Who's behind this
The people
doing the work.
BŪP Innovation Corp is a 501(c)(3) building Tampa Bay's founder pipeline. Our leadership, board, and partner organizations bring operating experience across technology, construction, trucking, design, and workforce development — people who have built companies, not just advised them.
Leadership
Day-to-day operations of BŪP Innovation Corp.
Martika Jones
Executive Director
BŪP INNO
Also Board of Directors
2× AI startup founder building the founder pipeline she wanted when she started. NVIDIA Inception and Google for Startups member, TEDx speaker, published author.
Board of Directors
Governance and fiduciary oversight of the 501(c)(3).
George Jones III
Board of Directors
Creative Director, Loom Design
Creative director with 25+ years in the arts, building the visual identity systems and web platforms behind startups, nonprofits, and national campaigns.
Joshua Johnson
Board of Directors
Power Design
Eighteen years running fleet, safety, and compliance operations at scale. A three million miler who builds the systems — and the teams — that keep people safe on the road.
Martika Jones, Executive Director, also serves on the Board of Directors.
Advisory Board
Strategic counsel on programming, partnerships, and founder support.
Francine Marquis
Advisory Board
AI Program Manager, Google Cloud
AI Program Manager at Google Cloud, bringing her experience in artificial intelligence programs to BŪP INNO's advisory board.
Paul A. Sohl
Advisory Board
CEO, Florida High Tech Corridor · Rear Adm. USN (Ret)
CEO of the Florida High Tech Corridor and a retired Rear Admiral with more than 30 years in the U.S. Navy, advancing research, talent, and entrepreneurship across Central Florida.
Cesar R. Hernandez
Advisory Board
Founder & Managing Director, Omni Public
Founder of Omni Public, advising governments and enterprises through the AI transition. MIT Media Lab AI Venture Studio developer and Harvard Kennedy School Equity Fellow, building agentic AI systems for civic infrastructure.
Alis Drumgo
Advisory Board
Partner, Capital City Consulting
Two decades of public service, most recently as the City of Tampa's Deputy Administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity. Air Force veteran, city planner, and economic development professional.
Miranda R. Johnson
Advisory Board
Founder & CEO, MiRAjO Collective
Built and sold across construction, trucking, and technology since 2001. Her MiRAjO Hub is the business intelligence platform our Founders Hub runs on.
Roberto Borrero
Advisory Board
Founder & Chief Strategist, InGate Consulting
Director of Strategic Visibility, Media Relations & Sponsorship Partnerships, leading high-level visibility and influence initiatives across Tampa Bay.
Partner Organizations
Independent organizations whose people and platforms power our programming.
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