Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay — Hillsborough and Pinellas at its core — is one of Florida's densest startup ecosystems and hosts the Ambition Accelerated HealthTech track.
Ambition Accelerated hostHosts the HealthTech track
Organizations
Embarc Collective Partner
A nonprofit startup hub in downtown Tampa that coaches Florida founders full-time.
Florida Funders
A venture fund and investor network backing early-stage Florida startups.
Tampa Bay Wave
A nonprofit accelerator running cohort programs for tech startups in Tampa Bay.
A-LIGN
Tampa cybersecurity/compliance unicorn (Hg-backed)
AccelerOnc Studio
Moffitt Cancer Center's venture studio building oncology-focused startups, billed as the first U.S. venture studio dedicated to oncology.
Ballast Point Partners
Tampa growth/venture firm
Ballast Point Ventures
A St. Petersburg growth equity firm investing across software, healthcare, and technology-enabled services in the Southeast and Texas.
Bank of America
Corporate/foundation funder of Embarc's tech meetup-group scholarships and internships.
Bellini Capital
Arnie Bellini's Tampa investment firm
Benchmark International
Global M&A advisory firm
Brixey & Meyer
Accounting/advisory firm (Tom O'Neil Tampa lead)
CDW
Corporate partner hosting the CDW Innovation Lab at Embarc for founder workshops.
Cyber Florida at USF
State cybersecurity center
EX3 Labs
Digital tech studio (Adam Wisniewski CEO)
Florida Business Development Corporation
SBA lending/economic-development org (Bill Habermeyer CEO)
Florida Polytechnic University
STEM university
Florida Trend Media Company
State business media (Florida 500 list)
Florida-Israel Business Accelerator
Accelerator helping Israeli healthcare startups enter US market (founded by Rachel Feinman).
Gazelle Capital / Coastal Community Fund
St. Pete seed fund (Ashby Green, Kim Vogel) backing FL-HQ startups
Genspiration Foundation
Genshaft/Greenbaum family foundation
HealthEdge Investment Partners
A Tampa-based private equity firm investing exclusively in the healthcare industry.
Hill Ward Henderson
Tampa law firm
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
A pediatric academic health system in St. Petersburg with a translational research institute and a 225,000-sq-ft research and education building.
Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay
Youth education/workforce nonprofit
Moffitt Cancer Center
Florida's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center
Osceola Capital
Tampa private-equity firm
ReliaQuest
Tampa cybersecurity unicorn ($3.4B)
Seedfunders
St. Pete early-stage/angel investor
spARK Labs by ARK Invest
B2B tech startup accelerator (Becca Brown CEO, Ken Evans MD) tied to ARK Invest.
Speros by Moffitt
775-acre Pasco County biotech/life-sciences research campus ($600M)
St. Pete Catalyst
St. Petersburg startup/tech online media covering Embarc member companies.
St. Petersburg Innovation District
A nonprofit-led innovation district in St. Petersburg anchoring life sciences, marine science, and health research institutions.
Stony Lonesome Group
Defense/dual-use investor
Synapse Florida
Statewide innovation nonprofit (Andy Hafer) running the annual Synapse Summit.
Tampa Bay Business Journal / Tampa Bay Inno
Primary local business/tech media covering Embarc and Tampa Bay startups (Anjelica Rubin).
Tampa Bay Economic Development Council
Regional economic-development council
Tampa Bay Partnership
Regional economic-development/advocacy org.
Tampa Bay Sports Commission
Civic sports-tourism org
Tampa Bay Tech
Regional tech industry association (Meghan O'Keefe ED)
Tampa General Hospital
Academic health system
Tampa Medical & Research District
Hillsborough County healthcare research district
TampaBay.Ventures
Tampa VC (Andreas Calabrese GP)
Techstars
Global accelerator network
TGH Ventures
TGH's corporate venture arm
The Florida Council of 100 Partner
Statewide business-leader nonprofit (CEOs of 200+ companies) leading the Ambition Accelerated platform and partnering with Embarc.
TIE Tampa Bay
Entrepreneur network + angel network
University of South Florida
A major research university with entrepreneurship and tech-transfer programs.
