South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub
11
Oct, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Jellified Pandas creates the winning solution at “Hack My City” Hackathon

Read Time 4 Minutes

Civic hacking is when individuals find creative solutions for issues relating to the duties or activities of people in relation to their town, city, or local area. This year’s Tech Hub Hackathon themed “Hack My City” allowed attendees to do just that.

South Florida continues to be recognized as one of the country’s top growing technology hubs and has become a destination for tech and innovation. As more technologists flock to our region, South Florida Tech Hub recognizes the important role that the individual people who live in our communities play in developing a thriving ecosystem for all.

The hackathon was presented by Office Depot, Florida Power & Light (FPL), Varis and Florida Atlantic University. Guest speakers included Michael Fowler, VP of IT @ Florida Power & Light (FPL) and Co-Chair at South Florida Tech Hub, Andrew Parry, VP of Application Development & Support at Office Depot and Tech Hub Board Member, and Stella Batalama, Dean at FAU’s College of Engineering & Computer Science.

The hackathon took place in the beautiful Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science building east enabling developers, designers, project managers, and entrepreneurs to come together and develop tech for their local communities.

This year’s “City Partner” was the City of Hollywood. The Mayor of the City of Hollywood, Josh Levy, had a special message for the hackers this year saying, “Events like this hackathon highlight the important role that technology plays each and every day in our lives and our community and there’s no better place or time to be here in South Florida.” He continued, “You know the tech scene here in South Florida is on fire!”

Janelle Richards, Economic Development Marketing Coordinator, was also in attendance helping educate the attendees on opportunity’s to connect with the City and how they are “leaning into tech.” The City’s IT Director, Raheem Seecharan, was also a part of the judges panel.

Other judges included, Kiran Singh, Data Analytics & Data Science Leader at NextEra Energy Resources, Jonathan Sanchez, Software Engineer at City Furniture at CITY Furniture, Tahl Milburn, Technologist, Startup Mentor, and Investor with Seedfunders and New World Angels, and Martha Rios, BCEx Entrepreneurship Specialist atBroward College. Additional sponsors included City of Hollywood, Semantix, and Helpfull.

1ST PLACE, $2,500 PRIZE: Jellified Pandas

  • Solution: The Gradebook – A tool that integrates with Canvas/Blackboard and display which students are struggling with the material easing the load off the teacher’s plate and making it easier to provide additional resources to students who need them.
  • Team Members: Pinaki Upadhyay, Mahri Almazova, Shirley Xu, Joshua Walsworth, Bryan Cook
  • See Presentation | See Github

2ND PLACE, $1,500 PRIZE: Curly Braces

  • Solution: CITYFI – An app solving the communication gap between the community and local government by allowing citizens to report hazards using geotagging and allowing the city to communicate feedback on the the reported issues directly. 
  • Team Members: Ashley Clayden Moss, Kevin Pereira, Riley Coussens, Lia Moua, Ivan Duran, Joseph Rivera
  • See Presentation | See Github

3RD PLACE, $1,000 PRIZE: Player 5

  • Solution: Pet Watch – An app to helping humans to find their furry family members. Users can post if their pet goes missing if they find a missing pet. The app uses location to connect pets with their owners. 
  • Team Members: Lucas Mattos, Marita Perez, David Russell, Paul Russell, Praveen Yalamanchi
  • See Presentation | See Github

 

The winning team consisted of five FAU students which included three women — and we love that!

When asked in an interview post-win by Nadia Volkova, Tech Hub’s Programs and Events Coordinator, “What will you do with the $2500,” team leader and third year computer science student, Pinaki Upadhyay, responded, ” . . . put it into investments, but now I think I should do more hackathons and maybe have a startup company. Maybe I have that talent!” Our response – You go girl!!

During their presentation, they were asked by the judges about their teamwork and each of them spoke highly of their collaboration. Pinaki also promoted developer health by highlighting their team 30 minute walks which helped each of them keep sane and mentally charged. The room applauded.

Team member Joshua Walsworth stated, “This event has also given me the chance to network with technology professionals of all different backgrounds, and I have made connections I expect to maintain down the road.”

Connection was a common theme throughout the weekend shared by volunteers, coaches, and judges. You are not just here for the chance to win cash, but for the friendships made, to learn new skills, opportunity to meet potential employers, and make connections within your tech community.
Thank you to all our organizers, sponsors, judges, coaches, volunteers and everyone who helped make this year a success again for the 7th year!

 

11
Oct, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Schonfeld

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: Preeminent global investment manager that delivers superior risk-adjusted returns over the long term.

Founded: 1988

HQ: New York

Employees: 900+

Website: Schonfeld.com

 

New York-based global investment manager Schonfeld is doubling down on South Florida, with a particular focus on our region’s strong supply of talent and rapidly-growing tech ecosystem.

The company landed in Miami last year and now has around 60 South Florida-based employees.

Marc Helfman, Schonfeld’s Head of Cybersecurity, is one of the many employees that moved to South Florida to spearhead the investment manager’s growing presence in the area.

“When we decided to open an office in Wynwood, we knew that it was going to be a long-term play,” Helfman told South Florida Tech Hub. 

The company is committed to building its talent pipeline over time. Talent is at the core of everything Schonfeld does. It’s even in their tagline, “talent is our strategy.” 

To this end, Schonfeld has built relationships with local universities and colleges to provide opportunities to their students. Helfman noted that 40% of his 11-person team started with Schonfeld as interns. 

“We’ve found some really good talent by nurturing them through the internship and then hiring them six to 12 months later,” he said. “We help them grow their careers and make sure that they have a clear idea of their career path. Now we’re starting to do that in Miami.” 

