Law Firm Launches Bilingual Microsite to Help Startups Grow and Thrive
Tampa-based Carlton Fields has unveiled LaunchtoThrive.com, a microsite that provides legal documents, resources, and free counsel to entrepreneurs in the technology industry.
The aim is to help startups in regional tech-growth markets – including Tampa as well as Miami and Orlando – master multiple business challenges by providing startup-specific legal services and support at no cost. The site has launched in English and Spanish to ensure that Hispanic entrepreneurs are provided with resources catered to their needs.
“LaunchtoThrive.com expands on Carlton Fields’ longstanding commitment to entrepreneurs in Florida and across the nation. It allows our lawyers to form new relationships and help entrepreneurs grow their businesses from the ground up,” said Joe Swanson, an attorney in the firm’s Tampa office. “Local institutions, such as the University of South Florida and the Tampa Innovation Alliance, provide further, invaluable support to our relationships with these pioneers at a time when Tampa is undergoing a startup boom.”
Carlton Fields’ commitment to local entrepreneurs has led to multiple partnerships throughout Florida.
“The Spanish language component of LaunchtoThrive.com is essential in that it allows us to reach out to a population of entrepreneurs that has been underserviced nationwide, and that is essential to Florida’s future economic growth,” said Swanson.
Hispanics are indeed at the forefront of creating businesses across sectors. A 2015 report by Geoscape and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce revealed that Hispanics are the most likely to become entrepreneurs; in fact, the number of Hispanic owned businesses was projected to increase to more than 4.07 million in 2015, a 57 percent increase since 2007.
In the nearly two years since the success of Tampa Bay Startup Week, a thriving tech startup ecosystem has been emerging in Tampa, according to GeekWeek, along with increased area demand for venture financing to equal investment levels in cities like Austin and Seattle. Other Florida cities have kept pace with Tampa; in fact, the Kauffman Startup Activity and Growth Entrepreneurship Indexes show Florida as a whole ranking second in overall startup activity among states. Tampa itself ranked 19th among cities.
Free legal resources become especially crucial in light of recent data showing that less than half of all startups reach the five-year anniversary of their founding. Furthermore, legal issues are frequently cited as an impediment to success; the cost of top-notch lawyers often discourages startups from even seeking counsel – a problem Carlton Fields intends to solve.
LaunchtoThrive.com features easy-to-access links and downloads of documents such as bylaws, articles of organization and incorporation, trademark assignment and license forms, nondisclosure and employment agreements, and much more. A ‘Recent Resources’ queue includes expert articles and interviews on time management, wage and hour laws, considerations for going public, and data security preparedness, among other topics.
“We’re partnering with diverse entrepreneurs to support the comprehensive business strategies of Florida’s emerging companies,” said Jack Clabby, a shareholder in Carlton Fields’ Tampa office, who has worked with startups and other growing businesses throughout Florida.
“There’s an adventuresome spirit in Florida right now, and we’re happy to be a part of it,” added Gary Sasso, Carlton Fields’ President and CEO.
Visit LaunchtoThrive.comto learn more.
Connect with us on Twitter @LaunchtoThrive.
About Carlton Fields: Carlton Fields has nearly 400 attorneys and government and financial services consultants serving clients from offices in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Washington, D.C. The firm is known for its national litigation practice, including class action defense, trial practice, white-collar representation, and high-stakes appeals; its regulatory practice; and its handling of sophisticated business transactions and corporate counseling for domestic and international clients. For additional information, visit www.carltonfields.com. (Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, P.A. practices law in California through Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, LLP.)
