500 has been investing in the rapidly evolving Miami tech entrepreneurial ecosystem for over 5 years now.  From our successful Geeks On A Plane (GOAP) stop in 2012, to the PreMoney Investor Conference and our Series A Program in 2015: we have witnessed the amazing energy of Miami.

Today, we believe the Miami entrepreneurial ecosystem is at an inflection point, with more high-potential founders launching locally than ever before. Further, we believe the city is uniquely poised to become a global hub for entrepreneurship and innovation that will hopefully connect South Florida with Silicon Valley, the East Coast, Latin America, Europe, Africa and beyond!

In the words of our CEO, Christine Tsai, “We believe that today more than ever it is imperative that we show the world what an authentically diverse and thriving tech ecosystem looks like. e, 500’s mission is to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. We believe Miami is a key market for us to double down on and continue to serve all three parts of that mission..”

We are incredibly excited to join the Miami entrepreneurial heat wave and bring our global network, resources and expertise to help accelerate the movement!

To accomplish this, we have put together a rockstar team of anchor partners to launch our operations in Miami: the Miami Downtown Development Authority, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and Visa.

“Downtown Miami has become a breeding ground for innovation and as a result, a high-tech cluster economy is taking shape,” said Miami Downtown Development Authority Executive Director, Alyce Robertson, describing Miami’s transformation from a vacation destination to a global economic hub, “with this investment in our startup community, we are poised to become one of the most influential markets for new ideas and the capital that funds them.”

“Miami continues to produce many startups, but they still struggle with growth and scale. 500 Startups aims to fill this gap, capitalizing on the city’s diversity and links to Latin America, to help establish the city as a global hub for tech entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Raul Moas, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation program director for Miami.

“At Visa we believe that our partnership with 500 Startups is a key component of our efforts to collaborate with the ecosystem and connect banks, acquirers and merchants with Fintech companies and startups interested in developing the next generation of payment and commerce experiences,” said Ruben Salazar, SVP, of Products & Solutions at Visa Latin America and the Caribbean.

500 Startups has designed a comprehensive plan focused on supporting the different parts of the ecosystem that may help companies grow at scale and thrive. All will take place at our Signature Space in the heart of Downtown Miami, in partnership with flexible workspace provider, mindwarehouse.

These activities include:

•      Founder Bootcamps
•      Founder Accelerator Programs
•      Investor Education Programs
•      Demo Days
•      Corporate Startup Innovation Training
•      Unity + Inclusion Summit
•      … and much more to come!

We can’t wait to kick-off and hope you will join us in our efforts to support the hotbed of growth that is the Miami tech ecosystem!

Learn more about 500 Startups Miami here

About 500 Startups