South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub
17
May, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

City approves proposal to turn an empty building into an innovation hub in downtown West Palm Beach

Read Time 3 Minutes

Only a block from Clematis Street where the building called the Thoroughfare stands, the coworking space and innovation hub, 1909, is now fully at capacity and can no longer accommodate additional startups and small businesses it aims to support.

On May 16th the West Palm Beach City Council voted to approve 1909‘s offer to purchase a property on 314 Clematis Street. The 30,000 square foot historic building in the heart of Downtown West Palm Beach will eventually be the organization’s new home while also providing space for hundreds of local small businesses.

1909’s offer included $10 million in cash and over $12 million in services that will be provided to the community. They will be the owner/operator of the building, alongside a local financing partner, Third Seven Capital. 1909 will use this building as a safe space for small businesses and startups in Palm Beach County. Plans include areas for local restaurants that have been or expect to be priced out of their current locations in the urban core.

“We plan to preserve and reimagine this 99 year old building in order to create a vibrant destination that celebrates design, character, and intentional tenant curation,” said Danielle Casey, 1909’s Co-founder.

The Community Redevelopment Agency of West Palm Beach currently owns the building. The government agency previously laid out a similar strategy for the building, known as the 12×12 project. From the beginning, the Throughfare was “for the purposes of encouraging businesses to downtown” and to “give business owners who might otherwise be priced out of Clematis Street a way in.” Selling the building to 1909 makes good on these efforts.

The exterior of the building facing Clematis Street will showcase a few local businesses with walk up windows to serve the public. The first floor will be open to the public, providing eclectic vibes to showcase the individual characteristic of each business, and West Palm Beach’s downtown as a whole. A public alleyway will include plants and bistro lighting, creating a beautiful ambiance for the public to enjoy.

This new space will enable 1909 to double down on their current programming, which includes their business accelerator program, workshops, and mentoring. They will also be able to offer public programming, in partnership with Rohi’s Readery and Elizabeth Ave Station, to bring family-friendly music, arts, and cultural events to the city. The ultimate goal? Create a safe place for all to connect, learn, grow, and thrive.

“We know that contemporary consumers are looking for unique and connected experiences,” said Danielle Casey, 1909’s Co-Founder.  “The right blend of tenants will encourage discovery among visitors, which is what’s exactly desired and has been proven: intentional programming drives sales, growth and loyalty.”

For the past three years, 1909 has been supporting and providing space for local founders. While the growth in West Palm Beach has been exciting to the 1909 team, they expressed concern over the local small business community, which they felt was at risk. Four other organizations were vying for the space, including major out-of-town developers.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to continue providing necessary resources to our entrepreneur and small business community and we’re very grateful that the CRA Board saw the value in our proposal,” said Shana Ostrovitz, Executive Director of 1909.

To learn more about 1909 and stay up-tp-date with their progress, check out https://www.weare1909.org/

 

WPTV News clip.

16
May, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

South Florida mayors outline plans to develop region as a global tech hub

Read Time 4 Minutes

On Thursday, May 12th, four mayors from South Florida came together at ADT’s Boca Raton headquarters to discuss our region’s development as a tech hub.

Who attended the roundtable?

  • Mayor Dean Trantalis, City of Fort Lauderdale
  • Mayor Keith James, City of West Palm Beach
  • Mayor Scott Singer, City of Boca Raton
  • Mayor Michael Udine, Broward County

In the audience was an exclusive group of our region’s top executives who collectively employ tens of thousands of South Floridians.

“ADT was proud to host the South Florida Tech Hub team at our corporate headquarters in Boca Raton,” commented Bob Tucker, ADT’s Director of Corporate Affairs.

“ADT believes in delivering cutting-edge technology in our products and services to help protect and connect our customers to what matters most,” Tucker continued. “Participating in the conversation about how to attract and retain tech companies and top talent to our region was very inspiring.”

In a panel discussion moderated by Sheela VanHoose, Partner at the Southern Group and Ashton Adler, Director of Talent & Policy at South Florida Tech Hub, the mayors discussed the origins, current state, and future prospects of tech in South Florida.

 

Here are the top three takeaways from this recent discussion.

 

  1. South Florida’s tech scene is vibrant and growing.

Each of the mayors highlighted the strong presence of tech entrepreneurs in their respective communities – from Citrix and Hotwire in Fort Lauderdale and Magic Leap in Broward to a host of tech-powered corporates and startups in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.

They all acknowledged the major influx in tech companies, employees, and investors that the region has experienced since the onset of the pandemic.

“There’s an image that we don’t have the tech talent,” acknowledged Singer. “I think that’s a myth. I want to bust that myth in every way possible.”

Singer also mentioned that Boca Raton has partnered with Endeavor Miami to help stimulate the city’s startup ecosystem. He noted that FAU’s Tech Runway recently had upwards of 200 applications for only 10 spots. “That means there were 190 more companies wanting to come to Boca Raton that weren’t able to,” said Singer. “That’s why we’re trying to connect founders and funders.”

Udine asserted that Broward is happy to do their part to build the county’s tech ecosystem. “We’re willing to make the investment where we see a positive return,” asserted Udine, citing the example of NSU’s Levan Center as a public-private partnership that is having a tangible, positive impact.

“We need to understand that business moves way faster than government, and that government needs to be nimble,” said Udine. “Government needs to make the investment where they can to assist these companies. And government needs to be a partner with these tech companies.”

