Tampa Bay Wave Blog

Stay up to date with Wave’s tech startups and innovative news

Tampa Bay Wave Blog

Stay up to date with Wave’s tech startups and innovative news

Wave’s community is filled with ambitious entrepreneurs who are building the next breakout tech businesses in Tampa Bay and in the world. Discover their startups, stories, and successes on our community blog.

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Lesson's Learned

An Introduction to SEO and SEM for Startup Businesses

An Introduction to SEO and SEM for Startup Businesses by Amanda Peterson, Contributor at Enlightened Digital. You’ve built a business,…

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Thought Leadership

Evolving From a Startup to an Established Business

Evolving From a Startup to an Established Business by Jim Donatelli, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Market Executive for Regions Bank The startup…

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Lesson's Learned

Sneaking in Wellness

Sneaking in Wellness by Shuchi Vyas, CEO of Guestbox This Summer, I got a scholarship to Wanderlust, a global yoga…

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Thought Leadership

3 Reasons Why Women Make Great Entrepreneurs

3 Reasons Why Women Make Great Entrepreneurs by Mary Key, Ph.D. I was speaking with the founder of an entrepreneurial…

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The Myth of the Insta-Entrepreneur

The Myth of the Insta-Entrepreneur by Andre Hampton, founder and managing director of StreamS Capital and of Factory 114. With…

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Debunking 5 Myths about SBA Loans

Debunking 5 Myths About SBA Loans By: Garrett VonEye, First Vice President, SBA BDO, Team Lead at Valley Bank. A…

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Thought Leadership

Protect Your IP: Three Important Agreements for Founders and Executives

Protect Your IP: Three Important Agreements for Founders and Executives. By Tom Cockriel, Trenam Law Attorney As you grow your…

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Excellence Leads at Florida Polytechnic University

Excellence Leads at Florida Polytechnic University By Dr. Randy Avent, Florida Polytechnic University President Today’s rapid pace of technological advancement…

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Thought Leadership

Why Tampa Bay Wave?

The concept of paying it forward and the idea that small, consistent acts add up over time have shaped the…

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Thought Leadership

Connective Tissue: The Untapped Value of a CMO in your Startup

The primary role of the founder and CEO is ever-changing and by that, I don’t mean that it is constantly…

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Thought Leadership

Imagine the Possibilities if We All Think Big for Kids

What do entrepreneurs look like? Especially tech entrepreneurs? Many people might conjure up visions of young college grads in flip…

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HomebrewHillsborough Wave

Thought Leadership

It Takes a Whole County to Create and Sustain a Company

Tampa’s rise as a technology hub is no accident. It has been years in the making with many behind the…

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Thought Leadership

The Choice For Female Entrepreneurs & The Support Of A Community

Written by: Robyn Spoto, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Tampa Bay Wavefounder, SpotOn Digital Media. The facts: There are fewer female tech entrepreneurs in…

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Thought Leadership

Social Media: The Most Logical Form of Marketing

Marketing is one of the most vital pillars of building a successful business. That’s not a very controversial statement. My…

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Blog Feature image_ Meet the Team

Meet the Team: Ashley Taylor, Marketing Intern

Hi everyone! My name is Ashley Taylor. I am the marketing intern for Tampa Bay Wave. I was born and…

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Event Recap: Funding Options for Female Tech Entrepreneurs

On Wednesday, June 12th Tampa Bay Wave hosted a panel discussing Funding Options for Female Tech Entrepreneurs to engage with…

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Event Recap: Homebrew Hillsborough

On Friday, June 28th Tampa Bay Wave hosted Hillsborough County’s monthly coffee networking with local tech companies, organizations, and entrepreneurs,….

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Thought Leadership

Who helped you start on the road to success in your career?

Who helped you start you on the road to success in your career? For me, it was an IBM branch manager…

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Thought Leadership

The Wave, Startup Days of IBM and Big Sur Technologies

“There is still much about the early days of working various jobs in the tech industry in the late ’80s…

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Thought Leadership

Diversity Matters: Building the TechDiversity Accelerator, powered by the Nielsen Foundation

When the Nielsen Foundation, a private foundation funded by Nielsen, began grantmaking in 2016, we knew that bridging divides by…

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Meet the Team

Meet the Team: Trevor Bosetti, Investor Relations Intern

Hello Wave Community! My name is Trevor Bosetti, I am going into my 4th year at the University of Florida…

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Thought Leadership

Common Misconceptions About Using Social Media For Business

At this point, everyone reading this article knows about social media, has heard about Facebook struggling with legal assassination, and…

