Daniel James Scott, 37

Daniel James Scott says his best decision was deciding to live in Tampa Bay. He came to the area to attend the University of South Florida in Tampa. Now, looking at the impact he’s made in the region, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Over the last 14 years, Scott has built a reputation in the Tampa startup community, co-founding the entrepreneurship program at USF and a Tampa seed-stage fund with Gazelle Labs. He has also co-authored five books on entrepreneurship.