University of Tampa
Private university
USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing
First named US college focused on AI/cybersecurity/computing
USF Research / USF CONNECT / USF Nault Center for Entrepreneurship
USF research, incubation (Tampa Bay Technology Incubator) and entrepreneurship arms
Vinik Sports Group / Tampa Bay Lightning
Jeff Vinik's sports/holding group
Weatherford Capital
Central Florida's largest PE firm (>$1B AUM
Yachting Ventures
Maritime/marine-tech startup accelerator (Gabbi Richardson) running the IBEX Start-Up Pavilion.
Startups
AbleNook
Flat-packed, hurricane-rated modular building platform assembled tool-free in hours.
Actualization.AI
AI hallucination-resistant document-intelligence platform for contract review and AI security (TireKicker).
AIroraSense
AI verification platform validating completed work on electric-distribution infrastructure.
Allsource Data Corporation
AI-native marketing platform turning first-party data into high-converting audiences (SmartAudiences).
amni.ai
AI-powered supply-chain transparency/validation platform for FDA-regulated industries.
Apaly
B2B digital direct-healthcare platform automating contracting between self-funded employers and primary-care providers (ApalyRx).
Baifokal
AI-supported financial-reporting platform turning complex data into actionable insights.
Bea Better Eating
AI + hypnosis + therapy app helping users heal their relationship with food.
BiaTech Corporation
AI/multimodal fusion technology optimizing upstream energy and power-generation operations.
BlockSpaces
Bitcoin-native financial infrastructure company (ARCC collateral/risk-management platform).
Blue Zone Therapeutics
Biotech developing gene therapies for age-related diseases in companion animals.
Brookwell
Agentic AI platform digitizing and streamlining wealth-management advisor transitions.
Bulkitrade
B2B e-commerce marketplace connecting emerging food & beverage brands with international buyers.
CaresLink
AI-driven healthcare workforce platform for credentialing, hiring and education.
Cashy
Gamified financial-literacy platform for credit unions and banks.
Certus Core
Data & AI company building semantic knowledge graphs (sKG) and the IBIS platform for defense, government and enterprise.
Chargebacks911
Risk-mitigation and chargeback-remediation firm that helps merchants prevent and dispute payment chargebacks.
Chattr
Enterprise conversational-AI frontline hiring and onboarding platform for hourly workers.
COI Energy
Full-service AI-enabled digital energy-management company decarbonizing buildings by eliminating energy waste.
Compass Health
Membership-based patient-centric care navigation platform connecting patients with specialists.
CooperCast
AI sales-forecasting and commercial-planning platform for beverage alcohol.
Cope Notes
Daily text-message mental-health platform blending peer support, positive psychology and journaling.
Creator Collective
Online art fair connecting independent artists with art enthusiasts.
Cvergenx
Genomic-informatics company providing decision support to personalize radiation therapy.
DAGR Group
AI narrative-intelligence and decision-support platform detecting information threats in open-source environments.
DayOnes Live
Interactive fan-engagement platform connecting artists/athletes/venues with audiences at live events.
Directlend AI
AI platform matching small-business owners directly with suitable lenders.
EaseAlert
First tactile firefighter alerting system using vibrating wearables to reduce alarm startle response.
Elucid8 Augur
AI-native market-intelligence platform for government contracting.
EnergiAcres
Designs, builds and operates AI-infrastructure district energy systems co-locating renewables with indoor farming (Project Everberry).
Esencia Property Maintenance
Technology platform centralizing residential property maintenance with vetted vendors.
fayVen
Dual-sided marketplace matching mobile vendors/artisans with venues for pop-up events.
Field Slip Systems
Platform digitizing school field-trip paperwork for teachers and students.
Fowado Technology Group
Fowado designs and manufactures American-made unmanned aerial systems for defense, public-safety and commercial use, including ISR, payload-delivery and cargo-transport drones.
Fractio
Workforce-development platform scaling in-house teams via pay-as-you-go fractional workloads (Fractio Boost).
GameDrive
AI esports analytics and talent-discovery platform turning gameplay into recruiter-ready profiles.
GladysDrift
Quantum-enhanced optimization for data-center operations and energy reduction.
GlamNow
On-demand concierge aesthetics / in-home medical-spa marketplace.
Grifin
Consumer fintech app that automatically invests in the stocks of brands where users shop.
GRIP Intelligence
Embarc member company (data/intelligence) presenting at Synapse Summit.
Heave
Proptech platform connecting construction companies with on-demand heavy-equipment mechanics.
Hipstr
Events/photo-experience company; founders started the Friday Stairs fitness meetup.
iApartments
Enterprise smart-apartment platform for multifamily, student and senior housing.
