TAMPA, Fla. — In celebration of Women’s History Month, we spotlight individuals who are positively influencing the lives of others. In the Tampa Bay area, a small, woman-owned tech company is demonstrating how technology can drive community impact while serving as a powerful inspiration to young girls.
From Music to Tech
Martika Jones, the founder of BŪP, transitioned from a career as a musician to launch her tech company. Jones explained that her husband helped her come up with the company’s name. The name, she said, is like an affectionate tap. BŪP utilizes artificial intelligence and automation to generate email marketing messages.
“We utilize artificial intelligence, as well as automation, to create AI-generated emails that go out to folks’ prospects. So imagine if you’re at an event, you connect with a hundred people, now you have within five minutes, a hundred emails going out,”
Jones said.
Innovative Technology Solutions
The company was launched four years ago. BŪP utilizes innovative technology solutions to help businesses. One of her tools is a smart NFC device that looks like a credit card.
“These are smart NFC devices. Essentially, there’s a chip inside of it and you also have the QR code on the back just in case, for whatever reason you need to use the QR code instead of the chip,”
Jones explained. They also use smart wristbands.
Jones’s background in music, as an orchestral trombonist, equipped her with the skills needed for her current venture.
“I actually had a career as an orchestral trombonist,” she said. “I played very much so a boys instrument, and I always I guess when people think, went against the grain and I just felt like different in a lot of ways, but my mom really embraced that.”
She found additional inspiration from other women in STEM.
“As I got older, I think a figure that stands out to me is Catherine Johnson. You know, she’s also featured in Hidden Figures. And she was a huge catalyst for what she did at NASA. She was a mathematician and played a huge role in the Apollo landings,” said Jones.
Empowering the Next Generation
Jones’s desire to serve as a role model drives her work, particularly her nonprofit endeavors.
“Being able to provide that environment — that opportunity for young Black girls — is huge, and that’s something that I want to do as I continue to grow my technology company,” she said. “I want to be able to provide those opportunities for underserved founders.”
She has partnered with the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa, Inc. (CDC of Tampa). The CDC was founded by Chloe Coney. Ernest Coney, the CDC of Tampa CEO, stated that his mother’s aim to empower underserved groups through housing and development aligns with entrepreneurs such as Jones.
“When we build homes, we build garages on those homes and in that garage space can be an incubation of the next Apple (or) IBM, and Martika is the living proof that those things can come true,” he said.
Jones aims to build a lasting legacy by keeping a close watch on technological advancements.
