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News, highlights, and events throughout the Americas

A Look At Immigrant Leadership Among Top-Valued Unicorns

Immigrants have founded and lead a disproportionately large number of American startups that go on to stupendously high valuations. But is that trend likely to continue? Consider the circumstances. With the increasing globalization of venture capital investment and the rise of remote work, these days a headquarters location matters less. Nonetheless, the U.S. still leads the world in startup funding, and immigrants still flock here to attend universities, work in tech and start companies.

 

- Source: Crunchbase News

Florida Startup Among First 100 Black Female Founders To Raise Over $1M

This month, Kushae closed a $1.25 million seed round led Atlanta-based Fearless Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in businesses led by women of color. Kimba Williams and Dr. Barbara McLaren are now among the first 100 Black female founders to raise more than $1 million in seed funding. "The statistics don't lie: Less than 1% of Black women actually receive money from venture capitalists," said Williams, who led the raise.  Pitching as a Black woman was hard enough, but pitching a feminine wellness business was another challenge in the male-dominated world of venture capital. That's why Williams was intentional about who she connected with, focusing on firms that had a history of investing in Black- and women-led businesses.

 

-Source: Miami Inno

Robot Delivery Startup Kiwibot Wheels Its Way To $7.5M Fundraise

Kiwibot, the Colombian robotic delivery service startup that began establishing its new headquarters in Miami last year, has just raised a $7.5 million pre-Series. Overall, the startup has raised approximately $14 million. On top of this fundraising announcement, Kiwibot has also closed a $20 million contract with Sodexo, a French food services and facilities management company. In collaboration with Sodexo, Kiwibot will expand its fleet of delivery robots by 1,200 across 50 US college campuses by the end of 2022. While Kiwibot robots are not roaming South Florida college campuses yet, there are up to 200 robots in Miami at any one time, some fully operational and working in pilot tests and activations in South Florida and others being readied to be deployed to campuses in the US.

 

- Source: Refresh Miami

Florida Ranks Fifth Among States For Employment At VC-Backed Companies

Employment at firms with venture capital investments significantly outpaced job growth at businesses without that support over a 30-year period, according to a new report from the National Venture Capital Association, Venture Forward and the University of North Carolina Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. Between 1990 and 2020, jobs at companies with VC investments grew 960%, compared to 40% at non-VC-backed businesses. Florida ranked fifth among states for employment at venture-backed companies, with 152,443. A breakout of the state's congressional districts puts the west Broward and southern Palm Beach County region as Florida's first- and third-largest employers. 

 

- Source: South Florida Business Journal

Crypto Exchange FTX Launching Gaming Unit To Drive Token Adoption

Crypto exchange FTX is launching a new team focused on driving cryptocurrency and non-fungible token (or NFT) adoption in the gaming world, according to a Bloomberg report. The initial offering from the new gaming unit will reportedly be a “crypto as a service” platform through which game publishers can launch tokens and provide support for in-game NFTs. The new gaming-focused team from FTX is a sign of the continued push to bring blockchain-based products into the gaming space, as demonstrated by projects like GameStop’s own NFT marketplace. But though game developers and retailers see crypto tokens and NFT items as a promising revenue stream, gamers have voiced widespread skepticism over the need for blockchain technology.

 

-Source: The Verge

2022 Annual Global Startup Showcase

February 28th| eMerge Americas + Algorand

 

eMerge Americas will select 100 startups to participate in a robust multi-week program, which will culminate in a grand finale pitch competition. This competition will take place April 18-19, 2022, at the eMerge Americas global tech conference in front of leading venture capitalists, corporate enterprises, government officials, global media outlets and judges. Participants will have a chance to win over $400,000 in investments. Deadline to apply is February 28, 2022.

Miami Film Festival

March 4th-13th| Miami Dade College

 

Miami Film Festival is a world-class platform for International and Ibero-American films. Presenting its 39th edition from March 4-13, 2022, the Festival showcases the work of the world’s best emerging and established filmmakers to the diverse cosmopolitan community of Miami. Cash awards totaling more than $100,000 are given in competition categories. Use promo code MFFRIENDS to receive a discount on your ticket.

Crypto & Real Estate Summit

March 10th-11th| Propy

 

Join us at Propy's first-ever Crypto and Real Estate Summit in Miami on March 10-11. Hear from investors, thought leaders, and commercial real estate professionals on how crypto is disrupting the real estate and mortgage ecosystems. Use promo code MelissaMedina to receive a discount on your ticket.

Code/Art Fest 2022

March 12th| Code/Art

 

Code/Art Fest is an annual gathering intended to celebrate the achievements of young female coders and to increase awareness of opportunities in computing fields. This one-of-a-kind conference is for students, parents, educators, artists, and anyone interested in the intersection of tech & art.

eMerge Americas 2022

April 18th-19th| eMerge Americas

 

Anchoring Miami Tech Month 2022, eMerge Americas is excited to be back in person! We're transforming Miami into a global tech hub and looking forward to having YOU join us. Hear from world-class thought leaders and industry experts including 23-time Grand Slam Champion & Entrepreneur Serena Williams, Seven Seven Six & Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian, Investor & star of ABC's Shark Tank Kevin O'Leary, Blockchain.com Cofounder & CEO Peter Smith, and Okcoin CEO Hong Fang.

eMerge Americas  2222 Ponce de Leon Blvd  Miami  FL 

 

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