Embarc Collective Launches Freelance Talent Directory to Serve Unique Needs of Early-Stage Startups in Tampa Bay

• Customized training program offers top talent freelancers a boost in startup community

Embarc Collective, the nonprofit innovation hub helping founders in the Tampa Bay region build bold, scalable, thriving companies, announced its Freelance Talent Directory. The directory, which is the first of its kind in the country, helps local and national startups easily connect with freelance professionals that are specifically trained to meet their unique needs, optimizing the talent assets of the Tampa Bay region while bringing new business and credibility to its market.

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As early-stage companies pursue rapid growth, they often need the skills of specialists outside their own teams to maintain speed and efficiency. But because startups operate so differently from other businesses, freelancers benefit from having specific familiarity with areas like project scoping, payment structures, and even terminology.

To meet this need, Embarc Collective created the Freelancer Program, a four-week small-group intensive training led by the experienced startup operators of Embarc Collective. The inaugural cohort, which started its first week of classes on August 31, included a number of professionals specialized in marketing, copywriting, public relations, and brand building and featured a customized curriculum centered around:

• Startup Optimization: How to position their freelance work for startups and build a playbook for scoping typical startup projects.
• Effective Project Communication: Becoming well-versed in “startup speak” to effectively win over clients and deliver on their projects.
• Getting Paid: How to build creative payment plans, work with equity, and evolve pricing as their startup clients evolve, too.
• Planning for Future Growth: Prospecting new startup clients and building a talent roadmap that helps their freelance business scale.

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“Our team is consistently faced with the same question by our member community of startups and our national network of investors: who are the best freelancers to work with for early-stage and high-growth startups?” said Dan Holahan, Member Experience Manager of Embarc Collective. “Through participating in our program, these individuals have stepped up and shown they are ready to provide their expertise to our startup community, and we’re excited to continue identifying and training more of these professionals in future cohorts.”

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