South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub
01
Feb, 2021

By Alice Figuerola

Guest Blog: Business Process Automation 101

Read Time 5 Minutes

What can automation do for you?

Automating your repetitive tasks lets you focus on high-priority items.

Leaving those huge, overloaded Excel spreadsheets behind in favor of new software might sound like both a relief and a new challenge in itself, depending on how easy it is for your workers to adapt to change. We at the SilverLogic have overseen transitions such as these for almost a decade, as we work with our clients to design, plan, and implement business automation and reporting software with companies of all sizes. Whether this software takes the form of “robotic process automation” or just a more accessible platform, its main function is to streamline tedious, complicated, or repetitive tasks, reducing the chances of error and integrating with a company’s ideal workflow. Now that we are in the automation era, understanding how automation can help your business succeed is more essential than ever.

 

What is Business Process Automation (BPA)?

What does automation mean in business?

In business, automation can refer to anything as conceptually simple as a piece of software that automatically generates and emails a report to stakeholder, or something as complex as using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to analyze and sort company documents, internally routing them to the correct department. As a whole, business automation tools increase productivity. Our experience helping a wide variety of clients has shown us that optimal automation solutions are unique to each company’s processes, and there are options for development within almost every budget range.

The very definition of “Business Process Automation” (BPA) is flexible to fit this range of practical needs. The term refers to any system or technology in which business processes are automatically managed collectively to improve an organization’s overall workflow — in terms of achieving greater efficiency, adapting to ever-changing business needs, reducing chances of human error, and clarifying job roles and daily responsibilities.

 

What can I automate in my business?

Any company processes involving report generation, scheduling, double-checking data, or very large spreadsheets are immediate excellent candidates for improvement via automation. If a specific process bogs down the company’s workflow to any extent, such as with outdated tech platforms that no longer suit employee’s needs, then BPA may be the perfect solution to increase performance and productivity. It is worth noting that modern Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, allow software developers to integrate your company platforms with each other – including QuickBooks, CRMs, Cloud storage services, etc.

However, while the advantages of intelligently-designed automation software include speed and efficiency, the importance of a human worker to supervise, review, and provide feedback on the work provided by the machine cannot be understated. As the machine is much more efficient than a human is, an incorrect decision programmed into the software can be spread much wider than by a human. For this reason, finding a tech partner who will develop reliable and high-quality BPA software is paramount, as well as proper supervision of its performance.

For instance, our client MailAround required a BPA platform to automatically compile and send postcards to potential clients, to market their service company. And despite the fact that the software we developed runs smoothly and independently, we additionally created a backend platform for employees to control the process, customize the postcards themselves, and tweak settings such as the number and rate of postcards sent within specific time frames. In this way, the company can adjust this marketing campaign to fluctuating budgets or increase its rate in the future.

 

Why is automation important in business?

Business Process Automation assists employees at all levels with a noticeable upgrade in efficiency. Implemented humanely and with feedback from all levels of a business, it maintains internal protocol, improves reporting, and provides reliable information about a company’s workflow, so business leaders can actively see how their business is running.

As another example, our client BodyDetails required a custom CRM (Customer Relationship Management software) to migrate their business processes from pen-and-paper to digital, via one robust, accessible platform. The software we developed tracks detailed sales process analytics, it tracks employee performance through APIs that read online reviews (through the power of data scraping), it tracks earnings and company results. It also upgrades customers’ experiences, with easy session rescheduling and payment processing. Every step of the way, Business Automation can help.

 

Should all companies automate their business?

No. It all depends on what type of company you have and if it is ready to scale its capacity. The SilverLogic develops software that helps companies automate the most repetitive, tedious tasks in our clients’ businesses, like entering line items into a billing system, keeping track of employee on-boarding and certifications, enabling version control for tasks that have multiple employees working on them, or keeping a centralized record of all communications with customers and clients. However, if your company is not ready to scale, it may be worthwhile to wait until you have the means to upgrade properly.

In the case of our client Florida’s Ultimate, for example, upgrading their pipeline with BPA was the next natural step. Their plan was to digitize and automate paperwork for their cargo drivers, supplying electronic tablets to each one, loaded with custom software developed by The SilverLogic. And since, taking signatures from associates, taking photographs for routine cargo inspections, and exporting paperwork to QuickBooks has never been easier. It is all done automatically, instantly, without error. Our Business Automation solution has reduced their time spent filling out and delivering invoice paperwork by a lucrative 75%, allowing their drivers to focus on speedy deliveries and allowing business leaders to expand even more.

 

In-Depth Case Study: ALF Boss

ALF Boss is a resource center for Florida’s Assisted Living Facilities, and is a perfect example of BPA being the perfect solution for a company roadblock. The software we developed with ALF Boss helped increase overall productivity through automation – saving time, money, and headaches.

