Tech Hub South Florida Announces Interim CEO, Ambitious Growth Plans for Second Half of 2021
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Tech Hub South Florida recently announced that Nikki Cabus will be the Interim CEO of the West Palm Beach-based nonprofit.
Nikki Cabus, Interim CEO | Tech Hub South Florida
Cabus commented, “I am excited to lead Tech Hub South Florida as we continue to grow and further our mission to put South Florida on the map as a top innovation ecosystem.”
“I am honored to be in the company of many excellent female leaders working to build South Florida’s tech hub,” Cabus continued, particularly mentioning Maria Derchi Russo of Refresh Miami and Florida Funders, and Leigh-Ann Buchanan of aīre ventures.
Michael Fowler, Vice President of IT for Florida Power & Light and Chair of Tech Hub South Florida’s Board of Directors, said “Nikki joined Tech Hub South Florida in 2019. She’s quickly become a critical member of our team and has developed deep relationships with our members. We were very happy she has agreed to step in as interim leader of the organization.”
The organization has grown significantly with it’s geographic expansion over the last year. It was rebranded from Palm Beach Tech to better reflect its mission to promote the tech industry from the Treasure Coast to the Keys. It also began to expand its public policy advocacy efforts with the strategic hire of Ashton Adler and the work of board member Sheela VanHoose.
Cabus explained that Tech Hub South Florida’s growth trajectory will be guided by its four core pillars: Talent, Brand, Community, and Startups. Its first pillar, talent, focuses on building a pipeline of top technologists in our region. Second, it emphasizes building South Florida’s brand as a tech hub. Third is community, which involves fostering an environment in which tech innovation can thrive. Finally, their startup pillar aims to support and aggregate resources for South Florida founders building the next big thing.
One way Tech Hub South Florida plans to execute on these pillars is through its various committees. The organization recently announced that David Coddington, Senior Vice President of Business Development for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and leader of TechGateway, will lead its Branding Committee. The self-described “Chief Technology Story Teller” will spearhead the movement to present the South Florida region as a gateway to tech innovation.
This past February, Tech Hub merged with Code Palm Beach to further its mission of widening access to computer programming skills by offering courses for students average ages 6 -14 in South Florida. “Code Palm Beach is an important initiative under our talent pillar. I am proud to say that K-12 schools from Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties are all represented as part of our Talent Committee,” said Cabus. “We also have representation from the region’s most prominent higher education institutions.”
Cabus said that Tech Hub South Florida will keep its core values top of mind as it continues to scale. “We are growing fast and will continue to lead with our trust-building values like integrity, positivity, and working together to break down silos. Collaboration is key when building a community.”