Lakshmi Shenoy at Embarc collective

Lakshmi Shenoy: Building A Tech Community

Lakshmi Shenoy's road to success in building thriving tech communities began by learning and applying principles taught by her parents. Today, she continues to incorporate such lessons and has established a unique and highly successful Tampa Bay-based innovation hub geared towards helping tech startups launch and remain viable.

A Parent's Influence

Shenoy grew up in Chicago and fondly remembers accompanying her scientist father to his lab and carefully observing how he performed his craft. She recalls how he identified problems, meticulously searched for ways to solve them, and did not grow discouraged when efforts did not work, but used such lessons as a learning experience.

After receiving education from the University of Chicago and Harvard Business School, Shenoy displayed her mettle in various business realms before deciding to specialize in the world of tech startups. This eventually led her to 1871, a prominent Chicago-based independent, non-profit innovation hub.

The Road to Tampa

While working at 1871, Shenoy's intelligence, talent, and tenacity caught the eye of Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeffrey Vinik. Vinik was so impressed by Shenoy that he invited her to take her talents to Florida with designs on helping turn Florida and the greater Tampa Bay region into a preferred destination for tech startups.

In 2020, Shenoy and her team officially launched Embarc Collective. Since then, she has transformed it into Florida's fastest burgeoning tech startup hub with nearly 150 companies served to date.

The Key To Embarc Collective's Success

Shenoy attributes part of Embarc Collective's success to the fact that they do not take a one-size-fits-all approach. She stresses that creating a tech company is not formulaic. She uses the principles instilled by her father, including encouraging founders to create goals, reveal how they wish to achieve them, and establish an individualized plan to get there. Above all, Shenoy and her team encourage them not to grow discouraged by initial failures but to use their experiences as learning experiences.

She emphasizes that one of the reasons Embarc Collective is different is that they hire local subject matter experts to help guide their member companies. These coaches stake their professional reputations on their client's successes or failures.

You can learn more about Embarc Collective here.

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