 

  1. Looking past the hype, there are still challenges we need to address to continue this rapid pace of growth.

“We need to be careful about having a lopsided presence of tech like they have in Palo Alto and Seattle, where other people have been pushed out,” said Trantalis.

Housing is also top of mind for James: “Even people with six figure incomes are having difficulties finding housing.” He noted initiatives mandating that developers build affordable housing alongside new market rate units.

James also highlighted the importance of alternative mobility options, a sentiment echoed by all mayors on the panel. “You also want to make sure that you incorporate transportation options which are beyond just cars to get people from where they might be living to where the jobs are.” 

“We want to make West Palm Beach a community of opportunity for all,” said James. “That requires intentionality.”

Two executives in the audience expressed their interest in working with the government to help spearhead their tech and innovation efforts. “I think we need to do a better job promoting  all the different companies that are here in the three counties,” responded Udine. “Most people doing business don’t care where the county boundary lines are. They want to see all of us working together.”

 

  1. The future is bright.

Optimism abounded at the roundtable. “We’re doing something right – something that’s drawing people down here,” said Trantalis. “I think that’s the conversation that we need to be having: how do we foster those elements? And how do we encourage those aspects that seek to attract not just tech industries but other industries?”

Singer and Udine were particularly bullish on web3. “Blockchain and crypto technologies are going to have a massive impact here,” said Singer, noting that there is already a growing crypto community in Boca Raton.

Udine acknowledges that there are some who criticize his interest in these new technologies. But he said that even the skeptics must admit that these businesses still bring positive knock-on effects to our community. “Transportation companies, janitorial companies, small construction companies – all of these businesses are ancillary to the new tech companies that are coming here.”

Are you interested in getting involved in South Florida Tech Hub’s Policy or Branding Committees? Please contact us at team@techhubsouthflorida.org for more information.

16
May, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

April’s Think Tank Thursday in Miami was a bit different this April

Read Time 2 Minutes

The Lab Miami has been hosting their Think Tank Thursday events on the third Thursday each month for the Miami tech, startup ad investment community. The monthly event attracts upwards of 150 people each month.

During April’s “SoFloTech Month,” the well-known Think Tank Thursday took a bit of a turn. . . a positive turn. . .  north. 

In the wake of the #MiamiTech movement, #SoFloTechMonth emerged in an effort to highlight events across the entire South Florida region from Miami to Broward to Palm Beach and Martin County. Tech Hub CEO, Nikki Cabus, opened up a discussion that included topics such as tech talent, resources for startups and small businesses, and affordable housing.

There were many Miamians, along with new folks from California, New York, Latin America, and even Hungary, to name just a few. This though, is quite the norm for South Florida.

One recent implant to South Florida from Silicon Valley stated that he is loving the excitement around the tech community, but already sees some of the same issues the Valley has beginning here such as a less diverse crowd being brought in and costs of housing rising drastically. The influx of both financial and human capital was also brought up and the dilemma to which is more important or should be focused on as a priority. Do we focus on talent or funding? Both are often equally important, but one is more of a long game – talent.

The panel included, Mihai Fonoage, VP of Engineering at Modernizing Medicine, Chair of Tech Hub’s Tech Talent Committee and Executive Board Member, Kelly Boyle, Tech Hub Board Member, Chair of Events Committee, and Willy Orozco, South Florida Regional Manager at Microsoft Philanthropies TEALS Program, President CSTA Miami, and Tech Hub Foundation Board Member. They all agreed that human capital can often be more important and make all the difference in the long-run.

“I started Think Tank Thursdays as a way to bring siloed communities together for one night once a month in order for leaders and attendees comingle with groups in hopes to bring awareness to all the great resources South Florida has to offer,” said Roxette Miranda, The Lab Miami’s Managing Director. “All these organizations have one goal and that is to help grow the Tech ecosystem in South Florida.”

The common agreement of the night was collaboration and regionalism in South Florida. We have to come together to make this recent growth of South Florida’s tech ecosystem sustainable. We can support each other, learn from each other, and work together.

After the panel discussion and Q&A, we heard from local startups during the pitch night, followed by a happy hour and fun headshots for all to enjoy!

See some of the photos here. 📸

02
May, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Base Miami and Mana Tech merge, with Charly Esnal at the helm as Managing Director

Read Time 3 Minutes

Mana Tech, part of Miami-based businessman and real estate developer Moishe Mana’s Mana Common, has just announced a merger with Base Miami, an accelerator program focused on providing a soft landing for Latin American startup founders.

Through the merger, Base Miami’s co-founder Charly Esnal will take on the position of Managing Director of Mana Tech. Esnal told South Florida Tech Hub that the merger will enable Base Miami to grow and introduce a broader swath of entrepreneurs to our regional tech ecosystem.

“The focus on Latin America and the Caribbean will be maintained in the beginning. But eventually the plan is to expand that focus to also start supporting Israeli startups in their landing here, and eventually Asian startups,” said Esnal.

With the support of the broader Mana Tech apparatus, Esnal noted that Base Miami will offer deeper knowledge and support to founders by running vertical-specific programming. These verticals will focus on a mix of the top tech sectors in Miami at the moment, the strengths South Florida has to offer as an ecosystem, and the added value that Mana Common can provide.

The first vertical on the horizon is fintech. “Miami is now the crypto capital of the world,” asserted Esnal, “and Mana Tech has been building a community and thought leadership in the NFT space.” 

