1
2
GLOBALLY CONNECTED. LOCALLY FOCUSED.
Table of Contents Our Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Letter from Executive Director . . . . . . . .7 Thank You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Our Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Our Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Throwbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 2022 and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 3
$183+
4
MILLION
ECONOMIC IMPACT* REPORTED SINCE 2019
*Based on FSU’s Center for Economic Development PHD Advisor Report 5
THE BOARD | 2020-2022
Chairman | Ali Kamakhi, Jareed
Immediate Past Chair Yuh-Mei Hutt, Golden Lighting
Vice Chair | Jake Kiker Williams Gautier Law Firm
Treasurer | David White, Carr, Riggs, & Ingram
Director | Reis Alsberry, Florida A&M University
Director | David Lawson, NewSci
Director | Barbara Wescott ShopTally
Director | Bill Lickson, North Florida Innovation Labs
Director | Eduardo Loumiet, Ruvos
Director | Elizabeth Ricci, Rambana & Ricci, P.L.L.C.
6
Director | Ricardo Schneider, Danfoss Turbocor
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR 2021 was an unprecedented year for many and Domi Station was no exception. Since joining the Domi team, I have seen tremendous growth in our community. Taking Domi’s program virtual amid a pandemic was a daunting task. The Domi team rallied through many changes, and the outcomes have been incredible, thanks to your support. Domi’s participating businesses overall have created over $183+ million in local economic impact, and in 2019-2020 alone, created over 660 jobs, and generated over $25 million in revenue (as reported by the Economic Impact Analysis Report, Center for Economic Forecasting and Analysis at Florida State University). This is just the start of the impact Domi has in sight for our community; Domi is working tirelessly to meet its lofty goal of $1 billion in aggregate economic impact by 2030. Thanks to your generous contribution, we are well on our way to reaching our goal.
YEAR IN REVIEW With your support, we put on a total of twelve First Friday Happy Hours, approximately 42 incubation labs with incredible speakers, three Code talks on industry-specific software development discussions, and six mentor nights throughout the last year. In November, we had one of our largest, collaborative events ever at Domi. Partnering with Techstars, Domi spearheaded Tallahassee Startup Week, along with our ecosystem partners, to make this the largest business and entrepreneur focused event in the area. There were over 20 events (either in-person, virtual, or both), over eleven participating organizations, and over 200 attendees in total.
YEAR AHEAD At Domi, we help dreams become a reality which is no small feat. We would not be where we are without support from people like you. I personally thank you for the support you have provided to our community. It is an honor to wake up each morning and work towards supporting others. For 2022, Domi has implemented new workshops, networking events, as well as additional resources for our entrepreneurs that are free or at a reduced cost. Harness is the new platform that will house TLHMentors. org and expands the number of mentors available from 75 to over 1400+. Domi Masters is also a new program to help bring what was typically unobtainable for post-startup businesses. Other inclusions we’ve implemented include Startup Grind, Grow with Google workshops, and HubSpot workshops. Our incubation program has 20 scholarships for disbursement in January, and we look forward to disbursing a new round of scholarships in July. We aim to continue to serve underserved populations, partnering with other area organizations to identify potential participants who have the greatest need and promote opportunities to better serve them. Lastly, Domi Station is looking to renovate the coworking space to add additional office space based on the feedback we have received, indicating that there are no other affordable options within our area. With a lengthy waiting list, we see this as a great opportunity to expand Domi’s impact in the community. Domi Station is locally focused, nationally connected, and ready to create an even larger impact in the new year. Please feel free to call, email, or stop by Domi Station to learn more about the great work we are doing in the Tallahassee community. We hope you continue to support Domi’s initiatives and I look forward to working with you in 2022.
Sincerely, Robert Blacklidge, Executive Director Domi Station robert@domistation.org 77
8
THANK YOU Thanks to your generous contribution, we are well on our way to reaching our goal of making one-billion dollar economic impact for the Tallahassee, the Big Bend, and Southeast Corridor.
