A new partnership provides eco-friendly and highly efficient lighting for over 100 technology start-ups at Tampa Bay WaVE, a nonprofit organization that provides mentoring and support to growing ventures.
The lighting was donated by St. Petersburg-based
LumaStream, a digital lighting distributor. The company’s product converts high voltage lighting to low voltage and then sends it long distances in a more controlled way than traditional lighting systems. The result is a more efficient and longer lasting system, reducing lighting usage in commercial buildings by as much as 80%.
"The program that
Tampa Bay WaVE has going is supporting hundreds of entrepreneurs every month," says Kelly Bousman, VP of marketing for LumaStream and advisor to WaVE. "To be able to donate the lighting that lightens the space and is part of where the bright ideas are hatched is a natural fit."
The lighting was installed at Tampa Bay WaVE’s FirstWaVE Venture Center in the Rivergate Tower in downtown Tampa. The 16,000 square foot space houses over 100 local start-ups and entrepreneurial support organizations such as
Startup Bus Southeast and
Florida Next.
The new lighting will not only reduce energy consumption but will also allow WaVE to fully use its event space to support more evening events. It will also assist the Venture Center, which was originally started through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce and support from the
University of South Florida, with becoming self-supporting.
"We know the struggles that other tech companies go through, and it’s kind of our way of giving back," says Bousman.
Writer:
Megan Hendricks
Source: Kelly Bousman, LumaStream
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.