People looking for work in Tallahassee are about to be matched with business mentors in an effort to develop new technologies. The partnerships are part of the statewide StartUp Quest program begun at the University of Florida three years ago.
By the end of the week, Tallahassee’s dozen mentors will receive the names of mentees on their teams. Workforce Plus is facilitating the partnerships between job seekers, business leaders and state universities hoping to see their ideas blossom into tech companies.
One mentor is Eddie Gonzalez Loumiet, the managing director at healthcare data company Uber Operations. He says he's excited to meet the job seekers on his team.
“In the beginning I’m going to see what they can do together as a team and see who stands out, who doesn’t, who’s going to be the leader. And when appropriate I’m going to jump in and give my two cents. And make no mistake, I’m sure I’m going to learn from them as well and through the process," he says.
According to the StartUp Quest website, since the program went statewide, it’s led to the formation of 14 companies, employment for 73 participants and the creation of 26 new jobs.
The Tallahassee teams will work on their projects until April, when the participating universities will assume ownership of anything that’s been created.