Esnal noted last year’s NFT BZL event, where Mana Tech brought thousands of web3 enthusiasts to Downtown Miami. Thanks to the success of that event, Mana Tech will be running another Miami NFT BZL from November 30th to December 4th this year. They have also scheduled NFT BZL events in Bogotá and São Paulo for this October.

After fintech, Mana Tech plans to create programming around the health tech and real estate tech verticals – again building off both where Mana and Miami can add value. Further down the line, Esnal said that the organization is exploring other verticals including potentially hospitality and logistics.

In his new role as Managing Director of Mana Tech, Charly hopes to catalyze the Miami tech moment on a global scale. “We have the resources, we have the real estate, we have the space, and we are going to create an environment for collaboration and for community building,” he asid. “But we also need the community to step up and help us in this process because it’s something that we will build out together.”

Mana Tech is currently hiring for both leadership and operational roles, including a Head of Community and an events management team.

Previously, Esnal has held CEO positions in startups and multinational corporations. Over the course of his career, he has helped more than 100 Latin American tech startups land and launch in the US.

“Nurturing the local technology industry will lead to the development of what this city really needs – more high paying jobs,” Moishe Mana said in a statement. “Our vision aligns perfectly with the work Base Miami has been doing for the last two years: working to make Miami a global technology hub, connecting Latin America to the rest of the world through Miami.”

For Esnal, it’s not just about #MiamiTech but rather about the tri-county region overall. “The South Florida ecosystem is one,” he said. “Let’s collaborate and build stuff that will enhance our ecosystem as a whole.”

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25
Apr, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Broward-based CloudHesive announces recent acquisition of Dextr

Read Time 2 Minutes

CloudHesive, a Broward-based Amazon Web Services Premier Consulting partner and managed services provider, today announced the acquisition of Dextr, the industry’s most powerful customer service and performance dashboard for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud contact center. This combination delivers a unique, easy-to-use, contact center solution backed by a committed Amazon Connect leader focused on happy customers and continued innovation.

Powered by Amazon Connect, Dextr combines a full-agent dashboard with a rich library of cloud services at an affordable price. Dextr deploys rapidly to complement and enhance the expanding capabilities of Amazon Connect, accelerating time-to-value and business impact. The powerful combination of Dextr and CloudHesive extends CloudHesive’s investment in the Amazon Connect contact center space and provides customers with world-class agent management, contact center operations, and reporting capabilities for their Amazon Connect deployments.

“We’re excited to bring the Dextr cloud platform into the CloudHesive portfolio,” says Jim Walker, CEO of CloudHesive. “We can offer a truly unparalleled customer contact experience platform for our customers combining Dextr with our expertise in consulting and managed services for Amazon Connect and our Customer Connect software-as-a-service platform.”

The addition of Dextr rounds out CloudHesive’s leadership in the cloud contact center space. CloudHesive is an AWS Premier Partner and AWS Managed Services partner that delivers comprehensive consulting and managed services to a large and growing base of public sector and commercial accounts worldwide. It serves the Amazon Connect ecosystem leveraging its Centricity Customer Connect software-as-a-service platform to deliver migration and integration projects, deploy contact centers for remote workforces, develop capacity-on-demand and disaster-recovery-as-a-service solutions, and implement and manage cloud contact center security operations.

“CloudHesive’s status as an AWS Premier partner, excellent reputation, extensive footprint across the US and LATAM regions, and their deep knowledge and expertise with Amazon Connect make them the perfect choice to take Dextr to the next level,” says Peter Buswell, founder of Dextr. “They’re a true leader and innovator in the cloud contact center space.”

Dextr, is available now via the AWS Marketplace, a curated digital catalog that makes it easy for public sector and commercial organizations to discover, procure, entitle, provision, and govern third-party applications.

Visit http://www.cloudhesive.com for more information.

23
Apr, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Davie-based public safety startup, CERA, places 2nd at eMerge, but could be the most impactful pitch yet

Read Time 3 Minutes

300 seconds. That’s that amount of time is takes for an active shooter to cause mass casualty at your child’s school, in a mall, or at an event venue. Due to extremely outdated technology, first responders aren’t able to respond fast enough or communicate through the chaos during an incident.

100 startups were chosen out of 1000 applicants to pitch at eMerge Americas’ Startup Showcase this year. Only five were chosen as finalists to pitch in front of judges which included Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary and Broward-based CERA was one of them. Although the startup took home 2nd place, we think they have the most impactful eMerge pitch to date.

Edward McGovern, former Major of the Hallandale Beach Police Department and first responder to some of the most tragic events such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 and the Fort Lauderdale Airport shooting in 2017, has developed a technology that will save more lives. Now retired from the police department, Ed is the startup Founder & CEO of CERA.

Critical Event Response Applications, or CERA, is a public safety app that “creates a direct line of communication between law enforcement, emergency medical providers, and individuals on the ground.” CERA greatly assists in containing the scene, neutralizing the threat, and treating and evacuating the injured and in danger. Simply put, it eliminates the chaos and confusion during a critical event to be able to save more lives in a time when time is of the essence.

“CERA’s at the eMerge Americas Startup Showcase was amazing,” said McGovern. “Even though we didn’t take the top prize, watching us start with over 1000 applicants and make it to the final 5 was such an important validation of our company and our mission. We were so proud to be be on that stage, not just representing CERA, but also the Alan B Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation, whose help has been invaluable to us,” he continued. “As I walked on stage, I saw guest judges like Kevin “Mr Wonderful” O’Leary, Paul Judge, and Ryan Whittemore sitting under the CERA brand, along with Levan Center and South Florida Tech Hub logos, and thinking how amazing our region is for innovation. I’m more determined than ever.”