Helfman added that Schonfeld also actively works to recruit and relocate talent to Miami. While the prospect of living in South Florida is tempting to many, Helfman acknowledged it can sometimes be an uphill battle due to our region’s high cost of living.

On a personal level, Helfman was enticed by South Florida’s weather and the opportunity to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle than fast-paced New York. 

“I wanted to be part of the tech movement that is happening down here,” he said. While Miami’s growing crypto scene tends to get a lot of media attention, Helfman noted that many major players in the hedge fund world are also establishing their presence in South Florida. “I felt like for my career, it would be really exciting to be part of that. I looked at this as a challenge that I hadn’t had before.”

Schonfeld is increasingly active in our local tech scene. For instance, they were the presenting sponsor of the 2022 edition of SoFlo DevCon. And Helfman sits on Miami-Dade College’s cybersecurity advisory board.

Helfman is passionate about the rapidly-changing world of cybersecurity. A tech industry veteran with 17 years of cybersecurity experience under his belt, he is a major advocate for companies to prioritize their cybersecurity initiatives. 

“Now cybersecurity is mainstream,” he said. “Even within the last five years there has been tremendous change, with major hacks being covered in the news.” 

Helfman underscored the importance of having cybersecurity conscious executives like he has at Schonfeld. “It’s critical that cybersecurity professionals are represented and supported by senior management.”

Want to learn more about Schonfeld? Check out our interview with Chief Technology Officer David Neigler from earlier this year.

09
Oct, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

2 tech companies join Boca Raton Innovation Campus including autonomous vehicles

Read Time 2 Minutes

The Boca Raton Innovation Campus, or “BRIC.” is welcoming two tech companies to it’s list of technology and life science tenants” autonomous vehicle startup, Guidant Corp., and cybersecurity firm, Arete.

Guident Corp developed patented software solutions utilizing artificial intelligence technologies for making autonomous vehicles safer and in turn increasing overall adoption. Harald Braun, Chairman and CEO of Guidant, brings decades of experience with him including formerly the President and CEO at Nokia Siemens North America and being recognized as one of America’s “Top 100 Voices of the IP Communications Industry” by Internet Telephony magazine. Additionally, Guidant’s board of directors includes a team of experts from companies such as Aviat Networks, Audi, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen and ZipCar.

The startup will relocate from Florida Atlantic University’s Tech Runway where they won the annual Launch Competition in 2020. FAU Tech Runway® is a public-private partnership formed to incubate and accelerate early-stage technology-based companies, under the purview of FAU’s Division of Research.  The incubator/accelerator provides the most promising startups and talented entrepreneurs in South Florida with an opportunity to join a year-long program that offers competition winners “best-in-class” instruction, mentoring, networking, marketing, capital-raising assistance, co-working space, events, intern support and other vital programs.

A panel of judges, including successful entrepreneurs, technology investors, entrepreneurship professors, economic development professionals, philanthropists, and commercial bankers selected Guident Ltd. as the winner of the competition. The judges were convinced that the company creating a Remote Monitoring and Control Center in Florida for autonomous vehicles (AVs) applying artificial intelligence, and their first use-case for ‘zero-touch’ ground-based delivery of groceries and medicines, would be the right choice to create significant value in South Florida and nationwide.

The Boca Raton Innovation Campus is the home of the first IBM personal computer and research hub. It’s the largest single facility office building in the state at 1.7 million square feet, 123 acres and includes the country’s longest hallway at a length of 907 feet long. ‘CP Group, formerly Crocker Partners, acquired BRiC in 2018 with the vision of building off its innovative past and evolve the campus, through a multimillion dollar renovation project, into the premier technology and life sciences hub in the Southeast’ competing with Silicon Valley and bring more technology companies to South Florida. The campus is currently home to some big name tech and life science companies such as ModMed, Canon, Bluegreen Vacations and Baptist Health South Florida.

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09
Oct, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

8 Southeast Florida companies chosen to pitch at Early Stage Capital Conference

Read Time 4 Minutes

Florida Venture Forum has selected nineteen presenting companies to present at its 15th annual Florida Early Stage Capital Conference and eight of them are from Southeast Florida.

All three counties – Miami, Broward and Palm Beach – are all represented!

Giovanni Punzo, Founder & CEO of Streann Media, a Miami-based streaming platform disrupting the media economy won third place and $20,000 back in 2016.

“We were looking for introduction to the top early stage investors in South Florida and the Early Stage Capital Conference did exactly that. It put us on the map and from the conference we met New World Angels, Deep Work Capital that then became our investors into the journey,” said Gio. “The rest is history we have millions of people touching our technologies in 141 counties.”

The selected presenting companies for October 11 – 12, 2022 from Southeast Florida are:

