Honored to be a member of the @Speros_Florida FORGE (Florida Oncology and Radiopharmaceutical Growth Engine) coalition that received the 2026 Most Significant Innovation Award during the Annual Awards Celebration at @BioFlorida's Annual Innovation Conference in Orlando last week. Lawrence Range II, CPA, MBA, CHFP, Business Development Director at Speros, and Jay Lebsack, Vice President of Clinical Research Operations at Moffitt Cancer Center, accepted the award on behalf of the team. A BIG shout out to Josh Carpenter, President at Speros and Chief Integration Officer at Moffitt, and Hannah Mae Merten, Chief of Staff and Executive Director of Strategy at Speros, and the entire team at Speros for their efforts to unite a group of leading Tampa Bay institutions -- @MoffittNews and @Speros_Florida, @EmbarcCollectiv, the @USouthFlorida, and Pasco-Hernando State College. The goal is “… to build an end-to-end radiopharmaceutical ecosystem on the massive $1.5 billion, 775-acre Speros campus in Pasco Countyr, along with imaging technologist training at PHSC and nuclear pharmacy opportunities at USF. The effort is expected to generate 4,000 jobs and $2.6 billion in statewide economic impact over the next decade” and establish the Tampa Bay region as a preeminent life sciences and healthcare hub for next-generation modalities that deliver best-in-class precision medicine. Longer-term, the coalition plans to recruit top early-stage precision medicine companies across different modalities to FORGE and help them move from drug discovery through production and clinical use to full-scale launch and growth at Speros. For more information about the coalition, check out @anjelicamrubin's article earlier this summer in the @TBBJnewsroom here: bizjournals.com/.../embarc-s…. “FORGE represents a transformational opportunity to position the Tampa Bay region at the forefront of one of the most promising advances in cancer care,” Speros President and Moffitt Chief Integration Officer Josh Carpenter said. “By bringing together these regional partners, we are building the talent, infrastructure and innovation ecosystem needed to accelerate next-generation radiopharmaceutical therapies. For more info about Embarc Collective or to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL

Congratulations to @EmbarcCollectiv member-company @CopeNotes®, founded and led by Johnny Crowder, CRPS, CEO. Cope Notes was one of four tech companies to be named winners of the Catalyst 2026 Innovator Award from the @CTIA @WirelessFdn and @TMobile. Catalyst is a competitive grants program for social entrepreneurs using wireless technology to deliver solutions to the challenges impacting American communities. “CTIA Wireless Foundation’s Catalyst program highlights exceptional entrepreneurs who are demonstrating what’s possible when we leverage wireless innovation and American ingenuity,” said Ajit Pai, President of CTIA Wireless Foundation and President & CEO of CTIA. “We are excited to celebrate the Catalyst 2026 winners, a group of dynamic innovators using mobile-first solutions to improve access to workforce training and development, healthcare, and counseling in their communities.” The first-place grant of $100,000 was awarded to Austin-based FreeWorld, an app that trains and places formerly incarcerated individuals into jobs in the trucking industry, helping to ease unemployment and driver shortages. San Francisco-based Oben Health, an app that trains barbers and hairstylists as certified Community Health Workers to screen clients for hypertension and connect them with ongoing care, was awarded the second-place grant of $50,000, and Empower Work, an SMS and RCS platform that provides peer counseling to vulnerable and low-income workers struggling in the workplace, and Tampa-based Cope Notes® were awarded third-place grants of $25,000 each. For more information about the CTIA Wireless Foundation Catalyst 2026 Award Winners, visit wirelessfoundation.org/news/…. Cope Notes® uses daily text messages that combine peer support, positive psychology, and digital journaling to send positive thoughts and affirmations, enabling subscribers to combat depression and anxiety and help improve mental and emotional health. As a suicide/abuse survivor, Johnny Crowder spent his formative years searching for resources to help him cope with his mental health conditions, ranging from OCD and bipolar disorder to schizophrenia. After studying psychology at the @UCF and volunteering with NAMI, Johnny wanted to combine the neuroscience principles he learned about in school with the power of peer support that changed his life in treatment. In 2017, he began sending unsolicited psychology facts, journaling prompts, and exercises to friends via text message. The response was so positive that he opened it up to the public, and the rest is history. For more information about Cope Notes, visit copenotes.com/. For more info about Embarc Collective or to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL

It's an honor for @EmbarcCollectiv to be included as one of the featured organizations in the @TBBJnewsroom's 2026 One Tampa Bay recognition program honoring "... standout local nonprofit organizations and corporate philanthropy leaders" across the Tampa Bay region. A big shout out to the Embarc Collective team, our coaches and mentors, our board members, and the corporate, university, and investor partners across the region that provide the continuing support needed to serve and support our community Florida-based early- and growth-stage tech companies. For the full list of featured organizations, visit bizjournals.com/tampabay/new…. Congratulations to all of the organizations named to the 2026 One Tampa Bay list, as well as the companies and leaders who support and strengthen the region through philanthropy, volunteerism and civic engagement. Embarc Collective, a 501c3 not-for-profit and Florida’s largest and fastest growing startup hub, provides founders curated programming, on-demand coaching and mentorship, access to tech and tech-enabled talent, connectivity to corporates, universities, and investors, workspace, assigned offices, conference rooms and event space in our 32,000 sq ft hub in downtown Tampa, and engagement with a peer community of 300+ founders and founding team members that lead 150+ Florida-based early-stage tech startups and growth-stage companies in sixty sectors, including healthcare and life sciences, medical devices and robotics, cybersecurity and data analytics, AI and frontier tech, fintech and legaltech, edtech, renewable energy and climate tech, and defense and national security, among others. Member-companies have created 1,400+ Florida-based tech jobs, driving $100+M annually in direct economic returns to the state, and have raised more than $800M in funding, including $130M in seed, venture, and growth equity funding invested in Florida-based startups in 2025. For more info about Embarc Collective or to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL

At a moment when companies are actively reassessing where they build and grow, Florida isn't simply attracting growth. Florida is building its future intentionally, creating the kind of market where companies choose to come and choose to stay. According to the @FLChamber of Commerce, Florida's $1.87 billion GDP ranks Florida as the 14th largest global economy after surpassing Australia and Mexico, and the state's 70% growth over the past seven years ranks Florida as "... the fastest growing economy in the world." But that's just a small example of one of the largest and most impressive economies in the world. Florida leads the nation in several other key economic categories as well. 👉 No. 1 for New Business Start-Ups 👉 No. 5 for the volume of venture transactions and #7 for total venture funding raised 👉 Top 3 State for Business 👉 No. 1 Economy in the Country 👉 No. 1 Higher Education System (for 10 consecutive years) 👉 No. 1 State for Manufacturing Job Growth 👉 No. 1 State for Net Income Migration 👉 No. 1 State for New Business Migrations 👉 No. 1 State for Black-owned businesses 👉 No. 2 State for Hispanic- and women-owned businesses Here on the Suncoast, Tampa Bay is home to one of the top startup, technology and business hubs in the nation. 👉 No. 1 Emerging Tech City in the Nation 👉 No. 1 Best Place for International Businesses in the Nation 👉 Top 10 U.S. Market for Tech Talent Growth and "Brain Gain" 👉 No. 8 Best Place in the U.S. to Start a Career 👉 No. 4 Best Place in the U.S. for Veterans to Live 👉 Top 30 U.S. Market for Manufacturing Employment 👉 No. 8 Fastest Growing City in the Nation A BIG shout out to Embarc Collective's new Vice President of Platform and Member Engagement Jeremy Fritzhand for sharing the data insights that he learned as he familiarized himself with the state of Florida's startup, innovation, and venture economy. Check out the economics page that he created here, map.embarccollective.com/eco…, and access the full map that he created here: map.embarccollective.com/. For more info about @EmbarcCollectiv or to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL

@EmbarcCollectiv Board Chair and Founder Circle Member @brianmurphyRQ, founder and CEO of @ReliaQuest, shares his thoughts on Florida's efforts to to construct its future intentionally, creating the kind of market where companies, including early-stage tech companies, choose to come and choose to stay. @AmbitionAccel is Florida’s answer. Led by The @FloridaC100 and its Foundation, Ambition Accelerated is a statewide platform that aligns Florida’s regional strengths into a unified system for innovation and startups - connecting early- and growth-stage founders in healthcare and life sciences, fintech, resilience and climate tech, and defense and national security directly to real market demand, enterprise partners, customers, and capital in a first-of-its-kind program to catalyze and advance the startup and venture ecosystem across the state of Florida. For more information or to apply to participate in one of the four platform tracks, visit ambitionaccelerated.com/. As the Statewide Platform Partner for Ambition Accelerated, Embarc Collective is working with Platform Partners @eMergeAmericas, Related Ross and @babcockranchfl to support founders across each Platform Track through coaching and programming, while also anchoring the Tampa Bay HealthTech Program with support from @TGHCares, the Tampa Medical & Research District and @_GuideWell. This is a HUGE opportunity for top early-stage companies from Florida and across the nation to participate in a program that provides access to a comprehensive platform of programming, community, resources and connectivity to more than 75 CEO's of some of Florida's leading companies. Designed to give early-stage tech founders every possible advantage, AMBITION ACCELERATED will enable founders in healthcare and life sciences, fintech, resilience and climate tech, and defense and national security to build and scale their companies in a market ranked #1 for business climate, #1 for higher education for 11 consecutive years, #1 for new business startups, #5 for venture funding transactions, and #7 for total funding raised. Companies that are selected for the program will receive free one-year memberships to Embarc Collective and gain continuing access to startup resources and coaching; connectivity to corporates and investors; access to university resources, including talent and IP portfolios, matching grants for research, and SBIR/STTR guidance; and engagement with a peer community of more than 300 founders and cofounders of 150 Florida-based early-stage startups and growth-stage companies in more than 60 sectors, including healthcare and life sciences, fintech, resilience and climate tech, and defense and national security. For more information about Embarc Collective or to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL

Congratulations to Alex Callihan, who was named Chief Technology Officer at Tampa-based @KnowBe4, a global power and pioneer of digital workforce security, securing both AI agents and humans. Alex has been a member of @EmbarcCollectiv's talented coaching team for the past four years, working with dozens of founders in Embarc Collective's peer community of 145+ early-stage tech startups as a Platform Engineering Strategist. Alex has over 15 years of experience in software engineering, driving product innovation, including almost ten years at KnowBe4. Reporting directly to @BryanJPalma, President & CEO of @KnowBe4, he will partner with the product management, customer success and marketing organizations to exponentially increase the velocity of product innovation for securing AI agents and humans. For more information about Alex's promotion to CTO at KnowBe4, visit knowbe4.com/press/knowbe4-ap…. For more info about Embarc Collective and to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL

More than 1,200 graduate and undergraduate students applied for internships at @EmbarcCollectiv this summer. Meet @EmbarcCollectiv's Summer 2026 Genspiration Foundation Internship cohort. They include: 💠Anenka Colan-Rojas (USF 26 BBA Economics), Sales, Threshold 360 💠Dayne Guy (USF 27 MS Computer Engineering), AI Engineering, BiaTech Corporation 💠Jazlynn Hirschhorn (USF 27 MBA), Digital Marketing, CaresLink 💠Alianah Camacho Joya (USF 26 BS Digital Marketing & Analytics), Digital Sales & Marketing, Threshold 360 💠Grace Kelly (USF 27 BA Economics & Pre-Law), Sales, Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship 💠Mustafa Mannan (USF 27 MS Computer Science), AI Engineering, Trustate 💠Keisha Martinez (USF 26 BBA Marketing), Social Media & Content, IYA 💠Mel Mello (USF 27 BS Biomedical Sciences), Marketing & Sales, ryco.io 💠Jake N. (USF 27 BASc Information Technology), Operations & Platform Management, Soteria 360 💠Minh Ha Pham (USF 26 BS Business Analytics & Information Systems), Data Integration & Business Intelligence, Esencia Property Maintenance, Inc 5000 Company 💠Ayush Pramanik (USF 28 Computer Science), AI Engineering, Clarky AI 💠Kautilya Veer (USF 28 BS Computer Science & Astronomy), Data & AI Engineering, Stablein Solutions For more info about our Genspiration Internship Program, visit embarccollective.com/resourc…. Developing and nurturing talent is crucial not only for Embarc Collective's community of 145+ Florida-based early-stage tech companies but for the startup and innovation ecosystem in Tampa Bay and across the state of Florida. As Florida's largest tech startup hub and one of the fastest-growing hubs in the country, we understand that our region’s momentum depends on creating stronger connections between students, founders, universities, and ecosystem partners, ensuring tech talent can circulate between venture opportunities in ways that create density in the network and produce real pathways for talent to capitalize on opportunities to build high-growth startup careers. Last fall, we expanded our partnership with the Genspiration Foundation – the family foundation of USF President Emerita Dr. Judy Genshaft. The $175,000 grant marked an important milestone for Embarc's efforts to provide top talent from the @USouthFlorida and FUSE Program schools with hands-on, immersive learning opportunities with early-stage tech startups through year-around paid internships. Unlike traditional internship programs in which students are left “on their own,” we wrap startup programming and coaching and mentorship around the internship assignment to enhance the learning experience for students in ways that prepare the next generation of entrepreneurial talent within our community. For more info about our talent efforts, visit embarccollective.com/resourc… For more info about Embarc Collective and to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/explore…. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL @TB_Times @FloridaTrend @TBBJnewsroom @TampaBayInno @FloridaC100 @FLChamber @TampaEDC @TBBWMagazine

