There is another industry growing right beside the Orlando Tourism industry; the Tech Scene in Orlando is beckoning to be noticed. With all the buzz in and around the tech industry in Orlando, it is necessary that members of the tech community take an active role in supporting growing companies and promoting regional activity. That is the primary purpose of Orlando Tech Association (read more). OTA is connecting technology companies across the region through events, news, and an active networks of individuals working to support industry growth. In partnership with the City of Orlando, OTA is working to bring a sense of connection to the Orlando tech community in the form of a new digital main street. Modeled after the district structure of other Main Street communities, the digital main street connects digital efforts throughout Orlando. OTA runs the Orlando Tech Meetups, a monthly gathering of tech entrepreneurs and enthusiasts that allow local tech startups to demo products to a live audience and get real-time feedback right here in Orlando (read more).
Canvs, a non-profit tech hub in Downtown Orlando, co-founded by Philip Holt, is a 17,000 sq ft co-working space intended to give start up companies space to work, brainstorm ideas and professional advise, and hopefully one day have their own space in Creative Village, a new Tech complex being developed in Downtown Orlando and due to have the first buildings completed in 2017 and 2018. Canvs is described as a YMCA for tech startups — a building fully equipped with all the necessary tools and activities to get their businesses into shape (read more). The Tech Co-working sector continues to expand in Orlando showing the growth of the Orlando Tech Industry (read more).
University of Central Florida (UCF), the second largest University in the United States, and the research park that surrounds it has the tremendous technology industrial strength to make Orlando a Tech/Entrepreneurial city it longs to be. The UCF Business Incubation Program is a university-driven, community partnership between the University of Central Florida, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties, and the cities of Apopka, Kissimmee, Orlando and Winter Springs. The program helps early-stage businesses develop into financially stable companies by providing the tools, training, and infrastructure that help facilitate smarter, faster startup growth (read more).
Technology is rapidly becoming the second largest industry, and taking notice are the major corporations like Apple, Deloitte, Lockheed Martin & Siemens just to name a few. Deloitte is in the process of hiring 1000 tech professionals for its new IT center in Orlando and Apple has been hiring hardware engineers in the area. And of course gaming companies like Zynga and Electronic Arts also have a presence in Orlando. The city’s economic development campaign has been labeled “Orlando, You Don’t Know the Half of It,” in an effort to bring attention to the city’s employment opportunities outside of tourism. With all this growth and expansion, expect to see Orlando in the Tech spotlight in the coming future.
