Industry heavyweights like former New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez, musician Ciara and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman believe some of the next greats can come right from Tampa Bay.
The professionals are among the Forbes Next 1000 judges panel and are spending this year identifying some of the startups to watch across the nation.
The "Forbes Next 1000" list is updated quarterly, and the newest iteration adds six Tampa Bay residents to the lineup.
The list was open to any founder who has been in business the last year, and founders could either submit their own nomination or be nominated themselves. Each startup needs to have had less than $10 million in sales and have not raised more than a Series A funding round, which is usually early on in the funding journey.
The Q3 Forbes 1000 list update includes:
- Nneka Jones, founder of Tampa-based ArtYouHungry: After leaving her home in Trinidad and Tobago to study at the University of Tampa, Jones launched her art business in 2016. She offers a variety of pieces, ranging from hand-embroidered portraits to paintings, all with a focus on social issues focus like racism and sexual abuse.
- Brad Kugler, co-founder of Clearwater-based DirectMail2.0: Kugler launched the company in 2016, which integrates clients' direct mail campaigns with digital channels. The company told Forbes it has 300 resellers and raised $1.4 million in funding.
- Linda Olson, founder of Tampa-based Tampa Bay Wave: Olson founded the nonprofit in 2008 as one of the region's first startup supporters. The group has since helped nearly 400 startups and projecting 2021 revenue to be more than $1.4 million. It was also honored in the Tampa Bay Business Journal's 2021 Best Places to Work.
- Steve Johnston, founder of Tampa-based Ideal Agent: Johnston founded the company in 2016 after seeing a need in the digital real estate market. The company that helps sellers and buyers save money during real estate transactions through a referral network of local top agents. The company recently kicked off its Series A with an eight-figure investment.
- Lauren Wright, founder of Tampa-based The Natural Nipple: Wright founded the company in 2018, which designs baby bottles that mimic a mother's breast to help prolong a newborn's natural breastfeeding period. It has since received grants from Johnson & Johnson and the National Science Foundation. In May, The Natural Nipple partnered with Tampa General Hospital on a study to see if the product can help reduce hospital costs and increase infant health outcomes.
- Johnny Crowder, founder of Tampa-based Cope Notes: Crowder launched the subscription service in 2018, which sends daily text messages to improve mental and emotional health through positive psychology. He counts more than 20,000 subscribers across the globe and has partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America. You can read more on Cope Notes here.
"Different than our 'counting' lists, such as billionaires or self-made women, which numerically chronicle those at the very top, or achievement lists like the Midas List or 30 Under 30, which reward immediate past results, the Next 1000 will seek and highlight doers on their way, overcoming any and all obstacles to get there," the list states. "These types of journeys tend to prove the most inspiring and, in finding them, we hope to elevate a new class of super-achievers."
The Tampa Bay founders chosen in the Q1 launch of the list included:
- Laura Egocheaga, founder of Tampa-based Viral Growth Media
- Mona Patel, founder of Tampa-based radXai and CareFirst Imaging
- Adriana Avakian, founder of TheIncLab, which has a satellite office in Ybor City
The Q2 update included a handful more:
- Trent Cotney, co-founder of Tampa-based Cotney Consulting Group
- Mettie Spiess, founder of New Port Richey-based AWWS Training and Consulting
- Vikas Bhatia, founder of Tampa-based JustProtect
- Christopher Vasilakis, founder of Tampa-based VR Student Housing
- Jennifer Smurr, founder of Lakeland-based Born & Bread Bakehouse
- Judah Longgrear, co-founder of Tampa-based Nickelytics
- Brian Kornfeld, co-founder of Synapse Florida
Judges for the list included those mentioned above, plus Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson, Cowboy Ventures founder Aileen Lee, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, National Geographic Society Chairman Jean Case, Morgan Stanley Vice Chairman Carla Harris, restaurateur Ayesha Curry and late-night host Lilly Singh.
You can see the full list here.
