Miami: The Next Entrepreneurial Frontier
We spend a lot of time looking into where our city is headed on our New Miami blog, and we are truly excited about the opportunities for innovation in Miami. On the heels of the success of various events focused on entrepreneurship in Miami, such as eMerge Americas Techweek and the Knight Foundation’s Start-Up City, we decided that, as part of our next installment of the New Miami Breakfast Series, it would be particularly useful to discuss how Miami is working to attract both entrepreneurs and investors and continue the momentum of growth. On October 2nd, we will be hosting “Miami: The Next Entrepreneurial Frontier.” We will share the insight we have gathered from our clients and colleagues and discuss the challenges we are facing.
In recent years, entrepreneurs and angel investors have flocked to Miami as the next frontier for innovation and creative growth. Widely known as the capital of Latin America, the city has become ground zero for a flood of Latin American startups. In fact, in 2013 Miami raked in about $300 million in venture capital, a significant increase from previous years. However, while there is a high concentration of new ventures, and an increased amount of incoming capital, there are a variety of hurdles and challenges to overcome in order to ensure South Florida’s continued growth in this arena, and guarantee its competitiveness with larger urban metropolises.
“Miami: The Next Entrepreneurial Frontier” will feature a group of panelists that will discuss some of those challenges and ways we can guarantee the continued growth and success of start-up ventures in Miami. The panel, moderated by Land Development & Government Relations Partner Javier Aviño and Litigation Partner Melissa Pallett-Vasquez, features an impressive roster of the major players in Miami’s entrepreneurial renaissance. This includes Matt Haggman, Miami Program Director of The Knight Foundation; Laura Maydón, Managing Director of Endeavor Miami; Manny Medina, Founder and Managing Partner of Medina Capital, Terramark Worldwide and eMerge Americas; Joanna Schwartz, CEO of EarlyShares; William Silverman, Director of The Launch Pad at the University of Miami; and Andre do Valle, President of Handprint.
This breakfast will be of particular interest to entrepreneurs, investors and start-ups interested in learning more about why Miami has become the new breeding ground for the latest class of entrepreneurs, what is needed to continue to accelerate the development of these ventures and most importantly, how we as a community can help foster the growth of Miami’s new frontier.