By:  Daniel James Scott, Marvin Scaff, John Morrow, Bill Jackson and Brent Britton
Founding Board Members, Gazelle Lab

TechStars was founded in 2006, in Boulder, Colorado, to provide seed funding and three months of mentorship to early stage companies in exchange for a modest equity stake.  To date, 70% of Techstars companies have either raised outside funding or have become financially self-sustaining, which is an extremely favorable success rate relative to other seed funds.  On 31 January 2011 the TechStars Network was launched http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techstars – cite_note-1, linking 22 similar programs internationally, including Tampa Bay’s own Gazelle Lab.

In their recent book, Do More Faster, TechStars co-founders David Cohen and Brad Feld, alongside a bevy of successful technology entrepreneurs who have graduated from the program since 2006, share the vast amount of practical knowledge they’ve accumulated in the program’s five short years.  It is a quick, experience-laden, and eye-opening read.  It is also the top text that we suggest to every Tampa Bay entrepreneur.  The title, however, is of particular interest.  David Cohen explains that “if there’s one competitive advantage that most startups have, it’s that they can do more faster.”

This is an interesting concept, and one that just hints at the recipe that is required for a community to support rocket-paced startup growth.  That “entrepreneurial ecosystem recipe” requires a long-term view of development, with equal parts of 1. mentorship, 2. pipeline and 3. execution.  Our ecosystem in Tampa Bay need not copy Silicon Valley’s, but in stead can create its own identity.  Gazelle Lab, launching this fall, intends to be a core contributor to all three elements of this infrastructure.   Unlike most local programs, Gazelle Lab charges the participants absolutely nothing; and as a fund, naturally generates investments in jobs without government subsidies.  Each element of how the Gazelle Lab program integrates into the “entrepreneurial ecosystem recipe” is described below.

1. Mentorship is the foundation of any community, but absolutely critical when formulating an entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Gazelle Lab is a mentor-driven program.  Our superstar mentors are primarily successful entrepreneurs and investors – folks that have been there and done that – willing to give of their time, connections and pocketbook.  Mentor, and Gazelle Lab co-founder, Brent Britton, a lawyer and entrepreneur, has been an active mentor to dozens if not hundreds of tech startups in Silicon Valley, NYC, and here in Tampa Bay.  Mentor Kevin Harrington is not only the Founder and Chairman of TV Goods, but a star of the hit ABC show Shark Tank.  Other mentors include technology entrepreneurs Bruce Bennett (Mad Mobile), Allen Clary (Jibidee.com), Tony DiBenedetto (TriBridge), Ryan Dorrell (AgileThought), Kurt Long (Fair Warning), John Morrow (Morrow Technologies) and Marvin Scaff (Liquidity Engine).

2. Pipeline ensures the long-term sustainability of a community, and Gazelle Lab will fortify the local entrepreneurial pipeline by partnering with a number of existing community organizations.  First and foremost, every Gazelle Lab participant will be assigned a student team from the Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Alliance at USFSP College of Business.  Allowing students to provide hands-on research and assistance while experiencing the program alongside the entrepreneurs is a great win not just for the companies, but an immersive way for students to feel comfortable with the process when it comes time for them to launch their own concepts.

Second, every Gazelle Lab participant will automatically become a priority client of the Florida Small Business Development Center at Pinellas County Economic Development.  This relationship opens the floodgates for expertise in a number of different key business areas to flow freely to the startups.

Last, and certainly not least, partnering with organizations such as the Florida Venture Forum, Creative Tampa Bay, and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum to present Demo Day at the Mahaffey Theater, Thursday, November 17^th – creates an outlet to raise local, national and global investment capital.  The event has already received sponsorship commitments from Gray Robinson, PA and the Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Innovation Alliance at USFSP College of Business, among others.

3. Execution, of course, is the glue that holds the entire ecosystem together, and is Gazelle Lab’s very raison d’être:  a thriving crop of entrepreneurs who are black belts in the “Do More Faster” philosophy and who create scalable business opportunities that create more and better jobs, more and better investment, and more and better opportunities for those that choose to follow in their footsteps.

Are you one of these entrepreneurs?  Are you one of these community partners?  Are you one of these mentors or investors?  Reach out to us at http://gazellelab.com or daniel@gazellelab.com for more information.

by: Kim Randall
Social Brand Strategist
KiMedia Strategies

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

Do you have what it takes?

In July, Tampa entrepreneurs will get the unusual chance to participate in a weekend of business building and pitching where real businesses are thought up and real partnerships are formed. 54 hours is all it takes to take a business from idea to pitch stage, and that is exactly what will happen at the Microsoft Corporate building July 8 – 10. Tampa’s is one of many Startup Weekend events  that take place around the world throughout the year.

