Embarc Collective plans to quadruple impact after winning state grant

One of Tampa’s top startup supporters plans to quadruple its efforts in the next year, thanks to a state grant.

Embarc Collective, backed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, won a $100,000 grant from the Florida Business Development Corp. on Tuesday. The grant is intended to provide training, coaching and education to entrepreneurs and equip startup talent with the necessary skills.

“There is an incredibly talented and motivated workforce in the Tampa Bay region,” Bill Habermeyer, CEO of Florida Business Development Corp., said in a statement. “We’ve seen Embarc Collective really capitalize on this and develop the skilled professionals here into a force that’s attracting some of the technology industry’s most exciting and promising ventures, and we’re excited to further our partnership with them so they can accelerate this important work.”

The hub has over 100 startups in its repertoire; with the grant, it plans to grow to 400 individuals in the next 12 months, according to CEO Lakshmi Shenoy.

“We are grateful and invigorated that FBDC is helping us with the continuous challenge of training entrepreneurial talent while on the job through function-specific programming and peer learning,” Shenoy said in a statement. “Their initial grants empowered us tremendously in our efforts to develop the startup talent that is critical to our region’s prosperity, and we’re excited to further these efforts through their continued support.”

In addition to the 400 individuals, Embarc Collective will use the grant to:

Since opening its physical hub in January 2020, Embarc Collective has launched several initiatives. There is the Glaring Gap report, which looks at the state of women’s entrepreneurship and investment in Florida. The group also recently launched a tech recruitment supergroup and a “freelance talent directory,” which showcases professionals with a focus on startups in the region in a free database.