South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub

By Nikki Cabus

TEDx Talks are returning to Delray Beach after a 10-year hiatus

Read Time 4 Minutes

With TEDx events popping up all around South Florida, the oh-so-popular event is making a comeback in Delray Beach!

In a world filled with sound bites and paparazzi-snapped photos, there are still storytellers determined to create media with meaning. From feature films to citizen journalism, their work is worth spreading. On November 4th, we will hear from some of those storytellers.

After a 10-year hiatus, Natalia Romero, Ph.D., physicist, educator and a TEDx organizer,  is bringing back TEDx Delray Beach to the very heart and soul of the city’s cultural center: Old School Square.

“We aim to provide a diverse platform to present and discuss relevant topics, innovative ideas, trends and issues which currently affect our local and global community, as well as to bring light to hidden talent and local heroes.” said Dr. Romero.

Old School Square, located in the heart of downtown Delray Beach, is a National Historic Site where beautifully restored early 20th century school buildings serve the greater Delray Beach community and South Florida with visual performing arts, entertainment and enrichments programs. The award-winning, nationally recognized arts center combines historic preservation and the arts.

Serving as this year’s TEDx Delray Beach historic venue, The Fieldhouse which was once called the Vintage Gymnasium (c. 1925) hosts series of music, comedy, poetry, art and more throughout the year.

Seemingly frozen in time, the heavy wood beams still bear the markings of students who dared to climb up to scrawl their names in chalk. While the Fieldhouse is no longer used for sporting events, the original backboards remain in place and former locker rooms converted to beautifully appointed restrooms.

Delray Beach has been rapidly growing and evolving over the past decade. Now, at the verge of a global technology revolution, machine learning, large language models, and artificial intelligence are gaining a broad spectrum of applications. We are experiencing a paradigm shift – and so, the 2023 TEDx Delray Beach theme is “The Ripple Effect.”

Unlike the domino effect which only serves one direction, the ripple effect multiplies in all directions like ripples across water when an object is dropped into it. A ripple effect occurs as a progressive after shock. An initial disturbance to a system propagates to an increasingly larger portion of the system such as in society creating a “new normal” spreading from one individual to the next and into communities broadening its impact and adoption.

Coming from very diverse backgrounds and perspectives, we will hear from though leaders on a variety of topics that currently affects our local and global community. From sustainability, urban planning, astrophysics, history through storytelling, creative AI, and blockchain technology, this event promises to be a night filled with innovation, creativity, and ideas worth spreading.

“The impact community can have is like a pebble dropped in a pond, creating ripples that reach far beyond our initial actions,” said Meggie Soliman, one of this year’s TEDx Delray Beach speakers. “Together, we have the power to inspire, uplift, and transform the world.”

As a Blockchain Advocate, Director of Strategic Innovations at DSS, South Florida Tech Hub HealthTech & Life Sciences Peer Group Chair, and active South Florida Tech Hub member, Meggie is very involved in her local community and the South Florida tech ecosystem. She told Tech Hub that she is most excited about “the opportunity to share and collaborate with the community on an idea worth sharing.”

In addition to captivating speakers, TEDx Delray Beach 2023 will also feature our artistic community by inviting world-renowned artists such as the third-place World Tango
Champions and inaugurating the TEDxDelrayBeach short Film/Animation competition.

This year’s speakers include:

  • Ata Sarajedini – Astrophysics Expert and Former Dean of Science @ Florida Atlantic University

  • Daniel Bolojan – FAU Professor and Director @ Creative AI Lab

  • Edward Stitson – Curator & Educator @ Spady Cultural Heritage Museum

  • Gabriela Mendez – NSU Professor and Educational Leader & Palm Beach School District

  • John Renne – FAU Professor and Director @ Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions

  • Meggie Soliman – Blockchain Advocate and Director of Strategic Innovations @ DSS

  • Sabrina Victoria – Social Entrepreneur and Activist and Executive Director @ Human Better 365

  • Vannesa Ruck – Motorcycle Racer and Rally Driver

  • Zach Escanlante – Data Scientist @ LinkedIn

TEDx is a grassroots initiative, created in the spirit of TED’s overall mission to research and discover “ideas worth spreading.” TEDx brings the spirit of TED to local communities around the globe through TEDx events. According to TED.com, the TED organization, which stands for Technology Education and Design, hosts more than 3,000 TEDx events annually. These events are organized by passionate individuals who seek to uncover new ideas and to share the latest research in their local areas that spark conversations in their communities. TEDx events include live speakers and recorded TED Talks, and are organized independently under a free license granted by TED. These events are not controlled by TED, but event organizers agree to abide by our format, and are offered guidelines for curation, speaker coaching, event organizing and more. They learn from us and from each other. More than 3000 events are now held annually.

Since 1984, Ted Talks have created podcasts and videos by expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity. TEDx encourages communities to come together in a platform that showcases local thinkers and innovators. Some of the TEDx videos may be chosen to become regular Ted Talks.

For more informationon TEDx Delray Beach, visit https://tedxdelraybeach.com/

By Nikki Cabus

1 Million Cups coming to Delray Beach

Read Time 2 Minutes

Start your month off on the right foot by attending a FREE 1 Million Cups event. Every first Wednesday of the month, two early-stage businesses will present their companies or ideas to the community. These presentations allow both the entrepreneurs and audience engage in collaborative and honest conversations with like-minded people in your community.

What is 1 Million Cups?

Based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions and network over a million cups of coffee, the Kauffman Foundation developed 1 Million Cups – a free program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs with their communities.

Taking place in over 40 states around the US, 1MC culture is supportive, inclusive and welcoming. You’re encouraged to be open and honest about your business and the challenges you face. Everyone that attends 1MC is there to support each other in their entrepreneurial journey.

 

Quick Facts:

  • Every 1st Wednesday of the month

  • 8am-10am @ Capital One Café

  • Two Presenters/6-minutes each

  • 20-minutes Questions & Answers w/ Audience

  • Free Coffee & Baked goods provided by Peets Coffee

  • Meet the community & have some fun!

     

 

Who’s Presenting?

We are excited to announce that one of our presenters for this month’s event is Rooster, a local start-up aiming to connect individual service providers with consumers. Our other presenter is a surprise, so come to the event to find out!

 

“I am excited to bring this event to the Delray Beach community. There are so many startups and entrepreneurs in the area, so this is a perfect outlet for them to get their names out there and create opportunities right at home.”—Kellie Ames, Community Coordinator @ Palm Beach Tech

Join us for our inaugural event on October 4th from 8:00am-10:00am. RSVP through our Meetup page & redeem your ticket on Eventbrite.

A special thanks to our sponsors: Capital One CaféWoo Creative, 1-800-Call-Lee, The KTCHN, Delray Newspaper, CDS International, and Better Delray

 

Follow 1 Million Cups: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram | E-mail: delraybeach@1millioncups.com

TEDx Talks are returning to Delray Beach after a 10-year hiatus
1 Million Cups coming to Delray Beach