New plan encourages startups

TAMPA BAY — To help grow the number of scalable startups in Tampa Bay, several business organizations in the area joined to promote Tampa Bay's 6/20 Plan to encourage entrepreneurship.

The plan, which is endorsed by 14 business organizations in the Tampa Bay area, “aims to give a shared voice to the entrepreneurial leaders who are looking to develop Tampa Bay into one of the best regions in the country to start and grow their businesses,” a news release explains.

The Tampa Bay 6/20 Plan hopes to attract what it says are two ingredients needed to foster entrepreneurs: talent and capital. The plan will use existing entrepreneurial resources in the area to bring in more venture capital and encourage more startups. This is the goal of the first phase of the plan, according to its website.

The plan was researched and written by six entrepreneurs who have taken leadership roles in the Tampa Bay business community: John Morrow, Daniel James Scott, Bill Jackson, Marvin Scaff, Brent Britton and Rebecca White. The plan's name reflects its release date, June 20, and the six entrepreneurs who founded it.