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News, highlights and events throughout the Americas

American Inno's 35 AI Startups To Watch Names 2022 eMerge Americas Startup Showdown Winner Togal AI

Investors are pouring billions of dollars into AI startups in what is quickly becoming the latest tech gold rush. Leading the AI revolution is OpenAI, a startup from Sam Altman that created the fast-growing artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, which this year reached 100 million monthly active users. The Bay Area is ground zero for AI innovation in the U.S., but AI startups are sprouting up across the country, catching the eye of investors and customers looking to ride the AI wave. To spotlight some AI heavy hitters, as well as some under-the-radar artificial intelligence firms, American Inno compiled our first-ever list of Startups to Watch in AI, a collection of 35 companies you need to know, including four Florida companies, such as Togal AI - the winner of the 2022 eMerge Americas Startup Showdown.

 

- Source: American Inno

After 18 Years, Alberto Ibargüen Retires From The Knight Foundation

Large philanthropic organizations are generally known for their safe choices. For decades, the Miami-based Knight Foundation, whose endowment has swelled to $2.56 billion since its 1950 founding, was no exception. Its funding was primarily focused on respectable, often staid, journalism and education efforts in the eight cities where its namesake founding brothers, John S. and John L. Knight, had owned newspapers. It’s a safe bet that neither Knight brother envisioned funding a helicopter dropping a sea of poems onto hundreds of Miami rock-festival concertgoers, which the Knight Foundation did in 2011; or, as it did in 2017, a series of Detroit techno and punk shows as part of a cultural re-examination of that city’s 1967 civil unrest. The shift in tone is because of Alberto Ibargüen, who became Knight’s president in 2005, following his tenure as publisher of The Miami Herald and its Spanish-language sibling, El Nuevo Herald. While Knight continues to support journalism programs, Ibargüen has added the arts as an increasingly prominent part of its funding mix — from essentially an afterthought to nearly a quarter of its $115 million to $130 million in annual grants.

 

-Source: The New York Times

HR Tech Unicorn Factorial Chooses Miami For Its North American Hub

Factorial, a Barcelona-based HR software company that streamlines people management, has selected Miami for its new US headquarters. The office will serve as the company’s base for the North American region. The company plans to grow the Miami office to up to 150 people in the next one to two years, a spokeswoman told Refresh Miami. The offices will support cross-functional teams across the global HR tech SaaS company. The announcement also comes on the heels of a $120 million Series C round at a $1 billion valuation, making Factorial one of the latest unicorns to join the Miami ecosystem. Founded in 2016, Factorial offers automating processes for HR teams. “Factorial is placing a big bet on Miami as its’ North American hub and with that, we are thrilled to support the fast-growing tech ecosystem in Miami,” said Jordi Romero, co-founder and co-CEO of Factorial, in a statement. “This facility will allow us to better serve our customers and partners in the region, and to provide a great work environment for our employees.” Factorial said it will kick off their Miami arrival by attending the eMerge Americas conference April 20-21 at Miami Beach Convention Center. 

 

-Source: Refresh Miami

Michelle Abbs Reflects On Web3 Equity's Tuttle Tribe Turns One

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since Web3 Equity launched our Tuttle Tribe collection in honor of the Mother of Miami – Julia Tuttle. For those who don’t know, the Tuttle Tribe is a membership pass to our web3 educational community focused on gender equity in web3. We host in-person education events in Miami to welcome more women to emerging technology. It has been an incredible journey, and I’d love to share what we have learned along the way. The first undeniable lesson was that women want to be part of web3! In both bear and bull markets, we saw upwards of 100 guests at our monthly events. Over the year we held 17 in person events where we covered 91 topics to a total of over 5,700 attendees. We helped 800 women open their first digital wallet – the vital first step to enter into the blockchain enabled world. 

 

-Source: Michelle Abbs at Refresh Miami

Microsoft, Google, Amazon Look To Generative AI To Lift Cloud Businesses

Tech giants are touting new artificial intelligence tools that they say will revolutionize work, learning and creativity. They also have something else in mind: rejuvenating sales in their cloud-computing businesses. The three largest cloud companies—Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google—have put the potential of new, so-called generative AI at the center of their sales pitches to try to capitalize on the explosion in interest in applications like the viral chatbot ChatGPT. That chatbot was unveiled in November by OpenAI, a startup in which Microsoft has invested billions of dollars and has wowed users with its ability to perform functions like drafting memos and producing computer code at near-human levels of sophistication. The generative-AI push is happening as companies are dealing with sharply slowing growth in the cloud-computing businesses that have been major growth drivers—and, for Amazon and Microsoft, profit centers. Analysts are expecting growth in combined cloud revenue for the big three companies to be 18% this year. That is down by almost half from the growth they had last year.

 

-Source: The Wall Street Journal

Hollywood, Music Industry Brace For A TikTok Ban

David Ma, a film director in Brooklyn, never had the money to go to film school. And though he loved shooting films, he was largely shut out of the types of opportunities reserved for big-time directors with Hollywood connections. Then came TikTok. Ma joined the app in 2020 and immediately amassed a following for his unique directorial style. Studio executives and Hollywood bigwigs noticed, and suddenly, Ma was landing directing jobs. The entire trajectory of his career changed. Since the last time the U.S. government considered banning TikTok in 2020, the app has evolved from a social platform supporting a robust ecosystem of content creators and small businesses to an entertainment powerhouse, upending Hollywood power structures and rewriting the rules of the entertainment landscape. TikTok has allowed those who have traditionally been shut out of the media and entertainment industry a way to circumvent legacy gatekeepers and get a foot in the door. A ban now would threaten not the livelihoods of TikTok’s biggest stars and thousands of small businesses, it could deal a massive blow to the entertainment industry, forcing movie studios, record labels, casting directors, Hollywood agents, and actors to radically shift the way they do business. 

