Unique Program Serves Aspiring Entrepreneurs in the Arts, Creative Industries, Healthcare and Technology
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — (Aug. 3, 2017) — TEC Garage, developed by Tampa Bay Innovation Center to support entrepreneurial success, has added an integrated focus to its CO.STARTERS series. Joining with Creative Pinellas, TEC Garage has tailored this series of the nationally renowned business development platform specifically for aspiring entrepreneurs in the arts and creative industries as well as in healthcare and technology. The nine-week program will begin Sept. 5, 2017.
“Scholarships from Creative Pinellas will fund the program for artists, art organizations and arts-related startups; providing a unique approach to the integration of the arts with entrepreneurship,” says Tonya Elmore, CEO of Tampa Bay Innovation Center. “We are extremely pleased that our partnership with Creative Pinellas allows us to open CO.STARTERS to a new audience, in addition to the healthcare and technology entrepreneurs we will continue to serve.”
Starting Sept. 5, CO.STARTERS will be held on Tuesdays for nine weeks, from 6-9 p.m. at TEC Garage, 244 2nd Ave. North, St. Petersburg 33701. The program is facilitated by Chris Paradies, president of Paradies Law, P.A. Guest speakers include JJ Roberts, director of TEC Garage and other business professionals from the Tampa Bay area.
The full cost of the program (without a scholarship) is $275. Participants will receive two months of free coworking space in TEC Garage upon graduation – a $150 value. For information, contact 727-547-7340.
CO.STARTERS is a unique entrepreneurial program that equips aspiring entrepreneurs with the practical insights, relationships and tools needed to turn their business ideas into action. Unlike traditional platforms, CO.STARTERS applies the lean business modeling methods popular among high-growth startups to businesses of all kinds.
CO.STARTERS originated with The Company Lab, a Chattanooga, Tenn. organization that offers programs and events to support local startups and innovators, acting as a catalyst for a healthy entrepreneurial community. The CO.STARTERS model has been tested for years with thousands of local creative entrepreneurs in Chattanooga, Cincinnati and Detroit, and is now available to help other startup communities across the nation.
About Creative Pinellas
At Creative Pinellas our mission is to facilitate a vibrant, integrated, collaborative and
sustainable Pinellas County Arts Community. We strive to be the premier Local Arts Agency, recognized locally and globally for our contribution to arts and culture. We are focused on creating vibrant communities; supporting artists, arts organizations and the creative community; supporting economic development; showcasing Pinellas County as a cultural destination; and making arts and creative expression and experience available to all. As the County’s Local Arts Agency, Creative Pinellas is funded by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, Visit St Petersburg / Clearwater, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and by sales of the State of the Arts specialty license plate in Pinellas County.
About TEC Garage:
The Technology and Entrepreneurship Center (TEC Garage) provides entrepreneurs with the tools needed to turn an idea into a business or take the business to the next level. TEC Garage was created through a collaborative partnership with Pinellas County, the St. Petersburg community and the State of Florida. The TEC Garage incubator with its coworking space in downtown St. Petersburg is the Tampa Bay Innovation Center’s newest concept to accelerate entrepreneurial success. Follow TEC Garage on Twitter, https://twitter.com/TECGarageStP, and on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/TECGarageStP.
About Tampa Bay Innovation Center:
Tampa Bay Innovation Center supports entrepreneurial success, fosters the creation of high-tech jobs and develops new sources of technology and manufacturing capabilities by nurturing early stage ventures as they grow and launch their products into the marketplace. Through its TEC Garage, the Innovation Center offers programs that are tailored to the innovator/entrepreneur and address business intelligence, planning and business formation, strategy execution and technology transition.Follow Tampa Bay Innovation Center on Twitter, www.twitter.com/tbinnovates, and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/tbinnovationcenter.