David Glass Putting Florida on the Technology Map
In this podcast, I sat down with David Glass, the founder and CEO of Florida Technology Journal (FTJ) and also the co-producer of two technology events in Florida. I’m personally thrilled with David’s progress in helping to reshape our state’s brand and putting Florida on the national map as a technology hub. Most people outside of Florida do not think of Florida as a technology hub.
David evolved FTJ from Tampa Bay CEO magazine, which was a print publication. The name says what it was. It featured entrepreneurial CEOs in the Tampa Bay area. During a three year period David published the magazine and a local radio program which featured local CEOs. As David’s network of CEOs grew many of them were technology CEOs. So, David decided to focus on technology and decided to expand to cover the entire the state.
100% Online Content
David launched FTJ earlier this year as an online content hub of technology news for the state of Florida. David admits that social media has helped increase FTJ’s subscriber base substantially. His online publication makes heavy use of video, which contributes to its popularity. FTJ provides timely news with daily alerts. FTJ receives news updates from around the state everyday and they post it right away. As David studies the analytics he sees stories get high click through rates within minutes of publishing online.
New York to Silicon Valley to Florida
I grew up in New York City. I relocated to Silicon Valley in my twenties. I relocated to Florida in my thirties. I often travel outside Florida and I can say firsthand that people don’t perceive Florida as a technology hub. That’s why I love what FTJ is doing. FTJ is all about promoting Florida technology. Any Florida based technology company can gain exposure by submitting news to FTJ.
Florida is a Hub of Midsize Tech Companies
The most prevalent technology sectors in Florida include bio-sciences, web applications, mobile development, digital media and software. To date, Citrix is the only nationally recognized tech name in Florida. However, Florida has a sizable population of small and mid size tech companies. FTJ reports on tech companies that are growing, hiring and getting funded. FTJ covers the flow of money as investors pump money into Florida tech companies. And, there are many people outside of Florida paying attention. David points that the FTJ subscriber base is growing from Georgia, New York, California, Texas and Massachusetts.
Florida Tech Events
David is the producer of the Internet & Tech Summit and Tech Venture Forum, both of which are in their second year. I served on David’s board of advisers for the Tech Summit for both years. This year’s event showed impressive growth in both attendance and content. The Tech Venture conference showcases emerging technology companies with the purpose of helping them get connected to growth resources. Both conferences include an impressive list of speakers, mostly from local Florida companies. The audience reaction to the abundance of local talent has been exceptional.
Attracting Tech Companies to Florida
For tech companies considering setting up shop in Florida, here are some of the most compelling reasons to do so. We are a state of immigrants from other states so we have lots of talented people to hire. Florida has no state income tax. Our lifestyle is terrific with great weather. Our sports teams run the gamut from college to professional including football, baseball, basketball and hockey. We have great beaches, lakes, theme parks and golf courses. Florida enjoys a lower cost of housing relative to other tech regions such as California and Massachusetts. One of my favorite aspects of Florida is how easy it is to get networked through tech associations and economic development groups.
As an immigrant to Florida myself and a career tech professional, I’ve been very interested in improving our brand as a technology state. David is single handedly having a huge impact on our state’s brand as a technology hub. Check out Florida Technology Journal to get plugged into our state’s technology footprint.
You can connect to David Glass on Twitter and find all his social and contact details at FloridaTechJournal.com.
BTW, if you’re looking for a job in the tech sector, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to choose from in Florida. Just follow the news on FTJ.
Did you know that Florida is so tech heavy? Drop me a note below with your reaction to this story.
15 Comments to David Glass Putting Florida on the Technology Map
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What make silicon valley a success:
1. Culture
2. Risk tolerant investors
3. Entrepreneurs who made it big re-invest in new start-ups (it’s a cycle)
4. Weather
5. Talent poolI do not see Florida or Tampa having many of those.
Tech might be migrating there, but FL will never be the home of the next Google… -
John,
Did this blog post make any predictions about Florida giving birth to another Google? No! I lived and worked in Silicon Valley before moving to Florida. I know firsthand the differences. I never made any comparison or predictions in this blog post. I only pointed out that Florida has a lot of tech companies but we are not recognized around the U.S. as a tech state in spite of how much we have. I even pointed out that most of our tech companies are small and midsize companies, none of which are close to a Google.
Bernie -
The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Florida. Regardless of geography, it's pretty hard to predict which small company has the right mix of ideas and talent to become large. I applaud David's efforts to help Florida's image catch up to the reality that the state is home to a lot of tech firms.
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Eric,
I agree. This blog post is all about recognizing David Glass for his contribution to Florida's brand image through the Florida Tech Journal. No one else is doing what he is doing. And, you and I (and many others) are grateful for him doing it.
Thanks for your comment.
Bernie -
I agree with Eric… Many people move to Florida because of the laid back lifestyle, but that doesn't mean we don't have great entrepreneurs moving to the state helping to create a thriving and nurturing technology hub! Like David specified, it takes time.. Silicon Valley didn't become what it is today over night!
Great post!!
RM – InBoundMarketingPR
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