  • CERA Software, Inc., Davie (https://www.ceraapp.com), CERA-Critical Event Response Applications is a visual response platform for Public Safety to move quickly in crisis, command personnel from multiple agencies, and apply rapid reporting to meet objectives to save lives. They are solving the chaos. CERA is designed by First Responders for the boots on the ground.
  • EVQLV, Surfside (https://evqlv.com/), the company uses machine learning to replicate how the immune system generates antibodies and they digitally transform the failure-prone process of converting an antibody into a drug. The result is an incredibly scalable technology that produces high quality antibodies at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods. In the lab, their AI-designed antibodies have already shown a success rate more than 10,000 times better than conventional antibody discovery.
  • Flo Ops, Boca Raton (https://www.flo-ops.com), the company features a student assistant app that merges the academic and nonacademic community to improve student engagement and outcome.
  • Intelligent Observation, Inc., Miami (https://www.intelobserve.com),  the company helps healthcare facilities reduce Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI’s) and their associated costs. Their patented, hand hygiene monitoring system provides facilities with an accurate and cost effective way to monitor and improve hand hygiene compliance and reduce infections and associated costs.
  • Modern Trials Inc., Miami (https://www.moderntrials.com/), the company partners with healthcare organizations and leverages electronic healthcare data to identify patients in need of advanced treatment options, and match them with appropriate clinical trial opportunities in a patient-first and HIPAA-compliant manner. Warm handoffs are used to refer qualifying patients to contract research organizations for trial enrollment on a subscription + fee-for-service basis and ongoing support is provided to patients through trial participation. In doing so, Modern Trials extends the ability of healthcare organizations and physicians to offer the most cutting-edge treatments available, they bring potentially lifesaving therapeutics to patients in need and they help their customers, life science organizations, save $billions by filling their clinical trials with more representative samples faster and cheaper than they can do it themselves, reducing time-to-market for new therapeutics
  • MRGN, Pembroke Pines (https://www.mrgn.ai/), the company is the business intelligence platform for small businesses, serving as a crystal ball into their finances and operations, and helping them mitigate future risks by leveraging big data and Machine Learning
  • Nebulai, Miami (https://www.nebulai.com/), the company is the first Decentralized Solutions & Talent Marketplace in the world allowing companies to simplify and disintermediate the technology contracting of solutions and talent.

The conference will be conducted concurrently with the 13th annual 2022 Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition, attracting the “best of the best” in collegiate competitors from 11 of Florida’s leading innovation-focused colleges and universities. 

“We received incredible applications from throughout the country and were able to select a truly diverse set of interesting early stage companies.  Attendees will be intrigued by companies with offerings that range from state of the art molecular diagnostic systems to innovative AML/KYC technology,” said Ben Patz, managing partner of DeepWork Capital and chair of the Early Stage Conference selection committee.

In addition to the opportunity to present to Florida’s leading venture investors, eligible companies will be considered for cash awards totaling $100,000, distributed between early stage and collegiate startup stage companies, provided by Space Florida. To date, past Early Stage Conference presenters have attracted over $600 million in equity funding. 

Pre-registered conference attendees are also invited to register for a workshop covering “Key Attributes of Successful Entrepreneurs: Resources, Strategies, & Behaviors,” led by instructor/speaker/angel investor, Rhys L. Williams JD MBA. 

Rhys has been involved in every aspect of new company formation and development, and is a co-founder of New World Angels, one of Florida’s most active angel groups, former Managing Director and Associate Vice President – Research at Florida Atlantic University’s Tech Runway . The workshop is from 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. on October 11th followed by an opening reception and a pizza party. 

The Florida Venture Forum is Florida’s largest statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs, helping companies with headquarters, operations or supply chain in Florida connect with sources of capital from across the country. Since 1984 over 1600 companies have presented at Forum events and have gone on to raise upwards of $16B in equity capital and contribute well over that amount in total economic value to Florida. Visit http://www.flventure.org

03
Oct, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Ingram Micro Cloud

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: Providing software resellers with streamlined access to top cloud services

Global HQ: Irvine, California

Employees: 1,500 worldwide; 100+ in South Florida

In South Florida since: 2021

Website: IngramMicroCloud.com

 

Ingram Micro Cloud has developed the world’s largest cloud marketplace and end-to-end commerce platform. Comprising 26 marketplaces, 210+ cloud services, 30+ marketplaces with >100,000 seats, and 33% of the world’s top telcos, Ingram Micro Cloud provides innovators with the solutions they need to build their business. While its parent company, Ingram Micro, has been around for upwards of 40 years, this cloud division has been serving customers from upwards of a decade.

Greg Onoprijenko is the Miami-based U.S. Director of Cloud Sales for Ingram Micro Cloud. In his almost three decades of experience in the technology industry, Onoprijenko has become an expert in the MSP/IT and cloud space.

Onoprijenko told South Florida Tech Hub that the business world is shifting from on-premise technology – software that companies buy and manage themselves – to cloud-based services. “This whole shift toward cloud services means that instead of buying and managing your own, you just pay a monthly fee to access other people’s technology in the cloud.”

The problem with this plethora of technologies? Managing it all can quickly become a headache. “The more and more subscriptions a company acquires, the more complex it is to manage,” he explained. “There are lots of different monthly invoices coming in with lots of different fees, and it can be a very manual and labor intensive process to manage multiple subscriptions all the same time.”

That’s where Ingram Micro Cloud comes in. Their fully automated cloud marketplace is a unique offering that makes it easy for resellers to purchase and provision all those services. These clients can view and manage all their subscriptions in a single, unified dashboard – similar to what a consumer might expect from a traditional ecommerce platform like Amazon.

“It’s a seamless experience, that makes it much easier for them, so they don’t have to go through such a labor intensive effort to manage those subscriptions for their customers,” said Onoprijenko. Some of the most popular vendors on the platform include Adobe, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, DocuSign, Dropbox, and Google Workspace.

Onoprijenko reports that Ingram Micro Cloud has experienced significant growth recently, thanks to this increased demand in cloud services. He expressed excitement about Miami being the hub for this new growth, having landed here last year from Canada to expand the company’s hub here.

“We chose Miami because it’s an untapped market with lots of tech talent,” he asserted. “I think it’s one of the best kept secrets.” Onoprijenko signaled that Miami is the fastest growing hub for Ingram Micro Cloud – a trend he expects to continue. 

