Beyond companies relocating from the coasts, a new infusion of talent has entered the Tampa Bay region: founders and executives from Silicon Valley giants including Instagram, Snapchat, Wag! and HelloFresh.
Beyond giving the region a bit more notoriety, the executives can also help the region in terms of mentoring and could even serve as potential advisors or investors for the earlier stage startup group.
Each of the executives interviewed all found connections within Tampa Bay through Embarc Collective's tech transfer group, which meets quarterly for those who have worked in the tech industry and relocated from major hubs, including New York and Silicon Valley.
Get to know some of your new neighbors below.
Daniel Treiman, helped launch direct-to-consumer meal kit HelloFresh
Moved: January 2020, from Manhattan
Why: Treiman originally grew up in Sarasota and then came across an article Allie Felix, VP of engagement at Embarc Collective, posted on Medium about why people should move back to the Tampa Bay region. "After reading that, we had a call, and she did a good job convincing us." He then saw a job to help launch the Tampa Bay branch of pizza delivery app "Slice," which he took. "So, Tampa was on the radar after talking to Allie and then seeing that job pushed me to make the move."
One thing that has stuck out about Tampa Bay's tech scene: "People want to be part of the next wave of what's going on here, and that was exciting to me. I quickly met a bunch of people, and they all spoke the same language [of moving from a large metro to Tampa Bay]. There were a lot of medical things, so being in the food world is a little different. But with Water Street going on, there is a lot of food-related talks."
A Tampa Bay strength it should leverage on: "It's funny, everyone in New York is so competitive, and here everyone is a lot more collaborative. I'm finding that knowing people from all over, but being here, is great for me. And without having that pressure of everyone competing, it's a lot more about idea generation and better positivity all around, to lean on people and network and — just like this interview — to chat about those things."
The impact he's looking to make: He recently launched Well Seasoned, a direct-to-consumer product that ships pre-seasoned meats to consumers' doorsteps. He is currently looking to raise a seed round for an undisclosed amount. He also serves as an adviser to some companies and would be interested in doing so locally in the future. "It's all so interesting, and I just hope to keep the innovation going," he said, citing the annual Synapse Summit as an example. "That was really exciting, and I think a lot of us are excited to be here and make an impact."
Brendan Rogers, co-founder of dog walking app Wag!
Moved: March 2020, from Los Angeles
Why: "When I was in LA, I would always look at Zillow, looking up real estate in Sarasota and thinking, 'One day when I'm more settled,'" said Rogers, who has a sister in Sarasota. After visiting her family in March 2020, he never left. "But I definitely didn't didn't feel like I was stuck here."
One thing that has stood out about Tampa Bay's tech scene: "I was impressed right off the bat. I've met engineers and founders that are very passionate and driven, and I've felt like I was back in Palo Alto and LA when I spoke with some of the founders in Tampa Bay."
One thing the region can do to become stronger: "One thing Silicon Valley does is move very, very fast. If they can keep up with the same cadence of hiring, iterating on your product or service, raising capital quickly, just the pace Silicon Valley operates is highly effective and only makes the economy grow and nurture quickly. One thing Tampa could do is move fast, hire fast and raise capital fast."
The impact he's looking to make: Rogers has a fund called 2 A.M. Ventures, which focuses on early-stage startups in India. He also serves as an adviser and investor stateside. "I've networked with some great founders here, and the way I look at it, I was very fortunate to have great mentors and startups are in my blood. It's all I know, and for the rest of my life, I will give back to founders, and advise, and help them grow and scale as much as possible."
Kate Heath, former head of marketing strategy and operations at Instagram, formerly worked at Boeing and Walmart eCommerce
Moved: April 2020, from San Francisco
Why: "We go back about five generations here on my dad's side (Gibsonton was actually named after my great grandfather). I had visited Tampa for years but had never lived here. When I decided I wanted to come back to the east coast, Tampa just seemed like a fun adventure and a chance to see more of my relatives. The tech scene and growth around orgs like Embarc turned out to be icing on the cake."
How did you get involved in the Tampa Bay tech scene: "I started networking my way around the marketing and strategy community here last summer, and it was Tim Moore over at Diamond View who first asked me if I'd met Lakshmi and Allie over at Embarc yet. He kindly introduced me to them, and the three of us had our own Zoom chat in June. I was invited to participate in (the tech transplant group) later in July 2020, and I was so impressed — I thought it was very clever and proactive of her to keep track of all these folks and develop such a great concept."
The impact she's looking to make: Heath launched her own marketing and consulting firm, Worth + Will and also served as an executive advisor of brand strategy and marketing at Embarc Collective. "I just loved the concept, especially the focus on founders (versus the businesses). We're an education nonprofit for a reason, and I think that's a hugely important differentiator when you consider us in the context of other support orgs, like incubators and accelerators. I had always been an advocate for learning, development and mentoring in my corporate roles, so this opportunity seemed like a perfect fit."
Ty Blachly, former chief of staff and led product partnership at Snapchat
Moved: In December 2020, from Los Angeles
Why: Blachly was born in LA but moved to Gainesville when he was 10, eventually going to the University of Central Florida before going back to LA. "There were a number of reasons why I wanted to come back [to Florida]. Part of it was getting back closer to family, another’s just feeling like I want to purchase a home, and it didn't make sense in California. And with LA, it's a fishbowl, especially when you're working with tech, sports and entertainment. The energy started to shift when I started there versus how it ended out there."
One thing that has stuck out about Tampa Bay's tech scene: "It would've been a culture shock if I hadn’t lived here previously. I was familiar with Tampa; the only difference was the tech scene was starting to bud."
One thing for Tampa Bay to avoid doing: "I think the one thing LA did 'wrong' was scale too quickly across the board, and you find yourselves in an overcrowded city and tech scene where there are too many people for the jobs there right now. That's the only concern with the tech scene budding as it has here, especially with [the popularity of] relocating. I can see a world where it ends up happening. But I don't see it happening quite yet."
The impact he's looking to make: Blachly is the co-founder of Reel Group, a recruiting company. Due to a slight pause in hiring because of Covid, Blachly has found himself with some extra downtime and is now working as an adviser at Openly Sports, an Embarc Collective company. "I found myself with some more time on my hands, which led to me being able to lead to advisory standpoint, and I believed in the individuals. It's nice for me to jump back into the early space, which reminds me of the early days at Snapchat when you're just trying to figure out what to do each day and juggle all these plates."
