Blog

Kudos to the Tampa Bay Innovation Center for its recent additions. Nine bay area tech startups are part of the Fall 2024 cohort

The last couple of months have been challenging - physically, emotionally and mentally. Small moments of normalcy like celebrating Halloween are strange and welcome - at the same time.

COMIT is a five-year, $9 million cooperative agreement with NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey.

FHSP, whose mission is to advance racially equitable health outcomes in South St. Petersburg, is collaborating with Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital to empower local nonprofits.

In July of 2024, researchers at FIO gained access to a sophisticated remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Taurus. ROVs have led to exciting discoveries in the deep-sea environment.

Florida has one of the longest coastlines in the U.S.—second only to Alaska.

GDX Development, Virtru, Saildrone and Lonestar Lunar updates.

Creating meaningful opportunities for data/technology startups to develop novel solutions in areas such as hazard mitigation, water-based renewable energy, pollution.

The 2024 Small Business Survey has been launched with support from the JPMorgan Chase and Pinellas Community Foundation's Diverse Ventures program.

The Innovation District master planning project has begun!

Imagine a day when you jump in an electronic, autonomous air taxi in St. Pete and head to Tampa International Airport or even to Orlando.

USF St. Petersburg welcomed around 770 students during its 2024 summer semester.

Kudos to Collaborative Labs!

Our monthly newsletter is back!

The Dali Museum is once again leveraging innovative technology to engage the audience in a deeper understanding of Dali. A recent NPR profile highlighted: Ask Dalí, a new installation based on a copy of Dalí's iconic Lobster Telephone sculpture, allows visitors to pick up the crustacean-shaped receiver, ask a question, and hear Dalí's response. The artist's voice, speaking in heavily-accented English, is made possible through generative artificial intelligence. The artist's AI voice was trained on voice samples taken from archival interviews Dalí did in English over his career.

Kudos to the Tampa Bay Innovation Center, a technology incubator, accelerator and coworking office operating the ARK Innovation Center in the Innovation District. They recently announced the startups that will participate in their spring accelerator program.

Kudos to the Volunteers of America Florida, City of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County for the recent opening of the new downtown apartments, located in the Innovation District called Innovare.

Thank you to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (JHACH) for sponsoring and hosting our inaugural Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change breakfast. The event was kicked off by Alicia Schulhof, President of JHACH, and followed by an overview of the topic - Artificial Intelligence - by Dr. John Licato.

Over the last few months I have used this space in the newsletter to create a picture of what it takes to foster innovation. November 2023 newsletter: Innovation is a team sport. It requires diverse perspectives and experiences to find a creative solutions.

The University of South Florida (USF) has announced its intention to create a college focused on the rapidly evolving fields of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity and computing, with the goal of positioning the Tampa Bay region and state of Florida as a national leader. USF is the first university in Florida and among the first in the nation to announce plans to create a college dedicated to AI and cybersecurity.

Congratulations to Sarah Gilbert, Chief Operating Officer of Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital for being named a 2024 BusinessWoman of the Year honoree. We are also thrilled that Sarah has recently joined the Board of Directors for the Innovation District.

There are many quotes about innovation and how it is fostered. I have several hanging in my office. We recently looked to these as we were deciding the name for our new breakfast series. Our brainstorming kept coming back to the concept that ideas are the beginning - they create the "spark" that fuels innovation.

It is no surprise that we are talking frequently in the Innovation District about future technologies and how they have the potential to solve the "unsolvable" problems and radically change lives. Two such discussions recently highlighted advancements in artificial intelligence (AI)

The St. Petersburg Science Festival and MarineQuest celebrated another incredibly successful event. The multi-day program began with a proclamation by the St. Pete Mayor and City Council, included sold out school tours during the week