How successful are these events? Roughly 2,450 startups have been created including Zaarly, Pocket Tale ,Food Spotting,  and Ninja Button. The most common question we have been asked while planning the Tampa event is; what if I’m not technical or don’t have a business idea? This should not discourage anyone from attending the event because businesses require more than just coding of a web application. Where one person is weakest, there needs to be another that is strongest. So, no matter if you are technical, into marketing and PR or simply have a product or web app idea, come.

About Tampa’s Startup Weekend

Well, for starters we have amazing organizers working hard to make sure the upcoming weekend is the most successful it can be. We have some talented mentors that will be helping the teams during the weekend, including individuals from Grooveshark, Less Accounting and Two Giraffes. Our judges are involved in some of the most successful startups including Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington, Abbeton’s Chris Abbot and Wufoo’s Chris Coyier. We will have experts in their field that will be giving presentations on the many important topics revolving around starting a business.

The Tampa entrepreneurship community has provided huge support in planning this event, and we would like to thank all of the organizations that have helped promote and encourage our efforts to provide Tampa with an experience worth attending.

Our Organizers

Susie Steiner, serial entrepreneur  is no noob when it comes to startups. Susie has her hands in many ventures including Fido’s Laundry, an Online upscale dog boutique. She is the founder of Geek Is Single and operates a highly successful  freight brokerage business here in Tampa.

Ryan Sullivan is the Product Development Executive for TV Goods Inc., focusing on product marketing and advertising.

Kim Randall is a Social Brand Strategist and serial entrepreneur. Her companies and partnerships include KiMedia Strategies LLC and Geek Is Single.

To purchase your ticket please visit tampa.startupweekend.org. Connect with us on Twitter (@StartupTampa) and on Facebook (/StartupWeekendTampa)

by: Linda Olson, Founder
Tampa Bay WaVE

As a passionate Tampa Bay native, I was filled with pride when I heard the story about Tampa’s own Wufoo’s $35 million sale back in April 2011.  The online forms builder is not only an alumnus of the 2006 Y Combinator program, but the young team of co-founders resisted the expectations to stay in Silicon Valley, choosing instead to continue building their company right here in the Tampa Bay area for the past 5 years.

And there are plenty of reasons to believe that Tampa Bay is ready to have several more such stories.

Three years ago, I started a monthly roundtable meetup called Tampa Bay WaVE for the CEOs and founders of local high-growth-potential web or mobile ventures like Wufoo. Today, we are a full-fledged non-profit organization with forty members, some of which are already very profitable and have received national coverage on sites like Mashable, WSJ, Inc. Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, and more.

The mission of Tampa Bay WaVE is simply to enable and support the local web and mobile tech entrepreneurs in order to see a greater number of home-grown successful ventures.  We provide our members with peer-level mentoring, networking, education, access to resources, and awareness building.

Traditionally, members of Tampa Bay WaVE needed to meet certain requirements including having already built and launched their venture.  However, given the amount of interest we have gotten from people who need help getting their ideas built and launched, we recently created a new level of membership to address their needs – called FirstWaVE.  Certainly, our core members have all learned so much from their own personal experiences, and they have a passion for “paying it back” to ambitious first-time entrepreneurs, so it was a natural evolution to provide a place for them to help others learn best practices and avoid costly mistakes.

Yet for all the growth and success of Tampa Bay WaVE, we also recognize that “it takes a village” applies to our local tech community.  From support our members need to support our members can provide others, no man (or venture) is an island, and our organization does not claim to provide all the solutions for all the challenges our members face.

Thankfully, our local tech community has also been growing and reaching critical mass.  From grassroots efforts such as Bar Camp Tampa Bay to coworking efforts like IdeaField to more structured support services such as from the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, the local tech community is slowly but surely getting more active and providing more quality support for local entrepreneurs – and not just for our WaVE members.  Tampa Bay is even getting their first-ever Startup Weekend this July which should help inspire and encourage many budding entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams, including many new web or mobile tech ventures.

Our local tech community is definitely coming of age, and I hope the greater local community is taking notice, and not just because we hope for several more stories like Wufoo’s.  With the potential for high-wage job creation, a vibrant web and mobile tech community here in Tampa Bay is something that can benefit us all.

For more information or to contribute to our efforts, please contact Linda Olson.