“You can expect us to continue to hire great talent in the south Florida area,” he said, noting that the company just passed the 100 employee mark in South Florida. “Our business is booming right now. We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and we see nothing but growth ahead – especially as we continue to tap into the talent base down here.”

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26
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

CITY Furniture announces equity stake in Palm Beach County-based PeakActivity

Read Time 3 Minutes

Broward-based CITY Furniture, a family-owned American furniture and mattress retailer, fine upholstery manufacturer, and one of America’s Top 20 furniture retailers, announced it has recently taken an equity stake in PeakActivity, a digital acceleration and technology services company based in Palm Beach county that enables progress for businesses at every point of their digital journey through modernization, optimization, innovation, and engineering services.

As long-time partners, CITY’s equity stake, which represents a minority position, is a win-win for both parties. For CITY, this investment solidifies their position as a pioneer in Home Tech, integrating technology into everything they do. PeakActivity will use this investment to accelerate their overall growth and fund further innovation in the home furnishings category.

With shared goals and shared financial outcomes, the partnership between the companies will be strengthened to a level they have not had previously and is a testament to the quality of the work they have done together over the past five years.

“CITY is working hard to build a world class organization that is best in class in technology. The future of the home industry and all industries hinge on technology and innovation,” said Andrew Koenig, CEO of CITY. “Our partnership with PeakActivity is more important now than it has ever been. We are convinced that taking a position in PeakActivity will accelerate our technological advantages in the market and result in a better customer and associate experience overall.”

CITY Furniture operates over twenty-two showrooms from Miami through Vero Beach, and in Southwest and Central Florida, as well as fourteen Ashley Home Store showrooms as the brand’s Southeast and Southwest Florida licensee. The company is one of the country’s top furniture retailers and continuing to grow.

As technology becomes more and more fundamental to everyday business and everyday living, CITY looks to embrace it and actively learn about the opportunities that tech provides businesses. CITY looks to be a driving force in taking the home furnishing world from “old school” to “industry cool” by investing in their long-time tech partner, PeakActivity.

As part of its investment, CITY looks forward to their ability to share knowledge, ideas, and strategies, while leveraging both companies skilled tech teams to work on some of the best home projects in the industry. Given their long-standing client-agency relationship, the companies are already working on several projects together in the areas of ecommerce, AR Design, CITY Moves, and more, that will continue to grow and expand as their relationship advances in the months and years to come.

“CITY has been one of our longest standing and best clients, driving us to innovate, to think, and work both faster and better,” said Manish B. Hirapara, CEO of PeakActivity.

“With this investment, our relationship becomes even more significant and is unlike that of any other client relationship we have. I expect that we continue to grow together and thrive together in the future. We are stronger than we’ve ever been before now as true partners.”

PeakActivity is a digital strategy and implementation company, partnering with businesses to accelerate their growth through eCommerce, Digital Marketing, and Technology solutions. By leveraging its unique methodology of Dream, Deliver, Elevate, PeakActivity simultaneously focuses on short-term wins with a constant eye towards longer-term innovation and business growth.

This relationship with PeakActivity just further reinforces CITY’s long-time commitment to being tech forward for both their internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. For CITY, seamless technology integration is just as important to a customer looking to furnish their living room in Miami, as it is to a warehouse worker in Orlando and a corporate employee in Tampa. Over the years, the company has enjoyed significant success building out their own tech department, making all of areas of the company better, faster, easier, and safer, while building out teams for e-commerce, data analytics and cybersecurity.

With tech at the forefront of CITY’s business strategy from the start, this relationship is an investment in the success of CITY’s tech-focused future and a step towards achieving their long-term goals.

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20
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Verizon & CoLAB support startups with new Health Equity cohort

Read Time 2 Minutes
Verizon & coLAB are supporting startups working to break down barriers to quality care with solutions leveraging next generation technology. They are currently accepting applications for the Verizon Forward for Good Accelerator’s newest cohort: Health Equity.
For the last 10+ years, coLAB has built and managed a community of over 150k innovators, corporate partners, VCs, universities, community organizations, industry experts, nonprofits, and beyond. Through collaboration, they have done everything from business model innovation for Fortune 500s, to working with the next-generation of startups solving pressing social issues like climate justice.
CoLAB leads with a client-first approach, so programs always deliver on specific goals. CoLAB is proud that they don’t take equity stakes in companies saying that they can focus on making you happy through customization, agility, and better prices than the competition. CoLAB focuses on accelerators, ecosystem development, intrapreneurship, pre-accelerators, and open innovation challenges.
Verizon and CoLAB are supporting startups working to close the gaps in health access and outcomes. The search is one for solutions leveraging next generation technology to break down barriers to quality care.
Over 16 weeks, selected startups will receive $50,000 in non-dilutive funding, hands-on technology coaching, industry mentorship, and additional resources to help scale their technology such as the opportunity to create with the community that you’re building for.

Verizon is looking for U.S-based Seed and Series A startups utilizing technologies like 5G, MEC, XR and AI to advance connected health solutions in:

  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Capture, Sharing & Analytics
  • Telemedicine
  • Streamlined Virtual Care
  • Medical Transportation
  • Chronic Disease Management & Monitoring
  • Care Coordination & Collaboration
  • Population Health Management
  • Digital Marketplace Enablement
  • Health e-Learning / Education

Health Tech has the potential to unlock a more equitable healthcare system. 5G offers one of the fastest networks ever seen, and can provide higher speed, lower latency and greater capacity than previous cellular networks. It can enhance the abilities of other supporting technologies like edge computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and immersive platforms using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Verizon is accelerating the digital evolution of health with 5G connectivity, data security, and collaboration solutions that are enabling the innovation ecosystem. Selected startups will receive hands-on coaching from a dedicated board of Verizon solution architects and healthcare subject matter experts throughout the program.

