Come see the new Incubate Miami Fall program technology entrepreneurs as they launch their companies on January 19, 2012. All event participants will be able to see the technology demonstrations and take part in an event unlike any other in Miami!

About the Presenting Companies

Bookigee

• Bookigee is out to transform the book publishing industry – with innovative, highly-targeted products on one side that feed deep analytics on the other side-to help authors, readers, and the rest of the industry understand & connect in today’s quickly-evolving publishing landscape.

Call Signs

• Call Signs lets you easily share your phone number and social contacts with your friends or customers!

Leggo.fm

• Leggo.fm uses user-generated analytics to disseminate music to appropriate audiences connecting royalty-free independent artists to appropriate mainstream outlets.

Mivesta

• Mivesta believes in using technology to create a social collaboration experience. Mivesta connects to create, learn and share with our interactive platform.

Zoom Future

• ZoomFuture is a technology solution allowing leaders, workers, and everyday people to track and measure ‘key metrics’ of their life to increase overall success in their business and personal lives.

About the Incubate Miami Program

The Technology Accelerator program is a startup “bootcamp” offered twice a year during the spring and fall. The three month startup accelerator program focuses on providing targeted resources in a structured environment to technology companies and applications. Each program class consists of 10-15 companies selected to participate in the series of fast-paced, rigorous workshops focused on specific topics critical to their business development. As such, the program brings in top executives, successful entrepreneurs, service provides, and mentors to educate and guide entrepreneurs. The three month engagement culminates in a Demo Day pitch event wherein companies announce their official launch of their businesses to a selected audience group.

Miami Tower
100 Southeast 2nd Street, Auditorium Level
Miami, Fl 33131

Please register online as only registered individuals will be considered for invitations. Space is limited so hurry!

Click here to register now!

The pall cast over the global economy shows no sign of lifting anytime soon. The U.S. and Europe are mired in debt, experiencing the lowest levels of consumer confidence in decades, and a sharp slowdown in the global economy is predicted for 2012. In our own backyard, Florida continues to suffer from high mortgage defaults, foreclosures and joblessness above the national average.

Nevertheless, unaware to most, an exciting, positive, and transformational development is taking place— one that all of us should celebrate: Miami’s entrepreneurial renaissance.

What is igniting this most welcome development? Seven drivers explain our good fortune:

An existing base of entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurship is in the DNA of South Florida. Our new world in the tropics was built by the likes of Henry Flagler, Carl Fisher and the Wolfson Family; entrepreneurs in the arts and music including architect Morris Lapidus, music producers Henry Stone, the Estefans and Luther Campbell; developers Tibor Hollo, Jorge Perez and Martin Margulies; inventor Herbert Wertheim; the late Ted Arison, cruise industry magnate; and serial entrepreneurs Maria Elena Ibánez and Mike Fernandez. This fertile environment is now spawning a whole new generation of young entrepreneurs in technology and venture capital, such as Demian Bellumio (Senzari), Mike Tomás (Bioheart), Joe Caruncho (Preferred Care Partners) and Albert Santalo (CloudCare) .

Affordable cost of living/quality of life: The crash of the South Florida housing market has dramatically lowered the overall cost of living. In fact, Miami is more affordable than many major cities , and scores high on quality of life indicators, too. The art scene is blossoming in Wynwood in particular; and there are many small musical ensembles to complement the Miami Symphony Orchestra and the New World Symphony.

Improved governance: Striving to shirk its reputation for incompetent, inefficient and corrupt government, local government has been making steady progress, especially on budget and tax reduction and cost controls. These reforms encourage entrepreneurs to establish or maintain their South Florida businesses.

Educational upgrading: Two of South Florida’sleading research universities have increased their expertise in a number of areas of greatest importance to entrepreneurs. UM’s Launch Pad, with its focus on start-ups, and FIU’s Pino Entrepreneurship Center, with an emphasis on second stage innovative firms and venture capital are catalysts of entrepreneurial activity.

Industry diversification. While real estate, tourism, and international trade continue to dominate the South Florida landscape, the last few years have seen a burst of activity in other areas — healthcare, life sciences, media, IT and telecommunications, the luxury industry, and venture capital. Any business ecosystem requires supporting institutions. South Florida is blessed by many, including the Beacon Council, the Enterprise Development Corp., the Internet Coast, SCORE, GrowFL and a slew of venture capital and angel investor organizations and local chambers.

Increasingly internationalization. Two discernible trends are emerging in South Florida’s international business environment. One is the continued influx of entrepreneurs from Latin American and the Caribbean.. A second trend is the growing migration to South Florida of entrepreneurs from outside the Americas.

The ecosystem to nurture entrepreneurial enterprises will continue to produce spillover effects throughout all of South Florida — scores of technology firms in Broward, and FAU and the Scripps and Max Planck Institutes in Palm Beach County. Our region, ranking 8th in the nation in the Kaufmann Foundation’s Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, is destined to become a global magnet for creative minds. Miami’s entrepreneurial renaissance is just beginning to dawn.

