a network of 75+ mentors and advisors, many of whom are the region’s top technology and business leaders.  Twenty-six companies have participated in the program since its inception in late 2019.  Their final showcase presentations can be viewed on the Tampa Bay Innovation Center’s YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/channel/UCdk7mIUhm25mrS1mVE9H2pA

The program is:

·       focused on preparing founders to build revenue-ready tech ventures

·       12-weekly group workshops plus weekly 1-on-1 coaching

·       mentor-driven by startup operators and experts with a track-record of shipping products

·       designed to accommodate up to 10 companies per cohort

·       celebrated with a demo/pitch event

·       provided free-of-charge and no equity will be required

To qualify for this accelerator program, applicants must:

·       have a unique and scalable tech venture in a B2B or B2G market

·       be self-funded or have raised early-seed, seed funding

·       have a minimal viable product or proof of concept

·       a team of two or more team members

Applications are being accepted until March 4th.  Complete information and application are available at https://tbinnovates.com/accelerator.

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center B2B Accelerator program will run from March 23rd through June 8th. Graduates of the program will participate in the Showcase Event at the end of June to audience of investors, community leaders, media, and potential business partners/customers.