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Tampa Bay Tech Week and HyLo Inno today announced the Florida High Tech Corridor as a Regional Connector Partner, creating new connections between the region’s entrepreneurs and innovators and the Corridor’s university-backed research, commercialization and business development resources.
Now in its 30th year, the Corridor spans a 23-county region from the Suncoast to the Space Coast, anchored by the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida. Its programs include research grants, SBIR and STTR support, workforce development and industry growth across a multitude of high-tech sectors. This partnership is about making those resources easier for Tampa Bay’s founders and small business owners to find and use.
Through the partnership, Corridor resources will be made easier to discover through the HyLo Inno Map and related digital properties. The initial resource pathway will highlight the Corridor’s FL FAST Technical Assistance Program, which supports Florida small businesses pursuing federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards.
“Partnerships are most valuable when they make a region easier to navigate,” said Michael Hall, president of Tampa Bay Tech Week and founder of HyLo Inno. “The Florida High Tech Corridor brings deep connections across universities, companies, research and commercialization. By connecting that expertise to the HyLo Inno Map and the convening power of Tampa Bay Tech Week, we can help more founders and partners find the right resources at the right time.”
The HyLo Inno Map serves as a digital discovery and resource-routing layer for Tampa Bay’s innovation ecosystem, currently tracking more than 59 locations and over 1,765 events across the region. The Corridor’s placement makes its resources visible alongside the neighborhoods, venues and organizations already on the map.
The partnership will also place the Corridor within the 2027 Tampa Bay Tech Week platform, with planned participation opportunities across Tampa Bay Tech Week, 727 Tech Day and 813 Tech Day. Specific sessions, speaking opportunities and panel participation will be developed with Corridor and event teams around the needs of founders, companies, universities and ecosystem partners.
“Our audience is not just the people already inside the rooms where funding and research get discussed. It is the founder working out of a coworking space in Ybor, the small business owner in the USF area, the person who has an idea and no idea who to call. Bringing the Corridor into Tech Week means those people get a door, not just a stage,” said Jesus Vidaurri, founder and CEO of Tampa Bay Tech Week.
Tampa Bay Tech Week’s inaugural year demonstrated the value of bringing the region’s distinct communities into a shared innovation conversation. Through 727 Tech Day and 813 Tech Day, founders, builders, creatives, operators, investors and community partners came together for meaningful conversations, resource-sharing, on-the-spot consulting, new contracts, friendships and alliances. The first year established Tampa Bay Tech Week as a platform that turns individual events into an ongoing regional network.
“Florida’s innovation economy becomes stronger when entrepreneurs can more easily connect with the expertise, programs and people that can help move their ideas forward,” said Corridor CEO Paul Sohl. “This partnership gives us another meaningful way to connect innovators throughout Tampa Bay with resources that can support research, commercialization and business growth, while strengthening the relationships that make our region’s innovation ecosystem thrive.”
The partnership will be supported by website recognition, a curated resource pathway, public announcements, recap content and inclusion in future impact reporting. Tampa Bay Tech Week 2027 runs April 12 to 16 across Tampa, Ybor City, Water Street, St. Petersburg and the USF area. Tickets go on sale October 8 at TampaBayTechWeek.com.
To explore the partnership’s resource pathway, visit Tampa Bay Tech Week at TampaBayTechWeek.com, the HyLo Inno Map at Hyloinno.com, and Florida High Tech Corridor at Floridahightech.com.
About Florida High Tech Corridor
The Florida High Tech Corridor is an economic development initiative of the University of South Florida, University of Central Florida, and University of Florida. The organization works to grow high-tech industry, foster innovation and strengthen talent pipelines through strategic partnerships that accelerate research commercialization and technology-based economic growth. For more information, please visit Floridahightech.com.
About HyLo Inno
HyLo Inno is Tampa Bay’s ecosystem intelligence platform. It maps what is happening, identifies what is missing, and shapes the strategic development of the region through events, accelerators, incubators, content and data. HyLo Inno builds the connective infrastructure that helps founders, companies, institutions, investors and community partners find resources, understand regional signals, and move opportunities forward. For more information, please visit Hyloinno.com.
About Tampa Bay Tech Week
Tampa Bay Tech Week is a multi-day, citywide celebration of technology, culture and community. It brings together startups, enterprises, investors, community organizations, founders, engineers, creators and students to showcase Tampa Bay’s innovation ecosystem, create access, and foster collaboration that drives growth, investment and opportunity throughout the region. For more information, please visit TampaBayTechWeek.com.
Media Contact
Alexis Quintal
VP of Communications, Tampa Bay Tech Week / HyLo Inno
grow@rosarium.work · (978) 394-7997