A New Orleans nonprofit has built a route from a first business idea to venture capital. Its most revealing feature is the price of admission: no fee or equity for its flagship accelerator, with investment handled separately.
Suncoast Venture Studio is trying to make Sarasota more than a pleasant place to retire or relocate. Its wager is practical: build the startups first, recruit operators around validated ideas, and let a regional technology economy form company by company.
In a plain metal building near the Gulf, founders can rent a desk, machine a prototype, find software help and meet investors. TechFarms is trying to turn Northwest Florida's technical talent into companies that stay put.