Read Time: 3 minutes
Tech Topics In This Article: Tampa startups, leadership change
Leadership change is coming to Embarc Collective, and outgoing CEO Lakshmi Shenoy says the transition will set up even more Florida-based startups for success.
Embarc, the Tampa nonprofit fostering startups across the Tampa Bay area and The Sunshine State, has appointed Tim Holcomb as its next CEO, following Shenoy’s decision to step down to join her family’s business.
Holcomb, set to take over in January, is already engaging with Embarc’s stakeholders and local entrepreneurs to ensure a smooth transition.
“If we really want to take [Embarc] to the next level, it’s time for change,” Shenoy told Hypepotamus. “And it’s very rare that you have an opportunity to find somebody who is a great cultural fit but also has big visions for possibilities and what the potential of impact can be.”
Get To Know Embarc Collective’s New CEO
Holcomb brings a strong background in building startups and entrepreneurial communities. A four-time founder, Holcomb built the latest chapter of his career at Miami University in Ohio where he served as the Director of the university’s John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship. From 2010 to 2013 he was the executive director for the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University.
Holcomb serves as a board member and advisor for several companies, including Tampa-based cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest.
He has traveled back and forth to Tampa over the last fifteen years and has been embedded in the business community.
“In the last five years, I’ve seen how the [Tampa] business community has evolved incredibly fast, and Embarc has been right there as a central position for that,” he told Hypepotamus.
A Look Inside Embarc Collective’s World
Embarc has become a central place for gathering local investors, entrepreneurs, and corporate leaders to help build up the innovation economy.
The organization officially launched five years ago as a non-profit organization to support entrepreneurs building in the Tampa Bay area and across the State of Florida. At the helm of Embarc, Shenoy said she is most proud of the fact that the organization has helped 96% of the original 25 startups survive beyond the five-year mark.
“[They’re] building companies to change the economic promise for the team, creating jobs, and really making the world better,” Shenoy told Hypepotamus. “50% of companies typically fail within that five year mark, and 96% of companies that we’re working with are succeeding and continuing to delight their customers, build their payroll, and keep the lights on every single day. To me, that’s the thing that we need to celebrate.”