Florida has well over a thousand assisted living facilities, each one with its own nuances and internal rules and regulations. All of these facilities operate under a standard state license, and they can also add any of three supplemental licenses for extended congregate care (ECC), limited nursing services (LNS), and limited mental health (LMH). Each of these comes with a dizzying array of training and certification requirements for employees.

So, in order to operate safely and legally, an assisted living facility needs to ensure that 100% of its employees are obtaining and maintaining the appropriate required certifications 100% of the time.

Without a centralized way to track these qualifications, their whole pipeline becomes a giant mess. The documentation tends to take place across countless emails and multiple disjointed spreadsheets with multiple owners — it’s a situation ripe for oversights and human errors. And organizations found to be out of compliance with AHCA (even accidentally) face heavy fines and possible closure.

ALF Boss needed a solution that was specific to their needs and had several capabilities not found in any off-the-shelf BA software. ALF Boss needed a system that:

  1. Had all of ACHA’s licensure and certification requirements built in
  2. Knew which employee titles corresponded to which required trainings
  3. Kept track of when these trainings were necessary, when they were completed, and when they were set to expire
  4. Alerted employees and management when a deadline was coming up
  5. Flagged management if anything across their organization was currently out of compliance

By working with us, ALF Boss was able to make this idea happen and create a hyper-specific piece of software that did all of the above and then some.

We hate to hear someone say, “I hate my CRM,” or, “My software doesn’t do [that],” because we know it doesn’t need to be that way. We’re just as excited about Business Automation software as we are about all the interesting consumer-facing products we’ve built over the years, and the power of BPA cannot be understated.

 

Alice Figuerola

Head of Marketing & Business Development

The SilverLogic

14
Oct, 2020

By Kurt Abrahams

Guest Blog | Nigerian Prince? You’ve Got Bigger Cybersecurity Problems

Read Time 4 Minutes

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

We’re living through some incredibly strange times, and cybercriminals are taking full advantage of the ill-prepared. With the shift to a remote workforce, we’ve all become more susceptible to threats from the web!

Cyber Intelligence offices around the globe have reported unprecedented spikes in email scams and malware attacks due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The cyber attackers know that we’ve all become more vulnerable working from home because our home office simply doesn’t offer the same protection as a corporate network would.

Part of the compounding problem is that the scams have become significantly more advanced. Yes, people still get scammed by the “Nigerian Prince” email scam to the tune of an average of $700,000 per year, but these tricks have evolved into much more elaborate tactics and schemes. For example, most people have social media accounts or Linkedin profiles, making it easier to personalize emails that come from; let’s say, your CEO? This is a form of a Social Engineering attack that often requires some common sense more than anything else. The key take away is, we need to be more vigilant than ever with our inboxes and attachments. One wrong click on an infected attachment could trigger a Ransomware attack that plunges your company into chaos.

Some companies may implement additional measures to secure their new remote workforce, while others may choose to risk a breach before taking any action. As a cybersecurity company, we often go over and above what is required to secure our data and our customers’ data. These involve advanced measures, which include AI-driven Anti-Virus, Anomaly Detection, and Insider Threat Prevention tools.

But the average person can take numerous steps to secure their own home environment from would-be attackers without breaking the bank. Follow these basic steps to improve your remote cybersecurity today.

 

Cybersecurity 101 For The Average Joe

 

1) Use Strong Passwords

Passwords are one of the most undervalued security tools available to the everyday user. The more complex the password, the tougher the hack. Use a combination of capital and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Wherever possible, use 12 characters or more. This could be a phrase, which is often easier to memorize. Always avoid using personal data in your passwords (you know who you are, and I’m guessing many of you are using a combination of your child’s name and their birthdate, see how easy that was?). Change your passwords regularly to keep the criminals guessing. Never use the same password for multiple accounts, and use dual-factor authentication where ever possible.

 

2) Install A Stand Alone Home Firewall

A firewall is effectively a sort of gatekeeper between your computer and the internet. Any potential cyber threat would first need to pass through the firewall before entering the home network, acting as a digital sentinel before reaching your computer. While this may seem like an extreme security measure, it is becoming more common due to much lower price points.

 

3) Antivirus Software

Consumer-grade Anti-virus software now comes with a multitude of additional tools such as:

  • Ransomware detection 
  • Wifi security scanning to detect network problems
  • Banking protection via a secure browser
  • Password manager
  • Vulnerability scanner
  • Basic firewall
  • Spam Filter
  • VPN
  • Webcam protection
  • Microphone monitor – which shows you which apps are accessing your microphone

The most important thing when it comes to anti-virus is always updating the software. These warnings are annoying, but they may save your computer and its contents one day. These updates ensure that your anti-virus can detect the latest malware signatures, amongst other things. If possible, choose an anti-virus that updates on its own, as it may update itself multiple times a day to keep pace with the barrage of attacks sent out by cybercriminals.

