*Photo: COO, Melanie Linscott, Innovated Studios, photo by Roberto Gonzalez
The Tech Talent Web That Makes Orlando’s Innovation Economy Unstoppable
You want to understand Orlando’s innovation economy? Stop looking at individual companies and start watching the talent. This week’s headlines tell a deeper story about engineers, developers, and creators who cross-pollinate between industries, carrying expertise like DNA spreading through an ecosystem.
Innovated Studios captured attention as Orlando Magazine profiled the Commerce Park company’s immersive innovation capabilities. Founded by Brad Ritti in 2018, the company exemplifies Orlando’s talent mobility. Ritti spent 17 years at Universal Orlando Resort progressing through entertainment technology roles, then moved to Birket Engineering working on ride control systems for Universal Studios and Disney parks worldwide. Now he applies that expertise at Innovated Studios, creating immersive experiences for clients from Netflix to Nintendo.
This week alone, Orlando companies secured significant funding and launched initiatives spanning esports, advanced simulation, and semiconductor production. EA Sports envisioning gaming’s future, Mass Virtual delivering XR classrooms to the U.S. Army, LightPath Technologies securing $18.2 million for infrared camera systems, NUVIEW capturing a $5M Department of Defense award.
Look closer, and you’ll see the same technical expertise flowing between military simulation, entertainment technology, aerospace systems, and gaming innovation. This isn’t coincidence. It’s the most underrecognized talent ecosystem in America.
But let me take you back to where this all started…
The Foundation: From Moon Shots to Innovation
Orlando’s innovation economy wasn’t built on venture capital. It was forged by America’s most ambitious challenge: putting a man on the moon. In 1963, with the Apollo program accelerating, Florida Technological University (now UCF) was founded with one mission: “Reach for the Stars”. The university’s first NASA grant in 1968 launched what became one of America’s most comprehensive space-focused education pipelines.
Today, Orlando’s technological roots dig deep, anchored by NASA’s strategic investment in UCF and bolstered by regional educational institutions creating phenomenal, interconnected talent ecosystems. The region includes Valencia College (launching Florida’s first semiconductor engineering program), Full Sail University (gaming, film, and immersive technology education), Rollins College (business and social entrepreneurship), Seminole State College (information systems, cybersecurity, and engineering technology).
This wasn’t just about space. It was about mastering immersive experiences at scale. The simulation technologies developed here became the foundation spanning Orlando’s core industries from aviation and aerospace to education, healthcare, and gaming. The same expertise flows between military simulators, entertainment technologies, and AR training systems simultaneously across all sectors.
So what does this cross-pollination look like in practice? Let’s dive into this week’s headlines…
Immersive Technology & Entertainment Innovation
Orlando’s immersive tech landscape pushes boundaries with real-time rendering, advanced integration, and experiential design. Companies like Innovated Studios operate from Commerce Park with expertise spanning themed attractions, interactive gaming, and technical systems integration, leveraging the same talent pool that designed NASA mission simulations.
The Caribe Royale Orlando’s gaming and tech transformation demonstrates how hospitality venues become testing grounds for experience innovation, while the local engineering company bringing Epic Universe to life applies simulation expertise developed over decades to create the most technologically advanced entertainment experiences on Earth.
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But entertainment is just one piece. Let’s look at how gaming fits into this ecosystem…
Gaming & Sports Technology
Orlando’s gaming sector blends deep simulation expertise with creative storytelling, exemplified by EA Sports’ college football ventures and competitive esports tournaments attracting global audiences. When EA Sports envisions the future of college football gaming, they’re building on decades of Central Florida’s experience creating compelling virtual experiences.
The Chad Ochocinco Madden ratings event at Edgewater High School connects community engagement with gaming technology excellence that traces directly back to our simulation heritage. This leverages the same fundamental technologies (real-time systems, human-computer interaction, complex data processing) that power military training simulations and entertainment experiences.
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Now, here’s where things get really interesting: the defense connection…
Aerospace & Defense Innovation
The defense sector, anchored by PEO STRI, serves as Orlando’s backbone for national security, accelerating innovation with cutting-edge simulation technology. Orlando secures $6+ billion annually in modeling and simulation contracts (one of the largest concentrations globally).
However, Pentagon proposals to eliminate PEO STRI would gut 1,000 local jobs and $6.5 billion in economic activity. As George Cheros, CEO of the National Center for Simulation, noted: the 75-year collaboration under the nation’s longest joint service agreement between Army and Navy has created over 30,000 employees with average salaries exceeding $100,000.
“There is mission critical work done in Orlando that you cannot replicate anywhere else,” said Waymon Armstrong of Engineering & Computer Simulations. Orlando has the distinction of being the only region where all military branches work side-by-side with universities and commercial simulation leaders like Disney, Electronic Arts and Lockheed Martin.
Thanks to the National Center for Simulation’s leadership to galvanize the community with partners like the Orlando Economic Partnership and the Florida High Tech Corridor to save our simulation community. Innovate Orlando will continue to do our part to connect the dots across our innovation economy.