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A Word from our sponsors (6)

A Note on Notes, from Hill Ward Henderson

Due to their apparent simplicity, convertible notes are an attractive option for both founders and early investors. However, when it…

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Top 8 Moments of being on the Rise of the Rest 8.0 Bus

Not many can say they rode the Rise of the Rest tour bus with Steve Case and the Rise of…

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Event Recap: Think Like An Entrepreneur with WITI Tampa

On Thursday, March 28, 2019 the Wave participated with the Women’s Forum at Microsoft with WITI (Women In Technology International)…

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Lesson's Learned

Why SXSW Matters for Entrepreneurs and Innovators

By Accelerator Manager Basha Holloway Where can you find a multi-day, hyper interactive experience that attracts some of the best…

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Event Recap: From Vision to Vineyard Wine Tasting Reception

On Wednesday, March 6, 2019, our sponsors and donors were hosted by the Trenam Law team at the Friends of…

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Event Recap: Investor Social with Steve MacDonald

On Thursday, February 28, 2019, Steve and Lindsay McDonald hosted fellow investors and tech CEOs at their beautiful home on…

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Bad Hires

Thought Leadership

7 C’s to Finding and Hiring Great Managers

Organizations can have the best ideas or products in the world but without great employees and more particular talented leadership…

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Lesson's Learned

Thought Leadership

The Way You Do Anything is Probably The Way You Do Everything

A mentor of mine used to tell me “Look at the way you do anything because it’s probably the way…

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mentorship

Thought Leadership

Through the Eyes of a Mentor

They are not only sophisticated, smart and driven, they see the world as no one else does. They see opportunities…

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How a strategic HR aquisition strategy can help you scale your startup

What is the Major Hurdle in Scaling your Organization? Congratulations, your organization has reached its first major milestone; the company…

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Post-Accelerator Cohort

Tampa Bay Wave Welcomes 7 New Companies to The Post-Accelerator Cohort

Tampa Bay Wave (Wave) has selected 7 tech companies to join their Post-Accelerator cohort, a program created for later-stage…

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FBDC partners with Wave

Wave partners with FBDC to support Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Development Program

Tampa Bay Wave, Inc. (Wave) a nonprofit dedicated to building, launching, and growing tech companies in Tampa Bay, has been awarded…

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SavvyCard

Success Stories

Driving Success in Real Estate using Progressive Web Applications with SavvyCard

In 2012, SavvyCard® – a technology startup and member of our very first Accelerator cohort – predicted that a multi-billion-dollar…

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little global citizens partners with Glazer Children's Museum

Success Stories

Little Global Citizens Partners With the Glazer Children’s Museum on Interactive Cultural Programming for Kids

Little Global Citizens, the monthly subscription box that introduces children to the world through exploration of other countries, has announced…

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St. Pete Catalyst The Hustle Amanda Cole eTeki

St. Pete Catalyst’s The Hustle: Amanda Cole with eTeki

Amanda Cole is the head of operations at eTeki, the interview-as-a-service company revolutionizing the IT recruitment and hiring processes.

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ProjectMQ indie games VentureBeat

Featured on VentureBeat: ProjectMQ wants to help you find indie games

Twin brothers Marcus and Malcolm Howard have spent the last five years working on ProjectMQ, a multimedia hub to help…

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shuchi vyas guestbox podcast

Listen: Running “Mental Marathons” with Shuchi Vyas of Guestbox

Listen to how Shuchi created her subscription box startup called GuestBox, how she is promoting inclusion for both women and…

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Priatek 6M new capital

Success Stories

Priatek expands its mall-based gaming kiosks to the Northeast with $6M in new capital

A St. Petersburg advertising technology company is on the cusp of a major expansion, fueled by $6 million in fresh…

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global safety management tribridge executives

Success Stories

Global Safety Management adds Tony DiBenedetto to their Board and hires former President of Tribridge as COO

Two former top executives of one of the largest technology companies in the area now are working with a Tampa…

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MarketScale podcast knack samyr Qureshi

Listen: The Power of Peer-To-Peer Education with Samyr Qureshi of Knack

Co-founder and CEO of Knack, Samyr Qureshi, sat down with MarketScale’s education technology podcast to discuss the power of peer-to-peer (P2P)…

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tampa bay rays 100 blog post support

Tampa Bay Wave proudly supports bringing Tampa Bay Rays to Ybor City

Tampa Bay Rays are moving to Ybor City and Tampa Bay Wave couldn’t be more proud to support the ballpark’s…

