Tampa Bay Technology Incubator

What Tampa Bay Technology Incubator does

The Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) is a technology business incubator operated by USF CONNECT within the University of South Florida's research and innovation ecosystem. Founded in 1989 and located at the USF Research Park in Tampa, Florida (3702 Spectrum Blvd.), TBTI provides incubation services to early-stage technology startups, including physical workspace, mentorship, networking, and access to university research resources. The incubator also serves USF student entrepreneurs and faculty innovators seeking to commercialize research through spin-off ventures, and operates as part of USF's economic development mission rather than as a revenue-generating commercial business.

TBTI's product portfolio is delivered through three coordinated programs managed under the same USF CONNECT umbrella: the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (general early-stage incubation), the Evolve Accelerator (intensive support for scaling startups), and the Student Innovation Incubator or SII (a program designed specifically for USF student entrepreneurs). The underlying "platform" is the university's research enterprise itself — USF ranks among the top 20 U.S. public universities for patents, fields 42 graduate programs in the U.S. News Top 100, and showcased 516 research posters at the USF Student Research Conference — providing a deep pipeline of innovations and talent that feed into the incubator. TBTI connects member startups to this infrastructure through programmatic partnerships with the NSF I-Corps Hub: Southeast @ USF (a 5-week commercial-validation workshop) and the Florida High Tech Corridor (regional industry-research funding), as well as the USF Technology Transfer Office for IP management and licensing.

TBTI operates on a managed-services economic development model rather than a fee-for-service commercial model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the unit is funded through USF institutional resources and external programmatic grants (NSF, Florida High Tech Corridor). The go-to-market motion is event- and ecosystem-driven: USF CONNECT promotes TBTI through the USF research and innovation website, a LinkedIn presence, faculty channels, and direct inquiries handled by the USF CONNECT office. Customer segments are horizontally distributed — primarily early-stage technology startups, secondarily student entrepreneurs and faculty innovators — with no disclosed enterprise anchor customers and no commercial revenue base.

Name

Tampa Bay Technology Incubator

Legal name

Tampa Bay Technology Incubator

Website

https://research.usf.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) is an academic technology business incubator operated by USF CONNECT at the University of South Florida. It provides early-stage technology startups with physical space, mentorship, and access to USF research infrastructure and funding programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubator Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC)

Keywords

• Technology business incubation
• Startup incubation services
• Research commercialization
• University tech transfer
• Startup mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Incubation Services: Provides incubation services including physical space, mentorship, networking, and access to USF research resources for early-stage technology companies. Revenue model operates as part of USF's economic development mission under USF CONNECT.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) provides technology business incubation services to early-stage startups, offering physical workspace within USF Research Park, mentorship, networking opportunities, and access to University of South Florida research resources and faculty expertise. The incubator connects startups to funding mechanisms including the Florida High Tech Corridor and the NSF I-Corps Hub: Southeast @ USF program, and operates as part of USF CONNECT's broader innovation enterprise.

Product overview

Tampa Bay Technology Incubator is part of a portfolio of innovation support programs managed by USF CONNECT, which includes TBTI, the Evolve Accelerator, and the Student Innovation Incubator (SII). These programs collectively support technology entrepreneurship at different stages—from student innovators through early-stage startups to scaling companies—providing mentorship, resources, and infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI) A technology business incubator operated by USF CONNECT that supports early-stage technology startups through mentorship, resources, research infrastructure, and physical workspace within USF Research Park in Tampa, Florida. Designed for technology founders seeking university-backed commercialization support.
• Evolve Accelerator An accelerator program managed by USF CONNECT that provides intensive support for startups looking to scale their operations and accelerate growth, complementary to TBTI's incubation services.
• Student Innovation Incubator (SII) An incubator program managed by USF CONNECT specifically designed for USF student entrepreneurs to develop and launch innovative ideas and ventures, providing entrepreneurship education and startup development support.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• USF CONNECTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSF CONNECT is the parent organization that manages the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator (TBTI), the Evolve Accelerator, and the Student Innovation Incubator (SII). It serves as the central hub for USF's startup incubation and acceleration programs.
• NSF I-CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF I-Corps Hub: Southeast @ USF provides a 5-week workshop program allowing innovators to explore commercial potential for their innovations, coordinated with phaseZERO: Cyber Florida's Innovation Incubator.
• Florida High Tech CorridorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Florida High Tech Corridor offers multiple funding opportunities at USF to support collaborative industry research, early-stage faculty innovation, and undergraduate research. USF serves as a funding partner for regional technology development.
• USF Technology Transfer OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSF Tech Transfer promotes collaboration, innovation, and successful research commercialization for inventors, providing IP management and licensing support that benefits incubator companies.
• USF Research FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports USF's economic development mission and enhances the research activities of USF faculty, staff and students. Provides operational and financial support for the innovation ecosystem including incubator programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Station Houston: Houston-based innovation hub and accelerator supporting technology startups. Comparable as a regional innovation hub offering incubation space, mentorship, and corporate connections, though focused on Houston rather than Tampa Bay.
• Tampa Bay Wave: Tampa Bay-based startup accelerator serving tech entrepreneurs in the same region as TBTI. Directly comparable as a Tampa-area program providing mentorship, capital connections, and cohort-based acceleration, often overlapping with TBTI's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network running mentorship-driven programs for technology startups. Comparable as an established accelerator model that TBTI's Evolve Accelerator is structured similarly to, though Techstars operates at much larger scale and capital base.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Global innovation platform and accelerator running industry-specific programs for startups. Comparable as a broad-based accelerator with corporate partnerships, operating at much larger scale than TBTI but serving similar early-stage technology companies.
• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting science and technology startups with workspace, advisory services, and programming. Comparable as a large-scale, university-adjacent innovation district operator, though with much greater scale and a focus on life sciences.

Direct peers

• Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): Operates innovation campuses that provide coworking, lab, and incubation space for technology and life sciences startups. Comparable as a facility-based incubator operator providing physical infrastructure and programming for early-stage companies.
• Innovation Works: Pittsburgh-based seed-stage investor and startup accelerator focused on technology and robotics. Comparable as a regionally focused accelerator combining incubation services with seed capital, often partnered with university research outputs.
• MassChallenge: Global non-profit accelerator supporting early-stage startups across multiple industries and geographies. Comparable as a non-equity or low-equity accelerator with university and corporate partnerships, offering mentorship and programming.
• 1871: Chicago-based technology incubator and innovation hub providing workspace, mentorship, and programming for early-stage tech companies. Directly comparable as a city-based tech incubator with corporate, academic, and community partnerships analogous to USF CONNECT.
• UF Innovate | Tech Runway: University of Florida's startup incubator and accelerator. Directly comparable as a peer state-university incubator in Florida providing similar programs (student innovation, accelerator, technology transfer) under a public research university.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USFResearch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL2D8E897BA97BD12F&feature=plcp
• Facebookfacebook.com/USFResearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usf-connect
• Instagraminstagram.com/usfresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tampa Bay Technology Incubator