Watch McGovern’s pitch for CERA here.

Congratulations to all the companies who pitched that day including the top five finalists: Genially, from Spain, which helps users build interactive digital content, TicketRev, from Boca Raton, which is a reverse event ticket selling platform, CERA, from Davie, offering a group of public safety applications, Togal.AI, from Miami, which helps improve estimating in the construction industry, and MOVIA Robotics, from the UK, which offers robotics that help children on the autism spectrum.

For more information on CERA, visit https://www.ceraapp.com/

 

22
Apr, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

800+ developers gather in Davie for SoFlo DevCon 2022

Read Time 4 Minutes

On April 16th, South Florida Tech Hub hosted the 17th annual edition of one of the largest conferences for software developers, designers, engineers and tech professionals across the region. SoFlo Dev Con 2022 saw upwards of 1,000 attendees and more than 100 speakers descend upon Nova Southeastern University’s Carl DeSantis building in Davie.

Topics and workshops included Machine Learning, AI, VR/AR/MR, IoT, .NET, DevOps, MVC Framework, JavaScript, JQuery, SQL Server, Business Intelligence, Software Testing, Xamarin/Mobile Development, Azure/Cloud, Business/Career Development, and more. There were 17 tracks including web3, blockchain, AI, cloud, web development, leadership, and investment.

Thanks to Tech Hub’s community partners and sponsors, the event was completely free to attend.

The presenting sponsor for the event was Schonfeld, a preeminent global investment management firm. Recent Miami transplant Yael Mayfield, Head of Front Office at Schonfeld and co-head of the Miami office, gave SoFlo DevCon’s keynote presentation (video), discussing how to build a high frequency trading system. Mayfield provided a high-level overview of what HFTs are and how to go about building an HFT system. She explained the various trade offs of different operating system architectures for HFTs.

Schonfeld also offered a session moderated by tech recruiter Jordan DiCambio discussing fintech trends, including cloud computing, low latency trading systems, and real-time data. On the panel was an all-star lineup from Schonfeld: Rusty Conover (Head of Cloud Data Platform), Wes Maness (Architect on our Quantitative Trading Platform), and Drashti Trivedi (Senior Software Engineer on our reference data team).

“The event was great,” Radhika Arora, Schonfeld’s Head of Enterprise Technology Talent Acquisition, told South Florida Tech Hub. “There was such a variety of attendees, including vendors, agencies, lateral candidates, campus candidates and more.”

Arora explained that Schonfeld got involved in the event for two main reasons. First, to help develop a strong development community in South Florida. Second, to help attract and engage some of the best talent in South Florida – with the view for the firm’s Miami office to be a true HQ2. Schonfeld is looking for employees across a wide range of verticals: from cybersecurity to software engineering to QA. Learn more and apply by visiting their careers website.

Miami-based Streann Media, a video and audio platform to distribute, engage, and monetize content, was the t-shirt and streaming partner. Co-founder Gio Punzo presented on the topic, “The Future of Streaming is Interactive, NFT, Crypto,” highlighting the top trends for content creators and providers. 

During the talk, Punzo showcased the company’s newest innovation, Live2.Social, which is a multi-camera streaming app. “It’s time to say bye to Zoom and welcome Live2.Social created by Streann,” Punzo told South Florida Tech Hub.

Punzo relished the opportunity to share Streann’s story with the South Florida tech industry at SoFlo DevCon. He explained that, having raised funds from top VC firms and angel syndicates, he is passionate about giving back to SMBs. “Everyone, every SMB, needs to create more content – and our technologies can help. Let us show you how. Let us help the community grow with new innovative tech made in South Florida.”

Overall, Punzo called the event “spectacular,” highlighting the many tracks and high-quality speakers. “There was great energy. South Florida is booming and you can feel it. At the conference, I met people that moved to Miami from New York, and they said they moved because SoFlo is where it’s at!”

To finish off a full slate of tech talks, decentralized blockchain Algorand who also gave a talk during one of the tracks, sponsored a fun happy hour with food and drink in NSU’s Flight Deck with indoor gaming area and outdoor bar and seating – an excellent networking opportunity for all participants. 

To view more photos from the event, click here.

TOGETHER, we are #BuildingSoFlo!

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12
Apr, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Endeavor launches new program to accelerate the growth of early-stage companies in Boca Raton

Read Time 3 Minutes

The Miami branch of Endeavor, a global community of high-impact founders, has announced a partnership with the City of Boca Raton’s Office of Economic Development. Endeavor Miami’s second EndeavorLAB cohort of the year will focus on local entrepreneurs from Boca Raton.

Through this two-month accelerated growth program, Boca-based founders will be able to take advantage of Endeavor Miami’s community of founders and experts, while gaining insights on how they can scale their business.

“We are extremely happy to partner with the City of Boca Raton Office of Economic Development on this regionally specific program,” said Claudia Durán, Endeavor Miami’s Managing Director. 

“Boca Raton has always been a hotbed for entrepreneurial success with many large-scale companies headquartered in the city,” continued Durán. The Endeavor Miami team also noted that Boca Raton was where IBM developed the first computer and is the headquarters of major companies including Celsius, VitaCost, Orangetheory Fitness, Misfits Gaming, and Modernizing Medicine.

