LARGO, Fla., May 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tampa Bay Innovation Center , an innovation and entrepreneurship center for technology businesses, will open TEC Garage ( www.tecgarage.org ), its new incubator, with a tentative opening date of August 2014. TEC Garage, which stands for Technology and Entrepreneurship Center, will house 15 to 30 startups and occupy 6,200 square feet on the ground floor of the St. Petersburg College Downtown Center at 244 2nd Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
"This area is a growing hub for entrepreneurship and St. Petersburg College's Downtown Center is a great location for a business incubator," said Tonya Elmore, president of Tampa Bay Innovation Center. "We want to give our local entrepreneurs every resource and tool they need to thrive, and believe this program will help create and keep jobs right here in our community."
TEC Garage will be a mixed use incubator for science (healthcare, marine science, environmental or sustainable), technology, engineering, arts and digital media. The Center will provide reserved office space for rent as well as coworking space, in addition to mentors, coaches, educational opportunities, networking and resources to help entrepreneurs develop and execute on their business plans. The Tampa Bay Innovation Center will be introducing new programs specifically for TEC Garage – some for clients and others for the community.
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center is accepting new clients for TEC Garage, and has already signed three tenants: Toonari Media , Dock-n-Lock and My OnCall Doc .
"We are pleased to be working with the Tampa Bay Innovation Center on this project, which we believe will have a significant impact on the local entrepreneurial community," says Bill Law, president of St. Petersburg College. "This is a natural complement to the College's values of leadership, innovation and partnership."
The St. Petersburg College location for TEC Garage will serve as the program's site for several years, while the Tampa Bay Innovation Center continues to look for permanent space in downtown St. Petersburg for a larger incubator to serve biotech and other technology startups.
For more information or to inquire about becoming a part of TEC Garage, contact Tonya Elmore at elmoret@tbinnovates.com or apply online at http://www.tbinnovates.com/ClientApp.cfm .
About Tampa Bay Innovation Center:
Tampa Bay Innovation Center ( http://www.tbinnovates.com ) supports entrepreneurial success, fosters the creation of high-tech jobs and develops new sources of technology and manufacturing capabilities by nurturing early stage ventures as they grow and launch their products into the marketplace. Programs are tailored to the innovator/entrepreneur and address business intelligence, planning and business formation, strategy execution and technology transition. Tampa Bay Innovation Center supports the Entrepreneurs' Hub, which includes programming and an online community geared toward entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and others interested in the growth of the local technology community. Follow Tampa Bay Innovation Center on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/tbinnovates , or on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/tbinnovationcenter .
About St. Petersburg College:
St. Petersburg College ( www.spcollege.edu ) was founded in 1927 as a two-year institution of higher learning. Known then as St. Petersburg Junior College, it provided high-quality, fully-accredited programs with credits that were fully transferable to four-year institutions. In 2001, the Florida Legislature passed legislation allowing the college to offer four-year degrees. In response, the college dropped the word "junior" from its name and became St. Petersburg College. Today, St. Petersburg College offers programs at learning sites in St. Petersburg, Seminole, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and elsewhere. It also offers courses and degree programs online.
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