Applications are now open, but the deadline is Friday, November 11th. Click here for more info. 

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20
Sep, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Former Bay Area startup experts convene at LAB Miami for Seedfunders pitch competition

Read Time 4 Minutes

Three startup experts who recently relocated from the Bay Area to South Florida judged an early stage startup pitch at the LAB Miami to compete for a $5,000 investment from Seedfunders Miami.

Seedfunders founder, Dave Chitester, told South Florida Tech Hub that they all didn’t realize the connection until sitting on the judges panel. Technologist and Seedfunders Miami investor Tahl Milburn, Miami Angels Principal Jared Schwitzke, and Silicon Valley Bank executive Derek Barnett judged the startups at the event. All three of these startup experts relocated to South Florida.

Barnett told South Florida Tech Hub that he was attracted to South Florida because it is an emerging tech hub with a lower cost of living, exciting culture, and ideal location near the beach. “Miami and South Florida have an amazing multi-cultural community,” he said. “The community here is very warm and inviting. They want to get to know you and they make you feel welcome.”

Barnett believes that South Florida is at an inflection point. “There are a lot of home grown founders that have been working hard to make the Miami ecosystem great,” he noted. That, combined with the influx of founders from other places, leads to the right conditions for startup success.

South Florida’s inviting environment also attracted Milburn. For our region to continue to grow, Milburn hopes that more technical talent and investors move to our region.

“We don’t have enough senior / strategic technology people in SoFlo at this point,” he told South Florida Tech Hub. “We also don’t have any notable technology-oriented colleges in Florida or enough technology majors.”

Schwitzke also underscored the need of talent in the South Florida market. “It’s no secret that Florida, particularly Southern Florida, lags far behind areas like the Northeast or California when considering the availability of tier-1 computer engineering programs. In order for us to truly rival Silicon Valley, it won’t be enough just to recruit talent; we’ll need to be able to produce it ourselves.”

That said, Schwitzke is still bullish on the South Florida market: “I like Miami because I believe it has the potential to become a global hub (rather than just a North American hub) for early-stage tech. Miami’s ties to Latin America are obvious and need no introduction. And as the Latin American early-stage tech market continues to mature, no city is better positioned than Miami to become the de facto HQ.”

For Barnett, the key to continued success for South Florida’s tech scene will be constantly evolving. “Florida needs a consistent reminder that it is unique and should not try to be like Silicon Valley but keep its own identity.”

“We need to focus on evolving and making each other better,” he added. Barnett also believes we need to focus on developing a startup talent pipeline – as well as enough housing stock to keep providing a high standard of living at a reasonable cost for South Floridians.

Events like these are crucial to helping build and support the tech, innovation and startup ecosystem in South Florida.

Ultimately, Miami-based fintech Dinerazo prevailed. The startup, which focuses on the Hispanic community, has developed an app that aims to make investing easy, low-cost, and transparent. Co-founder and CEO Israel Hernandez, who presented at the event, is a computer scientist and serial entrepreneur.

The other two startups chosen to present at the event were emergency response GovTech startup Emergency Ventures and catering talent marketplace Bookstaff.

Seedfunders founder David Chitester told South Florida Tech Hub that these three startups were chosen from around 25 submissions. “We narrowed it down by focusing on two things. First: Is it investible? And second: Are the founders coachable?”

For Chitester, a company’s investability often boils down to its uniqueness. “If there is a lot of competition already in their space, that means that it’s not unique.”

This event was unique because it featured South Florida companies that are pre-revenue. “At other pitch events, you see companies that are well established, with some revenue,” Chitester noted. He underscored that this event furthers Seedfunders’ unique mission of investing in pre-revenue, scalable tech companies in Florida.

Approximately 40 people were in attendance, with companies given 10 minutes to pitch and then a further 10 minutes for questions and answers. Chitester saw this event as a success for three reasons: it featured high quality companies, had good attendance, and featured a credible group of judges.

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20
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Largest Volunteer-Led Data Science Conference in Miami

Read Time 3 Minutes

PyData, an International Data Science Community, is Bringing Together Global Data Science Experts and Practitioners for Immersive One-Day Event.

The largest community-driven data science conference in Miami will be taking place on September 22nd, 2022, and is organized and staffed entirely by volunteers. The one-day event by PyData Miami, an international data science community with over 200 chapters, is spearheaded by NumFOCUS, a global non-profit organization that promotes open practices in research, data, and scientific computing.

PyData provides a forum for the international community of users and developers of data analysis tools to share ideas and learn from each other. The global PyData network promotes discussion of best practices, new approaches, and emerging technologies for data management, processing, analytics, and visualization. PyData communities approach data science using many languages, including (but not limited to) Python, Julia, and R.

Taking place at Ampersand Studios, PyData Miami will bring together international experts and enthusiasts to connect, share ideas and learn from each other. Programming will cater to newcomers and all levels of users and developers of data analysis tools.

The event is expected to attract 150 delegates and will feature local and international speakers. The schedule is jam-packed with PyData tutorials and talks that will bring attendees the latest project features along with cutting-edge use cases. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network and interact with some of the top experts in data science.

PyData Miami will help to educate attendees on:

  • Cutting-edge use cases, project features, and their practical applications in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning and Natural Language Processing

  • Data engineering, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), and end-to-end Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps)

  • Ethics and responsibility in AI and how to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace

“Our data science community really wants to connect, hear brilliant talks and network, so we wanted to create an inspiring and accessible event where everyone feels they belong,” said Teodor Georgiev, data scientist, Gistia Healthcare and PyData Miami co-chair and meetup co-organizer.