“Boca Raton is excited to partner with Endeavor to propel our robust and thriving tech ecosystem,” commented Scott Singer, Mayor of Boca Raton. “We look forward to working to build on our rich history of innovation and accelerate our exciting future.” 

To apply to EndeavorLAB, companies must have product-market fit and must be generating between $50K and $500K in annual revenue. The program is industry agnostic, but Endeavor Miami is looking for companies with solutions that are tech-enabled and not service-based. The deadline to apply is Saturday, May 2nd at 11:59pm ET.

The program has four stages. Stage 1 is the application phase, in which a select group of potential participants will interview with Endeavor Miami’s staff. Next, companies will go through a diagnostic x-ray to help determine how they can make the most of the program. In stage 3, companies take part in five weeks of group modules and 1-1 mentorship sessions. Finally, participants pitch to a panel of judges – including investors – during a demo day. Along the way, founders will have access to ecosystem guides, digital discounts, and founder resources.

Rebecca Negro Rocha, Junior Manager of Growth Programs at Endeavor Miami, told South Florida Tech Hub that this program will play an important role in coalescing our tri-county region of tech entrepreneurs. 

“We think it’s really important to unite our South Florida region when it comes to entrepreneurship, rather than work in silos in each of our counties,” said Rocha. “Since Endeavor is a global organization, we think this will be a great opportunity to show how it is possible to work across county lines and continue building bridges in our ecosystem.”

Endeavor Miami is also running a handful of other programs relevant to South Florida founders. They are collaborating with Dell for Startups on a program for Black-led companies (applications open until Sunday, June 5th at 11:59pm ET). And a cohort of climate tech and clean tech companies, supported by Silicon Valley Bank, is currently in motion, with a demo day scheduled for May 5th.

Are you interested in applying to EndeavorLAB? Learn more by watching a recording of the program’s launch event, read more from Endeavor Miami, or click here to apply.

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12
Apr, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

FPL Pledges nearly $1 Million to Support Black Students in Tech with Degree Completion

Read Time 3 Minutes

Florida Power & Light (FPL) announced an $800,000 investment in scholarships for black students to facilitate the completion of baccalaureate degrees at Miami Dade College (MDC) in the technology field. The funds from FPL will be used to cover tuition, fees, books and transportation costs for eligible black students facing a financial need over the next 4 years. This support will allow students to focus on their education, accelerating completion and entry into the tech workforce in South Florida.

FPL has had a long standing relationship with MDC. “We recognize the value in the contemporary programs, degrees and curriculum that they have developed. In some cases, we’ve partnered with them to ensure that the students are getting skills that will enable them to be competitive in technology careers,” said Michael Fowler, VP of IT and Business Unit CIO for FPL and Co-Chair of the South Florida Tech Hub Board of Directors. “I’ve personally been impressed with the nimbleness of the college to stay ahead of the technology curve.”

“It is extremely satisfying to have partners such as FPL who are raising the bar of good corporate citizenship, investing in our students and, in turn, in our community,” said MDC President Madeline Pumariega. “We must be intentional and strategic in our efforts to bridge the opportunity divide. I am especially grateful with this initiative because it is in line with and expands many things we are already doing with our groundbreaking Rising Black Scholars Program, our MOSAIC Initiative, Data Science 4 All and others.”

Last year, NextEra Energy was again named to Forbes magazine’s list of “America’s Best Employers for Diversity. “We highly value diversity of thought, style, technical and functional abilities, and leadership. Our company identified specific actions our company could take to make transformational impact in race equity,” said Grace Kurian, Senior Director, Information Technology- Nuclear. “Our focus for Black Girls Code (BGC) falls in three main areas: 1) BGC alumni engagement to strengthen the pipeline of BGC alumni, 2) upscaling BGC curriculum for students 7-17 years old interested in robotics, coding, artificial intelligence, & data analysis, and 3) scholarship endowment funds to ensure current & future BGC students have scholarships to fund for college.”

According to research, low-income working college students are less likely than their higher-income peers to get good grades or obtain bachelor’s degrees. These working learners are disproportionately black. These grant funds from FPL will potentially enable students who work full-time or part-time to work fewer hours or to stop working to concentrate on their studies without the burden of financial distractions.

“At FPL, we believe in breaking down barriers to opportunity for underserved communities, and we are always looking for ways to help empower our next generation of leaders,” said Pamela Rauch, Vice President of External Affairs and Economic Development for FPL. “FPL has long supported Miami Dade College’s technology programs and students, and we are honored to be able to expand opportunities for eligible black students to help them build an even stronger foundation for in demand technology jobs.”

As part of the Black Students in Tech grant, the School of Engineering and Technology (EnTec) lead by Manny Perez, Dean of Engineering, Technology and Design, will lead the recruitment, selection and retention of 30 students per academic year on a pathway to baccalaureate degree programs such as in Information Systems Technology, Cybersecurity, or Data Analytics. Eligible students will begin qualifying for the grants this summer term. For more information and to apply to the scholarship visit here.

MDC and FPL will host an event with students accepted into the program this coming August and ahead of the fall term to provide an update on progress and celebrate student achievement.

 

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04
Apr, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Dedicated IT

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: Providing trusted IT support and technology solutions, with a focus on the healthcare industry.