 

4) VPN

Using a VPN is suggested if you’re sending and receiving any sensitive data. This may not be relevant to home users who do not need to access company information remotely. But for anyone accessing data from a shared server, a VPN is crucial as the VPN enables you to mask your IP and encrypt data being sent back and forth between your home and the company’s Server. In most cases, a secure VPN connection is required before accessing any data remotely, creating a sort of data tunnel between your home and the company Server.

 

5) Common Sense

Last but not least, the most powerful tool in your cybersecurity arsenal is common sense. If an email looks suspicious or too good to be true, don’t open it. If your CEO sends you an urgent email, but the email domain looks strange, do not respond. If a Nigerian prince asks for your bank details because he needs to move his money out of the country, please ignore the email and move on with your life. Lastly, DO NOT CLICK on an attachment from a sender you cannot verify.

We’ve all been through enough this year; the last thing you need is your computer getting infected or, much worse, someone requesting $50,000 because your computer was just hit with a ransomware attack. Nobody needs this additional stress, so let’s ignore the “Nigerian Prince” and continue to operate as safely and as cautiously as we possibly can on the World Wide Web.

 

Written by Kurt Abrahams, Marketing Director @ Veriato

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18
Aug, 2020

By Nancy Dahlberg

Bridge Connector raises $25.5 million in Series B funding

Read Time 2 Minutes

Bridge Connector, a hyper-growth healthcare platform-as-a-service company born in Palm Beach County, on Tuesday announced it has raised $25.5 million in Series B financing to continue its national scale-up.

The round was led by its largest investor, Tampa-based Axioma Ventures, which was co-founded by Howard Jenkins, former CEO of Publix Super Markets. Entrepreneur and Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik also participated in the round, which was  joined by all existing investors.

To date, Bridge Connector has raised $45.5 million.

Bridge Connector provides a suite of vendor-agnostic integration solutions and a full-service delivery model, helping health care vendors, providers, and payers more easily share data between disparate systems, such as electronic health records or patient engagement solutions.

“The lack of integration in health care has resulted in care teams relying on antiquated technology like fax machines to relay mission-critical information,” said CEO and co-founder David Wenger, in announcing the raise. “In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been clearer that this inability to share patient data between health care technology vendors creates dangerous care gaps that can mean the difference between life and death for some patients. Bridge Connector is building an ecosystem of connected solutions that is solving this problem.”

Founded in 2017, the company now employs about 165 people, said Wenger, in an interview with South Florida Tech. That’s up from just 25 employees two years ago. Coming off 2019 with 1,000% growth, Wenger said the company’s revenues nearly doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bridge Connector has also added 40 employees since the pandemic’s spread in the U.S., Wenger said.

The company moved its headquarters to the healthcare hub of Nashville last year, but still has offices in Palm Beach Gardens, said Wenger, a serial entrepreneur was raised in Palm Beach County and previously ran a marketing and advertising agency before founding Bridge Connector. Wenger and much of the executive team are based in Palm Beach County. Bridge Connector recently hired a president, who is also based in Palm Beach County.

The new funding will further support the company’s scale-up as well as the growth of Destinations, a new integration-platform-as-a-service  that connects health data systems using use-case-based interoperability blueprints to speed integrations with major vendors.

“We believed strongly in Bridge Connector’s mission to improve interoperability in health care when we made our seed investment, and they’ve exceeded all of our expectations along the way,” said Jenkins, who has participated in every funding round.  “With the company on track for 800 to 1000% growth in 2020, we are eager to see how our continued investment will help Bridge Connector impact the industry and create a health care system that works better for patients.”

Stay tuned for a Member Spotlight coming soon with more about Bridge Connector.

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17
Aug, 2020

By Ally Costa

Guest Blog | ‘Tech Webinars for Teachers’

Read Time 2 Minutes

Our mission to “Build South Florida Into a Tech Hub” includes our next generation of techies. We aim to create a positive environment that promotes tech, coding, engineering, and robotics education.

To further aid our mission, South Florida Tech partnered with the Palm Beach County School District, Broward County Public School District, and Path to College to organize the “Summer Webinar Series.”

Path to College has taken on the mission of securing the acceptance of low-income, high-achieving students into top-tier universities and helping those who are willing and ready to help themselves, empowering our community’s best and brightest regardless of their race or financial background.

The “Summer Webinar Series” was geared towards current highschool students, those who have recently graduated, and their teachers. We hosted five webinars to share tools, resources, and advice about various topics. 

 

 

‘Career Paths in Tech’

We discussed the wide-ranging careers in the tech industry, as well as the varying paths to obtain them. In particular, our guest speakers presented their respective journeys through the tech industry and provided advice on how to have and maintain a successful career in tech.

  • Meggie Soliman | Director Strategic Innovation @ DSS 
  • Todd Albert | Founder @ Boca Code 
  • Kathy Underwood | Director, Data Analytics @ Levatas 

‘Video Conferencing Tips & Tricks’

With the quick shift to remote work in 2020, video conferencing has become essential for teams to communicate on a day-to-day basis. In light of this current trend of video conferencing, experts in remote working provided tips and tricks of Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Meets.  

