With Tallahassee 5 to 10 years behind in startup sector, Domi rolls out week of events
With more than 50 events planned, this year's Techstars Startup Week represents the largest Startup Week in history compared to seven to 20 events in previous years.
More than a dozen subject tracks will cover topics like team and workforce development, arts and culture, health tech and wellness, cyber security, fashion and funding.
Domi Executive Director Robert Blackledge said it’s all about building momentum, helping the startup community grow and highlighting businesses and ideas circulating the capital city.
“What that’s doing is it’s not just highlighting the incredible innovation that’s here in our community and the region, it’s also putting us in a national spotlight,” Blackledge said, adding events are placed on a global entrepreneurial calendar.
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Startup Week Tallahassee is now in its eighth year. Most events are in person, however some virtual events are planned. Registration is encourages for most events.
Some keynote speakers include Keith Bowers, who heads the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, Jimmy Fasig, a partner at Fasig | Brooks Law Offices; Ed Mansouri, CEO at WeatherSTEM, Ana Melendez, CEO of A&E Wholesale and former NBA Basketball Player and Florida State standout Charlie Ward.
State of Tallahassee Startups
Tallahassee is well positioned to make significant strides in the startup community since it's home to local universities and Tallahassee Community College, all teeming with research and ideas that could be the next big thing.
In addition, Tallahassee is a government city, where an endless stream of power and influence rotates in and out of the city.
However, based on those factors, Tallahassee's startup scene should be further along.
When asked the state of Tallahassee's startup community, Blackledge said, "Here's the raw truth of it."
"We're about five to 10 years behind anywhere else in the country," he said. "Any secondary market is probably ahead of us. But, they're doing more with less. With Tallahassee, we have so much here that with just a little bit of the right guidance, magic, the connectivity, the collaborations that could happen ... you're starting to see them."
Another issue: some Tallahassee-based startups are doing business outside of the city and their progress and growth falls under the radar.
Blackledge said entrepreneurs and others across the state and nation come to Tallahassee at some point. They, he said, represent the flow of culture, community and collaboration from around the world.
"With that, that has inspired a lot of companies to put their headquarters right here or have a footprint right here in this ecosystem," he said. "They just don't necessarily do business in their backyard."
He said Startup Week Tallahassee helps to shine a light on what's taking place in and outside of the local startup ecosystem.
It's hard to pinpoint the number of startups based in Tallahassee, which could be anywhere from several hundred to nearly 1,000, Blackledge said.
►A roll call of Tallahassee-based tech companies
However, Domi's programming and impact may offer some sense of Tallahassee's startup energy. Domi and its participating businesses have created $73.8 million economic impact and 660 jobs in 2020.
In an effort to attract more potential entrepreneurs, Domi is offering a scholarship for its Incubation Scholarship Application. The deadline to apply is Sunday, Nov. 20th by 11:59 p.m. The application can be found here.
For more details on the schedule of event, visit www.domistation.org/tlhstartupweek
Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Startup Week Tallahassee rolls out historic number of events