By: Shaun Drinkard
Director of Placemaking
Tampa Downtown Partnership

Events such as Rock the Park, Yappy Hour, Yoga in the Park, Fit Club, and the Park Cart are all FREE activities put on by the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s task force called REALM.  With all that REALM is doing to activate downtown, it’s time to take a closer look.  Organized around the concept of public open space programming and management, the Tampa Downtown Partnership’s REALM Task Force was created to advance the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and other downtown spaces into highly programmed and attractive public open spaces. Acknowledging the limited financial resources of the City of Tampa, REALM will bring collaborating minds and financial wherewithal to work with the city to actively program the public open spaces with daily and evening activities, while coordinating existing and new larger scale events designed to instill a sense of community and gathering in our City’s greatest assets.

REALM will not just think and act locally, but regionally and nationally, pulling together best practices from North America’s greatest urban parks as well as generating new and local ideas that make Curtis Hixon Park and other downtown open spaces unique to our city.   The development and creation of these activates are based on the practice of Placemaking.  Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space, to discover their needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create a common vision for that place. The vision can evolve quickly into an implementation strategy, beginning with small-scale, do-able improvements that can immediately bring benefits to public spaces and the people who use them.  REALM looks forward to their continued efforts and progress with Tampa’s downtown public spaces!

More information about REALM, including upcoming events

By: Susan Duda, Artist

Exposure is a component of success. A road rally/treasure hunt is a great way to expose the public to places that people may not have otherwise visited. This road rally, organized by a local car club, will introduce art and artists to the public by involving artist studios, galleries, art centers, and museums across Tampa Bay. Proceeds from the event can be used to benefit a charity, museum, art center, or establish a fund for arts education in Tampa Bay.

This event could involve three separate courses in the three counties that comprise Tampa Bay. Each art center, gallery, or artist studio that participates in being a point of interest will pay a fee. The start and final destination participants should pay a premium, as the gathering adds to the exposure of that sponsor. Starting at a designated venue, each car will pay an entrance fee and receive a road map comprised of a series of riddles needing solution in order to get from one location to the next until the course is completed. Visiting each point of interest is required to qualify for the grand prize. Each car participant must perform a task at each stop to obtain the clue and treasure that will be collected in the hunt. One task could be to possibly obtain a business card from the participating artist, perform an art-based exercise, or look for a clue in the exhibit. Hidden clues could be placed in billboards or business signs along the course. The advertiser would pay a sponsor fee to be included as a landmark reference for the mapping riddles, helping to keep the drivers on course to the next point of interest. People driving the course gain exposure to the supporting businesses as well as the studios and galleries. Local restaurants could sponsor refreshments served at various points of interest along the course to gain exposure and also to encourage longer visits at the galleries. All forms would be collected, treasures checked and tallied at the final destination.

The top three cars that arrive with all completed tasks win a grand prize awarded at the evening “Sock Hop” held at a local venue. The dance could include a dinner, art auction, and car show with a Fifties band. All other completed rally forms would be entered into a drawing that will award sponsor-donated door prizes throughout the evening. Art auction items could be a 60/40 split with the artist to encourage and support the artists. This might involve a 2-day event to encourage active participation at the galleries and interaction with the art in each gallery in more depth. There could be a best-of-show vote for a favorite artwork, providing incentive for the artists to participate. Car clubs would get exposure by involving the community sponsors and participants in this event. This event would involve many different types of people, provide exposure for the arts and business, and be an opportunity for all to have a great time.

For more information or to contribute to this initiative, please contact Susan.

By Barbara Wiesenberg
Vice-President, Suncoast Information Specialists

“Hip is the sophistication of the wise primitive in a giant jungle.” -Norman Mailer

“Librarians are the secret masters of the universe. They control information. Never piss one off.” -Spider Robinson

When one thinks of who, or what, a librarian is, many images and a few stereotypes come to mind. Granted, the word “hip” is usually not among them. Images of bespectacled,, eternally frumpy, and somewhat intimidating individuals lording over fiefdoms of dusty books spring to the fore, even within my own mind; and I’m a librarian. And like a librarian, I take these stereotypes in stride, because I am confident of One Truth. Librarians are terminally hip!

I realize “hip,” on the surface, is an unlikely adjective, not readily associated with librarians. Yet Urbandictionary.com defines “hip” as:

“Cooler than cool, the pinnacle of what is ‘it’. Beyond all trends and conventional coolness. Informed, up to date, fashionable, contemporary, relevant. Being modern in dress, attitude and interests. From “hepi,” meaning “well-informed” from the West African language of Wolof. “

Wow. I hadn’t known all that! Perhaps librarians can be defined as hip, after all?

