Jay Grubbs began his career as a music producer who had never heard the phrase “technical founder.” Today, he is an Orlando tech founder running Event Video Partners on custom software he learned to build, with both top-line growth and bottom-line growth thanks to hard work and a community that believed in him. Jay’s story is proof that impact can happen from any opportunity.
As Building Our Tech (BOT) counts down to our 10-year anniversary gala, we’re sharing the stories of the people who make up the Orlando tech ecosystem. Jay’s story shows what happens when someone with talent and drive gets the right training, opportunities, and community behind them. Jay embodies the BOT mission in action: helping people learn, build, and scale in tech.
Building a Business on the Ground in Orlando
Jay graduated from Full Sail University in 2020, straight into the pandemic. He started out in music production and audio engineering, working with independent artists across Orlando. He built his client base the hard way, one open mic at a time.
While he possessed a growing business and client base, the numbers weren’t where he needed them to be.
“I got to a point where I felt I was good at my craft and I had a decent amount of clients, and I still wasn’t in the financial position that I wanted to be. And I felt kind of stuck.”
This is a feeling many small business owners know well. Talent alone doesn’t always translate into a business that can grow.
Connecting with BOT
The turning point came from an unexpected place. Sarah Kinbar of the Orlando Business Journal interviewed Jay about the intersection of technology and music. Afterward, she suggested he connect with BOT.
“She felt like I was a technical founder. And that was the first time I had heard that term. I didn’t know what it meant.”
Taking Sarah’s recommendation, Jay reached out and applied to a BOT pitch competition. However, he didn’t get accepted into the pitch competition. But that wasn’t the end of his story. Jay was introduced to Jehue, BOT Startup Program Director, who immediately saw potential that a scorecard couldn’t capture.
“Even though it wasn’t the best fit for the pitch competition, he saw something in me as a founder.”
Jay shared the projects he’d been working on while self-learning coding. Jehue reinforced what Sarah had noticed: Jay was a technical founder. From there, Jehue, Joel (BOT’s Startup Program Manager), and the BOT community invested in Jay directly.
“They really poured into me and started teaching me the process of how to find developers and build your team and lead them and make changes to the code. And I really learned what it looks like to build software to support a business.”
This is exactly what founder support looks like in practice. A “no” on a pitch competition became the start of a long-term relationship, helping and supporting Jay through his founder journey.
The BOT Impact
Today, Jay’s company Event Video Partners helps community impact organizations communicate their value through video storytelling. Behind the scenes, the company runs on custom internal applications Jay built with what he taught himself and learned through BOT:
- A client portal that keeps every project and deliverable in one place
- A contractor portal for the team members who bring each production to life
- A partner portal for the company’s affiliates
“Technology is able to keep everybody in sync and make sure everybody has what they need to push their own initiatives forward.”
Jay is clear that these tools aren’t a nice-to-have. They’re pillars that allow growth for his company “that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”
40% Revenue Growth and 400% Profit Growth
The results show up on both sides of the ledger. Since putting these tools to work, Event Video Partners has seen 40% year-over-year top-line growth from 2025 to 2026.
The bottom line grew even faster. Jay joined BOT’s AI and machine learning cohort, led by co-founder Josh Walker, where participants learned how to put AI agents to work inside their businesses. Those agents helped Event Video Partners cut costs and run more efficiently.
“We were able to see 400% year-over-year growth from 2025 to 2026 year-to-date on the bottom line. So not only were we able to build from a revenue standpoint, we were also able to build from a profitability standpoint.”
For small businesses, AI can feel like something reserved for big companies. Jay’s results show that the right training puts it within reach for all Orlando tech founders, and that the payoff can be dramatic.
Coming Full Circle in the Orlando Tech Ecosystem
Jay’s story has come full circle. Event Video Partners now partners with BOT to help tell our story and share our impact with the community.
“It’s also rewarding to be able to partner with them (BOT) to help them continue to tell their story and continue to spread their impact.”
That’s how an ecosystem grows. A founder gets support, builds something real, creates jobs and opportunities for contractors and partners, and then turns around to lift up the community that lifted him.
For 10 years, BOT has helped Orlando tech founders build and scale their companies, trained people for careers or promotions in tech, and strengthened the local tech economy. Jay is one of many stories that prove BOT’s impact works.
Watch Jay’s Story
Watch Jay’s video testimonial, also on the BOT YouTube channel.
Celebrate 10 Years with Us
Join us at our 10-year anniversary gala to celebrate founders like Jay and the community that made their growth possible. Whether you’re an upcoming tech founder, a tech enthusiast, community leader, or someone who wants to celebrate the achievements of others, all are welcome to the Gala on November 14, 2026 from 5 PM – 10 PM. Reserve your tickets today (opens in a new tab), become a sponsor, or donate to help the next technical founder find their path.
Are you an Orlando founder ready to build? Explore our founder programs and see what’s possible when you have a community in your corner.