Iteright
AI-powered Growth Navigation Platform to track, validate and optimize product/technology investments.
IYA Cares
All-in-one maternal wellness app with AI-powered birth plans and postpartum care.
Knack
Peer-tutoring platform connecting students with college tutors and mentors.
Krew Social
Map-based social well-being platform fostering in-person connections and reducing workplace loneliness.
LifeHub
AI-powered edtech platform rewarding kids and young adults for learning.
Loop AI
Agentic AI platform automating restaurant/retail back-office finance, operations and marketing.
Mark.tech
Chat-friendly AI marketing platform creating landing pages, email campaigns and ad analytics.
MediMotos Co
Healthcare/mobility startup partnered with Compass Health.
MelMat AI
Multi-LLM research-intelligence platform synthesizing results from multiple AI models.
Myelai
AI platform helping businesses navigate operational complexity and connect with tech/marketing partners.
NeuX Technologies
Healthcare platform using interactive neuromuscular stimulation (iNMS) for performance and recovery.
NextKourt
AI-powered recreation platform modernizing public courts and sports venues with self-service tech.
NoteBridge
AI platform helping community lenders replace foreclosure with borrower-friendly resolution strategies.
Notice Ninja
Tax-compliance SaaS platform that uses AI and machine learning to automate the management of tax notices for businesses.
Orchid Healthcare Technologies
AI platform providing pre-submission claim defensibility for medical groups and hospitals.
OutTheDoor.Auto
Fintech automotive marketplace giving car buyers accurate out-the-door price estimates.
Packfiles
Embarc member company named a TBBJ 2025 Startup to Watch.
Pathi Health
AI digital-health platform helping cancer patients explore treatments and locate clinical trials.
Perimeter Health
B2B genomic-data marketplace enabling variant monitoring and clinical-trial matching.
Pieces
AI on-device workflow assistant with long-term memory that helps developers capture and reuse code and knowledge.
Psilera
Biotech developing novel compounds (psychedelic-derived) for neurological conditions.
Quant Fusion
B2B SaaS platform automating order-management tasks to stem margin loss using AI/ML.
Read My MRI
Platform transforming complex medical-imaging reports into patient-friendly reports.
running mate
Real-time on-demand app matching runners with background-verified safety companions.
ryco.io
eLearning development company building courses and applications for K-12 schools and publishers.
Satisfi Labs
Conversational/agentic AI platform for the sports, entertainment and tourism industries (~800 clients).
Scout
Shopping tool letting users add products from anywhere, organize collections and track prices.
Seagate Space
Seagate Space is developing mobile offshore ocean launch platforms designed around the demands of commercial small-launch operators.
Sensable
AI assistive wearable making physical businesses accessible to the visually impaired.
ShyftOff
On-demand contact-center staffing platform with a 17,000+ US agent pool.
SkyTL
AI-powered mission-management and decision-intelligence platform for wildfires and multi-hazard disaster response (WindTL, TAGS).
SmartCare360.Health
Digital-health platform integrating major EHR systems and 250+ FDA-approved devices.
SortIQ
AI textile-sorting solution using Meta Ray-Ban glasses for hands-free garment ID and grading.
Spontivly
Real-time community/data analytics dashboard platform for B2B teams.
Squeez
App securing last-minute restaurant reservations and event tickets while maximizing venue revenue.
Stablein Solutions
AI cybersecurity-automation framework for logistics and manufacturing.
SubUAS
SubUAS builds the Naviator, an unmanned system that transitions seamlessly between air and water for defense and maritime missions.
Sus Clinicals
Biotech accelerating cancer drug/device development via a proprietary Oncopig preclinical platform.
SynsorMed
Telehealth and remote patient-monitoring company offering 'Remote Care as a Service' (RCaaS).
Tesseract Ventures
Builds advanced robotics, autonomous drones and AI 'smart ecosystems' (NOMAD, PRISM, MOSAIC, ECHO) for defense, agriculture and energy.
Thoragenix Innovations
Medical-device company with patented sternal bone-graft technology for cardiothoracic surgery.
Threshold 360
Immersive virtual-tour technology serving 100,000+ location-based businesses (Aether AI content).
Timegility
AI-enabled time-strategy and workflow platform.
TMAB Therapeutics
Biotech developing multi-specific antibodies and radiopharmaceuticals for solid tumors.