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David Sawyer TSOLife MarketScale podcast

Listen: Creating digital legacies for seniors with David Sawyer from TSOLife

David Sawyer, Founder/CEO of Wave company TSOLife, sat down with MarketScale’s software & technology podcast to discuss creating digital legacies…

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GAN women founders you should know

Success Stories

10 Women-Run Startup Founders You Should Know (Two Wave Founders Make the List!)

Over the past few years, both the total number and overall percentage of female founders at GAN Startups have increased…

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GAN virtual demo day verapy gaming

Wave company, Verapy, selected to participate in the first public GAN Virtual Demo Day

Verapy is one of 8 companies nationwide to have been selected to participate in the first public GAN Virtual Demo…

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Julia MacGregor

Wave company talks funding with Tampa Bay Business Journal

Wave Grow company CEO Julia MacGregor of Global Safety Management talks to Tampa Bay Business Journal about how it took longer than she expected…

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Pitch Coaching

Wave collaborates with FIBA to provide pitch coaching to accelerator members

Tampa Bay Wave is bringing its renowned pitch coaching to Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) to offer FIBA’s accelerator members actionable…

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Tony DiBenedetto

Wave adds two more high-profile leaders to its mentorship team

DiBenedetto and MacDonald are the first Tampa Bay Wave mentors who’ve successfully built and/or exited a $100 million-plus company, according…

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Success Stories

How Tampa Bay’s startup community compares to the rest of the world

Tampa Bay’s startup community is valued at $2.3 billion in a new report from Startup Genome, a research organization focused…

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Success Stories

Synapse Innovation Summit Proved Tampa Can Be a Major Tech City

If you want proof that Tampa Bay’s tech and startup scene is in full swing, there were over 3,500 reasons…

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Success Stories

Tampa Bay Wave Names Alex Sink as Board Chair Elect

TAMPA, FL (March 21, 2018) – Tampa Bay Wave, Inc. (Wave), a local nonprofit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build, launch,…

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Success Stories

Nielsen Foundation and Tampa Bay Wave Launch TechDiversity Accelerator

The Nielsen Foundation and Tampa Bay Wave, Inc. have recently collaborated to launch the TechDiversity Accelerator Program, a program specifically…

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Women Making Waves in Angel Investing

Wave to co-host the Women Making Waves in Angel Investing luncheon

Working Women of Tampa Bay and Tampa Bay Wave are co-hosting “Women Making Waves in Angel Investing” Luncheon at The…

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Knack at Challenge Cup

Success Stories

Wave Launch company, Knack, Competes Globally for $100,000

Tampa-based technology startup, Knack, selected as one of 20 companies in the world as a 2018 Challenge Cup Global Finalist…

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Mental Health

Success Stories

Wave Grow company TAO Connect reveals self-help monthly subscription service

TAO Connect, a startup based in St. Petersburg, Florida, has launched a new offering: a self-help monthly subscription plan and…

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Jonathon Truong

Success Stories

Wave in the news: Diversity highlights latest tech cohort

These three tech companies are part of the largest applicant class at Tampa Bay Wave, a nonprofit accelerator for tech…

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Nielsen TechDiversity TBT

Success Stories

$100,000 Nielsen grant seeds Tampa Bay Wave accelerator for diverse startups

Tampa Bay Wave will use a $100,000 grant from the Nielsen Foundation to create a 90-day accelerator program for tech…

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Tampa bay startup week 2018

Tampa Bay Startup Week is in full swing!

Tampa Bay Startup Week is finally here! There are over a hundred events that will help you take your startup and…

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Tech pioneer in Tampa takes on his ‘last giveback’ with new $10M seed fund

Jonathon Gordon prepares to launch a $10 million seed fund to help young companies in Tampa Bay WaVE.