  • Pat La Morte | Account Executive of Education @ Zoom
  • Barkha Herman | Senior Cloud Solutions Architect @ Microsoft  
  • George Whitaker | Director of Information Security and Cloud Architecture @ PGA of America 

‘Best Practices for Learning Remotely’

Online classes are becoming more prevalent in today’s society. Both students and teachers need to be prepared for the shift from in-person to online classes. This discussion focused on teaching the basic tools to keep organized, communication techniques, and best practices for learning/working remotely. We learned some useful productivity hacks. 

  • Adi Raina | Principal Consultant @ Improving
  • Scott Townsend | Vice President of Sales @ PeakActivity
  • Cathy Miron | President & CEO @ eSilo

‘Engagement Through Gamification’

Enrich your classes and increase student engagement through gamification. What is gamification? Gamification is “the application of game-like mechanics to non-game entities to encourage a specific behavior.” We learned how you can motivate and inspire students by changing the way they view learning. 

 

‘Work Based Learning’

The best way to learn is by “doing”. Work based learning is the students’ chance to gain a new skill or perspective that can’t be taught in the classroom setting. We introduced work based learning from the perspective of the company — what they expect students to learn, why work-based learning is so important, and the different opportunities available to students. 

  • Ann Savage | Founder & CEO @ PATHOS
  • Randall Deich | Chief Networking Officer @ ReGenerate Tech
  • Natasha Menon | IT Intern Ambassador & Tech Lead @ FPL
  • Luke Williams | Director of the Fischler Academy @ NSU

03
Aug, 2020

By Michelle Bakels

Guest Blog | ‘Reflecting on 5 Years of Growth’ (Michelle Bakels)

Read Time 3 Minutes

Written By Michelle Bakels

I came across a video I made four years ago filming some of the first lines of code I ever ran, followed by the camera turning to me downing a huge gulp of wine. All of my early tests in the clip had passed, but my patience was clearly worn. Making the transition from a career in the art industry to the tech industry was so much more difficult than I could’ve imagined — as they say, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Looking back at that video instantly conjured up memories of frustration, fatigue, and endless fights with my compiler.

 

Shortly after starting my degree in Computer Science, it became evident to me that if I were going to succeed I was going to need to find someone, anyone, who I would be able to talk to about my struggles and ideas. What I found instead was an entire community. After yelling out into what felt like the void, what came back was a phone call from Joe Russo, founder of Palm Beach Tech. “I heard you’re looking for help. What do you need?” Joe and I had never met or spoken to each other before this and yet, after a 10 minute conversation, he introduced me to Chris Cabrera, at the time, Director of Engineering for a local fintech company, who from that day on became a life long tutor, mentor, and friend.

If that experience was all that resulted from my connection with Palm Beach Tech, I would still be singing their praises today. But four years later, they have offered myself and our community so much more. In the last few years I have participated in startup weekends, developer meetups, tech talks, community coffees, and hackathons. I have become the Vice Chair of the Palm Beach Tech Women’s Council and through PBT, the Vice Chair of Code Palm Beach, a software developer for NextEra Energy Resources, and a speaker at the South Florida Software Developer’s Conference. I’ve met amazing people in the community who I now talk to on a daily basis or get advice from (in fact I’m meeting with Todd Albert in five minutes to talk about React as I’m writing this!) And in between all of this, there have been innumerable events, experiences, and moments that I know are completely unique to the community Palm Beach Tech has built here.

As we celebrate the five year anniversary of Palm Beach Tech I think about if someone were to show me five years ago what my life were going to look like today. I probably would have thought this were some sort of parallel universe. I live near my family in a beach town working for a company I admire, connected to my community, and meeting amazing people in tech all the time. It’s not undue to say that I owe so much of that specifically to Palm Beach Tech and the culture of inclusivity and community that they have fostered here over the past five years. If this is what Palm Beach Tech can do in five years, we can only imagine the amazing future ahead for the newly minted South Florida Tech.

Happy 5th Birthday, Palm Beach Tech – Cheers to the future of South Florida Tech and #BuildingSoFlo!

 

17
Feb, 2020

By Nikki Cabus

Member Spotlight | Sloane Staffing

Read Time 2 Minutes
Fresh paint, comfy new chairs, and walls that are still bare in the CEO’s office. – This is the current scene at Sloane Staffing. 
 
The startup recruitment firm opened in May of 2019 with just a couple staff members. In less than a year, they needed additional employees and soon grew out of their tiny single office. Palm Beach Tech recently sat down with former Enterprise Account Executive and now Founder & CEO, Max Spanier, to learn more. 
 
On January 1st, 2020 Sloane Staffing moved into their new larger office space located right in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach. Sloane Staffing can be found on Clematis Street, Suite #806 of the gorgeous historic Comeau Building that was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1996. The firm works within the martech space to fill roles such as software engineers, digital marketing managers, and web developers and designers. They have placed just over 150 candidates to date and 40 current open positions!
 
