Hillsborough's entrepreneurial hub celebrates over 10 years of success
More than 150 people gathered at Hillsborough County's Entrepreneur Collaborative Center (ECC) on Friday, March 14, to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Business owners, ECC resource partners, and County leaders reflected on how the ECC took root and shared the success stories that have blossomed.
A look back
More than 10 years ago, County Commissioner Mark Sharpe worked with Hillsborough's Economic Development team to create a space where startups could come together, learn from one another, grow their ideas, and thrive-creating jobs for county residents.
Resource partners such as the Small Business Development Center at Hillsborough, SCORE, the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, the Kauffman Foundation, Action Zone, and others joined the effort to help business owners succeed. What started as a small seed of an idea in 2014 has grown into a vibrant entrepreneurial hub in Hillsborough County.
ECC's Top 10
At the celebration, the ECC honored its Top 10 Businesses, selected not only for their success but also for their impact on the community. Posters featuring these entrepreneurs now line the ECC walls, and their testimonial video will serve as a lasting tribute.
The ECC's Top 10 Businesses
- Black Unicorn Education
- Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters
- Doublemint Sitting
- Gaston's Culinary Services
- Glowmour Beauty Medispa
- Hogan Made
- Livy O's
- SAT Industrial Supplies & Solutions LLC
- 7th Sky Ventures
- Urban E Recycling
Representing industries from catering to babysitting and industrial supplies to coffee, the ECC's Top 10 Businesses are a snapshot of the thousands that have found support through the center.
The 10th anniversary event was filled with handshakes, hugs, and happy tears. Each attendee left with a gift-a plant to symbolize the ECC's commitment to planting seeds and helping businesses grow.
Community impact
Since 2014, the ECC has hosted more than 8,000 events, drawing over 145,000 attendees. More than 30,000 clients have received one-on-one consulting from ECC partners. The center is also home to the Southeast's largest operating 1 Million Cups, a national program created by the Kauffman Foundation to engage, educate, and connect local entrepreneurs. Today, the ECC stands as a major startup hub for entrepreneurs in the region.