As part of local participation in Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Tampa Bay Innovation Center (TBIC) hosted a Tech Talk featuring Paresh Patel, the CEO of the HCI Group.
"The message Paresh delivered on (locally) building team and culture for a new tech venture was one that deserves more attention as we work on scaling Tampa Bay’s start-up ecosystem,'' says Ken Evans, Managing Director of the TBIC in St. Petersburg.
Patel, active in the local tech community for 35 years, concluded with this message about, "Why I’m a big proponent of Tampa Bay, even more so during COVID'':
"… Tampa has a lot of things that the rest of the country doesn’t have. The weather is always beautiful. Just look out the window today. The cost of living is a lot cheaper than anywhere else. And we have great commute times compared to Silicon Valley. And a lot of other things a lot more affordable. This is a great place to be. ...
"And there is tech talent in the Tampa Bay Area: new graduates out of USF (University of South Florida) and UT (University of Tampa). Or there are people already here. If you want to find talent, it is there to be found. ...
"We are within 1 or 2 unicorns to having our own unique Tampa Tech scene.
"One way or the other, I think, in this coming decade, there will be some big valuation companies born and bred in Tampa. That is the best way of spreading the joys of Tampa and tech jobs and other startups throughout the area.
"In summation, what I will tell you, is that it is possible to build a tech company from scratch in Tampa Bay with Tampa Bay talent and make it a world-class competitor. We have done so. And we did it with local-sourced talent.''
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