TAMPA - Microenterprises and small businesses located in underserved communities in
the City of Tampa can now get additional support to start, strengthen and expand their
businesses.
Applications are open for the new Tampa , a new program that allows small businesses in low-to-moderate income areas to apply
for incubator services, technical assistance and scale-up support. The initiative
is funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program.
鈥淭he small business ecosystem in the Tampa Bay region is robust,鈥� said Javier Marin,
Tampa鈥檚 economic opportunity director. 鈥淏ut we identified gaps in availability and
access to mentorship, training, tools and resources that support entrepreneurship
and small business development.鈥�
According to Marin, the Entrepreneur Support Hub was created to close those gaps by
providing resources, opportunities and access to subject matter experts.
鈥淭his initiative will support entrepreneurship and business development for small
businesses in low- to moderate-income areas, as well as entrepreneurs who either have
an established microenterprise or are developing one within Tampa,鈥� he said.
The program uses community development block grants administered by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development. The city contracts with the Florida Small Business
Development Center at 四虎影视 and the Tampa Bay Women鈥檚 Business Centre to provide those
business support services.
Specifically, the , which is part of the Muma College of Business, will deliver one-on-one technical assistance to microenterprise entrepreneurs, as
well as scale-up services for small businesses through its Growth Acceleration program.
The Tampa Bay Women鈥檚 Business Centre will offer technical assistance through individualized
coaching and its Startup Academy, designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs build
foundational business skills.
Marin said the program is part of a broader strategy to strengthen Tampa鈥檚 small-business
ecosystem through sustained and measurable development.
鈥淪ustainable and effective strategies, along with ongoing evaluations, are key components
of this initiative,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey will help the city improve the economic well-being
of low- to moderate-income neighborhoods and families.鈥�
In its first year, the Entrepreneur Support Hub plans to provide scale-up services
to 10 small businesses and one-on-one or incubation support to 75 entrepreneurs developing
or growing microenterprises.
Participants will complete structured training in areas such as business planning,
marketing, financial projections, pricing strategy and disaster preparedness. The
city will track results by measuring new businesses created, jobs retained or added,
and the economic impact these enterprises bring to their communities.
Marin said the hub also aims to remove barriers that have historically discouraged
entrepreneurs from pursuing available support.
鈥淪ome of the most common challenges that new and existing entrepreneurs face include
not knowing where to start, being unaware of free services, and having resource constraints
that prevent them from growing,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Entrepreneur Support Hub will serve
as that starting point, providing access to resources, free services and platforms
that support small-business development in Tampa.鈥�
For entrepreneurs interested in participating, applications for technical assistance
and business incubation services are open through the Florida SBDC at 四虎影视 and the
Tampa Bay Women鈥檚 Business Centre. Eligible applicants must meet CDBG criteria to
qualify for these federally funded services.