Speaker Series Features Tampa Bay Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs and innovators in the Tampa Bay technology community now have a chance to hear success stories and lessons learned from other successful Tampa Bay-made entrepreneurs.

The new quarterly series, titled “Diary of an Entrepreneur,” is part of TECH Talk’s monthly speaker lineup. Now in its 4th year, TECH Talk is a networking and education event hosted by the Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Participants include people involved in all phases of the entrepreneurship cycle, as well as service providers, consultants and established professionals.

“These entrepreneurships have a lot of information to share that’s very relevant to others who are at the beginning stages,” says Danielle Weitlauf, new venture manager for Tampa Bay Innovation Center. “This is our opportunity to get those successful CEOs to share.”

The kickoff event takes place January 29 from 8:30 to 10:30 am at Microsoft’s headquarter offices in Tampa. The speaker will be Mark Swanson, co-founder and CEO of Tampa-based Telovations, a cloud communications provider. Swanson’s presentation, “Five things you need to know about starting a business in Tampa Bay in 2013,” will focus on the unique aspects of starting and growing a business in the local technology arena.

Swanson has over 20 years experience in the technology realm, having founded and grown six multimillion dollar companies in cities across the U.S., including Silicon Valley, New York and Tampa.  His latest venture, Telovations, was sold to Bright House Networks in December 2012.

“It’s great to be able to have these successful entrepreneurs who are also giving back and sharing their experiences,” says Weitlauf.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Danielle Weitlauf, Tampa Bay Innovation Center
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A Florida native and longtime Tampa Bay resident, Megan Hendricks graduated from the University of South Florida with a master's degree in business administration. She worked at the USF College of Business and has extensive community experience including the Tampa Bay Partnership's Talent Dividend Advisory Board, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Emerge Tampa Bay, Ekhos, and Bar Camp Tampa. She is a former board member and newsletter editor for Creative Tampa Bay. Megan enjoys telling the stories that make Tampa Bay a unique, diverse cultural experience.  

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