For nearly a decade, Hillsborough County has been helping local entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses through the Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (ECC). ECC is located at 2101 E. Palm Ave. in Tampa and is managed by Lynn Kroesen, who has managed the center since its inception. Previously, Mr. Clausen served as a business consultant for the Hillsborough County Small Business Information Center.
Hillsborough County’s small businesses are the backbone of our communities. They employ approximately half of the county’s working residents.
Clausen explained the purpose of the ECC as follows: “The purpose of ECC is to grow local startups and small businesses, jobs, and private investment in Hillsborough County through enhanced services and resources that directly support entrepreneurs. To increase connections to support, strengthen access to finance, foster collaboration between existing resources and become a clearinghouse for entrepreneurs.”
ECC hosts daily programs and events. Through programs and events, entrepreneurs have the opportunity to regularly connect with experts. Most programs are open to the public and provide an open forum for collaboration. “Diverse programming is a priority,” Clausen said.
Clausen added, “ECC was created to give entrepreneurs easy access to business service providers, resources, mentorship, and professional training. We help entrepreneurs navigate the system by leveraging the expertise of county services and those of nonprofit service providers and professional organizations, making it easy for customers to access a broad knowledge base. Customers will also be part of a larger community of entrepreneurs at ECC, with access to a variety of opportunities for professional connections and creative collisions to advance their businesses.”
The services provided by ECC are tailored to each company’s unique development stage and business category, including pre-venture. start up; small business; Small and medium-sized enterprises. Community-based targeted industry. Technology; Innovation; More.
Clausen explained: “ECC partners with more than 90 nonprofits, academic organizations, and government agencies with the same mission in mind: to grow and build Hillsborough County’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Partners include the Florida SBDC of Hillsborough County, the Services Corps for Retired Executives (SCORE), the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship (JMI), Hillsborough Community College InLab, Action Zone, and the Florida Minority Supplier Development Council.”
Additional partners will utilize this space for networking, programming, mentoring, and consulting.
For more information, visit www.hcfl.gov/eccevents.
