This week in the Orlando region, meet this year’s recipients of the Orlando Community Grant Program. Read about them and more in this week’s Orlando Tech Council Weekly Roundup. 

Featured Headlines | Upcoming Events | News from the Orlando Region

Message from the Orlando Tech Council Chair

Members of the Orlando Tech Community,

Here are some great announcements to share on community initiatives we’ve been working on: 

  • Profiles on the winners of the City of Orlando Community Tech Grant 
  • An inside look at all the Orlando region-based speakers at next week’s Synapse Summit including an Orlando Tech Council-sponsored session featuring members Adam Scheinberg, VP of information technology at Massey Services, and Jason Eichenholz, co-founder and CTO of Luminar
  • An exciting scoop on an OTC partnership with the Orlando Business Journal that will amplify the tech news coming out of the region into key markets across the U.S. 
  • The announcement of the new 2021 Orlando Tech Council leadership  

We hope to see you virtually at next week’s Synapse Summit. The Orlando Tech Council will host a virtual booth within the platform and we are sponsoring 25 local tech companies with booths of their own, including Accureg, Home Lending Pal and Black Orlando Tech, just to name a few. General admission is free, get registered here.   

Thanks to all members who made it to the Council meeting earlier this week, and especially to those who joined one of our committees. We have ambitious goals for this year, and there are plenty of opportunities to lead and/or support impactful programs. If you or someone you know is interested in contributing to the evolution of the Orlando region’s tech and innovation economy, please reach out to Sheena.Fowler@Orlando.org so that we may get them connected.  

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

John Meyers, executive director, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division

2018 Meyers Family at Disney 2

This week’s Orlando Profiles in Tech features John Meyers, executive director of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD). Find out why he says Orlando holds the key to the modeling, simulation and training industry and the reason why he’ll always keep his windows in his zoom background. Read more here.

Headlines

Synapse Summit 2021 starts Monday with heavy Orlando region presence 

Synapse Summit begins Monday, March 8 with an incredible lineup of speakers ranging from entrepreneurs to investors to industry and government leaders from across the nation. The Orlando region will be heavily featured in the event, with 25 sessions that feature the region, including five members of the Orlando Tech Council. As a sponsor of the event, the Orlando Tech Council is proud to feature a fireside chat with Adam Scheinberg, VP of information technologies, and Jason Eichenholz, co-founder and CTO of Luminar, titled, “Why not change the world? The Creation of Life-Changing Technologies in Orlando.” General admission to the event is free. Click here to read more. 

Orlando Technology Community Support Program Awards six recipients

For the third year, the City of Orlando has announced recipients of the City of Orlando Technology Community Support Program. This year, six recipients will receive a portion of a $65,000 grant to develop local tech-focused programs and events. Click here to read more. 

Orlando Tech Council signs on as founding partner of Orlando Inno

We are excited to announce the Orlando Tech Council has signed on as the first founding partner of Orlando Inno, a platform from American Inno and the Orlando Business Journal dedicated to telling, showcasing and sharing the stories that define our city’s thriving startup ecosystem. If you are interested in learning more and becoming one of a few select Founding Partners of the platform, please reach out to Drew Schrimsher. 

Orlando Tech Council welcome new leadership team for 2021

With a new year comes a new leadership team at the helm of the Orlando Tech Council. We so appreciate the inaugural leadership team’s strength and tenacity as they piloted the Council through the first year and the challenges that came with the pandemic. Our new leadership team is excited to expand upon the foundation that has been laid and is ready to help the Council continue to grow and make an impact on the tech and innovation ecosystem of the Orlando region. Read more about our new leaders here. 

 

Save the Date | Upcoming Events

Events for the Week of March 8

Monday, March 8
9 a.m., Synapse Summit begins

Tuesday, March 9
9 a.m., Synapse Summit continues

Wednesday, March 10
8:30 a.m., Synapse Summit continues
9 a.m., 1 Million Cups (1MC)
11 a.m., General Assembly – Womxn at Work | Female Funders: Womxn Investing in Womxn

Thursday, March 11
8:30 a.m., Synapse Summit continues
11 a.m., Central Florida Tech Grove – Tech Grove Connect
4 p.m., i4 Business – Women’s Inspired Leadership Awards Ceremony (virtual)

Events on the Horizon

February 6-March 14 – Creative City Project – Down the Rabbit Hole
March 18 – Avalon Park Group – The 5th Floor co-working space grand opening
March 18 – Orlando Innovation Economy Group – A New Vision for Building Orange County’s Innovation Economy

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.

Follow the Orlando Tech Council on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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