“Our group of passionate enthusiasts in South Florida has continued to grow over the last six years since we started building our foundation here and Miami is the perfect place to have our conference. We can’t wait to get back together in person to learn from each other, solve problems and grow an even stronger open-source community.”

The conference boasts an action-packed schedule including the following talks:

  • “Responsible AI at Scale” presented by Noelle Silver Russell, Executive, IBM Consulting AI and Analytics, Founder of AI Leadership Institute

  • “Speed up your Machine Learning Applications with Lightning AI” by William Falcon, AI researcher and founder and CEO of Lightning AI

  • “Finding new drugs with AI and Reinforcement Learning” Aleksandra Kalisz, Senior Research Scientist, Exscientia, Oxford, U.K.

  • “Data Visualization: Reasons, Not Rules” by Alberto Cairo, Knight Chair in Visual Journalism, School of Communication, University of Miami

  • “Lessons in Diversity and Leadership: Driving Positive Change”: Panel discussion led by Brittany Fox, owner and co-founder of Focus Global Talent Solutions.

“I love that the community asked for this conference and I’ve so enjoyed working with such a passionate group of volunteers who are making the event happen. We wanted to be a part of bringing exceptional people together, to share ideas, learn and make the South Florida data science community even stronger,” said Brittany Fox, Co-Founder & COO of Focus Global Talent Solutions and speaker at PyData Miami.

The registration fee is $180 and all proceeds will go to NumFOCUS, who envision an inclusive scientific and research community that utilizes actively supported open source software to make impactful discoveries for a better world.

PyData Miami is proud to be part of Miami Machine Learning Week from September 20th – 23rd, which offers immersive industry talks, meetups, panels and much more.  

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20
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Florida Panthers welcome LAN Info Tech becoming the latest company to join the #CyberFit movement

Read Time 4 Minutes

Florida Panthers become the latest company to join the #CyberFit movement, welcoming LAN Infotech as the #TeamUp partner.

The Florida Panthers are proud to join Acronis’ #TeamUp program, an exclusive offer to Managed Service Providers (MSPs) to join Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, in working with world-class sports teams to keep all parties’ data safe and #CyberFit while enjoying a boost to brand exposure and a rich array of other perks.

As a top-performing MSP, Acronis will now serve as the Cyber Protection Partner of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers. Now, as a proud cyber protection partner, the Florida Panthers are eager to integrate disaster recovery to ensure full data restoration and minimal damages in case of an attack.

“We’re excited to partner with Acronis, an innovative leader in the data recovery industry,” said Panthers Chief Revenue Officer Shawn Thornton. “We look forward to a successful partnership through best-in-class data protection within our organization.”

Globally-renowned organizations — including the San Diego Padres, Washington Football Team, Atlético Madrid, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and now the Florida Panthers— partner with Acronis to ensure that their data, applications, and systems remain fully protected from modern cyberthreats. These partnerships are often highly-publicized, and you can see Acronis branding on jerseys, Formula One cars, even electric flying vehicles.

The NHL’s Florida Panthers are entering their 29th season in the league, competing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Florida Panthers won the President’s Trophy in 2021-22, earning the most points during the regular season. Under General Manager Bill Zito, the Panthers have grown into a tenacious, dynamic, and exciting team led by Team Captain Aleksander Barkov, stalwart defenseman Aaron Ekblad, two-time Vezina Trophy recipient Sergei Bobrovsky and a deep roster of proven and promising NHL talent. At home in Sunrise, Fla., at the FLA Live Arena, the Panthers are set to host the 2023 NHL All-Star Game.

Pat Hurley, Acronis’ Vice President and General Manager, Americas, said: “Not only are the Florida Panthers a valuable addition to Acronis’ #TeamUp program, but they are also a respected organization in the South Florida community. Off the ice, their leaders support future generations to come and protect those who have served us, and we are excited to provide them with the disaster recovery services.”

Acronis Cyber Protect is an innovative Machine Intelligence (MI) enhanced solution that integrates data protection with cybersecurity, prevents cyberattacks, minimizes damage and helps teams avoid downtime. Acronis combines automation and integration, ensuring the prevention, detection, response, recovery, and analysis needed to safeguard all workloads while streamlining protection efforts. Acronis cyber protection provides the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) services required to protect the modern sport. Acronis Cyber Protect also offers full disaster recovery support with cloud VPN connections, customized recovery templates, custom DNS configurations, and more, ensuring the teams’ data is retrievable no matter what happens.

LAN Infotech was established to make a difference in its Florida technology community. They help clients achieve success and grow their businesses. They do this by providing them with the right technology to make their jobs easier and help their employees be more productive. LAN Infotech believes that technology should be seamless and second nature. Their services are tailored to suit the needs of small-to-mid-sized businesses.

The company has achieved several significant accomplishments over the past few years, including Inc 5000 Regionals Florida 2021, MSP 500: CRN Top 500 Global MSPs in 2022, South Florida Daily Business Review “Best Of 2021” Award, and our CEO has been awarded Greater Fort Lauderdale 2022 Small Business Person of the Year.

“The entire LAN Infotech Team is excited to be supporting the Florida Panthers on their security/disaster recovery journey,” said LAN Infotech President & CEO Michael Goldstein. “As a long-time Florida Panthers season ticket holder, it is an honor together with Acronis to work with the organization.

LAN Infotech is a Microsoft Cloud Services Provider, IT Managed Support company and a leader in helping law firms, nonprofits and medical organizations deploy cloud solutions, manage computer networks, keep data protected and top technology management company.

