Meet Josh Ray
Lecturer I and New Venture Advisor, Entrepreneurship
Phone: (813) 257-3287
Email: joshuaray@ut.edu
Address: 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33606
Mailbox: 2F
Building:
ICB
Room: 801
Education
2014 University of South Florida, B.A.
2018 University of South Florida, M.A.
2018 University of South Florida, M.S.
Courses Taught
ENT 320 - Intro to Entrepreneurship and Feasibility Assessment
Coordinator of Student Accelerator and Community Incubator
Career Specialties
Josh Ray specializes in business operations, systems building, sales and marketing and program development.
Ray founded a startup studio program in the Tampa Uptown District that served a variety of nascent early-stage entrepreneurs helping them build their entrepreneurial mindset and establish a proof-of-concept business model. The program was awarded the 2020 Tampa Bay Inno Blazer Award. The program issued over $60,000 in micro-grants to the entrepreneurs who delivered a proof of concept upon program commencement. Ray's program served over 25 entrepreneurs who launched new businesses.
Ray's research interests include how entrepreneurship can be a pathway out of poverty, developing the entrepreneurial mindset and how that leads to innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem building and how that creates access and opportunities for nascent entrepreneurs, the Impact of Accelerators and Incubators develop of an entrepreneur's mindset.
Additional work includes working on the commercialization of patented technologies and new product development for eCommerce brands.
Professional and Community Activities
Ray is passionate about entrepreneurship education and startup innovation. He is an active committee member for One Million Cups, which promotes early-stage entrepreneurs and their startups by offering a place for entrepreneurs to present their ideas or early-stage startups to their community to receive feedback and support. He is a supporting member of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) and Florida Business Incubator Association (FBIA).
Honors and Awards
Nominated for TBBJ 40 under 40 in 2021
National Science Foundation USF ICORPs Fellow
Startup Studio Program award as one of Tampa Bay's Blazer Award winners 2021