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Speaking of space, that’s where Orlando’s story truly reaches for the stars…
Space Industry Leadership
Orlando’s Space Coast credentials continue ascending with expanding launch schedules, robust federal contracts, and deep collaboration between academia and industry fostering tomorrow’s space leaders. With SpaceX approaching 100 launches in 2025 and NASA’s $1.8 billion contract awarded to ASCEND Aerospace & Technology, Central Florida serves as both operational hub and innovation center.
Nearly 30% of Kennedy Space Center employees are UCF alumni, and UCF ranks as the top university nationally for placing graduates in aerospace jobs. The space-focused talent pool became the cross-pollinating ecosystem that powers breakthrough aerospace innovations alongside entertainment technologies and gaming systems.
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Educational Infrastructure & Workforce Development
The region’s talent pipeline includes Valencia College (launching Florida’s first semiconductor engineering program), Full Sail University (gaming, film, and immersive technology education), Rollins College (business and social entrepreneurship), Seminole State College (information systems, cybersecurity, and engineering technology), and specialized institutions creating a phenomenal, interconnected talent ecosystem. Bill Poirier joining UCF as the new Chief Information Officer and UCF’s outstanding first-year class with new engineering and technology degrees demonstrate strategic workforce development responding to industry needs.
The NSF Florida Semiconductor Engine’s inaugural Powering Prosperity 2025 Conference showcasing Osceola County’s NeoCity semiconductor vision represents coordinated regional strategy. Embry-Riddle’s enhanced aviation radio communications work shows how educational institutions aren’t just teaching existing technologies, they’re creating new ones.
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Healthcare & Life Sciences Innovation
Orlando’s healthcare technology sector operates with less fanfare than biotech hubs, but delivers consistent innovation impact. Upgrade Labs’ biohacking experience opening in Lake Nona represents the intersection of wellness technology and lifestyle optimization, while the Sanford company creating high-tech medical devices for cancer patients exemplifies how Orlando’s manufacturing and technology capabilities translate into life-saving healthcare innovations. These companies may not generate Silicon Valley-style headlines, but they create genuine economic and social impact.
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Now, let me tell you about what makes this ecosystem truly unique…
The Talent Cross-Pollination That Changes Everything
Take Phu Nguyen, P.E., whose career perfectly illustrates Orlando’s talent ecosystem. Introduced to me by the Florida High Tech Corridor’s Andrea Wesser-Brawner, he started as a mechanical engineer at NASA, moved to U.S. Department of Defense as an aerospace engineer, spent 17 years at Walt Disney World as Project Engineer developing attractions like FANTASMIC!, and now works at Universal Creative applying systems engineering expertise to next-generation immersive experiences.
Same fundamental skills (systems engineering, safety analysis, project management, complex manufacturing coordination) applied across aerospace, defense, entertainment, and immersive technology. This isn’t unusual in Orlando. It’s the standard career trajectory.
Orlando now supports nearly 78,000 tech workers growing at 2.3% annually (the second-highest rate among the nation’s 30 most populous regions). Tech employment grew 21% between 2019 and 2024, nearly double the national rate, with median tech salaries reaching $103,000 (more than double the regional median across all occupations).
Business Innovation & Strategic Partnerships
Orlando companies scale through strategic partnerships rather than just funding rounds. accesso’s deepened PayPal collaboration demonstrates how Orlando companies build sustainable, profitable technology companies that solve real problems across entertainment experiences. The Orlando fintech startup founder striving to make impact by 50 shows entrepreneurial ambition, while the new Rally leader’s vision for connecting entrepreneurs with civic innovation opportunities demonstrates ecosystem-building that other regions struggle to match.
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So here’s what I want to leave you with…
The Challenge to Our Community
Miami and Tampa are investing heavily in technology with strong corporate backing. Orlando has incredible infrastructure, but our investments have been disconnected (scattered across agencies and organizations without unified messaging).
Innovate Orlando serves as the destination marketing organization for Central Florida’s tech ecosystem, but we’re more than that. We’re the connective tissue that breaks down silos between companies, academia, government, and support organizations to foster a unified innovation community. Through strategic alignment, coordinated storytelling, and ecosystem-enabling tools, we position Orlando as the go-to destination for tech talent, investment, and collaboration.
Here’s what we’re building: Our Collective Impact Leadership Council unites 30+ regional tech support organizations. Our branding task force is creating a PR campaign launching at our February 20th signature tech conference with Creative City Project’s Immerse event. Our tech connect task force is developing an ecosystem directory for contract teaming opportunities. Soon we’ll announce the inaugural Innovate Orlando Awards celebrating our region’s talent.
Orlando’s tech sector contributes $15 billion annually to the economy, yet our coordinated regional strategy spanning decades gets overshadowed by other markets’ headlines. We have the talent, the track record, the strategic advantages. What we need is coordinated regional pride and investment that matches our capabilities.
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While other regions chase venture capital trends, Orlando is quietly building the infrastructure and expertise that will power the next generation of American innovation. The question isn’t whether we can compete. It’s whether we’ll finally start acting like the powerhouse we already are.
The tech talent web is here. The innovation economy is proven. This week’s headlines prove it. Now it’s time for the investment and recognition to catch up to the reality we’ve been building for six decades.
