An entrepreneur?s guide to Miami?s startup ecosystem

Other notable programs include Rokk3rlabs, a hybrid investor-accelerator launched in 2017, Venture Hive Miami, WIN Lab Miami, and The South Florida Accelerator.More recent entrants to the city include TheVentureCity, a multi-industry fund targeting B2B/B2C product-based software companies based in Miami and Madrid, as well as global powerhouse 500 Startups, which has had a base in the city, offering regular events, workshops, and also a three month growth program. One of the leading centers in the city is also Building.co, a coworking space for tech companies and startups that was founded by Jose Rasco and Juan Diego Calle after they had built and sold dotCO for $109M.Locally, the University of Miami, Florida International University and Miami Dade College all have strong computer science departments, and over the last couple of years have launched programs to promote entrepreneurial growth.Coding boot camps like Wyncode and Iron Hack have pushed thousands of developers back into the local ecosystem. LaunchCode has already helped over 700 Miami residents learn essential tech skills in South Florida.While access to tech talent was traditionally a challenge for local tech organizations, Rosa Jiménez Cano, head of ecosystem relations for TheVentureCity, told me that Miami’s growing reputation as a startup hub and tech giants’ recent moves to the area are both attracting more senior tech talent from other hubs such as Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston.Also, with foreign-born residents making upwards of 40% of Miami’s population — nearly three times the national average — it is clear that there is a steady flow of talent from abroad, and in particular from Latin America. In 2019, more than 15,000 attendees from over 400 participating companies and 40 countries took part, and this year’s event featured a hackathon organized by the Wyncode Academy, Ford, GE Digital and Ultimate Software around the theme of “Connecting Miami with the World”.In March of this year, 500 Startups held its first Unity & Inclusion event in the city, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and the tech community to talk about the current state and future of diversity and inclusion in tech. Francis Suarez stated his commitment to making innovation and entrepreneurship “an economic driver for the city to remain competitive in the global marketplace.” According to Nick Kyriakides of NetTalk, easy business creation with the State of Florida, no personal income tax, growing network of co-working spaces, and expat intellectual capital that has emigrated from South America has contributed to the perfect storm for putting Miami on the map.For early-stage funding, the Miami Angels and Florida Angel Nexus are active in the region. While Miami has only started to start being noted as a tech hub in recent years, IBM and Motorola had large campuses in the region for decades, and actively formed partnerships with local colleges such as Florida Atlantic University to improve the flow of technical talent.