Inspirational quotes that highlight growth out of failure and the ability to overcome setbacks on the path to success abound, especially
online. Rather than read about successes and failures, however, members of the local startup community can mingle with area entrepreneurs during the second edition of
F*** Up Nights Tampa Bay on Thursday, January 14.
That's when Tampa Bay's high-profile meetup - with the not-so-family-friendly name - is back, for the group's first gathering in 2016. Many an f-bomb will be dropped, if the
inaugural event is any indication.
Cigar City Brewing founder Joey Redner is among the speakers at FUNTampaBay's upcoming get-together, where business owners will share failure stories with Tampa Bay area startup founders in an informal way over beer, wine, and light snacks.
Along with Redner, speakers at FUNTampaBay on January 14 include the former NFL guard Ian Beckles, who is also the longtime co-host of
The Ron & Ian Show on iHeartMedia, and successful
serial entrepreneur Joy Randels, who has launched more than a dozen technology companies around the country.
Randels is herself the organizer for the Tampa Bay chapter of
Startup Grind, which invites successful - and sometimes not-so-successful - founders to join Randels in a fireside chat and Q&A before a live audience.
Since the launch of FUNTampaBay in October 2015, event organizer and
University of South Florida alumni Maria Alithinos says the group has been getting "more and more interest from the Tampa Bay community.
"To make the next event a bit more engaging, we're adding an 'Open Mic F*ckUp,'" Alithinos explains. After speakers finish their presentations, audience members can take the stage for five minute mini-sessions.
The open mic element is unique to Tampa Bay, and while Alithinos says she doesn't know how it will play out, "It could be cathartic" for attendees who open up about past mistakes to the crowd.
FUNTampaBay: Vol II will be held at Redner's
Cigar City Cider & Mead, 1812 North 15th Street in Ybor City. The meetup will take place from 6:00- 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. Alithinos expects the event to hit the venue's 75-person capacity. To register for tickets or learn more about the event,
click here.
The inaugural FUNTampaBay event unfolded in CoWork Ybor and
The Blind Tiger Café. Local business owners and serial entrepreneurs Brent C.J. Britton, Chuck Papageorgiou, and Scott Moore spoke at the meeting, which drew around 50 guests on a weeknight in early October 2015. Speakers shared anecdotes about losing millions on bad deals, crippling whole companies, and how to make the perfect mistake in business.
"I really hope FUN becomes part of the Tampa Bay startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem," Alithinos says. "I think it's valuable. It would be awesome for the movers and shakers in the area to share their professional bad luck stories...because we all have one."
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.