“Sloane Staffing is a white glove recruitment service that specializes in making the perfect match between companies who are having challenges finding talent and candidates who aren’t looking for jobs. We are more than just a hiring agency, we are partners. The secret to our success is positioning ourselves as your internal recruiter, and leveraging our expansive network of potential candidates to source talented individuals who will fit both your business needs, your company culture and growth plans, ” says Spanier.
 
Shay Berman, Owner & CEO of Digital Resource, a quickly growing creative digital marketing firm, says that “Sloane Staffing has worked closely with us so much that they understand our technical needs, as well as, what will fit our internal culture. They have practically hired our entire staff by helping us fill 30+ positions out of about 50 total.”
 
The team which now consists of six full-time staff were hard at work during our visit this past week. We were able to catch up with one of their new hires, Shivan, who recently moved back to South Florida and says that he is “happy to be with a growing company that values his experience and is ran by an owner who treats his staff like a real family.” Employees are offered salary, commission, bonuses, 100% covered health insurance, 401k, opportunities to work from home, and monthly team outings. They will be opening up two additional roles for new hires within the quarter!
 
Learn how Sloane Staffing can save hiring managers time and money at www.sloane-staffing.com
Check out more photos from last week’s Sloane Staffing visit here.📷
10
Feb, 2020

By Nikki Cabus

She Is Tomorrow’s Technologist | LexisNexis Risk

Read Time 2 Minutes

Business: LexisNexis Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. The company provides data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government.

South Florida Head Quarters: Boca Raton, FL 

Palm Beach Tech Member, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, hosted its 2nd annual “She IS Tomorrow’s Technologist” event last week at the Embassy Suites in Boca Raton. Female students currently studying in a field of technology/engineering/computer science were invited attend the event, which featured female leaders from LexisNexis Risk Solutions and others. It was a day of mentorship, leadership and open discussion empowering women in technology. The event was attended by more than 50 guests including students from Florida Atlantic University, Olympic Heights High School, American Heritage School, Don Estridge High Tech Middle School, Nova Southeastern University as well as teachers and staff.
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Jo Portlock, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, for the Risk and Business Analytics Division of RELX which includes LexisNexis Risk Solutions, was the event’s keynote speaker who discussed the struggles that women face in technology careers, the statistics of women in technology, and different strategies on how to diversify your internal team and how to build support for one another.
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To learn more about LexisNexis Risk Solutions and all of their women in leadership initiatives and internship programs please visit: lexisnexisrisk.com
10
Feb, 2020

By Nikki Cabus

PC Lan Techs Acquired by ImageNet Consulting

Read Time 2 Minutes

PC LAN TECHS Acquired by ImageNet Consulting

We are thrilled to announce that PC LAN TECHS has been acquired by ImageNet Consulting, a leading nationwide provider of Managed Services and Office Technology with over 500 employees and local ownership.

In 2001, PC Lan Techs began helping businesses manage their IT services. Along the way, they solved a big problem for small businesses in becoming their IT Department. Eventually, PC Lan Techs became one of the top leading Managed Service Providers in Florida. It was then when helping small-to-medium businesses thrive in today’s complex digital economy became their mission.

This was also ImageNet Consulting’s mission. ImageNet Consulting is a 60-year-old, family-owned business specializing in office technology with 20 offices in 6 states, 7 of which are located in Florida. In addition to West Palm Beach, there are offices in Miami, Tampa, Sarasota, Orlando, Port St. Lucie, and Vero Beach. In addition to Managed IT, ImageNet is an industry leader in managed print solutions, document management, and electronic content management. They are also one of the nation’s largest authorized HP and Canon copy/print/scan solutions dealers. They are indeed a “one-stop-shop” for all office technology needs. https://www.imagenetconsulting.com/

Founder of PC Lan Techs, Johannes Csonka, is also the Founder and CEO of another organization called AV-Worx, which is a highly trusted specialist in Commercial Audio and Video Integration, with larger clients such as NASA.

Csonka made the decision last year for PC Lan Techs to join forces with a company as passionate about their client’s success as they are. ImageNet Consulting will take PC Lan Techs into the next chapter in their storybook. Moving forward, PC Lan Techs will slowly transition its name and services under the ImageNet Consulting Brand. The companies are extremely excited about what this acquisition brings to both customers and their employees. Stay tuned to see where the growth and innovation take them from here.

For more information visit https://www.pclantechs.com/about-us/news/  

 

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05
Feb, 2020

By Nikki Cabus

Event Spotlight | Tee Off 2020

Read Time 3 Minutes

 

Presented by Crown Castle , Palm Beach Tech hosted our inaugural TEE OFF at the new hi-tech Drive Shack West Palm Beach. The members-only event included lunch, a special presentation, and golf.