Many people regard being “cool” as possessing an air of sophistication and confidence about oneself, while the notion of being “hip” is mostly associated with people who are creative and think outside of the box. Generally, if one is “cool,” it follows that one is also “hip.” And how do librarians fit these definitions?

Librarians are well-trained, credentialed and sophisticated in the business of information, yet often, aren’t credited with the amount of creativity and ingenuity it takes to move information. In fact, librarians are quite tenacious when it comes down to being very creative about the location, organization and management of information. In our hearts we know that information is useless without a means to be found, and people need information. We are human bridges over the gaps between our students, patrons and clients, and exactly what “it” is they seek and need to know.

Within a world of ever-changing innovation and technology, with all its hierarchies, moving parts and endless paradigm shifts in the shape and form of information, we librarians are forever re-inventing our roles and changing with the times to meet the needs of our end-users. We’re adept at and accustomed to “rolling with it,” and are consistently proactive in our pursuit of professional excellence. Librarians daily employ creativity and ingenuity in making available quality, credible information for their students, clients and patrons in a “fast-food” Googlicious information environment . And if you pause, just for a moment, to think about it, that’s pretty hip.

Barbara Wiesenberg is a librarian and Vice-President of Suncoast Information Specialists, a Tampa Bay based professional organization of librarians. She holds a Masters Degree of Library and Information Studies from Queens College, City University of New York.

www.suninfospec.org

References:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hip

http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/04/12/librarians.masters.of.universe/index.html?hpt=Sbin

by: Nick Kypriotakis
Managing Director, AndroMedia

AndroMedia provides “human networking solutions” for nonprofit organizations. Our company allows people to perform volunteer-work online by helping nonprofits enact innovative and impactful Social Media strategies.

The data is pretty clear. Nonprofits that commit significant resources to social networking see dramatic increases in exposure and fundraising. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible for most nonprofits to dedicate full-time staff to Social Media. This results in a significant missed opportunity.

AndroMedia solves this problem by outsourcing labor and content creation to our growing network of “VolunTweeters.”  Each VolunTweeter is assigned to a different nonprofit, where he/she applies his/her Social Media skills.  AndroMedia VolunTweeters come from a variety of different locations and backgrounds with one shared purpose… to help the people that help people!

As an avid BUZZ reader, I wanted to take my CSU column in a unique direction. The following is a (very) brief history of my company – which hopefully inspires other Tampa Creatives to Speak Up!

The Beginning

“Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to your aid. But the first essential is that you begin.” – Robert Collier

The whole thing started in a public library.

Like many internet entrepreneurs, I started my entire venture with only two assets to my name: An idea, and a laptop.

A few weeks and a few thousand energy drinks later, AndroMedia was born.

The Middle

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I read a lot of business books. One thing I’ve learned is that building a dynamic team is crucial to the early success of any new organization. So far, our growth has been pretty serendipitous.

For example, the other day I ran into a girl I hadn’t seen since High School. As it turns out, she studied nonprofit administration and public relations in college – needless to say, she’s now on our board of advisors!

We leverage our personal network as much as possible, and when someone offers their help, we take it. By constantly looking for opportunities, we’ve attracted some extremely talented people. We have more intellectual firepower than the Pentagon right now!

The End

“In every community there is work to be done… In every heart there is power to do it.” – Marianne Williamson

Organizations like Creative Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay WaVe and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum make our community the perfect place to expand AndroMedia. The Bay area is replete with Creatives, but we need your help!

Our vision is to create a world where everyone can get involved. From the laziest college student to the busiest C.E.O. – anyone can pick up their smartphone and spend a few minutes contributing to the growth of a worthy non-profit.

Follow us on Twitter, “Like” us on Facebook, and tell your friends and family about our cause! Also, consider signing up to become a VolunTweeter! Your involvement is minimal (compared with other volunteer opportunities), but it extremely valuable to the nonprofits we serve!

To learn more, visit www.AndroMediaNetwork.com.

By: Tim Serdynski
Founder, Lakeland Artisan Fair

The idea of putting together an artisan showcase came to me last winter, as I finally convinced my wife to “put her art out there” and see what people think.   We started looking around at some of the upcoming spring events in central Florida, but the only problem was the cost.   We just wanted to do it for fun and see what happens, but it was a fairly large investment.   We also had some friends who dabbled in painting, photography, and beading that had the same problem.    Now, I am a musician and concert promoter and have put together hundreds of events since I was in high school, so I started thinking….putting an Artisan Fair together might be right up my alley.

