Catalyze 2026: Becca Brown (spARK Labs by ARK Invest)

We’re asking thought leaders, business people and creatives to talk about the upcoming new year and give us catalyzing ideas for making St. Pete a better place to live. What should our city look like? What are their hopes, their plans, their problem-solving ideas? This is Catalyze 2026.

The Tampa Bay Innovation Center experienced multiple changes in 2025. 

Becca Brown became the organization’s CEO and President in July. It launched a new incubator program in October and was rebranded as spARK Labs by ARK Invest in November. 

For Brown, these changes signify the nonprofit’s future. The rebranding was “meant to capture this new chapter and new era.” 

She said that one of her biggest goals for 2026 is to “fully establish” the organization’s membership base. 

“We have about 60% of our capacity filled. So, we are well on our way,” Brown explained. “It’s certainly a goal that’s exciting because as we have more amazing founders and members, that community vibrancy increases and we’ll have that much more impact.” 

Currently, the nonprofit is incubating approximately 25 early-stage technology companies. These businesses “generally align” with the artificial intelligence, robotics, energy storage, blockchain and multiomics biology industries.  

As a member of the program, founders have access to ARK Invest’s research team, hands-on support and a “customized curriculum” to help them grow and scale their companies. 

Additionally, business owners can participate in pitch practices and educational modules about topics such as media interaction and financial modeling. 

Brown said that she enjoys collaborating with the incubator’s members and is inspired by their “creativity” and “vision.” The organization hosts weekly brainstorming sessions, which she calls “dynamic discussions,” where founders talk about challenges, new technologies and what they are learning through the experience. 

To exemplify, Brown explained how Florida is prone to storms and hurricanes. “The faster we can get things rebuilt when necessary, the more it will help quality of life and property values.” 

Technologies such as artificial intelligence-based permitting can assist “every member, resident and business owner in our area,” she said.  

Before joining the spARK Labs by ARK Invest team, Brown founded and ran a boutique consulting firm, Core Satellite Partners, for almost a decade and worked with early-stage  companies. She also co-founded consumer brand Solemates and appeared on TV’s Shark Tank.  

“Part of why I’m so excited to be running spARK Labs by ARK Invest is because I feel that it’s a way for me to pull from all the experiences I’ve had and combine them.” 

Engagement for both members and guests is key. Brown and her team recently launched a “community-generated wall” exercise. Anyone who visits the ARK Innovation Center, where spARK Labs by ARK Invest is headquartered, can write on the wall what the Tampa Bay area represents to them. 

“A brighter future for St. Pete is a better quality of life and leveraging innovation,” she said. “Even though we are a smaller city relative to other places in the U.S., I think we have a unique opportunity to showcase innovations and embed technology into our daily lives and communities.”