This was an opportunity for the Palm Beach Tech community to come together and learn about PBT’s mission, vision, and what was been accomplished to date, as well as, what’s planned for 2020.

With this being Palm Beach Tech’s 5th year, 2020 will be focusing on offering more educational workshops, industry specific events, leader drive discussions, opportunities to give back to our future tech generations, as well as, networking with peers that will ultimately aid in building.

The “Tee Off” had 75 members in attendance with over 50 companies being represented. Attendees traveled from all over South Florida including Martin County and Miami-Dade County. Check out the Tee Off’s photo album!

Joe Russo, President & CEO of Palm Beach Tech, kicked off the event with an overview of the organization’s mission and vision, as well as introductions. He later reviewed the 2019 Annual Review with data showing the nonprofit’s growth and local reach.

 

 

Sheldon Jordan, VP of Engineering & Operations for Crown Castle, gave the keynote of the afternoon. Sheldon is responsible for coordinating annual business plan deliverables for the Network Engineering and Operations organization, while also helping to shape the direction and execution of longer range goals.
A 23-year industry veteran, Sheldon has most recently worked as the Director of Network Operations for Small Cells.

 

Michael Fowler, CIO of FPL and Palm Beach Tech Board Chair, spoke on the importance of an organization like PBT from both an individual member and corporate member standpoint. He gave examples of his own experience showing the value in areas such as talent and education.

 

 

Nikki Cabus, VP of Development for Palm Beach Tech, introduced the new 2020 initiates and gave an overview of upcoming events and educational workshops. She also spoke about the importance of giving back to the future generation of tech through the Code Palm Beach program. Nikki urged all members to attend an event, volunteer, and get involved in growing our South Florida Tech ecosystem.

 

 

Thank you to all our members for coming out to Friday’s event and to our additional sponsors, BD Liberator Medical and AppleOne Employment Services.

Want to get more involved? Check out our Events Calendar for upcoming events, or reach out to VP of Development nikki@palmbeachtech.org

Check out Palm Beach Tech’s  2019 highlight video for a recap of the year, inside scoop from the PBT staff and how Palm Beach Tech is helping South Florida’s Tech Community!

 

 

03
Jan, 2019

By Nikki Cabus

Palm Beach Tech forms Strategic Alliance with CompTIA

Read Time < 1 Minute

The Palm Beach Tech Association and The Computing Technology Industry Association “CompTIA” have signed a Strategic Alliance to better serve the South Florida Tech industry.

“We look forward to working with CompTIA to expand our efforts in supporting the South Florida Tech Industry,” said Joe Russo, Executive Director of Palm Beach Tech.

Founded in 1982, CompTIA is a non-profit trade association, issuing professional certifications for the information technology (IT) industry is one of the tech industry’s top organizations. With more than 2,000 members, 3,000 academic and training partners and tens of thousands of registered users, its the world’s leading tech association.

The partnership will focus on public policy and workforce development, was brought about by continued work with the Technology Councils of North America “TECNA”.

16
May, 2018

By Nancy Dahlberg

Talking Tech with Merging Traffic

Read Time 3 Minutes

HQ: Orlando (A.J. Ripin is based in Palm Beach County)

Business: a global capital formation engine catalyzing growth, investment and access to capital in emerging technologies.

Management team: Dr. David Metcalf, chairman; Dr. Max Hooper, managing director; A.J. Ripin, COO.

Employees: Under 10

Website: MergingTraffic.com

Talk to A.J. Ripin about his adventures in tech and you’ll soon find out this is really a story about his passion for accelerating high-tech clusters in his home state of Florida.

For starters, the serial entrepreneur is COO of Merging Traffic Inc., a global capital formation engine that uses its unique ecosystem to bring the best of Florida to the world; and the best of the world to Florida. Merging Traffic, launched in 2015, is not a broker dealer; it connects investors with early-stage ventures.

“The founders have had personal and professional success and we really think of Florida as our home and are looking to help Florida compete and grow for future generations,” said Ripin, a Lake Worth resident who has two daughters, 6 and 8, and hopes that his contribution will help their generation grow up to find meaningful opportunities in a thriving economy.

“We are playing our part to contribute to the state to help companies born in Florida, stay in Florida, and companies outside Florida to discover and select Florida to grow. We think of ourselves as the future of private equity.”

Merging Traffic, which includes prominent Florida technology and business leaders David Metcalf and Dr. Max Hooper at the helm, currently works with dozens of startups, sometimes making direct investments. It partners with the Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab (METIL) at the University of Central Florida and serves as a conduit to the private sector looking to advance R&D in the state.

 “We connect the parties together,” Ripin said.  “It’s about planting the seeds for future early stage ventures.”