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Tampa bay startup genome survey

How Startup Genome is Going to Put Tampa Bay on the Map

In early November, Tampa Bay Wave solidified a partnership with Startup Genome, a collaborative effort to help entrepreneurial regions everywhere…

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Preferhired and Workable

Success Stories

Workable integrates with online referral marketplace and new cohort company, Preferhired

From retention rates and job performance to cost per hire and time to hire, the stats around employee referrals outperform…

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Ed Buckley CEO Peerfit

Success Stories

Wave Grow company, Peerfit, gets $10M in new funding

Peerfit just completed its latest funding round, raising $10.3 million, according to a Jan. 5 filing with the U.S. Securities…

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Tampa Bay Wave names Avril Stinson as Director of Development

TAMPA, FL (January 3, 2018) – We’re thrilled to welcome Avril W. Stinson, a seasoned investor relations manager, as our…

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David Etheredge

Lesson's Learned

Top 5 Tips in Raising Capital

By David Etheredge, CEO & Co-Founder of SavvyCard

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Inzata

Success Stories

DSM Kicks Partner Program Into High Gear & Secures Inzata as New Partner

Another Wave company in the headlines! DSM announced that the new program has picked-up a headliner: Inzata, a high-performance, big-data…

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10 Best Startups to Work for in TB

Success Stories

10 Best Startups to Work For in Tampa Bay

How many Wave companies made the top twenty? Read on to the full list to find out.

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Course Align

Course Align CEO featured at Startup Grind’s first St. Pete event

Startup Grind, a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs, is hosting its first event in St….

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Wave Accelerator Build

Success Stories

Tampa Bay Wave welcomes 13 new startups to their Accelerator Build cohort

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Success Stories

Innovators Help Spur Economic Success

When Matt Wheeler was looking for a city in which to launch a metrics-based technology/sales start-up, he considered Atlanta, San…

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Seven Wave Companies Relocate from Gainesville to Tampa Bay

Tampa is working towards becoming the next entrepreneurial hub on the East Coast. We have endless talent in this city,…

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Success Stories

Wave companies receive funding from non-traditional investors

Two Wave companies received funding from non traditional investors, which was very unique. It has been a goal in mind for…

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Success Stories

EatMobile Launching at Startup Week with 10 Food Trucks!

Tampa Bay Startup Week is less than 2 weeks away and we hope everyone is as excited as we are!…

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Linda Olson in TBW Second Location

Tampa Bay Wave Opens Second Location in Downtown Tampa at Channelside Bay Plaza

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Success Stories

Torchfi Serves up Success at Moxie’s Cafe

TorchFi’s revolutionary “Wifi Waiter” recently went live in Moxie’s Cafe. The Wifi Waiter delivers speed and simplicity to the food…

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December Job Postings

The Wave would like to keep its community informed about the new jobs posted on the Wave’s job board. These…

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Metropolitan Ministries

Trucks on Demand and Metropolitan Ministries Team Up This Holiday Season

This holiday season, Trucks on Demand and Metropolitan Ministries are changing how you donate to those in need. Wave is…

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Jim Gossett

Startup Surge Mentor – Jim Gossett

Known throughout the business community for his ability to rebuild and reorganize challenged companies into efficient, high-performance organizations, Jim Gossett…

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Tom Panaggio

Startup Surge Mentor – Tom Panaggio

An entrepreneur for over 30 years, Tom Panaggio has a proven track record of creating and leading businesses to the…

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Success Stories

Florida Startup has a Knack for Tutoring

Where do you go for 3000 level chemistry tutoring? After realizing there’s no way you can make it to you…

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Success Stories

Tampa Bay Wave Member UpValet Receives Major Investment

In this day and age you can order and purchase almost anything through your cellphone, why is car buying any…

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Tampa Bay Wave Announces New Director of Development & Business Incubation

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact: Linda Olson (813) 280-4330 Linda@tampabaywave.org Tampa Bay WaVE…

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UberEATS its Way Around Tampa

We have officially reached the golden age of technology that Wall-E predicted for us. A world where everything we could…

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News: Tampa Bay Wave Lands SBA Grant to Develop Seed Fund for Local Startups

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, please contact: Linda Olson (813) 280-4330 Linda@tampabaywave.org Tampa Bay Wave Lands SBA…

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How UX Benefits Your Homepage

Incorporating the user experience (UX) into your website has drastic positive affects. Your web page is the face of your business…

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Homepage Throwdown feat. Ciccio!

Join us to bare witness to Justin Davis vs Ciccio’s homepage! Catering provided by Ciccio, brutally honest feedback provided by…

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Accelerator Program InfoSession & Happy Hour

Want to ride along with the Wave? Or just dip your toes in the water? Tampa Bay entrepreneurs are welcome…

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Meet The Entrepreneurs; Phonism

Have you ever wondered what it is like to create your own start up? Steve Lazaridis, co – founder…

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Branding and Logo Design

About This Workshop: In this workshop we will discuss what branding is, how brand awareness can alter customer perception, and how…

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Master Each Phase of Your Startup

As the initial enthusiasm gives way to reality, you will need to get your nose to the grindstone before…

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Create Products People Love

The world’s best products are not created in a vacuum. Inspired by the end user, these products appeal to the…

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Rays Community Night

Join us at the Trop for Ray’s Tech Community Night! For $30 you will get a great view in lower…

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PikMyKid Gaining Ground

Do you wait FOREVER in line to pick your kid up from school? PikMyKid founder, Pat Bhava, discovered that school pick up…

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Building a Sales Team

Join us in welcoming Tom Panaggio as he shares his knowledge on how to build the best sales team for…

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Social Media Day 2016 is Coming!