TripFusion
Unified booking platform bundling golf travel (tee times, lodging, spa, F&B) into one transaction.
Trustate
AI-enabled estate and trust administration platform for law firms.
TrustLayer
AI-powered collaborative risk-management platform digitizing insurance verification.
Uncommon Cyber
Cybersecurity firm helping enterprises harness automation, AI and new security frameworks.
VeriChem
Forensic-science company developing modern drug-detection technologies.
Vetzi / Pet Harmony
24/7 AI-powered pet telehealth platform with live veterinarian access.
Vitals AI
AI platform automating practice reporting and identifying bottlenecks for financial advisors.
VTEM Labs
Service-disabled veteran-owned offensive-security platform (SPEAR) for threat exposure management.
Vu Technologies
Virtual-production studio company (10,000 sq ft Tampa Bay studio) for immersive media.
VuEssence
Biotech developing molecular diagnostics for stroke and neurological injuries.
Wrench Node
AI shop-management platform automating notes, scheduling and invoicing for auto-repair shops.
Wytebox
AI process-intelligence platform auto-generating project documentation and tickets from team activity.
XTEND
XTEND builds human-guided autonomous drone and robotic systems (its XOS operating system) for rapid-response ISR, counter-UAS and border-protection missions across air, ground and maritime domains.
Industry players
BayCare Health System
BayCare is a Clearwater-based nonprofit health system operating sixteen hospitals and hundreds of care locations across West Central Florida and Tampa Bay.
Bloomin' Brands
Bloomin' Brands is a Tampa-based casual-dining company operating Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse.
ConnectWise
ConnectWise is a Tampa-based software company providing business-management, remote monitoring, and cybersecurity tools built for managed service providers (MSPs) and technology solution providers.
HCI Group
HCI Group is a Tampa-based holding company spanning property-and-casualty insurance (Homeowners Choice and TypTap), the Exzeo insurance-technology platform, reinsurance and real estate.
Heritage Insurance Holdings
Heritage Insurance Holdings is a property-and-casualty insurance holding company offering personal and commercial residential coverage concentrated in hurricane-prone regions, headquartered in Clearwater.
Jabil Inc.
Jabil is a St. Petersburg-headquartered Fortune 500 manufacturing-services company providing design, production and supply-chain solutions across aerospace, defense, healthcare, automotive and other industries via 100+ sites worldwide.
KnowBe4
KnowBe4 is a Clearwater-based security-awareness training and simulated-phishing platform company taken private by Vista Equity Partners in a $4.6 billion deal in 2023.
MarineMax, Inc.
MarineMax is a Clearwater-headquartered company billed as the world's largest recreational-boat and yacht retailer, with dealerships, marinas, superyacht services, and boat-technology brands.
Publix Super Markets
Publix is the largest employee-owned supermarket chain in the United States, operating more than 1,300 grocery stores across the Southeast from its Lakeland headquarters.
Raymond James Financial
Raymond James Financial is a diversified financial-services holding company providing wealth management, capital markets, banking and asset management, headquartered at the Raymond James Financial Center in St. Petersburg.
ReliaQuest
ReliaQuest is a Tampa-headquartered cybersecurity company whose AI-driven GreyMatter platform automates threat detection, investigation and response, valued at roughly $3.4 billion after a 2025 funding round.
RTX / Collins Aerospace (Largo)
RTX's Collins Aerospace operates a 450,000-square-foot Largo facility producing radars, satellite and secure-communications components and RF/digital defense products, backed by a 2026 $26.5M expansion.
Tampa Electric (TECO Energy)
Tampa Electric, part of TECO Energy (a subsidiary of Nova Scotia-based Emera), is the regulated electric utility serving roughly 810,000 customers across West Central Florida, headquartered in downtown Tampa.
Tampa General Hospital
Tampa General Hospital is a private nonprofit academic medical center and the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.
TD SYNNEX
TD SYNNEX is a global IT products, services and solutions distributor and aggregator, co-headquartered in Clearwater, Florida and Fremont, California, serving roughly 2,500 technology vendors.
The Baldwin Group
The Baldwin Group (formerly BRP Group) is an independent insurance distribution firm providing business insurance, employee benefits, private client and personal insurance solutions, headquartered in Tampa.
The Mosaic Company
Mosaic is a Tampa-headquartered Fortune 500 producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash crop-nutrient fertilizers, serving farmers in more than 40 countries.