Established in its current form: 2016

HQ: Lake Park, FL

Employees: 90

Website: DedicatedIT.com

 

Gartner forecasts that worldwide IT spending will increase upwards of 5% this year, coming in at a projected total of $4.5 trillion. Healthcare providers in particular are expected to increase their spending by approximately the same amount, growing to $136 billion. 

Dedicated IT is far from your typical managed service provider. The Lake Park-based company focuses on serving healthcare providers, both locally and nationally. 

Dedicated IT is very active in South Florida, working with some of our high-profile medical practices such as MD Now Urgent Care, the Cleveland Clinic in Vero, and United Surgical Partners International. The company is also experiencing significant growth, having grown its revenue by 10x since 2016.

Chris Burns, Dedicated IT’s Managing Partner & CXO, broke down some of the trends that have led to the growth of the healthcare IT market.

For one, the pandemic has pushed healthcare providers to embrace digital technologies like telemedicine. Burns described these providers’ decisions to take go digital as akin to ripping off the proverbial band aid. “A lot of people who were not ready to make a move to a digital system or do what was required to make remote work possible were really forced to make those decisions.”

Burns explained how evolving expectations in a post-pandemic world required healthcare providers to rethink their business processes, such as allowing staff to work from home and enabling doctors to see patients remotely.

Another major trend Burns highlighted is cybersecurity. Ransomware alone is expected to cost businesses $20 billion globally, with the average breach costing $4.37 million according to IBM research.

Burns explained to South Florida Tech Hub that cybersecurity insurance, which has historically been one of the most popular ways to mitigate cybersecurity risk, is now a less viable option. “Cybersecurity insurance carriers are no longer writing policies anymore to cover near the amount that they used to. They require all kinds of new criteria and process changes – all of which has become a burden on the practice.”

Dedicated IT takes pride in helping its customers protect themselves and their data while they scale their digital transformation efforts. Their key differentiator? According to CEO Aaron Underhill, it’s their specialization that shines through: “We know them. We’re not just an IT company that can fix their issues. We understand their business and the problems they encounter.”

Underhill gave the example of their healthcare specialty. Because they have upwards of 30 orthopaedic clients, the Dedicated IT team knows exactly the software and hardware necessary to drive their business goals.

Burns added that Dedicated IT’s data-driven approach makes them stand out. “Our customers like to see benchmarking data that shows clients where they stand against their peers. It’s hard to argue against data when we can bring accuracy like that to the table.”

Are you a healthcare provider looking for help managing your IT systems? Learn more about Dedicated IT’s services on their website.

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28
Mar, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Dynatrace

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: Global, publicly traded technology company. Provides a software intelligence platform that combines broad and deep observability and continuous runtime application security with advanced AIOps to deliver answers and intelligent automation from data.

Founded: 2005

HQ: Waltham, Massachusetts

Employees: Over 3,000

Website: Dynatrace.com

 

Dynatrace is a global technology company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, that provides an all-in-one software intelligence platform. The company prides itself on providing a platform that combines broad and deep observability and continuous runtime application security with advanced AIOps to provide answers and intelligent automation from data at an enormous scale about the performance of its clients’ applications, their underlying infrastructure, and the experience of their end users.

As the adoption of cloud computing technologies continues its rapid growth trajectory, Dynatrace will play an increasingly important role in monitoring and optimizing application performance as well as developing security IT infrastructure.

The Dynatrace® Platform provides users with automatic and intelligent observability, cloud automation, continuous runtime application security, and digital experience and business analytics – within which we offer technologies such as Session Reply, Real User Monitoring, and Synthetic Monitoring.

A key feature of its platform is Davis, a causal AI engine that sits at the core of the Dynatrace® platform. Davis works by continuously and automatically processing high-fidelity logs, metrics, traces, and user data to provide precise answers. From there, Davis can then detect and report any problems like slowdown or error-rate increases, and prioritize these by business impact.

Nestor Zapata is a Partner Cloud Evangelist for Dynatrace, focusing particularly on LATAM Partners and Alliances. In an interview with South Florida Tech Hub, Zapata underscored Dynatrace’s capabilities for intelligent observability. This goes beyond traditional monitoring, he explained: “You observe everything, but you do it with some intelligence.”

“You have an app that went down, but what caused it to go down? What is it also going to affect? How many customers potentially could be affected or have been affected by this app going down?” Zapata said that Dynatrace’s system aims to answer these questions and more.

Zapata has a uniquely comprehensive perspective on Dynatrace, having worked with the company as a customer at a previous company for many years. His day-to-day is varied: one day he could be doing training certifications, another he could be delivering hands-on workshops.

One of the most exciting trends Zapata sees in the space right now is the automation of artificial intelligence. “The AI is really there,” he asserted. “I’ve been able to experience some of that AI at work within Dynatrace as a customer.”

For Zapata, the further development of AI tech can lead to more opportunities for tech workers. “Automate yourself out of your current job role and into the next one,” he said. 

As a native Miamian, Zapata is pleased with the strides the South Florida tech scene has made recently. “It’s near and dear to me, and I’m excited about South Florida Tech Hub’s work uniting our region.” He previously worked at other major South Florida tech organizations, including Citrix, Voyager, and Miami-Dade County.

Zapata underscored the value of coming together with fellow technologists to lift each other up: “Tech Hub is a mesh of great people, and great organizations that can share their insights in a tight-knit community.”

“I’m proud to be a member of South Florida Tech Hub,” he said.