The Acronis #TeamUp initiative is open to all service providers looking for innovative ways to grow their business with Acronis and tap into the exciting world of sports marketing. All parties in this partnership will enjoy events and marketing assets such as luxury suites, season tickets, facility rental at FLA Live Area, social media features, LED branding and signage, and more.

To learn more about the Acronis #TeamUp Program, please visit https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/msp-sports/.

 

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14
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Junior Achievement’s Rosé Soirée event raised $110k to support students

Read Time 3 Minutes

This month the 5th annual JA Circle of Wise Women Rosé Soirée raised $110,000 for Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) programs.

With 225 women in attendance, the event was held at the former Neiman Marcus in The Galleria in Fort Lauderdale. The evening was an experience for all, beginning with a rose petal, red carpet entrance to shopping, networking, appetizers by Silver Lining and sips of rosé, provided by SipChanné, Bloomers Frozen Drinks and Breakthru Beverage Florida.

The evening continued with JA students sharing their inspirational journeys, awarding of the Lorraine I. Thomas Girls Scholarships and the pinning of 18 new Circle of Wise Women members. The event also honored the 2022 Woman of Wisdom (WOW), Sharon Gustafson-Florescue, Florescue Family Foundation who spoke about her personal and professional journey. Sharon is fabulous, generous, funny and beautiful inside and out.

The event’s title sponsor for yet another year was CITY Furniture who’s CEO, Andrew Koenig, is the current JA South Florida Chairman of the Board. “CITY Furniture is proud to be the title sponsor of the JA’s Rose Soirée, in the commitment to provide young women with the right education, skills, and opportunities to create vibrant and sustainable communities,” wrote Koenig in a recent social media post.

JA’s Circle of Wise Women is a vibrant group of women who are passionate about and dedicated to Junior Achievement’s mission of empowering youth with the knowledge, ability and confidence to navigate their futures, drive our economy, and lead our community.

They believe that Junior Achievement programs are a springboard to show today’s youth their potential for success. Since its inception, the group has raised more than $4.5 million for Junior Achievement of South Florida.

The group’s signature event is the annual JA World Uncorked – a culinary showcase where guests sample gourmet bites prepared by leading South Florida chefs and sip premier wines, spirits, craft beers and cocktails from local vendors. In addition, the Circle of Wise Women host social gatherings throughout the year and participate in JA-related events, such as the Rosé Soirée.

In addition to the hard-working JA team, special thanks goes out to the leading ‘Ladies In Pink’ event co-chairs, Yvette Birdsong, Melissa Milroy and Jennifer Starkey, Rosé sponsors, CWW members and guests for your generous contributions.

“As a mother and female leader, I feel a responsibility to motivate and inspire the next generation of girls. I am proud to lead an organization that shares this value,” said Laurie Sallarulo, CEO of JA South Florida. “While the Circle of Wise Women was formed to support students across all JA programs, I am thrilled the members have embraced the focus on girls. Thank you to all of the amazing women who have joined our dynamic group.”

Thanks to these women, JA will continue to provide tens of thousands of students with impactful programs preparing them for the future and support the goals and dreams of young female JA alumni!

If you are interested in learning more about Junior Achievement South Florida or how you can donate, visit https://www.jasouthflorida.org/donate/

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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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13
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Delray Beach-based Bidtellect announces new CTV/OTT advertising solutions

Read Time 3 Minutes

In the United States, there are more video-on-demand subscriptions than people, with 340 million subscribers for over-the-top (OTT) services according to Ampere Analysis data.

With 55 million cord-cutters in 2022, connected TV (CTV) and over-the-top (OTT) advertising are not just a ‘nice to have’ but an essential part of a media strategy.

Bidtellect, a leading demand-side platform and advertising technology company, announces the launch of a new CTV/OTT solution that connects brands with audiences where they are already consuming content and expands brands’ reach beyond linear TV.

OTT (over-the-top) is a means of providing television and film content over the internet at the request and to suit the requirements of the individual consumer. The term itself stands for “over-the-top”, which implies that a content provider is going over the top of existing internet services.

CTV advertising (Connected TV advertising) allows brands to reach their audience on smart TVs and OTT devices. Bidtellect now gives brands the power to target their audience with Connected TV ads during premium, ad-supported shows provided by top-tier networks.

Today, CTV/OTT advertising is an all but required component of a successful media strategy. With two-thirds of the US population projected to watch CTV content this year, eMarketer projects a 33.1% increase in CTV ad revenues for 2022. US ad spending per person will exceed $1,000 in 2022, rising more than 8% next year. The delivery of digital advertising across CTV/OTT channels is expected to be a market of over $18 billion in 2023.

Studies have proven most purchasing decisions are made at the household level, meaning the key to creating long-term customer connections is to deliver meaningful messaging to the members of the household. With Smart TV sales at record highs and linear TV audiences diminishing, CTV/OTT is the most engaging and cost-effective way to reach them.

Users will be able to leverage Bidtellect’s unique and unmatched performance bidding and optimization technology to seamlessly incorporate CTV/OTT into their media buying strategy.

Benefits of Bidtellect’s solution include:

  • Leveraging the company’s cost-efficient bidding capabilities, especially Automatic Algorithmic Rate Determination (AARDvark), which is now available in CTV/OTT.
  • Streamlining the planning, trading and execution with Bidtellect’s world-class support.
  • Powered by Context — leveraging Bidtellect’s industry-leading context-driven technology and metadata coverage across the entire supply ecosystem.
  • Access to the largest CTV/OTT enabled SSPs and premium publishers.

