Meet the 2025 Tech Meetup Group Scholarship Recipients

Embarc Collective, in partnership with Bank of America, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Tech Meetup Group Scholarships. This initiative, supported by a $50,000 grant from the bank, expands technical programming for Embarc Collective’s startup members while also supporting local technical groups by reducing common barriers like event costs and space accessibility for in-person gatherings.

The scholarship recipients were selected based on their technical focus, community impact, and relevance to the growing demand for technical support in Tampa Bay.

 “The caliber of technical meetup groups that applied was outstanding,” said Jennifer Brown, Senior Events Associate, Embarc Collective. “These groups had been meeting online, proving that Tampa Bay’s tech talent was already thriving—it just needed a place to come together. We’re excited to provide that home, offering space and support to fuel their growth.”

Beyond access to Embarc’s premium spaces, selected groups will be immersed in the startup ecosystem, where in-person connections spark deeper collaboration, idea-sharing, and growth in ways that virtual settings simply can’t replicate.

Tech Meetup Scholarship Recipients 2025:

• *Tampa Bay AI – Discussing and sharing knowledge about the practical use and development of AI applications.
  
• Tampa Bay AWS User Group – Informational and educational content on the various use cases and cloud-based services that Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides.
  
• Tampa Bay Azure – Exploring the latest trends, best practices, and real-world case studies using Microsoft Azure.
  
• Tampa Bay Data Science Group – All things data science. From technical how-tos and case studies to general topics of interest to practitioners, like the state of the data science job market.
  
• Tampa Bay Java User Group – Local tech community for Java Developers to learn and share knowledge.
  
• Tampa Bay Techies – Helping aspiring tech professionals break into the dynamic tech industry by providing a network of resources, a supportive community, and opportunities for professional and personal growth and development.
  
• Tampa Bay QA and Testing – Sharing knowledge, experiences, and best practices related to software testing, quality assurance, and similar topics.
  
• Tampa Bay Women in Agile – Agile-related topics that range across agile delivery, product management, methodologies, best practices, agile coaching, etc.
  
• *Suncoast Software Skills – Helping programmers and technologists make the difficult leap from knowing how to use a programming language, database, or design application to knowing how to make an application or service.

*Technical Meetup Groups led by members of Embarc Collective.

By offering this support, Embarc Collective and Bank of America aim to empower local tech communities, expand knowledge-sharing opportunities, and provide a platform for the continued growth of Florida’s tech talent.

“Partnering with Embarc Collective demonstrates how Bank of America is taking action to provide the resources and support needed to help Tampa Bay thrive,” said Michael Esposito, president, Bank of America Tampa Bay. “This funding builds upon our longstanding efforts to help strengthen community vitality by addressing important issues like small business resiliency.”

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