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News, highlights and events throughout the Americas

Happy New Year! Don't Forget To Purchase Your eMerge Americas Pass Here Before Early Bird Pricing Ends On January 9th!

Here's What Happened In Miami Tech In 2022

Amid formidable recessionary headwinds, a bullish #MiamiTech notched another pivotal year. If 2022 has a theme, it seemed to be “It’s time to build.” Two years after The Great Miami Migration was kicked off by early movers like Keith Rabois and then amplified by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s How Can I Help tweet, the founders and funders are still coming – and staying.

 

-Source: Refresh Miami

Five Interesting Startup Deals In 2022 - From Cleantech To Insurance For Pet Parents

When it comes to startup fundings, huge capital raises and major investor names tend to attract the most headlines. That can make it easy for smaller funding rounds to get lost in the noise. So SFBJ took a look back to revisit some of the most interesting raises that captured our attention in 2022. They include South Florida ventures developing unique products and services in sectors such as health technology, transportation, advertising and more.

 

-Source: South Florida Business Journal

South Florida Startup Uses AI To Disrupt The Beauty Industry

The pandemic was a major game-changer, with business owners scrambling to survive amidst closed up shops. However, one South Florida entrepreneur did not let the pandemic stop her from thriving – and her nails, along with nails across Florida, are thanking her. Nailstry (short for nails and artistry), founded by local entrepreneur Aurelia Edwards, is a virtual fingernail sizing technology that uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to scan a consumer’s fingernails, giving the consumer the perfect size for their press-on nails. In addition to its online shop, Nailstry is also beginning to target businesses that embed the Nailstry technology into their online stores and websites, and nail designers who are looking to display what their designs can look like on actual nails. “Nailstry is at the forefront of virtual fitting,” Edwards said. “And on top of that, we want to be that complimentary technology for those looking to see how their nails can look – it’s a completely different, personalized shopping experience.”

 

-Source: Refresh Miami

Ads Took Over Shopping In 2022. It's Now Harder To Trust What You Buy.

The big honking obvious revolution in shopping since 2020 is that Americans are buying more things online. Another shift that might be nearly as momentous for your shopping: Online stores and real-world ones are becoming more like Google and Facebook. They’re selling your attention, while also selling you products. When you read an email from Home Depot or browse on Amazon, those stores are using what they know about you to nudge you to a brand of dresser or dog bed that pays to catch your eye. You’re used to commercial messages everywhere. And advertising isn’t new in e-commerce and retail stores. Those potato chips at the end of the supermarket aisle probably paid for the prominent shelf space. But 2022 was the year when paid persuasion invaded more places you shop. Charging money to influence what you buy helps stores and dog bed manufacturers make more money. Whether this is good for your shopping experience is not really the top priority. 

 

-Source: The Washington Post

Money Will Kill ChatGPT's Magic

After years of seemingly false promises, AI got startlingly good in 2022. It began with the AI image generators DALL-E 2, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion. Overnight, people started sharing AI artwork they had generated for free by simply typing a prompt into a text box. Some of it was weird, some was trite, and some was shockingly good. All of it was unmistakably new terrain. That sense of wonderment accelerated last month with the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. It’s not the first AI chatbot, and it certainly won’t be the last, but its intuitive user interface and overall effectiveness leave the collective impression that the future is arriving. Professors are warning that this will be the end of the college essay. Twitter users (in a brief respite from talking about Elon Musk) are sharing delightful examples of genuinely clever writing. A common refrain: “It was like magic.” ChatGPT is free, for now. But OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has warned that the gravy train will eventually come to a screeching halt: “We will have to monetize it somehow at some point; the compute costs are eye-watering,” he tweeted.

 

-Source: The Atlantic

Google Maps Chief Sees New Directions For Digital Navigation

What’s the weather at the cafe? How much is a haircut at the salon? Digital navigation tools have already gone far beyond giving directions, and more changes are on the way. Alphabet Inc.’s Google Maps is the fourth most popular mobile app in the U.S. by unique visitors age 18 and up, according to Comscore, making it more popular than the mobile apps of Instagram and Tiktok as well as its closest direct competitor, Apple Maps. The Google Geo group, which runs the Maps app, now also oversees the company’s Waze mapping service. Christopher Phillips, the head of Google Geo, recently talked with The Wall Street Journal about what he sees as the longer-term future of navigation. 

 

-Source: The Wall Street Journal

eMerge Americas Startup Showcase 2023

Deadline Extended January 6th | eMerge Americas

 

This is your opportunity to win over $400,000 in an investment into your company! The eMerge Americas 2023 Startup Showcase is once again merging with Panoramic Ventures’ Startup Showdown and with the most active venture capital firm in Florida, Florida Funders, for a mega-pitch competition.  This competition will take place April 20-21, 2023, at the eMerge Americas global tech conference in front of leading venture capitalists, corporate enterprises, government officials, global media outlets, and guest judges. All selected startups will be allocated prime exhibit space on the 2023 eMerge Expo Floor within “StartUp Alley” to showcase their company over the course of the two-day event.

The #MiamiTech Happy Hour!

January 4th | Natalia Martinez-Kalinina + Chris Adamo

 

This is a casual recurring happy hour for new and old Miamians interested in connecting with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, tech folks, and a diverse group of awesome people. Come grab a drink and catch up!

eMerging Roadshow: Virtual Edition @ UC Chile

January 13th | eMerge Americas

 

eMerge Americas is hitting the road - IRL and virtually - to amplify local startups in emerging markets across Latin America in partnership with University of Miami and the Hemispheric Consortium.

Our virtual pitch series offers the greater community a unique chance to hear from businesses across the Americas. Please join us in fostering creative ideas and building a bridge between Latin American startups and the South Florida market. Join us virtually for a pitch event hosted in partnership w/UM, Hemispheric Consortium + Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. 

eMerging Roadshow: Virtual Edition @ Universidad Andrés Bello

January 26th | eMerge Americas

 

eMerge Americas is hitting the road - IRL and virtually - to amplify local startups in emerging markets across Latin America in partnership with University of Miami and the Hemispheric Consortium.

Our virtual pitch series offers the greater community a unique chance to hear from businesses across the Americas. Please join us in fostering creative ideas and building a bridge between Latin American startups and the South Florida market. Join us virtually for a pitch event hosted in partnership w/UM, Hemispheric Consortium + Universidad Andrés Bello.

Miami Hack Week

January 29th - February 4th | Miami Hack Week

 

Hack Week is back in the 305! We bring top talent from across the world to spend 1 week building in Hackers Houses across the city of Miami. Join us for an action packed week filled with events, life changing connections and community.

2023 Synapse Summit

February 14th, 2023 | Synapse Florida

 

Come join the innovation movement as we take over Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL to Celebrate, discover, and engage everything the Florida innovation community has to offer! Get ready to make boundless connections in-person and virtually through the Synapse hybrid community feature for Florida’s 6th annual premiere innovation event. Everyone has a unique journey and Synapse Summit continues to play a role in so many success stories.

eMerge Americas  2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd  Miami  FL 

 

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