startGNV

🚨EVENT ALERT!🐊
Wednesday, April 15th at , the first drink is on our event partner, UF Warrington College of Business!

This gathering is geared toward master’s, doctoral, and postdoc students, but anyone with an interest is welcome to join.

FEATURED SPEAKER
Anita Rao from UF Innovate will share insights on how researchers can begin exploring the path from lab to market, followed by an open Q&A.

Come with questions, or just come to listen. Either way, we'd love to see you there!

🗓 Wednesday, April 15th
📍First Magnitude Brewing Company
⏰ 5:30 - 7:00 PM
🍻 First drink is free!
🎟️ Free to attend—RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/startgnv-gradpostdoc-monthly-meetup-april-with-guest-from-uf-innovate-tickets-1984934037138?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

📣 UPCOMING EVENT: Show support for our local innovation ecosystem through the great work of UF Center for Arts, Migration + Entrepreneurship and UF IGNITE with their Community Innovation Day on April 11 at the Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention

You are invited to COMMUNITY INNOVATION DAY AT THE CADE MUSEUM, Saturday, April 11, 10:00am - 2:00pm!

Community Innovation Day is a free, family-friendly open showcase where students share their work through creative exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, performances, and storytelling installations for all-ages. Engage the arts and science with slime, playdough, rockets, dance, and more while exploring the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention!

This event is part of Students Thinking BIG, which spotlights research and creative student projects across the arts, humanities, STEM, business, education and more. This event brings together students, entrepreneurs, creatives and community members within Gainesville’s innovation ecosystem. Hosted in partnership with the UF Engineering Innovation Institute’s IGNITE, the UF Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship (CAME) UF College of the Arts , and the Cade Museum.

🍀 Spring is here in Gainesville, and we’ve got another event budding! 🌿

This month's meetGNV Happy Hour will be an appreciation of all things green and growing at the Working Food Community Center and Serpentine Plants + Provisions on Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 PM.

Dig into some real Gainesville grassroots with startGNV as we:

👩‍🌾 Tour the Working Food Community Center facility

🥕 Get the insider take on Gainesville’s vibrant local food system

🤝 Learn all about Working Food’s community-focused mission

🍷 Head next door to the immersive "greenhouse" storefront of Serpentine Plants + Provisions for a casual happy hour (and maybe go home with a new houseplant!)

Come meet new people, discover an incredible local organization, and enjoy a great evening with the meetGNV community.

Can’t wait to see you there! 🍻

meetGNV - March Happy Hour with Working Food Community Center Join us for an amazing tour with our friends at Working Food Community Center followed by a happy hour at

Next week's aiGNV meetup is going to be a great one. Britt Woodall and Iris Zhang from Vobile are going to present on their use of AI in the entertainment industry. Join us next Wednesday at Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant at 11:30.

aiGNV Lunch Meetup: Trends, Tools, Real Use Cases Join us for a casual lunch meetup to dive into the latest trends, tools, and real-world use cases in AI.

Two businesses can do everything right. Why does one grow faster than the other?

Visibility.

Even with a strong product and a clear mission, growth can stall and visibility can remain low.

This webinar, hosted by the University of Florida's Bateman team, demonstrates how public relations creates buzz and builds credibility in ways advertising alone can’t. Research shows that strategic PR increases customer trust, drives long-term business growth, and gets people talking about your product or service.

Date: Feb. 23, 2026
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Length: 45 minutes + 15 min Q&A
Where: Live Online - link will be provided after registration

You will learn how to:

🐊 Earn media coverage that builds trust faster than paid advertising

🐊 Reach the right journalists and audiences

🐊 Monitor public perception and protect reputation

🐊 Conduct a competitive analysis of your competitors

🐊 Streamline press distribution with outreach tools

✅RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScua9IddMdGsVT2qiGj6NgENVS0McD0Y8wb0Aap2xEkshnceA/viewformusp=sharing&ouid=109132328312745236335

If you have any questions, please contact the team at [email protected]

RSVP: ACCESS Your PR Superpower Webinar Join a FREE, live webinar where the University of Florida Bateman Team will show entrepreneurs and small-business leaders how public relations helps your business grow. This webinar delivers cost-effective PR strategies that strengthen company reputation and level the playing field with larger compe...

We’ve got a busy week ahead 👀🔥

First up: meetGNV this upcoming Tuesday, Feb 17, at 5:30PM at 🍻

Get a look at their brewing process and connect with other awesome people in our community. Stick around after for Bingo Night if you’re feeling competitive 🎉

Two events. One big week. Let’s make it a good one. 💛
Registration links in our Bio

📣 Calling all Gainesville grad students and postdocs! 🎓

Wednesday, February 18th at Cypress & Grove Brewing Co., we’re launching the first of a monthly series of meetups exclusively for master’s, doctoral, and postdoc students. All disciplines are invited to come together off-campus to share ideas, swap stories, and build meaningful connections in a relaxed setting.

Maybe you’re craving community, want to connect beyond your department, or just looking to mix it up. Whatever the reason, we'd love to see you there!

startGNV Grad/PostDoc February monthly meetup A casual meetup for graduate students from across disciplines for conversation, connection, and community.

Dive into the reality of AI behind the hype and headlines at the February aiGNV Lunch Meetup on Wednesday, February 11th.

Join Douglas, Scott, and Grant for networking, the latest news and trends in AI, and live demos of how real businesses are getting results with emerging AI tools.

Whether you're a founder, freelancer, manager, marketer, or just AI-curious, this is a great chance to connect with others in the Gainesville business and tech community who are testing, building, and learning with the latest this technology has to offer.

If you’re curious about a real-world approach to AI that seamlessly enhances your workflow, we’d love to see you there.

aiGNV Lunch Meetup: Trends, Tools, Real Use Cases Join us for a casual lunch meetup where we'll dive into the latest trends, tools, and real-world use cases in AI technology.

We are excited for TEDx Gainesville this coming Saturday. We hope to see you at the UF Center for Performing Arts. The talks are always amazing!

TEDx Gainesville [ Saturday, January 31, 2026; 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. ] Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and thrilled at TEDxGainesville’s monumental 5th event!

The first aiGNV meetup is this Wednesday and we’re switching things up. We have moved it to a lunch meeting based on hour feedback. Grant, Douglas, and Scott, will still introduce AI trends, and live demos of real tools being used on real projects.

If you’ve been curious about AI but want to see how it actually works in practice, this one’s for you. Come grab lunch, meet some great people, and walk away with ideas you can use right away.

Hope to see you there!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aignv-lunch-meetup-trends-tools-real-use-cases-tickets-1602295702579?aff=oddtdtcreator

Tonights the night for our next Happy Hour 🎃

We’ll be starting things off with an exclusive tour of The Hippodrome Theatre, then we’ll head across the street to SideCar to finish the evening with a beverage to keep the conversations going with founders, creatives, and Gainesville’s booming startup.

🗓 Tonight! Tuesday, October 28th
📍The Hippodrome Theatre followed by V Pizza & SideCar
⏰ 5:30 - 6:30 PM at and 6:30 PM onwards at
🎟️ Free to attend—RSVP with the link in our Instagram Bio. 

Tickets are still left for our Theatre Tour portion so be sure to RSVP quick before they’re all gone!