Embarc Collective Receives Grant from the Florida Blue Foundation to Prevent Burnout, Promote Mental Well-Being for Startups

The grant will provide founders with resources to avoid burnout and continue to build thriving companies

Embarc Collective, the startup hub helping founders in the Tampa Bay region build bold, scalable, thriving companies, today announced it received a $20,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation. This grant, its third from the Florida Blue Foundation, will enable Embarc Collective to launch CEO Peer Groups, which are close-knit communities of startup CEOs at the same stage of startup building who will keep each other accountable and help to navigate business challenges under a common ethos of accountability, trust, and candor.

Unfortunately, burnout and associated mental well-being challenges are far too prevalent within the startup space.

“We’ve seen a dramatic demand for mental health resources over the past three years, which is why the mental health of our members remains a top priority for us,” said Dan Holahan, Director of Member Experience at Embarc Collective. “We’re incredibly grateful to the Florida Blue Foundation for allowing us to continue to grow our burnout prevention and wellness support through introducing expert-facilitated CEO Peer Groups.”

Startup founders are under pressure as they balance the needs of customers, employees, investors, directors, partners, and vendors. Their workloads often mean sleepless nights, hurried meals, and skipped workouts, all of which can increase harm to mental health.

“Mental well-being is a critical component to our overall health. The isolation of the pandemic exacerbated an already major need for mental health support in our communities,” said Susan Towler, Executive Director of the Florida Blue Foundation. “We are focused on supporting organizations like Embarc Collective that are implementing innovative programs to address the specific needs of their community.”

Through this grant, Embarc Collective will provide startup founders with a curated group of peers to regularly work through the complicated ups and downs of startup building, including mental health, stress, and leadership development. Each group is facilitated by Kelby Kupersmid, Embarc Collective’s Wellness and Burnout Prevention Coach, and receives access to tools and resources from the experts at Pilea, a global integrative leadership and human development community that coaches venture-backed founders on physical, mental, emotional, and relational health.

About Embarc Collective

Embarc Collective is a nonprofit startup hub helping founders in the Tampa Bay region build bold, scalable, thriving companies. Embarc Collective offers hands-on support driven by the unique goals and needs of each member startup. Member companies receive customized, ongoing coaching and support from startup veterans to help propel member companies’ growth.

Embarc Collective works with a growing roster of over 125 early-stage startups at its 32,000 square-foot office in downtown Tampa. Its partners include over 100 expertise-focused organizations and 160 early-stage venture firms across the country dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs. In 2021, Embarc Collective delivered 1,300 hours of one-on-one coaching to its members as well as 65 group learning sessions.

For more information, please visit www.embarccollective.com.