GREGORY ROTHSTEIN
Lakshmi Shenoy, CEO, Embarc Collective
From the Tampa Bay Business Journal:
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/08/01/vinik-backed-tech-space-in-tampa-has-a-
new-name.html
Vinik-backed tech space in Tampa has a new
name
Aug 1, 2018, 4:00pm EDT
Jeff Vinik's vision to bring together entrepreneurs, venture
capitalists and academic resources in one location in Tampa now
has a name and brand identity.
Embarc Collective is the organization formerly referred to as the
Tampa Bay Innovation Hub, Lakshmi Shenoy, CEO, told the Tampa
Bay Business Journal just ahead of the 2018 TBBJ Elite
Entrepreneur Panel, where she unveiled the new name publicly.
The organization broadly will provide a space for startups and for
community programming around the topics of entrepreneurship,
technology and innovation, but the exact services it will offer are still being developed. To avoid
duplication of existing services, Shenoy wants to hear from the community at large about what's
needed through a survey just posted on the Embarc website.
Since Shenoy began working in Tampa six months ago, she said she's done over 200 interviews with
people involved in the entrepreneurial community. The survey data will be integrated with that input
and help Embarc prioritize its efforts, she said. The data also will be formalized as a report back to the
community.
Embarc will be housed in the former District 3 event space in downtown Tampa, just north of the Water
Street Tampa neighborhood where Vinik has partnered with Cascade Investment LLC on a $3 billion
plan to create an urban, mixed-use waterfront district. Strategic Property Partners, the real estate
company controlled by Vinik and Cascade, bought the 20,000-square-foot building at 802 E. Whiting
St. last year, and it was previously used for The Art of the Brick exhibit.
Embarc is among several initiatives underway areawide to bolster startups and the tech industry,
bringing high-skill and high-wage jobs to Tampa Bay.
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Page 1 of 2
Vinik-backed tech space in Tampa has a new name - Tampa Bay Business Journal
8/3/2018
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/08/01/vinik-backed-tech-space-in-tampa...
Embarc is not a venture fund or a traditional incubator or accelerator, Shenoy said. Instead, Embarc will
complement the work of other organizations, including University of South Florida, University of Tampa,
Dreamit Ventures, Tampa Bay Wave, TEC Garage, Florida-Israel Business Accelerator and BlockSpaces,
among others.
"The best startup ecosystems empower founders and their teams," said Vinik, owner of the Tampa Bay
Lightning. "Embarc Collective will collaborate with the entire community to do just that: support those
individuals bold enough to solve our biggest problems."
Growing the Tampa startup community is a journey, and that's the impetus for the organization's name.
"Starting a new venture is akin to embarking on a voyage, with its ups and downs, but the goal is to
move forward. We're all starting on this journey," Shenoy said.
It takes more than a single individual to support the work of startups, which is why Embarc is a
collective, she said. "It takes all of us to help these founders and teams to be successful in their growth
journey."
Some companies and organizations already have committed to the new space, she said.
"We've had tremendous interest from startups, investors and support organizations, both locally and
around the world," Shenoy said. "People are starting to notice Tampa."
Embarc is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, pending approval.
Margie Manning
Finance Editor
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Page 2 of 2
Vinik-backed tech space in Tampa has a new name - Tampa Bay Business Journal
8/3/2018
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/08/01/vinik-backed-tech-space-in-tampa...