 

Learn more about Dynatrace by visiting their website, Dynatrace.com.

,
25
Mar, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

NBA legend Chris Bosh highlights the benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset in a Broward College speech

Read Time 3 Minutes

Last week, NBA Hall of Famer and former power forward for the Miami Heat Chris Bosh addressed the South Florida community about the role technology and entrepreneurship have played in his life.

In a talk hosted by Broward College at their Bailey Hall auditorium, Chris Bosh reiterated the message to dream big and don’t give up. He told attendees that they should not let preconceptions deter them from pursuing ambitious goals. 

Bosh was exposed to coding at a young age thanks to his tech-savvy parents. As a child, he said that he “began to notice that the world around me was spinning on an axis powered by varying patterns of 1s and 0s.”

“We’d be fools to ignore the power of mastering the designing and coding of those patterns,” he said in an op-ed for Wired. “If brute physical strength ran one era, and automation the next, this is the only way we can keep up. Most jobs of the future will be awarded to the ones who know how to code.”

Bosh also shared some insights from his 2021 book, Letters to a Young Athlete, in which he compiled lessons he learned from his years in the NBA and beyond. His basketball career was cut short due to an unexpected health condition. His career, which at the time was at its peak, ended “in a doctor’s office in the middle of the afternoon,” said Bosh. But now seven years into his post-NBA career, Bosh is keeping himself busy with entrepreneurship.

The portion of the event that was open to the public consisted of a 30-minute talk moderated by Carlos Parra, Broward College’s Senior Director of Student Engagement. 

In the private fireside chat, Bosh shared his own entrepreneurial journey and the benefits of an entrepreneurial mindset on and off the court. In attendance were many early-stage tech founders from BCEx, the Broward College Entrepreneurial Experience, led by Imran Siddiqui​, Associate Vice President of Employment Solutions and BCEx at Broward College and the Vice Chair of South Florida Tech Hub’s Startup Committee. 

Siddiqui, who​ moderated the fireside chat with Bosh, highlighted a handful of simple but profound thoughts that Bosh shared. For instance, the idea that your friends should want you to succeed, and that young people should surround themselves with people that want them to succeed.

“I had our BCEx students stand up and identify themselves, and [Bosh] was very encouraging about their aspirations,” Siddiqui told South Florida Tech Hub. “He said, ‘I know it’s a long lonely road, but you need to decide how committed you are. And if this is your thing, and if you’re committed, you need to remember that and you need to stay true to it and stay true to yourself and and see it through.’”

Bosh also expressed his view that entrepreneurship is a character-building exercise that can help students build a skill set and resiliency that is necessary for a successful life. This works well with BCEx’s mission, Siddiqui noted, that aims to empower students through business and the cultivation of a lifelong entrepreneurial mindset.

20
Mar, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Castle Group

Read Time 3 Minutes

Mission: Providing top-tier property management for the finest residential communities of Florida and Texas.

Founded: 1992

HQ: Plantation

Employees: 2,000+

Website: CastleGroup.com

 

For the last 30 years, the Castle Group has been at the forefront of property management. The Plantation-based company now manages over 400 homeowner associations. Over 300,000 people live in 150,000 homes located in communities managed by the Castle Group.

Over the years, founder and CEO James Donnelly has developed the Castle Group’s philosophy: “Hiring the best people, supporting them with the best systems, and marrying them with the best technology.”

Donnelly told South Florida Tech Hub that technology has long been at the core of the Castle Group’s business. “It’s people that run everything,” he explained. “But people are imperfect. So we believe that you need to have systems supporting them so when someone forgets to do something, an alarm goes off.”

The Castle Group previously designed custom solutions to fit its needs. Nowadays, Donnelly explained that third party systems are so advanced that it is no longer necessary to develop software in-house.

For Donnelly, there are four main drivers of tech in property management. First is workflow. “It’s about the extent to which we can enhance workflows with technology,” he noted. “We want to become more efficient, more economic, more effective.”

Second is auto-service. “Our audience really loves self-help,” he said, noting that residents appreciate the ability to manage their property through their smartphone.

Third: cybersecurity. “Now that we’ve gone online, we’ve become targets,” he said. “It’s been in every industry, including ours.” Donnelly, who sits on the board of Nova Southeastern University, highlighted the cybersecurity range at NSU’s Levan Center as a particularly important local initiative.

Finally, Donnelly underscored that a focus on tech can lead to a competitive edge. “With technology, we can work a bit better and win more market share.”

Donnelly is bullish on the growth of our market, and the Castle Group’s place in it. “750 people net move to Florida every day,” he said. “Three to a household means we need 250 more households every day. And the approximate size of a new community is 250 units. So we have to build 365 more residential properties every year just to house the immigration.”

When it comes to South Florida tech, Donnelly prefers to take a regional approach: “We’re going to win not as competitors but as partners.” 

“We can put ourselves on the tech map, and we need to because it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” he continued. “You can’t get talent if no one knows about it, and you can’t get businesses here if we don’t have talent here.”

Donnelly praised local universities for the work they are doing to develop a strong pipeline for tech talent. “All our major colleges have stepped up,” he said. “I’m really excited.”

As for the future of the Castle Group, Donnelly hopes to maintain a consistent, measured level of growth and continue to attract top talent. “Millennials and Gen Z will have on average 15 jobs in their lifetime. I challenge my younger teammates to stay at this company and get those 15 jobs. We’ll help to make it happen.”