Clients will be able to activate CTV/OTT directly through Bidtellect’s DSP through all service models, with the ability to optimize and target premium content categories across multiple goals and bid types, plus utilize capabilities like budget fluidity, pacing, bid shading, creative flighting and more for maximum campaign ROI. CTV/OTT with Bidtellect will give brands and advertisers the chance to gain new audiences and re-engage with existing audiences in a new, strategic, complementary way.

“The way people access entertainment continues to evolve,” said Lon Otremba, CEO of Bidtellect. “In a sea of streaming choices, consumers want a knowledgeable voice to be a directional guide. Consumers are receptive – and expecting of – targeting and recommendations.”

One of the primary differences between OTT and CTV advertising is that OTT ads are typically served in the form of video ads within accessed video content. In contrast, CTV ads are usually served alongside apps that are installed on CTV devices or the device’s homepage itself. As a newer medium, advanced TV presents an evolving variety of monetization opportunities for advertisers willing to keep up.

“Our proprietary optimization algorithms are the smartest, most sophisticated in the industry and determine what creatives are driving results with audiences,” Otremba said. “Bidtellect utilizes a holistic approach to performance targeting that includes both contextual and audience models. Our range of proprietary contextual, targeting and optimization technology drives KPIs for more efficient delivery of ads.” 

To learn more about Bidtellect and its offerings, visit www.bidtellect.com.  

13
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

U.S. government program ACP helps many low income households pay for broadband

Read Time 2 Minutes

Broadband internet has rapidly become vital for accessing education, healthcare, remote work, and social services. Unfortunately, 18 million U.S. households do not have access to broadband – not due to a lack of available service, but simply because they cannot afford it.

The new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a monthly federal benefit that helps low income households pay for broadband service and internet-connected devices. The program stands to connect 47 million Americans to home internet, but as few as 23% of eligible individuals have enrolled due to awareness, trust, and enrollment barriers.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was created by Congress and implemented by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assist eligible households to pay for internet services. The ACP will provide assistance to customers needing to connect to jobs, healthcare, and virtual classrooms.

The goal of this program is to ensure that internet service is affordable for everyone. However, you must use the service to keep the subsidy. If you reach 30 days without any internet usage, you may no longer be eligible to receive the subsidy.

The ACP is funded by Congress. In the event it is discontinued, the FCC will announce its end date. In that case, at the end of the program, you will be charged the undiscounted rate if you continue to receive the service, which will be subject to our general terms and conditions. You may transfer this ACP subsidy to another provider at any time.

Verizon recognizes the importance of internet connectivity and is pleased to make the ACP subsidy available to our eligible customers. Up to one $30/month subsidy for each eligible household or up to one $75/month subsidy for each eligible household on Tribal lands is offered.

Imagine not being able to connect to your classroom, job or healthcare? That’s why we’re participating in the Affordable Connectivity Program where qualifying households get up to $30/month off select home internet & mobile plans. Everyone deserves to stay connected.

To learn more about how you can take advantage of the Affordable Connectivity Program using Verizon, click here. 

 

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04
Sep, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

18 South Florida companies announced as finalists for the 12th Annual GrowFL companies to watch

Read Time 3 Minutes

Nineteen South Florida companies were announced as finalists for the upcoming 12th annual GrowFL Florida companies to watch.

Each year GrowFL announced the second-stage growth companies who are in the running to be named GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Honorees. The finalists are selected from more than 400 nominations from throughout Florida and represent a diverse group of growing companies representing a variety of industries. Finalists completed a second-round application and underwent a final round of judging before the top 50 companies were selected.

Companies to Watch was developed by the Edward Lowe Foundation as a unique way to recognize and honor second-stage companies that demonstrate high performance in the marketplace with innovative strategies and processes. In addition to evaluating past growth and projected success, applicant companies are judged according to their special strengths and impact in their markets, communities, and within the state – thus deeming them worth watching. This year’s awards celebration is brought to you by Nperspective CFO & Strategic Services, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation.

To qualify for the award, companies must have between 6 and 150 employees and revenue between $750,000 and $100 million in 2021. Knowing these companies were reporting on employment and revenue after a pandemic, it is remarkable to note that in 2021, the companies reported a total of more than 2,000 jobs and generated close to $430 million in revenue. These companies anticipate growth of 40-percent in revenue and 18-percent in employment by the end of 2022.

“This group of business owners represents the remarkable second-stage businesses operating across the state of Florida,” said Jennifer Taylor, President, and CEO of GrowFL.

“They demonstrate the agility, perseverance and innovation needed to take their business to the next level. GrowFL is proud to support Florida’s second-stage entrepreneurs and help to play a part in celebrating their success. This group of Finalists are only just getting started and we look forward to watching their continued growth and impact on Florida’s economy. “

Congratulations to all the 12th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch finalists. Honorees for this year’s award will be announced in October and GrowFL will host its annual awards celebration on February 23, 2023, at Hard Rock Live, Universal City Walk, Orlando, FL.

Below are the South Florida companies by county now in the running to be selected as an Honoree for this year’s award.

BROWARD (2)

  • Advanced Care Solutions, Inc
  • Hoffer Pest Solutions, Inc.

MIAMI-DADE (7)

  • Affinity Management Services
  • ARK Solvers
  • Casabianca Home
  • Gables Construction Group
  • IOS Partners Inc.
  • Moveo Technologies Corporation
  • Pharma Natural Inc.

PALM BEACH COUNTY (9)

  • 2TON Agency
  • Earth And Sugar LLC
  • FloSpine LLC
  • Helix Virtual Medicine
  • Misfits Gaming Group
  • Petstore.Direct
  • ReachLink
  • Sloane Staffing
  • StillDragon North America LLC
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