{"id":200209,"date":"2026-03-21T07:55:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T07:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/200209\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T07:55:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T07:55:16","slug":"startups-take-root-in-st-petersburg-as-tech-scene-heats-up-absolute-game-changer-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/200209\/","title":{"rendered":"Startups take root in St. Petersburg as tech scene heats up: ‘Absolute game changer’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Brief<\/p>\n

A new tech incubator in St. Petersburg has reached capacity with 45 startup companies.<\/p>\n

Founders from across the country are relocating to the city, fueling a growing innovation hub.<\/p>\n

Leaders say the impact could be “transformational” for jobs, the economy and the city\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg<\/a> may be known for its sunshine, but a new wave of startups is putting the city on the map for something else: innovation.<\/p>\n

“I think the future is extremely bright for the tech scene in St. Pete,” said Rebecca Brown, CEO of spARK Labs.<\/p>\n

What we know<\/p>\n

A new incubator, spARK Labs, is drawing founders from across the country, while also creating space for local entrepreneurs to grow.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Inside the facility, the energy is unmistakable. Startups are building everything from artificial intelligence<\/a> platforms to robotics and even space technology.<\/p>\n

“They\u2019ve invented a robot that moves hospital beds around,” Brown said during a tour.<\/p>\n

Big picture view<\/p>\n

spARK Labs is the first-of-its-kind incubator in St. Petersburg and it\u2019s already seeing rapid growth.<\/p>\n

Brown says the space recently hit a major milestone: 45 companies filling its offices, with a growing waitlist behind them.<\/p>\n

“This is a manifestation of the demand and the interest for the types of tech support and the innovation that\u2019s happening,” Brown said.<\/p>\n

Dig deeper<\/p>\n

The incubator supports startups through what leaders call the “three C\u2019s”:<\/p>\n

That community, founders say, is key.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying<\/p>\n

For Dr. Kazi Hassan, founder of Round Smarter Inc., spARK Labs has accelerated his company\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

“Absolute game changer,” Hassan said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

His startup uses artificial intelligence to reduce administrative work for doctors in nursing homes, freeing up more time for patient care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We are trying to take everything miserable out of health care and just preserve the human connection that we have,” he said.<\/p>\n

Local perspective<\/p>\n

And the ideas don\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re launching rockets from the ocean,” said Michael Anderson, co-founder of Seagate Space<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His company is developing offshore launch infrastructure, another example of the ambitious innovation taking shape inside the lab.<\/p>\n

“Big ideas attract others who are doing that,” Anderson said.<\/p>\n

Why you should care<\/p>\n

Leaders say the goal is not just to launch companies, but to keep them here. With startups planting roots locally, the long-term impact could reshape the region.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s transformational, job creation, economic value creation, and sustained value,” Brown said.<\/p>\n

That growth could extend even further. spARK Labs is also part of a proposal tied to the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment, which could expand the city\u2019s innovation footprint even more.<\/p>\n

What’s next<\/p>\n

While office space is now full, spARK Labs leaders say there is still some availability for coworking and a growing waitlist of companies hoping to get in.<\/p>\n

As St. Petersburg\u2019s tech ecosystem continues to build momentum, leaders say this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n

The Source<\/p>\n

Sources for this story\u00a0include an interview with Rebecca Brown, CEO of spARK Labs, an interview with Dr. Kazi Hassan, Founder of Round Smarter Inc., and an interview with Michael Anderson, Co-Founder of Seagate Space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Brief A new tech incubator in St. Petersburg has reached capacity with 45 startup companies. Founders from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":200210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[45285,92591,92589,92587,52173,92588,202,204,203,199,201,200,92590],"class_list":["post-200209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-innovation-hub","tag-kazi-hassan","tag-michael-anderson","tag-rebecca-brown","tag-spark","tag-spark-labs","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-startup-companies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=200209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=200209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=200209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=200209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}