UT Faculty to Discuss State of the Tampa Bay Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Nov. 15

UT professors Rebecca White and Speros Margetis will report on updated findings and new research on strengthening entrepreneurship in Tampa Bay at this year’s State of the Tampa Bay Entrepreneurial Ecosystem event.

The event will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the Sykes College of Business Lowth Entrepreneurship Center in the Daly Innovation and Collaboration Building on UT’s campus.

White, James W. Walter distinguished chair of entrepreneurship and director of the Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, and Margetis, professor of finance, will facilitate a discussion based on improvements in Tampa Bay’s entrepreneurial ecosystem being made since last year’s Kauffman Foundation study, and determine next steps that should be taken.

White will also discuss research that maps the dealmakers in the Tampa Bay MSMA (plus Manatee and Sarasota counties) and the area’s social capital by industry. Dealmakers, in her study, are defined as individuals who have either started or have invested in three or more companies. Comparisons from a number of other cities will also be shared.

The Kauffman Foundation research was a year-long project that yielded a model for strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems in Tampa Bay and other cities nationwide. The project was spearheaded by White along with a team of professors across the nation, and included in-depth surveys of entrepreneurs and their businesses in Tampa Bay.