I started looking around for rental buildings, found a spot for a good price, began the search for other local Artisans, and the rest is pretty self explanatory.    Two things I wanted to make sure happened though, were that no one would be turned away based on MY opinion of

their art.  I mean, who is to say what is or isn’t “good”, when someone is pouring their heart and emotion into something.  The other thing is that this fair will be by artisans and for artisans.   We put it together to give anyone a chance to showcase their works.  So, the minimal entry fee of only $25 is basically everyone “pitching in” for the building rental and advertising costs.   It’s not a financial strain on us, putting it together, and it’s truly affordable for anyone to showcase.

This marks the second year of the fair.  I was lucky enough to find a better, more downtown location at The Tuesday Music Club building in the historic district of Lakeland.   We’ll be able to have more vendors, both inside and out, plus a stage for live entertainment all afternoon.  The fair will be held on Saturday May 28^th 2011 from 9am-3pm.   It’s free admission for patrons and anyone interested in showcasing or selling their original works can contact me at tspromotions@hotmail.com

See you there!

More information about the event

By: Lauren Matzke
Long Range Planner, City of Clearwater

When Kermit the Frog sang “It’s Not Easy Being Green” in 1970, little did he know how right he was. Some 40 years would pass before Americans themselves would begin to understand the challenges and the imperatives of being “Green.”

We have reached a point in human existence when natural resources are being used at faster rates than can be restored and waste and pollution are being generated at faster rates than can be assimilated. Humans are outpacing Earth’s ability to sustain us, and compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. In short, we have a sustainability problem.

In response to our global problem, cities across Florida and around the world are assessing the sustainability of their communities and devising ways to be more energy efficient, less polluting and resilient. This year, the City of Clearwater expanded the reach of its energy-efficiency campaign by creating Clearwater Greenprint: A Community Action Plan for Sustainability.

Clearwater Greenprint is a vision and strategic plan that will develop a list of measurable and achievable goals that can be implemented by residents, businesses, or even muppets. These strategies, when implemented, have the potential to reduce energy consumption, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while stimulating the local economy and improving quality of life for the city’s residents.

The City of Clearwater has taken steps to become more sustainable and address energy efficiency over the last five years. In 2007, Mayor Frank Hibbard signed the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing to protect the environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The city completed a greenhouse gas inventory for City-owned buildings in 2008 and became a certified Green City in 2009. City departments examine every-day operations and offer tools to city residents to become more energy efficient.

As Clearwater looks to a greener and brighter future, solutions for meeting community needs and desires will require an understanding of the sustainability. The city will reexamine the balance economic vitality, ecosystem services and community well-being. True sustainability will save money and resources and improve community resiliency, competitiveness and health.

One of the key points to Clearwater Greenprint’s success will be engaging residents and businesses. One topic area, food production, resonated with a group of Clearwater residents who are forming their own group called Pinellas Rakeholders. They are developing a mission statement and web presence and represent the core of an engaged group of citizens. When the city reviews its land development regulations after the Comprehensive Plan is amended this eco-minded people will already be engaged as a result of Clearwater Greenprint.

In the song, Kermit expressed ambivalence about his complexion, noting that green “blends in with so many other ordinary things” and wishing he were another color. The community cannot afford to remain ambivalent. In the end, Kermit decides that he’s happy to be green. “It’s beautiful, and I think it’s what I want to be.”  Yes, it may not easy being green, but our future depends on it.

By: Bruce Marsh

The old Ruskin Fire Station has been offered to the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, by Hillsborough County, for use as a Cultural Center. Plans are underway to develop programs in all the Arts; Performing, Visual and Literary. The programs will serve the entire South Hillsborough County Region, and will be professionally led.

Classes, Workshops, Performances, Community Arts Programs, Presentations, Master Classes and Artist Residencies are being planned. Programs for children, teens, adults, amateurs and artists will be offered.

The site is on 2 acres on the Ruskin Inlet, and the building has classroom space, office space, and three immense truck bays which have excellent acoustics!

The Center is extremely well suited to function as a ‘lab’ and studio space, where learning is delivered as hands on experiences. The hope is that quality and diverse programs will attract interest from throughout the Tampa Bay Area.

Work is underway to establish partnerships with other educational and cultural institutions in the region. These partnerships can provide access to visiting artists and groups, and extend the opportunities to this under served region. There are very limited cultural offerings south of the Alafia River.

The Center has many initial needs, including building renovations, Furniture and equipment, salaries, utilities and insurance. Substantial funding will be required and is being sought from Grants, Fund raising events, and Corporate and Private Donors.

The Ruskin Big Draw, a festival offered here over the past 3 years, has been a prototype for a year round Center here, and demonstrated the need.

For more information, visit: www.firehouseculturalcenter.org/