The Rise Collective CEO and co-founder joins a group of emerging executives recognized for driving growth, innovation and community engagement across Tampa.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, UNITED STATES, August 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Elliott Caldwell, CEO and co-founder of The Rise Collective, has been named in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 2026 40 Under 40, recognizing him among a select group of emerging business leaders across the Tampa Bay region.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees, the 2026 class includes 40 executives identified by the Tampa Bay Business Journal for driving growth, innovation and community engagement throughout Tampa Bay.
For Caldwell, the recognition comes during an especially significant week.
Just four days earlier, The Rise Collective was named a finalist for the 16th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Awards. More than 500 Florida companies were nominated for the statewide program, with 95 advancing as finalists following an application and review process evaluating growth, innovation, resilience, community involvement and economic impact.
Together, the announcements recognize two sides of the same story: the entrepreneur and the company he is building.
From the Classroom to The Rise Collective
Caldwell’s path to entrepreneurship began as a high school teacher earning approximately $37,000 a year.
An introduction to real estate investing and passive income eventually led him to short-term rentals and a partnership with Michael Elefante. Together, they co-founded Home Team Luxury Rentals, which grew from managing a handful of properties into a full-service vacation rental management company operating across more than 20 states.
As the business scaled, Caldwell and his partners saw an opportunity to solve more of the problems surrounding real estate investment and hospitality.
Instead of relying on disconnected providers for real estate, financing, construction, design, property management, marketing, tax strategy and other services, they began building specialized companies to address those needs.
Those businesses ultimately became The Rise Collective.
A Vertically Integrated Group Built for Growth
Today, The Rise Collective includes 13 companies built around real estate, hospitality and wealth creation.
Built without outside funding, the group operates through a vertically integrated model in which specialized companies can stand independently while also supporting other businesses across the collective.
Its companies now span short-term rental and hotel management, real estate, construction and design, financing, tax and accounting, investment education, marketing and business services.
Home Team Luxury Rentals remains one of the group’s flagship businesses, providing recurring property-management revenue and a nationwide operating platform. The broader Rise model extends into other stages of the real estate and hospitality lifecycle, allowing expertise and infrastructure developed within one company to strengthen others.
Caldwell has described the combination of vertical integration and recurring property-management revenue as the “secret sauce” behind the model.
The results have accelerated. Caldwell recently announced that The Rise Collective recorded its first $2 million month in EBITDA and that year-over-year profitability had increased 212%.
Despite those milestones, his perspective remains characteristic of an entrepreneur who believes the company is still early in its trajectory.
“It’s an honor to be included in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, but this is really a reflection of the team we’ve built,” Caldwell said. “Three years in, we’re just starting to figure this stuff out. The vertical integration is working, our companies are growing, and the path ahead of us is clearer than it’s ever been. We’re just getting started. Shout out to the best team in the game.”
Family, Faith and Entrepreneurship
Beyond his businesses, Caldwell’s personal platform centers on three themes: family, faith and entrepreneurship.
Through his website and podcast, he shares his own entrepreneurial journey and conversations with founders, investors and business leaders about building companies, leadership, financial freedom and living with purpose.
That perspective provides another dimension to Caldwell’s approach to growth. As a husband and father, business is part of a broader focus on building a meaningful life and creating opportunities for the people around him.
The timing of the two recent recognitions underscores the momentum behind that work. Within four days, The Rise Collective was recognized among a select group of growing Florida companies, while Caldwell was individually named among 40 emerging executives shaping Tampa Bay’s business community.
For Caldwell and his team, the message remains simpler: they are just getting started.
About Elliott Caldwell
Elliott Caldwell is an entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of The Rise Collective, a vertically integrated group of 13 companies built around real estate, hospitality and wealth creation. A former high school teacher, Caldwell entered real estate investing before co-founding Home Team Luxury Rentals with Michael Elefante. Today, he helps lead businesses spanning hospitality management, real estate, construction, financing, tax strategy, investing, marketing and business services. His personal platform and podcast focus on family, faith and entrepreneurship.
About The Rise Collective
The Rise Collective is a vertically integrated group of 13 companies built around real estate, hospitality and wealth creation. Built without outside funding, its portfolio spans vacation rental and hospitality management, real estate, construction and design, financing, tax and accounting, investing, education, marketing and business services. In August 2026, The Rise Collective was named a finalist for the 16th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Awards.
Albert Brown
Rise Collective
+1 619-586-2817
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
Other
Pressure is a privilege…
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
