The event will include two hours of presentations from several early-stage tech companies vying to win $15,000 in cash awards for the best business plan. The event also will highlight Central Florida's best tech startups and show community members why Orlando is a thriving tech hub. Selected companies will get to share a five-minute "fastpitch" version of their business plans to a panel of seed investors, and will have the opportunity to receive funding, input and advice from the most successful YPO members and business owners in Orlando. The fastpitch event will take place Feb.

A new Orlando seed fund will pursue a federal grant after the city council helped push it past the required $250,000 in matching funds Monday. City officials unanimously approved $100,000 for StarterCorps, a non-profit organization which will be housed at the downtown Orlando coworking space Canvs. StarterCorps executive director Kirstie Chadwick, a veteran of Orlando's technology startup community, said the council's support could go a long way toward helping StarterCorps receive the grant. "It's huge," she said.

The i6 Challenge is a multi-agency grant that encourages and rewards innovative, groundbreaking ideas that accelerate technology commercialization, new venture formation, job creation, and economic growth across the United States. The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) was created in 2009 to spearhead the federal government's efforts to promote innovation-based, high-growth entrepreneurship in pursuit of job creation and economic growth.

And why has Ben ended up in Orlando, a land better known for its affiliation with Mickey Mouse than Steve Jobs? Ben landed there in 2005 on a job assignment, and likes the climate. And with retirement communities ringing the city, there’s no shortage of demand for healthcare--and healthcare innovation. Apple and Google recently acquired startups from the region, and perhaps someday central Florida will become known as a hub of innovation that Ben would like it to be, with The Garage one of its important spokes.

Sarah Meeks, 28, and her 30-year-old brother, Thomas Meeks — founders of SeeqIt LLC (pronounced seek-it) —have been working on a new search engine called Trevinly. The idea is relatively basic: No more search-engine optimization. Businesses would pay SeeqIt $9 a month or $99 a year, and the site’s fairness algorithm guarantees distributed first place rankings. There's also a freemium version of the site, which doesn't have photos for businesses.