Merging Traffic supports Florida Angel Nexus, which has also been working to connect early stage companies with funders on a statewide level. Ripin is on board of directors of Palm Beach Tech and the Florida Opportunity Fund. He is a mentor for UCF’s i-Corps, which promotes the Lean Startup methodology to promote innovation. Ripin formerly co-founded Mem-Cards, a card-based learning system, and is working with several startups. He commutes to Orlando a couple of days a week (yes, he is looking forward to Brightline’s Orlando leg) and works the rest of the week in various South Florida co-working spaces.

In addition to helping homegrown startups, Ripin is founding member of StartUp Nation Ventures, which supports Israeli companies looking to base their U.S. operations in Florida.

Ripin cites a Massachusetts study showing that Israeli tech innovation represented 4.2 percent of that state’s GDP and thousands of tens of thousands of jobs. 

“My hypothesis is that Israeli tech innovation will really advance certain technology clusters, which would be good for the entire market of Florida. Florida has a lot to offer and as Israeli tech companies discover Florida, that will in aggregate serve as a catalyst for the state’s technology clusters.”

Ripin says clusters are developing around Florida, including Orlando, Miami, Palm Beach County and Tampa. Miami’s strength is as the gateway to Latin America and Ripin also sees a lot of activity in drones. Although Palm Beach’s identity is still being developed, HR-tech is an interesting vertical emerging. Orlando is developing clusters in heath-tech and cybersecurity, he said. A recent global entrepreneurship report cited ad-tech and health-tech clusters emerging in Tampa Bay.

The challenge is supporting the advancement of clusters across Florida that is so spread out, Ripin said. “We think there is a rising tide that will lift all boats.”

23
Oct, 2017

By Nikki Cabus

Local Coding Classes beginning this month

Read Time 2 Minutes

Palm Beach Code School and TK2 Academy coding classes starting this week

 

 

TK2 Academy is a coding bootcamp in Boca Raton with a mission to transform the lives of students through the power of computer education. Whether your goal is to develop a new skill set, get a jump start on higher education or undergo a complete career change, we believe in harnessing the gifts of each student to decode their potential. Our students are engineers, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs, financial analysts, folks just out of college and the world’s future coders.

The Web Developer program begins November 13th with classes from 6:00pm to 10:00 pm.

 

 

Palm Beach Code School prepares students for careers as Jr. Web Developers. The Web Developer Program teaches the foundational coding languages and technologies including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, PHP, MySQL and more.
Their next Web Developer Program evening cohort starts on October 30th 2017. Classes meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 pm-10:00pm for 16 weeks. The tuition is $3,850.
The next step is to visit the school to check out a class, pick up some information, take an assessment test and get all of your questions answered. It’s free and takes about an hour.
If you’re interested, please contact  jim@palmbeachcodeschool.com soon as they only have 3 seats available in this cohort.
 
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26
Jul, 2017

By Vanessa Calas

Alta Planning: A Coworking Space Success Story

Read Time 3 Minutes

Here in Downtown West Palm Beach we have a vibrant community of entrepreneurs looking to make their mark not only on Palm Beach County, but on the world at large. Coworking communities like ours support the growth of start ups through collaboration and continuing education, and provide resources to budding satellite offices for more established organizations.

Alta Planning + Design, a design firm based out of Portland, Oregon, learned this when they were looking to get their Florida office off the ground. With the help of Palm Beach Tech Space, they established a firm presence in the West Palm Beach area.

Here’s their story, and how Palm Beach Tech has helped.

Who is Alta Planning

Alta Planning believes in making urban spaces more bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Their transportation planning and design efforts have spanned dozens of US cities, with over 30 offices and 200 employees. They work toward what they call “complete streets,” by creating spaces for pedestrians and bikers in existing streets, and on more elaborate walking and biking projects. At the end of the day, their primary goal is to turn bustling cities into safer and more accessible cultural hubs.

In the Palm Beach Tech Space, let’s meet Brad Davis and Brian Ruscher. Brad had opened Alta’s Atlanta office several years ago before moving back to the Palm Beaches, where he grew up. He and Brian, a recruit out of Florida State University, set to work starting up Alta’s office in West Palm Beach. Things moved quickly as they soon won a contract with the City of West Palm Beach, planning strategies for improving mobility and quality of life downtown.

They had their hearts set on West Palm Beach, a downtown that with its SkyBike program and the upcoming Brightline train, exemplified the morals and mission of Alta Planning.

Enter Palm Beach Tech

Thanks to Palm Beach Tech, Brad and Brian were able to get office space quickly. The Space gave them the flexibility and affordability they needed to hit the ground running. The Space is conveniently located downtown, so Brad and Brian can get around the city and take advantage of community support, amenities, and activities.

Palm Beach Tech provides the Alta team with varied opportunities to connect with other businesses in the area. They have networked with others involved with the larger West Palm Beach community, which has provided them with insight into the interests and needs of the people they were working to serve. The exposure to other businesses and individuals through Palm Beach Tech has been an effective way to keep their finger on the proverbial pulse of West Palm Beach.