9
OUR MISSION Powered by a 501(c)3 and backed by partners both public and private, Domi is on a mission to educate and empower local entrepreneurs. We believe in inclusivity, and part of our mission is to build the most diverse startup community in the Southeast, one that breaks down barriers of industry, age, race, and gender.
10 0
PILLARS COMMUNITY Connect with other entrepreneurs and our plethora of community resources to gain momentum.
GUIDANCE Over 1400 mentors in every facet of business to guide new entrepreneurs in their journey.
EDUCATION World-class instruction with our Gear Up & Ascend incubation programs, which is built with a just-in-time, digital-first curriculum structure and features.
1111
COMM 12
PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE WORKMANS
UN Y 13 13
GLOBAL
PHOTO BY BLACK & HUE PHOTOGRAPHY
14
HIGH-VALUE NETWORK 50,000+ CONNECTIONS
15
COWORKERS 16
PHOTO BY BLACK & HUE PHOTOGRAPHY
$183+ million ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORTED SINCE 2019
1,602+ 250+ 200+ TOTAL JOBS
ENTREPRENEURS SERVED
STARTUPS
SINCE 2014
REMOTE STAFFERS OF FAANG* COMPANIES Domi continues to set the bar high for a modern coworking space and high-caliber talent and network using the space. FAANG companies consist of Facebook (Now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. We have a unique rolodex of members who rented space from us since the beginning. Thanks to our supporters we are able to keep prices below market rate so solopreneurs and startups can get started and grow.
17
MEMBERS & ALUMS Featuring some of Domi’s former & current coworking members as well as program participants. Some have been supporters from the beginning.
18
“Domi Station was one of the places where we first found community when we moved to Tallahassee...” - Alex Workman, The Workmans
19 19
COMMUNITY EVENTS 2021
12
FIRST FRIDAYS
42+ TOTAL EVENTS
1,257+ ATTENDEES Connect with other entrepreneurs and our plethora of community resources to gain momentum.
20
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS WHO MAKE THESE EVENTS POSSIBLE AND OPEN TO EVERYONE.
FIRST FRIDAYS Thanks to community sponsors, Domi is able to continue to host our popular and regularly attended First Friday socials.
CODE TALKS We introduced a new series called Code Talks to represent local tech talent in Tallahassee. This opened up an accessible platform for local tech companies and experts.
TLH STARTUP WEEK Partnering with Techstars, Domi spearheaded Tallahassee Startup Week, along with our ecosystem partners, to make this the largest business and entrepreneur focused event in the area. There were over 20 events (either in-person, virtual, or both), over eleven participating organizations, and over 200 attendees in total.
21 21
GUI Over 1400 mentors in every facet of business to guide entrepreneurs in their journey. Here are some of our featured mentors and guests. 22 22
DANCE GLOBAL SPEAKERS Adam Steele Google New York
Mayank Yadav Meta (Facebook) Silicon Valley
Rebecca Batterman Forum Ventures New York
Dominique Ardis Act House
Hannah King Woven Futures
Scott Balog MTX Group
Eduardo Loumiet Ruvos
Julia Holly JH Creative
Antonio Montoya Nimble Cog
DOMI MENTORS ABROAD
LOCAL MENTORS
23 23
MENTORS
1,400+ Global & Local Mentors 350+ Sessions
24
The Tallahassee Mentor Network sparked from a desire to support, equip, and launch entrepreneurs in our city. By uniting Tallahassee’s resources and experts, the TLH Mentor Network strives to increase the likelihood of success for entrepreneurs by providing them with local expertise that supports them through their entrepreneurial journey.
Harness is the new platform that will support TLHMentors.org and expands the number of mentors available from 75 to over 1400+. This grows our network to Fortune 500 companies.
