STAR TEC Awards 2009 Fintech Business Plan

STAR Technology Enterprise Center (www.startecflorida.com), an innovation and entrepreneurship center for technology and light manufacturing businesses, has accepted the winner of the 2009 Fintech Business Plan Competition, Pinellas Scientific (formerly MicroMech Optics) as a client, providing office space at STAR TEC and admittance to the TEC Venture program.

Pinellas Scientific, led by William Ash and Simon Shewmaker, is an instrumentation company that develops scalable chemical agent micro-detectors to improve public safety.

In addition to acceptance by STAR TEC, the company also received $7,500 from Financial Information Technologies, Inc. (Fintech), legal assistance from Fowler White Boggs and accounting assistance from Cherry, Bekaert & Holland.

The 2009 Fintech Business Plan Competition was hosted by the USF Center for Entrepreneurship and sponsored by Fintech (www.fintech.net), the leader in processing regulated invoices electronically.  In addition to Fintech CEO Scott Riley, judges included representatives of Fowler White Boggs, Cherry Bekaert & Holland, STAR TEC and Florida Venture Forum.

The Competition’s second place winner, Sneaker Scrub, LLC, creator of innovative products that solve basic household problems in a cost-effective and efficient manner, was awarded $5,000, is also enrolled in the TEC Venture program and has an office in STAR TEC.  The third place winner, Olympia Muscular Therapy Development, a muscular therapy franchise, was awarded $2,500. Both were also provided access to legal and accounting assistance.

Based in Largo, Fla., STAR Technology Enterprise Center (www.startecflorida.com) is an innovation and entrepreneurship center that assists emerging and entrepreneurial companies in the technology and manufacturing sectors in accelerating their success.  Serving the role often played by a business incubator or business accelerator, STAR TEC offers a unique mind to market model for working with entrepreneurs from concept through exit strategy, providing mentoring services, market research, shared equipment, conference and office space, educational workshops and access to financial markets.  Clients are able to access services on an onsite/tenant basis, a virtual basis or as part-time onsite tenants. STAR TEC was recently named to the Entrepreneur Startups magazine listing of 10 U.S. business incubators for the summer 2009 issue.  Follow STAR TEC on Twitter, www.twitter.com/startec.