Blog

Host Alison Barlow sits down with Dr. Kanika Tomalin, President and CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and a visionary leader who helped found the St. Petersburg Innovation District.

Celebrating 10 Years of the St. Pete Innovation District

ARK will share more success and an update as to what’s coming next at their Open House on Wednesday, November 19th.

A big congratulations to the ARK Innovation Center for its continued momentum and for welcoming its newest tenant, the USF Institute of Applied Engineering (IAE)

The Maritime and Defense Technology Hub had the privilege of holding the reception for the Underwater Minerals Conference (UMC)

We're surrounded by a constant flow of data — from the weather forecast and traffic patterns to community health statistics and economic trends — each shaping the decisions we make every day, often without even realizing it

Seagate Space has been accepted into the inaugural BlueTech|X Accelerator 2025 by Tampa Bay Wave

Kudos to the USFSP College of Education on the grand opening of the Emerging Technology Lab, part of Dr. Rosengrant’s Virtual STEM Research Lab

The St. Pete Innovation District is bringing back its podcast—and with it, a fresh wave of stories from the heart of St. Petersburg’s innovation ecosystem

Come join us for an exciting event where tech enthusiasts gather to share knowledge, network, and have fun!

Exhibitor registration is officially open for the 2026 St. Petersburg Science Festival!

Last month’s Tech X-Change at the ARK Innovation Center was buzzing, thanks to Archer Key, one of the growing companies based at ARK. The event drew a strong crowd of curious minds eager to hear how Archer Key helps startups and small teams scale like pros.

Last month, the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub kicked off the school year with a lively Retro Back-to-School themed Happy Hour. Tenants brought their families, and the space was filled with throwback snacks, classic laser backdrop photo ops, and plenty of nostalgic fun.

Electric air vehicles may sound futuristic, but for St. Pete, they’re already on the radar. The Advanced Air Mobility Taskforce, chaired by Ed Montanari, is bringing together engineers, business leaders, pilots, and innovators to explore how these vehicles could take flight in and around the city.

Once again, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital has been named Florida’s No. 1 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. Other nationally ranked specialties include diabetes and endocrinology at No. 17 and neurology and neurosurgery at No. 22.

Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay's 3DE initiative connects high school students with local and national businesses, giving them hands-on experience in problem-solving.

October always feels like conference season — a time when professionals from around the world gather to exchange ideas, explore emerging trends, and strengthen collaborations. Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending and speaking at the OCEANS 2025 Conference in Chicago, a global gathering for those advancing ocean science and maritime technology.

Port Security Conference – November 4 and Underwater Minerals Conference – November 9 - 14

Thank you to all the ARK Innovation Center and Maritime & Defense Tech Hub tenants who joined us for Rowdies Networking Night with the Chamber! It was one of our first social events together and it rocked. We loved connecting outside the office and cheering on the team from the Bayshore Lounge.

Lonestar Data Holdings, based in St. Petersburg, is still going strong after its launch to the Moon in February. Since then, the company has joined a $120 million partnership with Sidus Space and opened a new office in Austin, Texas. Keep following Lonestar’s success as they’ve got big plans in store for 2027.

The innovative ideas are flowing at our Tech X-Changes. Dr. Marcus Beck presented great material on tbeptools, an open-source software program built to visualize data used by TBEP. Visit the tbeptools page for more information.

We rely on hurricane categories to gauge risk, but what if the scale is leaving out the biggest dangers? Jennifer Collins, a hurricane researcher and professor in USF’s School of Geosciences, coauthored a new research paper proposing a more comprehensive approach.

The Poynter Institute has kicked off the fifteenth year of its Write Field Program, an inspiring initiative that teaches middle school students how to become stronger writers and communicators under the guidance of professional journalists.

We’re deep into drafting the Tampa Bay Ocean Strategy, a bold blueprint to spotlight our rising ocean economy and the region’s strategic edge. With a clear, unified message, we’re positioning Tampa Bay to attract national attention and future investment.