A BIG thank you to @KenBabby, CEO of the @RaysBaseball and a member of the majority ownership group, who shared the stage this morning with @JAughey_TBSC, Senior Vice President of Sports Tourism at the @SportsTampaBay, in a fireside chat as part of @EmbarcCollectiv's quarterly Builder Series Program. For a recap of Ken's fireside chat with Jason, visit embarccollective.com/resourc…. Drawing on his experience in professional sports ownership and leadership, Babby shared lessons on building enduring organizations, creating cultures of accountability, and balancing immediate operational priorities with ambitious long-term goals. For founders navigating their own growth journeys, the message resonated: build with the future in mind, but never lose sight of the fundamentals. Long-term success is achieved through thousands of small decisions, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a team aligned around a shared vision. Ken began his career with The @washingtonpost as an intern before working his way up to Chief Revenue Officer, where he oversaw $500 million in annual advertising revenue and led the company’s transition into the digital era. After leaving The Washington Post, Ken developed a successful track in in professional sports, having owned minor-league teams in Akron, Ohio (the @AkronRubberDuck) and Jacksonville (the @JaxShrimp Baseball Club) before joining forces last fall with Patrick Z Zalupski, founder and CEO at @Dream_Finders Homes and Bill Cosgrove, CEO of @UnionHomeMtg, to purchase the Tampa Bay Rays from Stuart Sternberg. The Builder Series by Embarc Collective is a quarterly educational program that provides unparalleled access to business icons and thought leaders in Tampa Bay and across the state of Florida — each sharing the innovative leadership lessons and frameworks that led them to success in their respective careers. Join us for our Q3 2026 Builder Series for an impactful fireside chat with Dr. Moez Limayem (@USF_Pres), President of the @USouthFlorida. The event will be held on Wednesday, September 9, at 8:30 AM ET in the @ReliaQuest Auditorium at Embarc Collective. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information! For more information about Embarc Collective or to explore membership, visit embarccollective.com/. #EcosystemBuilders #Startups #Founders #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Innovation #Technology #StartupTB #StartupFL @TB_Times @TBBJnewsroom @TampaBayInno @MLB @TampaEDC @TB_Chamber

@EmbarcCollectiv's 2026 Foundations Series Program, an expert-driven, 12-week curricular program designed for tech founders that are ready to move from ideation stage to pre-launch MVP development stage, wrapped up this week with a closing ceremony and reception in the @ReliaQuest Auditorium to celebrate the success. Meet the early-stage tech startups that completed the program and the founders that lead them. 💠AI Construction Project Intelligence Platform (Marie-Ella Hendricks), an AI-powered project intelligence platform and unified decision-support layer for general contractors. 💠AIroraSense (Jeffrey Sullivan), an AI-assisted verification platform focused on electric distribution infrastructure that validates completed work against engineering, construction, billing, and mapping expectations, generating objective, audit-ready verification. 💠Blue Zone Therapeutics (Aurélie Joly-Amado, PhD), an biotech platform dedicated to breakthrough treatments and gene therapies for age-related diseases in companion animals. 💠DAGR Group LLC (Boris Levin and Hlib Samsoniuk), an AI-driven narrative intelligence and decision-support platform that detects early-stage information threats across open-source environments. 💠DayOnes Live (Eric Bush), an interactive fan engagement platform and mobile app that allows artists, athletes, and venues to connect directly with their audiences during live events. 💠HealX (Samuel Peillon, PT, DPT, CSCS), an AI-powered telehealth platform that delivers comprehensive musculoskeletal evaluations and PT treatment plans, democratizing access to expert physical therapy care. 💠OrgConnect (Jordan Socarras), an all-in-one operating platform for membership organizations, starting with fraternities. 💠OutTheDoor.Auto (Frank Nunez), a fintech automotive marketplace that provides car buyers with accurate "out-the-door" (OTD) price estimates that guides car buyers through the car buying experience. 💠SortIQ™ by Smart Edge Technologies (Christina Dills), an AI-powered textile sorting solution that uses Meta Ray-Ban glasses for hands-free garment ID, grading, and routing. 💠TASKOD (Henry Castillo), a tech-enabled marketplace for home services that allows clients to post home service jobs, securely fund projects, and release payment after work is approved. 💠Timegility (Vanessa Saunders), an AI-enabled time strategy and workflow platform. 💠Vitals AI (Jack Csenge, CFP®), an AI-driven platform that helps financial advisors identify bottlenecks and automates practice reporting, help maintain advisor data with a 2-way sync functionality. A BIG shout out to Anna Warnke for leading the program! For more info about the Program, visit embarccollective.notion.site…. For more info about Embarc Collective, visit embarccollective.com/. #Startups #HighGrowth #VentureCapital #Founders #Technology #Innovation #EcosystemBuilders #StartupTB #StartupFL