South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub
13
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Tech Hub and Synapse named statewide organizers for GEW Florida

Read Time 2 Minutes

Global Entrepreneurship Network announced a collection of individuals to serve as the community organizers to drive engagement in thousands of activities this November to help start and grow startups around the world. Known as Global Entrepreneurship Week, the large-scale campaign is active in 180 countries with roughly 9 million participants in 35,000 activities – ranging from small, casual meetups to massive events and competitions. This year, GEW will take place November 14th – 20th. 

South Florida Tech Hub and Synapse will serve as the GEW Community Organizers for the state of Florida in 2022.

The state organizers tapped by GEN will encourage hundreds of organizations throughout their state to plan and conduct activities during GEW USA. They will also play a role in connecting those organizations and other key stakeholders to expand awareness and enable the participation of communities not traditionally engaged in entrepreneurial activity. 

“Each year, Global Entrepreneurship Week amplifies the great work being done by organizations across the country while connecting them to resources to help scale their companies. We are happy that Tech Hub can help represent our beautiful state of Florida and help bring everyone together around a common cause – entrepreneurship,” said Nikki Cabus, CEO of South Florida Tech Hub.

“We are launching this year’s statewide activities with the inaugural Ignite Florida Startup Summit to be held at the Boca Raton Innovation Campus the weekend of November 11th – 13th. We invite companies, investors, startups, ecosystem builders and anyone in the Florida community to take part. From Miami to Tampa to Tallahassee, we are all Building Florida’s tech and innovation ecosystem.”

The four global themes of GEW 2022 will focus on Ecosystems, Education, Inclusion and Policy. Event organizers are encouraged to consider these themes, but have the flexibility to plan their activity as best they see fit to suit their individual communities needs and interests. 

Organizations anywhere in the United States that are interested in planning and conducting an activity, event or competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week should create a profile and add their event to the official list at gewusa.co.

Any individuals or organizations in Florida interested in getting involved in any capacity can reach out at team@techhubsouthflorida.org.

Florida events can be submitted at www.GEWflorida.org

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28
Aug, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Entrepreneurs and investors come together at sold-out Pitch and Pour event in Coral Gables

Read Time 4 Minutes

It was an evening of innovation, entrepreneurship, and networking at South Florida Tech Hub’s Pitch and Pour event on August 25th in Coral Gables.

Hosted by angel investor Tahl Milburn, the Investment Sub-Committee Chair of Tech Hub’s Startup Committee, at Merrick Manor, upwards of 55 people from the South Florida tech scene came to meet each other and discuss the opportunities present in our rapidly-growing ecosystem.

“It is a pleasure to have you all here, as we gather in one of the world’s most exciting tech ecosystems,” Milburn said in his opening remarks.

Startup founders were at the core of the event. These eight entrepreneurs had the opportunity to pitch their company to some of South Florida’s top investors. They each had three minutes to showcase their startup, followed by three minutes of questions, before moving onto the next investor. Community members were able to listen in on pitches as they were happening. All the while, there were ample networking opportunities, facilitating connections between startups and key local stakeholders.

 

Meet the featured startups!

Startups presenting at the Pitch and Pour event represented a cross-section of South Florida’s innovation economy – from media to upskilling, and everything in between. 

Modern Trials – Leveraging electronic medical record data from a broad network of healthcare organizations to match patients in need of advanced treatment options with appropriate clinical trial opportunities.

Streann Media – SaaS platform that enables content providers to build their own distribution platforms. Read more about Streann Media in our member spotlight.

Roomaters – A startup that aims to make it easier to find roommates. Now building a communications platform focused on student housing.

Boca Code – A Boca Raton-based coding school, aiming to help connect budding technologists with some of South Florida’s most exciting tech firms.

Guiltless To Go – An app that provides the delivery of food for people with specific dietary needs.

Best Candidate – An election candidate search engine and campaign media manager.

Parkquility – Taking the headache out of parking by enabling consumers to reserve parking spots in advance. 

Brain A.C.T.I.V.E. – Empowering businesses to improve their employees’ mental fitness.

 

A resounding success, and more to come

Mike Maniscalco, EVP of Technology at Applied Blockchain and Chair of Tech Hub’s Startup Founders Peer Group, underscored the importance of events like the Pitch and Pour for South Florida’s rapidly-expanding tech ecosystem.

“It was an incredibly successful first event,” Maniscalco told South Florida Tech Hub. “We need to do more. It was clear from the amount of attendees that the appetite is huge. We should keep having more of these events, as people continue to be willing to come.”

This event is what the Startup Founders Peer Group is all about: bringing founders and entrepreneurs together to connect, share, and learn from each other in a safe setting. They typically meet once a month to share our successes, needs and resources. Through the work of the Startup Committee, participants attend events such as pitch clinics, contests, and investor connection events. They also hear from guest speakers and take part in summits and expos.

