500 Startups is Building Diverse Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Miami

Published by UrbanGeekz Staff at February 28, 2019

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500 Startups is Building Diverse Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Miami

500 Startups is hosting the 2019 Unity and Inclusion Summit in Miami next week to address the state of diversity in the tech startup ecosystem.

The conference, a partnership with ZenDesk, Breezy HR, SAP.iO, Silicon Valley Bank, and Samsung NEXT will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, and key players in Miami’s startup community. Thought leaders will speak on subjects ranging from the state of diversity to trends in venture capital. The roster of speakers includes the likes of Kim Stone, EVP Sales & Business Dev. of Miami Heat, Laura Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of Venture City, and Brandon Andrews of Shark Tank.

This is the first time that 500 Startups is hosting the summit in Miami and the March 7th event will be the sixth annual event after successful summits in LA, Berlin, New York, Atlanta, and London.

Moderator Kunbi Tinuoye with panelists Guilherme Cerqueira and Carl P. Evans III at 500 Startups Unity and Inclusion Summit in Atlanta in 2017 [Photo Credit: Claudia Offei]

500 Miami has been leading the charge to develop an innovation ecosystem in Miami focused on various industries with the goal of inspiring entrepreneurship, increasing employment, and promoting the economy of the region. 44.5% of 500’s portfolio founders belong to racial minorities and 26% of our investments are led by at least one female founder. 49% of our overall portfolio hails from outside the U.S. We’ve been investing globally since 2010, but the world is a big place. After 2018, the number of countries invested in is now 74, which means they have invested in almost 40% of the world.

Panels, keynotes, and workshops will address topics such as access to capital, growth marketing, and building diverse teams. The aim is to facilitate discussions that will further develop and promote entrepreneurship and inclusivity in the Miami tech scene. The event will also include opportunities for attendees to have one-on-one office hours with 500 venture partners and Miami Angels for guidance on seed funding, ZenDesk, SAP.iO, and Samsung NEXT on growth, and Breezy HR on building diverse teams. In keeping with 500’s mission to support underrepresented entrepreneurs around the globe, a number of Diversity Scholarships will be awarded for the upcoming Unity + Inclusion Summit in Miami. Attendees can apply for a chance to receive a free ticket to the program.

500 staff will be in from Silicon Valley and are eager to join their Miami counterparts in connecting with budding entrepreneurs and founders of scalable startups in cities outside of the Bay Area.

Ana Gonzalez, Head of 500 Miami, has a lot to say about the burgeoning tech startup scene in SE Florida. “Miami is becoming a truly global hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. I encourage startups to leverage the diversity of our community, focus on the verticals where the region is strongest and set out to build businesses that can be relevant at a global scale.”

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UrbanGeekz Staff

UrbanGeekz is the first to market tech blog focused on covering content from a diverse and multicultural perspective. The groundbreaking videocentric multimedia platform covers technology, business, science, and startups.