 

 Consider Coworking

Whether you’re a brand-new startup or a remote office, a coworking space will give you the tools and flexibility you need to get started. The convenient location and networking opportunities of Palm Beach Tech make it an ideal spot for anyone looking to get involved and get their business off the ground.

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07
Jul, 2017

By Nikki Cabus

Celebrating Palm Beach Tech’s 2nd Birthday!

Read Time 2 Minutes

In 2012 I was first inspired by the idea of building a tech community; In 2013 Startup Weekend began my journey; on July 7th of 2015 Palm Beach Tech was officially founded; and today we celebrate our 2nd Birthday!

My story was simple… I wanted to build the Palm Beaches into a tech hub. At the time, we weren’t focused on the technology, startup, nor entrepreneurial capacities of Palm Beach County. Today, that’s different thanks to our efforts and the commitment of our community.

In the early days, it was me on a laptop at Subculture Coffee meeting with board members, startup founders, and technology executives. And I put a lot of miles on my Hyundai too.

In two years since, we’ve accomplished so much together:

Association: Today we count 2671 People & 127 Companies as members, with many beyond that involved in our programs.

Coworking: Developed a 3,500 square foot coworking space, thanks to the generous $150,000 in grants from the Knight Foundation, City of West Palm Beach, and Achieve.

Meetup: Had 1,787 attend 22 Meetups, with keynotes from PayPal, Uber, Magic Leap, TEDx, & 500 Startups, among many others.

Web Monday: Partnered with the oldest tech event in the Palm Beaches, working with Aaron Wormus (aguyonclematis) to bring monthly workshops downtown.

Mentor Day: Launched in 2017, our newest event has already matched 47 founders with 12 mentors once a month.

Team: With Brian Dapelo, Stephanie Buzano, and the best interns in the world, our awesome team has grown exponentially, while expanding our impact to the community.

 

We started with a crazy idea encapsulated into a 6 page plan researched with caffeine, and written by an eternal idealist. And Palm Beach Tech would be no where without you, our community!

So Happy 2nd Birthday all you crazy, brilliant, amazing people – and thanks for helping my dreams come true! I sure hope I’ve helped you along the way.

In Service,

-Joe

27
Jun, 2017

By Nate Hendriksen

Guidewell Innovation Presents Health+Accel

Read Time 2 Minutes

Welcome Entrepreneurs

Health+Accel, presented by GuideWell Innovation, is a five-day event that facilitates the innovation of Aging Well solutions and prepares entrepreneurs for success by combining powerful market insights, meaningful business coaching and strategy, and access to a network of influential executives and innovators. After a four-day workshop, participants in Health+Accel compete in a pitch competition for a $20k cash prize in front of potential investors.

Health+Accel supports GuideWell’s mission to advance the transformation of the health industry by rapidly accelerating innovation.

What is Aging Well?

Aging Well is the idea that healthy living and increased longevity can be achieved without sacrificing independence or autonomy. Aging Well solutions allow individuals to age with dignity on their own terms and remain in the homes and communities of their choice for as long as possible.

Solutions should empower individuals to take control of their health on a personal level as well as within their homes and communities through both B2B and consumer-facing products, programs and services that focus on maintaining a sense of connectedness, productivity and safety.

Focus Areas

Health+Accel is looking for innovative solutions related to Aging Well within the healthcare space that focus on one or more of the following key areas:

  • Wellness & Vitality
  • Digital Health
  • Caregiver Support
  • Intelligent Homes & Communities
  • Social Engagement
  • Spirituality & Mindfulness
  • Individual Health Management

Why should you apply?

Powerful Insights

The healthcare and insurance industry is an ever-changing environment that can be difficult to navigate. Learn more about the dynamic needs and relationships between payers and providers, discover unique opportunities within the space, and explore best practices from experienced industry leaders.

Actionable Coaching

Success in the market is much more than creating a quality product. Entrepreneurs must equip themselves with the tools and resources necessary to distinguish themselves from competitors and communicate value to customers and investors alike. Receive expert-level coaching that aligns with the needs of the healthcare industry as you refine your Business Model Canvas and pitch.

Meaningful Connections

Accessing capital and industry resources can be all that stands in your way of taking your product to the next level. Connect with likeminded professionals as well as GuideWell’s talented team of innovators and executives through daily networking events and pitch your product to a room full of some of the region’s top investors in the healthcare space.

Funding and Recognition

Behind every business is a story, it just needs a platform to be told. Participating entrepreneurs will have their stories featured by GuideWell and the opportunity to speak directly to investors and executives within the space. Those selected to participate will receive a travel stipend to cover the costs of attending and the winner of the pitch competition will be rewarded with a $20,000.00 cash prize.

Application Process

Eligibility

To be eligible for Health+Accel, qualified entrepreneurs should possess the following:

  • A team of qualifed individuals committed to the long-term success of the venture
  • An approved, revenue-generating product already in the market
  • A business model that supports growth
  • A strong desire to expand within the healthcare space

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