Key figures in Central Florida’s tech community share hopes that the new director of Orlando Tech Association can quickly revive momentum for the startup scene.
Several leaders of the tech startup community say they are ready to support new OTA director Diane Court. New plans that are emerging hold promise, said Dennis Pape, who opened the co-working space Catalyst in 2015. But that’s after months of reduced activity before Court was hired earlier this month.
“It has morphed a bit and I don’t know if it’s morphed in a good way,” said Pape, adding that OTA needs to get back to its entrepreneurial roots.
Orlando Tech Association, was an informal meetup group until it became a registered not-for-profit in 2014 and began to attempt broader programming. It was still known mostly for its meetups, where entrepreneurs mingle and share their stories. But the efforts have not led to much noticeable growth, a local investor said.
“It hasn’t necessarily gotten us to where we want to be, but that takes time,” Richard Licursi of the investment group VenVelo said of the Orlando Tech Association. “These things don’t blossom overnight, particularly when people have other responsibilities. I’m sure it hasn’t gotten to where they would like it to be.”
Getting non-profits organized is helpful as long as they allow the community its autonomy, said Brad Feld, an author and co-founder of the national accelerator Techstars, which has hosted Orlando-founded tech company Switchboard.
“Their goal should not be to organize or manage the startup community,” said Feld, of Boulder, Colo. “The leaders have to be the entrepreneurs. There is no CEO of the startup community.”
Community organizations should be inclusive of all the other activities going on in the startup community, he added.
During the last three years, the startup ecosystem in Orlando was roaring with new announcements. The Canvs coworking space opened; the Orlando Tech Association got city funding; and…