Hi, I’m Marco.
Many of you already know me.
However, for those who do not, a quick intro.
I’m a former longtime journalist who spent the majority of his 11-year career writing about technology and the last six of those doing it for the Orlando Sentinel.
I dug in deep to a tech ecosystem long before it found its collective footing.
Oh, sure, we had successes around here.
It wasn’t only startups like Fattmerchant and UniKey Technologies, though, that made this community tick and had me especially interested in its future.
There were also the Lockheed Martins, Siemenses and Electronic Arts of the world because a thriving startup scene can only take a region so far.
It was the growth in Kissimmee of the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Resource Center, an ambitious project that had its stops and starts – and several names.
The depth of the gaming, simulation and military tech industries, along with so many others.
There are also the academic institutions that, if allowed to thrive, could be a farm system for young tech companies here.
But as deep as this community was, collaboration among industries was rare.
Don’t get me wrong: this isn’t a doomsday column taking cheap shots at anyone.
Instead, it’s a celebration of how far we have come because that collaboration now exists and it’s crucial.
The pandemic took its toll on just about any industry you can think of.
In its midst, I decided to walk away from the Orlando Sentinel and lost touch, to an extent with this city’s tech community.
However, not long after that, I launched Orlando Tech News.
Now, sure, it didn’t go as planned.
A family tragedy put me in a position where I had no energy to put into anything.
That’s not a sustainable position for any website to be in.
So, shortly after launch, I stopped updating the site. I spent as much time with family as I could to grieve.
Like the facility in Kissimmee, I had my stops and starts with this website.
However, I want to think that this is my last start.
In the near future, I will announce a couple of initiatives that will help me make this site sustainable (and even potentially more efficient).
The point of this post, however, is to make clear my goal here.
I truly believe my storytelling skills in tech are valuable to this community.
Several folks I have spoken to in the last week agree so that’s been encouraging.
I do not think my existence as a news outlet relies on tearing other sites down.
This community that I’ve chosen to stay in for the foreseeable future has more than enough news and information for multiple outlets to succeed.
Sure, some of my former editors would cringe if I said that to them in a competitive, professional newsroom.
But that’s just how I have chosen to approach this.
I hope you help me build.
I’ll see you soon.