Techweek in December 2015, a weeklong celebration of technology and innovation in Miami Beach (and other locations) with 12 events including a 2-day technology conference and expo, startup competitions and more, is the epitome of the tech revolution happening in Miami Beach and in South Florida over the last few years. In May, celebrities from Deepak Chopra to Pitbull and internet superstars from Gustavo Diament (Spotify) to Laura Gonzalez-Estefani (Facebook) spoke at the eMerge Americas global tech conference held at the Miami Beach Convention Center. That global gathering also brought together startups, industry leaders and investors across North America, Europe, and Latin America. Techweek and eMerge are just the tip of the iceberg of tech happenings that are increasingly taking place on Miami Beach along with the incubators, start-ups and labs that are choosing to make Miami Beach and South Florida home.
“We are a beautiful destination with dynamic beaches, shopping and dining but Miami Beach is also a sophisticated city with the depth and tools to support a tech-friendly infrastructure,” notes Peggy Benua, Chair, the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA). “This city has a lot to offer developers, start-ups, coders, investors and others and we’re just beginning to build this technological highway so the potential is limitless.” Already South Florida is home to Venture Hive, an incubator for tech start-ups; AdMobilize, an advertising analytics company with its own unique ad measurement tool and associated app as well as Rokk3r Labs, a Miami Beachbased company that helps start-ups turn great concepts into sustainable, successful businesses. Rokk3r has launched 21 companies (eight of which have reached second-stage funding) and boasts more than 80 employees.
Grisette Roque Marcos, Executive Director, MBVCA says that, “Miami Beach is on the precipice of a tech disruption. We’re a gateway to Latin America, we’re attracting talent from New York, Boston and other big cities who are choosing Miami Beach and South Florida to build their tech businesses or work for a tech company.”
In 2014 the Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority launched its own app, Miami Beach Information (MBI), and data aggregation portal and developed a modifiable database that houses Miami Beach visitor related content or lists the content source location for developers to utilize.