25 25
PARTNERS GLOBAL AND LOCAL RESOURCES
Domi is the cauldron for Tallahassee businesses acting as a main point driving companies to develop and launch. As a result of the impact created we are now HubSpot and Google partners, and are being engaged by Amazon and Danfoss.
26
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
27 27
EDUC
ATION
World-class instruction with our Gear Up & Ascend incubation programs, which is built with a just-in-time, digital-first curriculum structure and features.
29 29
PROGRAMS
82+ LABS GEAR UP & ASCEND THIRD ACT PARTNER WORKSHOPS
30
31 31
OUR TEAM
3322
THE DOMI TEAM 2022
Robert Blacklidge Executive Director
Kara Holbert Associate Director
Dacia Williams Community Manager
Caleb Hayes Program Coordinator
Madison Adams Business Developer
Julia Holly Business Developer
Kalyssa Washburn Marketing Assistant
Ryan Praisner Admin Intern
Madeline Castello Marketing Assistant
Chloe Cannan Admin Intern
Julia Koines Incubation & Coworking Intern
Alexis Vescovacci Incubation & Video Intern
Schimelda Louissaint PR & Marketing Intern
Meghan Bannister Marketing Intern
Hannah Hull Coworking Intern
33 33
THROWBACK TO SOME OF DOMI’S FORMER TEAM MEMBERS & SPECIAL EVENTS LIKE FIGHT NIGHT, DOMI AWARDS, HACK FSU’S HACKATHONS, AND WHEN MAILCHIMP CAME TO TOWN.
34
GLOBAL BRANDS VISIT DOMI
PLAY VIDEO ON DIGITAL BOOK: BIT.LY/3RZP2VF
35 35
IN THE NEWS
36
SUPPORTERS WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE ALL OF THIS WITHOUT OUR LOYAL DONORS FROM THE BEGINNING AND THROUGHOUT THESE YEARS. THANK YOU ALL!
Steve Evans
Peter Lester
E. Edward Murray, Jr.
Micah Widen
Yuh-Mei Hutt & Friends
Matt Johnson
Jason McIntosh
Cuttlesoft / Frank Valcarcel
Mitch Nelson
John & Teresa Francis
Paul Bradshaw
Jim Davis
Slaton Murray
Rick Minor
Spencer Bluni
Susan Fiorito
Todd Kocourek
Kingdom First Realty
David White
Ruvos
Tor Friedman
Mark Powell
Lori & David Lawson
Carr Riggs, & Ingram
Tim Hsia
First Capital Financial
Michael Spiro
Leon County
Eddie Gonzalez Loumiet
Paul Consulting
THANKS TO CONTRIBUTORS OF OUR YEAR-IN-REVIEW BOOK. COVER DESIGN BY DIVVYUP SOCKS. BOOK DESIGN BY JULIA HOLLY ȍJH CREATIVE, LLCȎ. ©
2022 DOMI EDUCATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 37 37
2022 AND BEYOND LOOKING FORWARD 2022 has kicked off with new amazing intiatives, like Domi Masters and new partnerships like Launch Tally. We’ve come so far, but still have a lot of work to do. Save the dates for what’s ahead and be a part of the journey!
SAVE THE DATES APRIL 28TH DOMI’S PITCH EVENT
MAY 14TH WEB 3.0 DAY
JULY 1ST DOMI’S ANNIVERSARY BBQ
SEPT/NOV STARTUP GRIND EVENTS
NOV 14-18 2022 TLH STARTUP WEEK
DEC 2ND DOMI HOLIDAY PARTY
38
PLAY VIDEO ON DIGITAL BOOK: BIT.LY/388JDXJ
SUPPORT DOMI In order for Domi to support a larger number of early-stage entrepreneurs & provide underserved communities, Domi needs to at least spend $1 or more for every $1 we collect for each entrepreneur. Over the course of the last 7+ years, Domi’s teams have hustled using the bare minimum. Join us in making our goal of $1 billion in local economic impact.
39
40