Rewind 10 years and think of Miami. What came to mind? Neon lights? Pool parties? Sunny beaches?
Now think about Miami, what do you think of? Tech? Crypto? Mayor Suarez?
Since 2020, Miami’s Mayor, Francis Suarez has made it his mission to re-brand the city from a party paradise to a tech hub for digital finance and technology. And we think this rebrand is off to a strong start.
San Francisco and Silicon Valley are no longer the places that spring to mind when you think tech hub and Miami is taking over. But why?
Let’s start with the facts, Miami is:
- No. 1 in tech job growth in the US
- No. 1 in tech job migration
- No. 1 in the Southeast U.S. in terms of venture capital dollars invested
Miami is becoming a soft-landing location for entrepreneurs looking to access North American Markets. Combine a pro-business mindset and a favourable tax and regulatory structure it’s no wonder some of the world’s leading businesses are relocating to Miami.
“You can have your cake and eat it too: live in the paradise that is Miami while working like you’re on Wall Street.”
Felice Gorordo, eMerge Americas’ CEO
In April 2023 one hundred start-ups have the potential to be selected to showcase their company at eMerge Americas’ Global Startup Showcase in Miami Beach. Participants have the opportunity to win over $400,000 in investments with more prizes to be announced soon. Winners of the 2022 showcase, Togal.AI, have gone on to secure thousands of dollars in funding and they’re revolutionising the construction space with the power of AI.
Gorordo has also organised a conference for Mayors and private sector leaders to discuss NFT, Crypto, and Blockchain ventures which is gaining more and more momentum.
As well as business investment, Miami academia and the tech industry have started to work together. The Knight Foundation has been investing for a decade into Miami tech to the value of roughly $65million; their investments originally focussed on entrepreneurs and more recently it’s transitioned into computer science programmes at universities. In 2021 an investment of $15million was made towards the development of tech talent.
The city has also launched a Data Science for All Initiative in partnership with SoftBank to educate 10,000 Miami residents to become Data Scientists. These are just a couple of examples that Miami’s taking in equipping future generations and helping to solve the skills gap.
The future of tech is dependent on younger generations, and it’s on us to equip young people with the skills and knowledge to pursue a career in tech. Working with tech companies every day, we see the lack of diverse representation in the sector, even though STEM jobs are projected to grow by ten per cent in the next five to ten years and those in software development at an even more astonishing rate. Giving children early access to educational tools like coding robots and educating young people on the opportunities available is key to averting a crisis in years to come.
develop has recently partnered with Code/Art to provide prizes for two of their competitions: Code Yourself and Animated Art which take place in March 2023. Code/Art uses art to spark an interest in computer science for girls, and non-binary individuals aged 3-12 many of whom are first-time coders, and we’re incredibly proud to partner with them.
develop's Consultants will also attend the in-person event in March to help with judging, as well as talking to the young people about what makes software engineering so exciting, and what opportunities will be available to them in the future.
Want to know more about our partnership with Code/Art? Or how develop Miami can help you to hire the best Software Engineers? Don’t be shy, send us a message!