Serial entrepreneur and RaiseLink chief executive Chris Houghtaling was one of the experts hearing pitches at the event. Houghtaling said that he had been to similar events in other tech ecosystems internationally, but nothing quite like it in South Florida.

“Not only did it help startups improve their pitches, but it also allowed for ample networking in a relaxed and fun atmosphere,” commented Houghtaling.

 

Developing South Florida’s tech ecosystem

South Florida Tech Hub is the only tech ecosystem development organization active throughout our region, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin counties. Through its events, committees, and advocacy, Tech Hub is at the forefront of developing South Florida as a cutting-edge, inclusive hotspot for innovation.

As South Florida rises to prominence on a global stage, events like Pitch and Pour are critical to bring together innovators from the entire region – uplifting all parties while also fostering a strong sense of community.

Tech Hub’s Startup Committee proudly supports and connects dozens of startup organizations and stakeholders in South Florida. It unites the following resources and leaders together to achieve common goals: Startup Accelerators & Incubators, Entrepreneur Support Organizations, Community-oriented Coworking Spaces, Venture Capital & Angel Investors, Economic Development & Government Partners, Corporate & University Innovation Programs and more.

Click here to view more photos from the Pitch & Pour startup event. 📸

 

Are you interested in getting involved in Tech Hub’s activities in South Florida? Come out and show your supPOURt! Visit TechHubSouthFlorida.org or email team@techhubsouthflorida.org for more information. 

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14
May, 2021

By Riley Kaminer

Spotlight on Our Startup Committee

Read Time 3 Minutes

From northern Palm Beach county to southern Miami-Dade, startups are popping up at a dizzying rate. 

Tech Hub South Florida understands that these fledgling companies are the backbone of our region’s innovation ecosystem. The organization’s recently-formed Startup Committee aims to foster a strong community within our region’s startup scene, promoting collaboration and shared success across South Florida. 

Central to the Committee’s mission is championing issues facing startups. That includes finding initial customers, securing funding, and connecting with mentors.

One tangible way the Startup Committee has already begun to help founders in our community is through the creation of a digital repository of everything founders need to know about the South Florida tech ecosystem. The webpage includes information about local development councils, where to find coworking spaces, and details around some of the region’s top accelerator programs. It also highlights corporations that are deeply involved in the growth of South Florida’s tech ecosystem.

Crucially, Tech Hub is taking a regional approach to the development of the startup ecosystem. Sarah Lucas, Chair of the Startup Committee and COO of Boca-based New World Angels, noted the novelty of this approach: “While innovation and ingenuity know no geographic limits, efforts to support entrepreneurship in South Florida have generally been constrained by city, county, or institutional boundaries.”

She continued, “Collaboration across counties that includes participation from economic development agencies, research institutions, early stage investors, entrepreneurial support organizations and others is critical to making sure that South Florida has staying power as a technology hub.”

Ultimately, Lucas said that this initiative is all about making founders feel at home in the region. “It’s my hope that our efforts will aid any founder in South Florida, whether they are new to the area or have lived here for many years, in accessing and navigating the many resources available to support in their success.”

Imran Siddiqui, District Director for BCEx at Broward College and Vice Chair of the Startup Committee, said that he finds it “rewarding to be a part of a regional effort that connects across our tri-county area to build entrepreneurship and diversify our economy.”

Siddiqui, a native South Floridian who left the region for law school but “made it a point to return back home,” said that he sees his involvement on the committee as a rewarding way to connect with “like-minded leadership from Jupiter to Miami.” 

A diverse set of stakeholders in the regional tech ecosystem sit on the Startup Committee, including venture capitalists, incubator/accelerator leaders, entrepreneurs, community builders, leaders in higher education, and corporate innovators. 

For example, Committee members Maria Dominguez, Site Director of CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center) Miami, and Bob Nelson, Founder of VMT (Venture Mentoring Team), are working with Monica Rojas, Member & Inclusion Specialist from Tech Hub to implement regional mentoring hours for our startup founders. And John Wensveen of the Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation is helping to develop a physical space in the middle of our region that can be ground zero for high-tech startups.

Rojas said, “the Tech Hub team would like to thank our most involved committee members to date such as New World Angels, Broward College’s BCeX, Endeavor Miami, Refresh Miami, FAU Tech Runway, The Venture Mentoring Team (VMT), Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation, Founders Institute, aire ventures, CIC Miami, Startup Grind, and Miami-Dade Beacon Council. We appreciate your efforts in helping build South Florida’s Tech and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.” 

Tech Hub South Florida realizes that it is important to hear the voices of a wide range of stakeholders in the ecosystem, and urges South Floridians interested in taking part in this rapidly-growing initiative to get in touch.

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Tech Hub and Synapse named statewide organizers for GEW Florida
Entrepreneurs and investors come together at sold-out Pitch and Pour event in Coral Gables
Spotlight on Our Startup Committee