For those looking to break into Tampa Bay's very own startup ecosystem, there are many different organizations and communities to choose from. Whether someone is looking for workshops, educational events, or a monthly meetup to geek out over something you’re passionate about, there is a group for you.
Below are lists of both prominent event holders and organizations in the Tampa Bay startup market and free meetup groups that offer networking events. You’ll find a brief description of the group and the events and workshops they have to offer.
Self Made Sisters USA About: "Self Made Sisters USA (formerly Startup Sisters USA) celebrates and connects women startup founders and business owners through events and education. Attend our power sessions, webinars, socials, workshops, and self-care events to elevate your entrepreneurship." Events: Self Made Sisters USA hosts several meet ups each month focused on networking, promoting self care and engaging conversations about life at a startup. From book clubs to webinars, check out their event schedule here.
Startup Xchange About: "As a spin-off of the Tampa Bay Innovation Center’s Tech Accelerator program, we will begin hosting a weekly session open to any founders that are creating or growing a B2B technology start-up in the Tampa Bay region. The focus of these sessions is to help founders get a better grasp of product discovery and go-to-market strategies, so they have a better chance of establishing early and sustainable traction with their product." Events: Informal Ask-Me-Anything formatted events will take place every Thursday from 2:30pm-4:00pm. Learn more here.
Suncoast Developers Guild About: "The Suncoast Developers Guild is a community representing a number of developer organizations in the greater Tampa Bay area." Events: Suncoast developers Guild hosts weekly online events and courses focused on software, programming and design. Learn more about Suncoast Developers Guild here.
Tampa Bay Tech Career Advice Forum About: "This is a group for anyone interested in improving their tech career or starting a tech career. All skill levels are welcome. We started this group because we are IT professionals dedicated to enhancing our careers through continued training and development of both our hard skills and our soft skills." Events: These events are designed to enhance your current IT career so Tampa can grow and develop together. Learn more here.
Tampa Bay Wave About: "Founded in 2008, Tampa Bay WaVE, Inc. is a ‘by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs’ 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping entrepreneurs turn ideas into growing tech businesses in Tampa Bay. Today we support over 150 tech startups and over 250 entrepreneurs and other crazy talented techies that call Tampa Bay home." Events: Tampa Bay Wave has made the switch to digital events and is offering free webinars for all types of entrepreneurs. Request to join and learn more here.
Tampa Tech and Beer About: "We are a community of tech professionals and enthusiasts that are inspired and passionate about technology in all forms and applications. We are focused on connecting the Tampa tech community through the simplest form of communication…a conversation." Events: Tampa Tech and Beer hosts monthly networking focused events to connect their members that are interested in tech. Learn more about their events here.
Thinkful Tampa | Careers in tech About: "Thinkful is building the world’s next workforce in Tampa with skills and an outcomes-based approach to learning. Students succeed with one-on-one mentorship from industry experts, career coaching and an online platform that allows for structured and flexible study schedules. Thinkful’s ever-growing stable of programs includes software engineering, data science, data analytics, product management, and UX/UI design." Events: Thankful Tampa offers free workshops, tech talks, happy hours and info sessions that focus on helping individuals start their careers. In addition to their events, Thinkful Tampa also offers courses in software engineering, data science, data analytics, UX/UI design, product management and technical project management.
Women Who Code About: Women Who Code is the largest and most active community of engineers dedicated to inspiring women to excel in technology careers. We envision a world where women are representative as technical executives, founders, VCs, board members, and software engineers. Our programs are designed to get you there. Events: Women who code offers free events, study groups, panel discussion, keynote speakers and lighting talks. Their mission is to help their members and attendees build their skills while building their professional portfolio.