,
15
Mar, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Boca Raton Innovation Campus

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: Provides office space and fosters a community among innovators in the South Florida tech ecosystem

Launched: Originally built in the 1960s, upgraded in 2005 and 2018

Location: Boca Raton

Size: 1.7 million square-foot campus situated on 123 acres; 36 tenants with a cumulative 6,000 employees

Website: WorkAtBRiC.com

Innovation rarely happens in isolation. Collaboration is key – bringing together people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise to catalyze and crystalize the next big idea.

The Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) aims to be the nexus for collaboration in South Florida and beyond. The office park is known for its iconic modernist style, designed by world-renowned Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer. 

The facilities were originally built for IBM, and it was on this site in 1981 that the world’s first personal computer was invented. Now it houses a wide range of South Florida’s most innovative firms, from local healthtech success story Modernizing Medicine to photography pioneer Canon.

Giana Pacinelli, Marketing Director for CP Group, the landlord and property management team for BRiC, explained their goal of “taking BRiC’s history and bringing it to the future.” She said that CP Group aims to harness the campus’s storied past as a space for innovation while also providing the amenities that will impress even the most discerning tenants.

Pacinelli noted BRiC’s “Google-style” facilities, including a lush campus with seven miles of walking paths and amenities like a dining hall that converts into a 1,000-person capacity presentation hall, two coffee shops, and a recently-renovated fitness center. Soon, they plan to open an autonomous grab-and-go store that will enable workers to purchase staples like bread and produce through a completely contactless system.

Currently, BRiC is zoned strictly for commercial office use. However, Pacinelli explained that they are now working with the city to rezone the campus to make it a “true live-work-play ecosystem.” The vision is to create a 15-minute city that residents can walk around and access everything they need – from work and living spaces to medical facilities and restaurants.

“In order to do all of that, we need to rezone BRiC,” said Pacinelli, underscoring the property’s interest in attracting big businesses and international meetings.

CP Group has put together a campaign to connect with the community. By visiting WorkAtBRiC.com/Support, Boca Raton residents can sign a letter to show their support for BRiC’s plans. Through this link, neighbors can also schedule a tour of the campus.

While work for home became a daily reality for many South Floridians during the pandemic, Pacinelli said that CP Group is “bullish that people will return to the office.” She evidenced the recent uptick in employees returning to the office as a signal that trend of workers returning to the office will continue

“Work has successfully invaded our personal lives,” she explained, noting that heading to an office can help create much-needed barriers between work and personal lives. Many of BRiC’s tenants have refreshed their workspaces to include more spaces for collaboration. BRiC also has imminent plans to unveil a co-working space later this year.

, ,
07
Mar, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | United World Telecom

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: Providing virtual phone solutions to enable businesses, call centers, and sales teams to communicate seamlessly across borders.

Founded: 1996

HQ: Delray Beach

Employees: 30

Website: UnitedWorldTelecom.com

 

These days, we take effortless communication for granted. From a consumer’s perspective, it’s never been easier or cheaper to get in touch with people across the globe. But there is a complex telecommunications network working behind the scenes to create this seamless experience.

Delray Beach-based United World Telecom (UWT) is one of such companies. Since 1996, UWT has amassed a rolodex chock full of some of the world’s biggest multinational enterprises, the likes of MoneyGram, SanDisk, MongoDB, Crystal Cruises, and Radisson Hotels.

Perhaps no one has a more intimate understanding of UWT than Luke Genoyer, whose father, Thierry Genoyer, founded the firm. “I have been around the company my whole life,” he told South Florida Tech Hub. Luke recounted stories from his early days, when he would stop by the office to test routes for calls to ensure that connections were strong and answer to customer inquiries.

Under UWT’s Global Call Forwarding brand, businesses can purchase toll-free and local international phone numbers from 150+ countries. Users are empowered with the tools necessary to customize their inbound calls as they see fit – no coding or IT help necessary. For instance, they can set up custom greetings, schedules for phones to ring in different places depending on the time of day, and virtual attendants.

The business’s agents are able to make outbound calls with their global call forwarding number shown as the caller ID. UWT’s service can be integrated into a customer’s current phone system, or they can use UWT’s proprietary system. The company boasts its 99.999% network uptime, which is possible in part thanks to the Linux cloud architecture upon which their system is built.

UWT’s key differentiator? According to Luke, it’s all about customer service. “We have 24/7 live chat support and phone support, and all businesses get a dedicated account manager,” he said. “Some bigger telecom companies don’t provide one-on-one support unless you buy a bigger support package. But with us, all of our corporate customers get that dedicated, tailored support.”

Within the last year, UWT launched a new online control panel through which customers can manage their services on their computer or smartphone. Looking forward, Luke signaled the company’s plans to roll out products including CRM integrations, access to more detailed reports and analytics, and contact center features like call monitoring & coaching and call queuing. The company is also focused on making UWT a great place to work, creating perks like working from home one day a week.

Luke underscored the excitement he feels about being part of the South Florida tech ecosystem. “The growth is insane,” he said. “There has been a huge migration of tech talent and tech jobs flowing into South Florida.” Luke also noted that local universities like FAU are on the rise: “There are a lot of smart students coming out of FAU, and even some entrepreneurs coming out of FAU and out of FAU Tech Runway. I think that South Florida tech is really just starting to take off.”

In need of international toll free numbers and virtual phone numbers for your business? Take a look at what United World Telecom has on offer by visiting their website.

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