Tampa Bay's tech scene has culminated each year at the Synapse Summit since 2018. It's time to do it all again.
The daylong event is set for Feb. 28 at Amalie Arena. Throughout the day, there will be seminars on various topics, from the investing side to the founder side. And, of course, the after-party starts at 5:30 p.m. on the rooftop of Amalie Arena when the day concludes.
The Innovation Awards showcase is at 11 a.m., and the finalists of the Synapse Innovation Challenge in partnership with Tampa General Hospital will also present their pitches.
A speed networking session will commence at noon and break out for about an hour. A gathering of Black tech founders and innovators will also begin at 11 a.m. and will be led by three speakers: Ebony Vaz, the founder of Black Innovation Leaders of Florida and CEO of Above Promotions; Rose LeJiste, the CEO of RL Engineering and Tech Solutions; and Cherise Wilks, a board member of Black Innovation Leaders of Florida.
There will also be separate, daily events focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the week.
Across more than 150 exhibitors and dozens of keynote speakers, here's a curated picture of the sessions at the coming event. Details of the agenda can be found online.
Keynote speakers
- 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Shirl Penney, CEO of St. Petersburg consulting firm Dynasty Financial Partners, will speak about overcoming adverse situations and tackling the world of wealth management, highlighting the strategic growth and scaling of his firm. He'll also share why he decided to move his firm — which manages $90 billion in assets — from New York City to St. Petersburg.
- 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. - Lauren Weiner, the founder and CRO of contracting firm WWC Global, will talk about being acquired by Command Holdings in 2022 and the lessons from her leadership experiences.
Emerging technologies
- 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. - Thomas Stanton, a partner at New York law firm Bochner PLLC, will talk about changing your business's practices with artificial intelligence technology.
- 11:45 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. - Trevor Clark, the founder and CEO of Tampa-based consulting startup Shytoff, will discuss how companies can adapt to workforce demands, including remote teams, using artificial intelligence technologies.
- Noon to 12:45 p.m. - Aaron Burnett, the founder and CEO of aerospace investment firm Spaced Ventures, will talk with Preston Dunlap, the CIO of Arkenstone Ventures, and Ryan Duffy, head of business development at Austin, Texas-based Array Labs, about the future of the space economy.
- Noon to 12:45 p.m. - Michael Weimer, the director of the University of South Florida's Fintech Center, will discuss fintech solutions and services.
- 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. - Several high-profile defense leaders will cover innovation and technologies in the defense and government contracting sphere.
- 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. - Teresa Grandal, the founder and CEO of Chicago-based Grant-ify LLC, will talk about the future of climate tech and how the South Florida Climate Resilience hub is evolving.
Capital and investing
- 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. - Paul Lopez, a co-founder of Atlanta-based 11-11 Ventures, and Kathy Chiu, a managing partner at Orlando-based DeepWork Capital, will discuss the state of and benefits of investing in the economic "renaissance" of the Southeast.
- 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Kelly Reeser, the managing director of Florida's TechFarms Capital, and Veronique Zayas, the founder of HatchMark Studio, will talk about how to land an investment and stand out to investors.
- 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. - Jordan Walker, the co-founder of Kissimmee-founded startup Backtrack, will walk through raising capital, exiting and being an entrepreneur.
Improving your company practices
- 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. - Michael Falato, the CEO and founder of Orlando advertising firm Full Throttle Falato Leads, will talk about how to maximize sales efficiency.
- 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. - Pam Miniati, the co-executive director of the Tampa-based Florida-Israel Business Accelerator, will talk about how to provide a strong experience for your customer.
- 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. - Candace Williams, an associate director at Raytheon, will talk about how to prepare your business with cybersecurity protocols.
Synapse is a sponsor of the Tampa Bay Inno newsletter.
