Tampa Bay Wave, a nonprofit tech accelerator based in Tampa, and spARK Labs by ARK Invest, an innovation hub powered by ARK Invest in St. Petersburg, entered into a memorandum of understanding in early September establishing Bridging the Bay, an ongoing partnership connecting the innovation communities on both sides of Tampa Bay. The organizations are marking the public launch of the partnership tonight with the FinTech|X Accelerator Mixer at ARK Innovation Center.

The mixer runs from 4 to 6 p.m. and brings together founders, investors and ecosystem partners from across the region. It follows a curriculum day held earlier that day for the 2026 FinTech|X Accelerator cohort. Event sponsors include Dynasty Financial, Smart Choice and the St. Petersburg Economic Development Corporation.

FinTech|X is Tampa Bay Wave's accelerator program supporting startups building solutions for the financial services industry. The 2026 cohort, now in its fifth year, is presented in partnership with the USF Muma College of Business Kate Tiedemann School of Business and Finance and supported by Regions Foundation. 

Bridging the Bay is designed to grow beyond a single event. Tampa Bay Wave and spARK Labs plan to continue hosting joint programming, sharing resources and building connections between founders in Tampa and St. Petersburg over the long term.

"Founders don't stop at a bridge, and neither should the support around them," said Linda Olson, CEO of Tampa Bay Wave. "Tampa and St. Petersburg each bring something different to this ecosystem. Bridging the Bay makes it easier for founders to draw on both, and that's good for every entrepreneur building a company here."

"Tampa Bay's strength has always been its people, and the best ideas come from collaboration," said Becca Brown, President and CEO of spARK Labs by ARK Invest. "Bridging the Bay brings our communities closer together. By combining spARK Labs' role as a hub for disruptive innovation with Tampa Bay Wave's deep accelerator experience, we can support founders at every stage of growth."

The Tampa Bay Wave and spARK Labs partnership demonstrates the spirit of community and collaboration between the entrepreneur service organizations serving the Tampa Bay region’s tech ecosystem.