Social Media day is right around the corner! On June 30th at Ferg’s Live from 6:00 to 9:00 pm there…

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Tampa Bay Wave Receives Bank of America Grant

On the afternoon of May 12, in downtown Tampa, local Bank of America representatives made a visit to the neighboring non-profit…

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Homebrew Hillsborough

Join Jennifer Whelihan as she shares her expertise on the subject.

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FirstWaVe Women Forum Information Session

Women Empowering Women! Please join us to learn more about the FirstWaVE Women Entrepreneur Forums. The forums are a new effort within…

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Anticonformity in Marketing = Growth Hacking

Growth Hacking for: Individuals Inventors Business Online Marketing Video Marketing Influencer Marketing The Commencement of the newest Golden Age –…

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Frontload Friday

Join us in The Attic, located in the Sunshine Bank building, for a night of pitchers and pitching! This month,…

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Using the Business Model to Kick A**

Join Mark Carpenter as he shares his expertise on the business model!

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Calling All Tampa Women Entrepreneurs

From developing new technology to disrupting traditional retail, Tampa Bay’s startups have led incredible advancements in a variety of industries,…

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Hacking Your Seed Round

Hacking Your Seed Round (Fundraising as a Process) Even in a booming startup market, raising your first round of capital…

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Lunch & Learn Office Leasing/Sales Scenarios with CBRE

Join us for a Lunch & Learn with our friends from CBRE! This is the perfect opportunity to learn what to…

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How to Outgrow Your Competition

HOW TO OUTGROW YOUR COMPETITION Focus: Communications & Culture – CEO TOP LINE GROWTH IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN…

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Creating a Winning Investor Pitch Deck

Join Kenneth Young as he shares his formula for winning the hearts and minds of potential investors.

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Eight Questions to Answer Before You Quit Your Day Job

You have a full-time job that provides you with a stable income and probably several fringe benefits such as paid…

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How To Apply For an SBA Loan

Grow your business with SBA Loans! In this Free SBA workshop you will learn about How to Apply for an…

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Searching for SEO: A Beginners Guide

The Keys to Ranking on Google SEO might seem like a moving target, but it’s essential characteristics have not changed…

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Using Videos to Promote Your Startup

You will learn about different types of videos, scripting, storyboard, production needs, distribution channels and, most importantly, how to figure…

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How to Build Out Financials and Set KPI’s

Join Debra Friar as she teaches how to reduce risk by building a fact-based financial plan with KPIs (Key Performance…

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60 Minutes to LinkedIn Mastery

Do you wonder why so many people join LinkedIn and rave about it? Do you have a profile and feel…

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Protect your Startup IP

Learn how to protect your intellectual property with Raphael Rashkin. During his workshop you will learn about the basics for…

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Tampa Bay WaVE’s Scrumble

This Friday: Got any coding that just needs to get done? Not enough hours in the day? Have no fear –…

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Downtown Debriefing: Catch the Tampa Bay Tech WaVE

We have been invited to speak at an upcoming Tampa Downtown Partnership breakfast – see info below! I would ask…

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Beer, Burritos & Chargify…Oh My!

Join Tampa Bay WaVE and over 50 others from Tampa Bay’s tech community as we spend the evening on a…

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Get Stuck on Tampa Bay WaVE

Our awesome new stickers are set to hit the WaVE Pool in the next couple of weeks, and our fabulous Kickstarter…

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Our Very Exclusive Kickstarter Opportunity – Founders Circle

Have you checked out our Founders Circle package yet? This is a very exclusive offer for our Kickstarter campaign which…

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Dropost.it Posts Up in Silicon Valley

Dropost.it made a trip to San Francisco on Tuesday. Tampa Bay WaVE members, Ty Mathen and Orrett Davis, are going to…

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KickStarter Campaign

Tampa Bay WaVE’s Kickstarter Celebration Party Tampa Bay WaVE is hosting an exclusive, invite-only reception to honor all the contributors…

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