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News, highlights and events throughout the Americas

eMerge Americas Startup Showcase Alumni HamperApp For Laundromats, Dry-Cleaners Expands Nationwide From Miami

Immigrants from Peru, the Chang family operated four laundromats in the Miami area, when son Alejandro had an idea for growth: Why not create an app to facilitate laundry pickup and delivery? Alejandro’s dad said new tech wasn’t needed. But Alejandro saw potential not only for his family’s business but also, for other laundromats and drycleaners. He teamed up with buddy Jorge Rodriguez, and in 2017, launched HamperApp, a Miami-based venture set to move $10 million in laundry services this year. Starting out in South Florida, HamperApp now works with laundries and dry-cleaners in dozens of cities across the US, including New York, Washington D.C., Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago and more. HamperApp competed in the 2023 eMerge Global Startup Showcase.

 

- Refresh Miami

Miami Venture Capitalist Says Now Is The Time To Invest In Tech Startups

Jeff Ransdell is on a mission to find new startups to invest in. Ransdell is the managing director and founding partner of Fuel Venture Capital, a Miami firm that backs disruptive technology ventures. The firm recently launched its latest fund, the Flagship Fund II, and is in the process of raising $300 million to support up-and-coming startups using tech to transform the way people work, shop, play and transact business. Seven of Fuel Venture Capital's portfolio companies are anchoring the new fund, including Miami-based NovoPayment, virtual reality studio Aexlab and Betr, the sports betting app co-founded by serial entrepreneur Joey Levy and YouTube star Jake Paul. After a pandemic-era boom, venture capital funding began to slow last year — and that continues to be the case in 2023. In the first quarter the number of startups landing venture capital declined in nearly all of the country's top and emerging tech hubs, including South Florida. But investors can benefit from the challenging funding environment, Ransdell told the Business Journal. That's why now is the time for Fuel Venture Capital to launch its latest fund.

 

-Source: Miami Inno

Taxfyle Takes Aim At Tedious Tax Prep, Sees Exponential Growth Post Series B

In the last two years, 17% of accountants and auditors – 300,000 professionals – left their jobs. 75% of CPAs had reached retirement age by 2020, and an above average number of them decided to leave the profession. The Wall Street Journal notes that there is a dwindling number of college students entering the field. It is in this context that Miami-based Taxfyle has found major success. The startup has developed a series of apps and APIs to connect individuals, businesses, and accounting firms with the accountants to help with their tax needs. Just over a year ago, Taxfyle raised a Series B round led by IDC Ventures and Fuel Venture Capital. Since then, the company reports that it grew by 75% last year and is on track for a 100% growth rate in 2023. The company has 140 employees overall, half of whom are based in Coconut Grove, where Taxfyle has just moved into a 10,000 square foot office. Co-founder and CEO Richard Laviña told Refresh Miami that Taxfyle has leveraged the series B to build out their sales team and open their APIs. This has enabled Taxfyle to partner with companies such as Rocket Lawyer, to provide tax services alongside their other offerings.

 

-Source: Refresh Miami

VC Firm Fortuna Expands Into Space Investing

Fortuna Investments is opening a Miami office with the goal of investing in 12 early-stage space startups over the next few years. “I think it’s an incredible time to get involved and allocate capital,” Fortuna founder and CEO Justus Parmar told Payload. “We have a lot of powder dry and are looking for opportunities.” The VC firm was founded in 2015 and counts over 30 employees. Fortuna, which Parmar primarily funds himself, has invested in over 125 startups, focusing on emerging industries such as robotics, life sciences, and lithium mining. Now Fortuna is turning its attention and investing experience to space. Fortuna’s first investment was in Starfighters Space, a company with a fleet of seven F-104 supersonic aircrafts. Starfighters is building out suborbital air-launch capabilities to pair with its pilot training and Mach-2 testing businesses. 

 

-Source: Payload

Startup Chiefs Take Pay Cut To Preserve Working Capital

Startup leaders are taking a pay cut to help their companies weather a prolonged slump in venture-capital investing, including fewer funding deals, falling valuations and unfavorable conditions for public-market debuts. The downturn even has some of these chief executives dropping their paychecks to zero, in an effort to preserve cash during wider gaps between funding rounds, financial managers and investors say. Most chief executives at early-stage startups—who often are also a founder or co-founder of the business—set their own salaries based on prevailing market rates. As startups mature, salaries for CEOs and other executives are more likely to be decided by the company’s corporate board. Jones said this year’s average salary is being weighed down by a number of CEOs who are drawing no salary at all. At the same time, he said, a handful of outliers have raised their salaries, as indicated by a rising median salary. That suggests a smaller pool of healthy businesses are getting the bulk of available capital, limited as it is, while others are struggling, Jones said.

 

-Source: The Wall Street Journal

Brickell Tech Tuesday

May 30th | Brickell Tech

 

Brickell Tech Tuesday has grown to be a staple for the local tech community. Do you spend time in github, jira, slack, figma, google drive, etc from your home or office in Brickell? Developers, founders, investors, designers, growth hackers, product experts. Meet others in the Miami Tech community without getting in a car.

The #MiamiTech Happy Hour

May 31st|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!

The Hub Open House

June 1st|The Hub

 

Join us for the The Hub's Community Event, an immersive experience designed to bring together the #MiamiTech ecosystem. This is not just an event; it's a unique opportunity to network, learn, and engage with the top leaders and innovators shaping the tech landscape in Miami.

Starting + Building A Career In Tech

June 8th |BrainStation

 

Connect with UX design, product management, and digital marketing experts at GameStop and Pigmento, explore in-demand skills and common career paths, and network with other ambitious professionals.

PRIDE: A Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Series Event

June 14th |eMerge Americas

 

We're celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and sharing the story of diversity in the Miami Tech Ecosystem! Join us as we merge with Chris Adamo & Natalia Martinez-Kalinina’s “Miami Tech Happy Hour” for a night of networking, music, light bites & drinks.

Women That Build Awards

Nominations Due June 6th | Globant

 

The Women that Build Awards of Globant are back! As the demand for STEAM jobs increases, we have a unique opportunity to create a more equitable industry. Join us in recognizing women who are making a difference and addressing persistent workplace challenges such as gender bias and unequal pay. Let's work together to build a brighter future for all. Nominate that woman in STEAM who inspires you.

TEALS Volunteer Program

Recruiting Now | Microsoft Philanthropies TEALS Program  

 

TEALS is a Microsoft Philanthropies program looking for volunteer computer science professionals that wish to use their skills to inspire the coders and creators of tomorrow. Volunteering with TEALS helps to make a difference in our community and schools that stand to gain the most from computer science knowledge and expertise. Volunteers help TEALS provide high school students with equitable access to CS education and create a pathway to economic opportunity. 

Learning Engineering + Data (LEaD) Program

Rolling Applications | Millennium Management

 

Millennium is a large global alternative investment manager with a strong commitment to leveraging innovations in technology and data. As a member of our Miami based Learning Engineering and Data (LEaD) program, LEaD engineers can expect to get comprehensive training and work alongside technology mentors and leaders to develop and maintain applications and tools spanning front-office, middle-office and back-office functions in a dynamic and fast paced environment.

eMerge Americas  2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd  Miami  FL 

 

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