 

-Source: The Washington Post

US Black Founders Fund 2023

Now-May 8th | Black Ambition

 

Calling all Black, Hispanic, and HBCU-connected businesses: we want to fund your bold ideas! Black Ambition finds, funds, and fuels the businesses of the future. Most importantly, we believe that the future looks like you. Through two separate Prize tracks, the Black Ambition Prize competition provides a platform for Black, Hispanic and HBCU-affiliated founders across the nation to access growth capital, pitch feedback, and mentorship. Eligible ventures will compete for awards between $15,000 to $1,000,000. Up to 250 semi-finalists will be selected, with one grand prize winner receiving $1,000,000.

Brickell Tech Tuesday

March 28th | Brickell Tech

 

A tech happy hour for those who live or work around Brickell and Downtown. Share what you are working on. Please join us on Tuesday, March 28 for the next Brickell Tech Tuesday. We'll have a special guest, Cesi de Quesada, to talk briefly about the county's new tech innovation fund.

eMerge Americas presents SHINE: A DEI Series Event

March 29th | eMerge Americas

 

Join us as we merge with Chris Adamo & Natalia Martinez-Kalinina’s “Miami Tech Happy Hour” to celebrate Women's History Month and Sharing the story of diversity in our community. It will be a night of networking, live music, light bites & drinks, + a short program shining a light on Female Changemakers’ + Leaders’ POV.

Web3 Equity 1 Year Anniversary: The Journey Edition

March 30th | Web3 Equity 

 

Celebrate Women's History Month & kick off year 2 on a Web3 journey. Our unique event propels us to our destination: the future. This anniversary event is a unique and immersive experience that will take you on a journey from the past to the future of the web3 ecosystem. The evening includes a program of learning, networking and inspiration that will empower you to take your next steps in this exciting industry.

Miami NFT Week

March 31st - April 2nd | Miami NFT Week

 

Join us to learn all about NFTs and network with your online Frens & Web3 communities IRL (In Real Life). This event will be packed with speakers from the NFT industry, DeFi and Blockchain technology with workshops, panels, pitch competitions, creative installations, immersive art, performances and more.

Miami NFT Buildathon

March 31st - April 2nd | Miami NFT Week

 

Miami Buildathon provides a FREE interactive environment where participants won’t just hear about industry-leading tools, artists, and founders; they’ll be able to interact with and build alongside them. There will be $25,000+ worth of prizes distributed to winning teams. Keep an eye out for bounties set by our sponsoring companies!

#MiamiTech Month

April 1st -30th | eMerge Americas

 

#MiamiTech Month is a full month of South Florida’s must-go-to events supporting the entire community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and thinkers. With a diverse range of events from conferences, workshops, networking, community events, and more, our focus is to create a thriving and inclusive ecosystem that brings together our entire community and makes an impact. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, startup founder, seasoned professional, or wanting to learn more about #MiamiTech, check back daily to discover creative experiences that are transforming Miami’s future into a global tech hub.

Startup Day Miami

April 4th | AWS

 

Kick off Miami Tech Month with AWS’s one-day conference geared toward founders, business leaders, CTOs, and developers. This multi-track conference will be filled with educational knowledge that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. Join AWS on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM ET at InterContinental Hotel Miami. Reserve your spot now!

Tech Tuesdays Kickoff Happy Hour

April 4th | Plain Sight

 

Join us for the Official Kickoff Happy Hour for Tech Tuesdays Miami! Come experience firsthand the free workspace and event series designed to connect and empower founders, funders, coders, creatives, and community builders in the tech.

BITE-CON 2023

April 13th-14th | BITE-CON

 

The Black Innovation Technology and Entertainment Conference (BITE-CON) is the first of its kind burgeoning tech explosion in Florida. The focus is to curate educational events and awareness around Web 3.0, NFTs, the Metaverse, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and eSports to the Black and Brown community.

Inaugural Computing Day at UM

April 14th | University of Miami

 

The University of Miami is hosting its first Computing Day, Friday April 14, 2023, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the new Frost Institute for Chemistry and Molecular Sciences building on the Coral Gables campus. Computing Day is part of a broad initiative to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in computing. The event convenes audiences engaged in all facets of computing, corporate and government professionals, faculty and student scholars from throughout the University and other academic institutions, as we design the future.

 

Miami Maker Faire

April 15th-16th | Maker Faire

 

Join us for Maker Faire - a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these "makers" to show hobbies, experiments, projects. We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth - a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. Glimpse the future and get inspired!

eMerge Americas 2023

April 20th-21st | eMerge Americas

 

Anchoring Miami Tech Month 2023, eMerge Americas returns April 20-21, 2023. eMerge is the premier tech event in Miami that's transforming Miami into a global tech hub. Hear from over 200 speakers, demo products from innovative startups and companies, and network with tens of thousands of thought leaders and industry experts.

Orbit Innovation Awards

April 27th |Alan B. Levan NSU Broward Center of Innovation

 

The Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation is hosting its inaugural Orbit Innovation Awards on April 27, 2023, a celebration of their first anniversary impacting the South Florida innovation community. The Orbit Awards are exactly one year from the Levan Center’s formal grand opening, and we want to honor those who have helped us along the way. The event will have approximately 300 members of the South Florida community, and will honor 13 award recipients recognized for their support and contribution to the South Florida innovation ecosystem.

eMerge Americas  2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd  Miami  FL 

 

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