This week, the Orlando region receives new national and global accolades and more local companies announce plans for growth.

Featured Headlines | Upcoming Events | News from the Orlando Region

Message from the Orlando Tech Council Chair

Members of the Orlando Tech Community,

Can you believe 2021 Q1 is already behind us? I received my first vaccine this week and feel I’m slowly stepping out of the shadows of 2020. With the vaccine rollouts being opened up to all adults next week, I hope everyone is taking advantage of the fantastic work being done by our tireless health care professionals.  

This week in the Orlando region, Rollins College’s annual Venture Plan Competition announces its finalists, including Athliance, which bases its tech operations in Orlando. The program continues to see an increase in applications year over year, with its pool of finalists continuing to be top-tier, including past winners Fattmerchant and Luminar. Congratulations to this year’s winners. 

Another local startup grown right out of the University of Central Florida announces plans to double its production capacity and create more jobs this year. Capacitech’s Cable-Based Capacitor (CBC) was developed by a UCF student and his professor and launched out of UCF’s I-Corps startup training program. This CBC will prove to be crucial as mobile electronics continue to grow smaller and smaller. 

ESI ThoughtLab just announced Orlando as one of 20 global ‘Cities 4.0’, which are categorized as “cities that are leaders in the use of smart technology, data and partnership to achieve social, environmental and other goals,” according to GCN. One of only six cities in the U.S. to receive this title, their report found “a complete correlation between technology and achieving better social environment and economic returns,” according to ESI ThoughtLab CEO Lou Celi. Our government partners have been working hard on sustainable initiatives and it’s wonderful to see it being recognized on a global scale. You can read the full report here. 

Focusing now on biotech, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford triangle was just named the third fastest-growing region for life sciences employment after comparing industry employment rates across the past five+ years. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue and the Atlanta area top the list. On that note, I will be doing a webinar with GuideWell Innovation Lab next Wednesday @ 10:30am titled “Lean Experimentation & Culture Building”. You are welcome to join – click here to RSVP.  

Stay tuned for more news, events and ways to connect with the Orlando region’s tech and innovation economy. 

Cheers, 
Rajiv Menon 
Founder/CEO, Informulate
Orlando Tech Council Chair 

Profiles in Tech

Nick Walsh, COO of Envy Labs

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This week’s Orlando Profiles in Tech features Nick Walsh, COO of Envy Labs. Read how Star Wars Weekends led to one of his best clients and what it means to have a “yes, and…” tech culture. Click here.

Headlines

Rollins College Venture Plan Competition announces finalists, companies plan to expand

Rollins College’s annual Venture Plan Competition announced this year’s three finalists, including Athliance, which bases its tech operations in Orlando. The pitch event saw a 20 percent increase in applications over 2020 and the Crummer Graduate School of Business expects it to continue to grow. Click here to read more.

UCF I-Corps training program graduate Capacitech to double its manufacturing and add jobs

A supercapacitor company born from the partnership of a UCF student and his professor is now planning for significant growth in 2021. Capacitech’s Cable-Based Capacitor (CBC) is unique in its application and is ideal to optimize space when miniaturizing electronics.  Read more here.

Orlando named one of 20 global ‘Cities 4.0’, where smart meets sustainable

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Orlando was named one of 20 global “Cities 4.0” by ESI ThoughtLab. Determined by data collected from 167 city leaders from 82 countries around the world, as well as additional information on city services and quality of life from sources including World Bank, Numbeo and others. ESI’s study found “a complete correlation between technology and achieving better social environment and economic returns.” Learn more about this global accolade here.

Orlando region makes top three list of fastest growing biotech hubs in the country

A new report from JLL names the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford triangle the third fastest-growing area for life sciences employment after comparing industry employment rates across the past five+ years. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue and the Atlanta area top the list.  Read more here.

Save the Date | Upcoming Events

Events for the Week of April 5

Tuesday, April 6
9 a.m., UCF – An Intro to the SIR/STTR Programs
4:30 p.m., Synapse – Libate & Learn: Creative Financial Strategies for Business Owners

Wednesday, April 7
9 a.m., 1 Million Cups (1MC)
9 a.m., America’s SBDC Florida – Registration for Government Contracting: Overview
10:30 a.m., GuideWell Innovation – Lean Experimentation & Culture Building (featuring OTC Chair Rajiv Menon)
1 p.m., General Assembly – Non Tech Jobs in Tech

Thursday, April 8
11 a.m., Central Florida Tech Grove – Combat Casualty Care Training Success Story: Blending Learning and Content Delivery
7:30 p.m., General Assembly – The Reality of Virtual and Augmented Reality

Events on the Horizon

April 13 – UCF – National Science Foundation (NSF) Proposal Preparations
April 15 – GrowFL – GrowFL East Central Florida Chapter Membership Mixer
April 20 – UCF – Department of Defense SBIR/STTR Proposal Preparations
April 22 – leAD Lake Nona Sports & Health Tech Academy – Demo Day
April 27 – UCF – SBIR/STTR for Start Ups: Building your Team and Preparing your Budget
June 2-4 – VR/AR Global Summit
October 15 – Synapse Orlando
October 15-17 – Creative City Project – Immerse

ICYMI | News from the Orlando Region

*Have a story you would like OTC to feature? Email Sheena.Fowler@Orlando.org

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The Orlando Tech Council is composed of private industry, resource organizations and public partners that work to develop new programs with the core objectives: strengthen the Orlando region’s innovation resources, create new opportunities for companies to scale, and to amplify the region’s success stories, raising the global profile of Orlando as a leading community for entrepreneurship and innovation.

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Special thanks to our Orlando Tech Council Members

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About the Author

Sheena_Fowler
By Sheena Fowler Vice President of Innovation
Sheena Fowler serves as the Orlando Film Commissioner and Vice President of Innovation at the Orlando Economic Partnership. She oversees the strategic direction of special projects and initiatives including the management of the Partnership’s innovation and technology strategy as well as signature programming. Sheena is part of the Full Sail Hall of Fame and named to the Orlando Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list.
More articles by Sheena Fowler