813 TECH DAY v.26

The conversations that happen before sessions start are often the ones people remember most. Give this hour room to breathe.

Tampa ranks 3rd among peer cities in AI adoption. The WEF projects 92 million jobs displaced and 170 million new ones created by 2030. This session has teeth if it moves past 'AI is coming' and into what you actually do on Monday morning.

The frame: AI didn't take your job — someone using AI did. What skills survive? What gets automated first?

Founders are 50% more likely to report a mental health issue. 68% report isolation. Embarc Collective runs 'Build Without Burnout' because they've seen what happens when this goes unaddressed.

This session doesn't become a feelings panel. It's about decision-making under pressure, sustained performance, and the leadership habits that separate founders who scale from founders who stall.

Great ideas rarely succeed alone. Behind every successful healthtech startup is a network of collaborators helping innovators navigate research, clinical validation, intellectual property, commercialization, and growth.

Join leaders from universities, health systems, and innovation organizations as they share how strategic partnerships are accelerating new technologies, strengthening regional ecosystems, and ultimately improving lives.

USF + defense contractor By Light formalized a 'trusted AI' national security partnership in April 2026. The $14M BlueTech|X accelerator is merging maritime security with cyber-innovation right here in Tampa.

This isn't compliance hour — it's a market signal conversation. Where is the security budget moving, who are the buyers, and what does a realistic defense posture look like for a company that can't afford a full security team?

The company that outruns you won't always do it with a better product. Sometimes they just have infrastructure that doesn't break when it matters.

5G, edge computing, and cloud architecture aren't IT decisions anymore — they're business strategy. This panel gets specific about what Tampa companies are building on and what they should be building on.