Jerry Haar is associate dean and director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center in the College of Business Administration at Florida International University.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/30/v-print/2479492/whats-driving-miamis-entrepreneurial.html#ixzz1cNcMsaWJ

Before we get to the investor however, there must be a great new business idea that is worth investing in.  This is universal across investor groups.   Let’s take a few minutes to review what this means.

First, BUSINESS is not SCIENCE:

Business means the implementation of a  process for a profit.  Often times, Science is a the root of a good business, however this is not always the case.  Our world of technology ventures are considered Computer Science and often new ways of viewing or manipulating the physical world are at the root of our ventures.  These are great opportunities to create value in the changing dynamic of the world.

Often times the science is hidden in the software code and the new business is based on the application of new technologies into various vertical markets. Understanding where you as the entrepreneur fall within these two buckets is critical to understanding how you will be viewed by investors, and how you should be viewing your own business model.

Once you have figured out where your business model fits within the above, it is now important to review how you are pitching your investor base. One of the first mistakes made by early stage venture pitches is to explain how the technology is going to change the world. As entrepreneurs it is very easy to be overwhelmed by the prospect of starting a company. Then the first feeling you may have then when you come across a potential investor is to pitch the technology. THIS IS A MISTAKE. You may receive comments like “you are very passionate” which is not a compliment.

Instead, remember that if you want to take in outside capital, you have a specific job to sell your COMPANY….not just an IDEA. Therefore there are two critical items to convey; 1. A value in the market that is waiting to be filled and 2. A strong ability to lead your company and fill the gap successfully. This takes practice for most, and I recommend practicing quite a bit. The ability to close a deal is the ability to become the CEO that you will soon be. You are likely correct about your business and therefore conveying this message is the key ingredient. For those involved in Incubate Miami’s programs we run weekly pitch events that bring all of the companies together to present their business publicly. The growth we see from start to finish is game changing.

Innovation is the source of new markets, feel proud and stand up for your company…

Regardless of where you sit, the key mess

Melissa Brillhart
(305)357-4723
mbrillhart@carlisledevelopmentgroup.com

TEDxMIA 2011 “Between the Lines” Conference to be held at New World Center

Dynamic individuals gather to ignite ideas made in Miami that connect our community

August 22, 2011 – Miami, FL – This year TEDxMIA is pleased to announce that its second annual conference, “Between the Lines”, will be held at the New World Center on September 13, from 7-9 pm.

Miami is increasingly a hub of diverse creativity, innovative thinking and progressive thought leadership – a fact that is often overlooked. TEDxMIA is an independently organized event, licensed by TED, that brings together hundreds of local thought leaders across various disciplines who are interested in exploring big questions and fostering the intellectual expansion of Miami through innovation, collaboration and the sharing of ideas. As a destination for creativity and inspiration, the New World Center serves as an ideal backdrop for this event and provides a fitting forum to spark conversation and new connections.

Nine dynamic speakers will explore thought-provoking topics such as: how popsicles can change the world; random acts of culture; how mathematics is used to create the ugliest music ever composed; fantastic plastic; beauty in the margins; and why the diversity of coral in Miami proves adaptation is essential to survival.

Born out of the theme of this year’s event, “Between the Lines”, these amazing and entertaining topics explore where change begins, ideas are born, drawings emerge and notes dance. It is what you don’t immediately see — the poetry in motion this city creates; the ever changing skylines; the constant coming and going of its multicultural tribes.

The following individuals – all of whom are doing inspiring work right here in Miami — will be speaking live at the conference:

• Shelly Baer Social Worker
• Barbara de Vries Designer
• Colin Ford Marine Biologist
• Felecia Hatcher Chief Popsicle
• Barrington Irving Founder of Experience Aviation, Inc.
• Brad Meltzer Novelist/TV Host
• Scott Rickard Professor
• Dennis Scholl Wine Maker
• Bill Williams Musician

Following the success of last year’s inaugural TEDxMIA event at the Wolfsonian-FIU, the “Between the Lines” conference is anticipated to bring together more than 500 attendees. Local residents are encouraged to apply now at tedxmia.com/apply-to-attend. The cost to attend is $50. For more information or to join the TEDxMIA community, connect with TEDxMIA via tedxmia.com | twitter.com/tedxmia | facebook.com/tedxmia | ted.com.

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What is TEDxMIA?
Miami is increasingly a hub of diverse creativity, innovative thinking and progressive thought leadership – a fact that is often overlooked. TEDxMIA is an effort to drive and showcase the cultural and intellectual vitality continuing to blossom in the city. For more than two decades, TED has presented acclaimed speakers to promote “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Under license from TED, TEDxMIA is a non-profit, independent organizer of events connecting the community and spreading ideas in and around South Florida.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of “ideas worth spreading,” TED has created TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxMIA, where x = independently organized TED event. At TEDxMIA, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 26 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. At TED, the world’s leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Two major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Long Beach, California (along with a parallel conference, TEDActive, in Palm Springs), and TEDGlobal is held each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily; the new TED Conversations, enabling broad conversations among TED fans; and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide.

TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

For information about TED’s upcoming conferences, visit http://www.ted.com/registration

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED

The need for greater information is a great sign.  When Incubate started nearly 24 months ago, the landscape was very different.  The market had only Refresh as a networking event.  We are seeing some early stage growth though still very early.  These discussions are creating the need for increased clarity.

Incubate Miami sits at a unique intersection in the community between public economic development and private investment seed acceleration. It is critical that Miami achieves two broad goals; the first is  general economic growth (public funds) and second is a highly focused technology ecosystem (seed acceleration). Having lived in South Florida since elementary school, I can tell you that we have lost more home grown talent than we have maintained. The SoFla market has been too small economically for a significant job market and this has led to a brain drain on the market.  We need to fix this.

The impact on fixing this system is a general expansion of the economic base of the County. More businesses, more interesting industries and increasing economic capacity will lead to general growth in the tax base as well as investment community leading to a sustained improvement of lifestyle and services in the community.

Incubate is the best of these worlds. With our partnership with the Enterprise Development Corporation with Jane Teague at the helm Incubate touches thousands of organizations around the State of Florida, Universities within the State and lawmakers in Tallahassee. Jane’s reach is state wide and provides incredible resources to entrepreneurs that you will only understand once you engage with the program. While “Incubation” is a forever description, “Seed Acceleration” has risen in the country as the method to launch new technology companies. This method does not focus on all businesses, for example biotechnology cannot benefit from a ninety day program, however technology companies and specifically cloud services can be launched into the market with a high energy push that creates momentum.  For this tool we have engaged with David Cohen and Brad Feld from Techstars to learn from their successes as well as benefit from the Techstars expansion nationally.

Combining these two organizations provides a compelling resource pool for anyone serious about entrepreneurship.   Incubate is looking for early stage technology companies that can meet a market need, be developed in Miami and succeed to a substantial level. The opportunity is here.

I am still looking to unlock this component in Miami.  I wonder if the issue is the fast pace of Miami life or the relative youth of our community.  I am optimistic that the more value we create as a community the more opportunity will arise and we will find our own ecosystem very protective.

I met some great people out  here and learned a few lessons that I think are worthy of bringing back to our Incubate Miami Technology Accelerator Program:

1. This is not a zero sum game.   The only way to think of it as such is if we are unwilling to do the hard work to innovate.   By doing so, we can increment each other’s work rather than cannibalize each other’s work.
2. This is hard work.   The guys that are working are not sitting on successes, they are out making connections, sharing connections and putting in serious time to develop their applications.   The difference between success and failure includes strategic thinking, but good old hard work as well.   David C.  sets this tone with impressive precision of the TechStars program.  Thanks.
3. There is plenty of money.  We have nothing to worry about in Miami.  There are so many investors  looking for startup deals that the issue is clearly deal quality, not financial resources.  Well positioned, well managed companies WILL GET FUNDED.
4. The presentations at Techstars Demo Day indicate a commitment to perfection.   This will be the number one focus of improvement for my work with the teams this program.  The ability to communicate the business in a public stage is a critical skill to master.

I am thinking about a road trip next summer to Boulder for the Miami Technorati.   Anyone else like the idea?

Marc Billings

Digiport- The Technology Center

200 SE 1st Street, #400

Miami, FL 33131

o. 305-424-0016

f. 305-503-5408

m.305-970-7010

LinkedIN: Marc Billings

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118489634905807

Now Accepting Applications for the

Winter 2011 Technology Accelerator Program!

Incubate Miami is now accepting applications into it’s Technology Accelerator Winter 2011 Program scheduled to begin on September 15th, 2011. Please apply through the website or send an email to jporras@incubatemiami.com with your executive summary attached in order to be considered. Applications are being accepted on a rolling admissions basis.

About the program:

The Technology Accelerator Program is a three month program designed to push technology entrepreneurs through the business development process and increase their chances of success. Throughout the program, entrepreneurs have access to technology leadership, mentors, and an overall nurturing growth environment to help entrepreneurs develop their companies in Miami. The program addresses, but is not limited to, the following issues:

• Defining your business
• Product / Technology Assessment
• Legal – IP and Contract Needs
• Financial Modeling
• Proper Corporate Structures
• Business Planning 101
• Sales / Marketing / Business Development
• Building a Successful Management Team
• Raising Capital

The Incubate Miami program culminates in a Demo Day presentation wherein all participants are required to showcase their businesses to a select audience.

Criteria for selection

We are looking for energetic and capable teams who are developing technology businesses in the following areas:

• Applications: Web/Enterprise 2.0, BI/data/analytics, gaming/simulation, IPTV, etc.
• Technology: IPTV, Web, SaaS, open source, data integration, middleware, etc.
• Customers: SMB through Fortune 500
• Location: come from anywhere, willing to locate to Miami for the program
• Founders: well-rounded founder teams of 1-3 people with at least one person with proven technical expertise
• Capital: can make efficient use of limited capital, would generally be planning on self/angel/customer financing as a next step coming out of the program.

Teams: Technology teams admitted into the program ideally are composed anywhere from 1-3 individuals who can devote significant time to the company during the three month program. Team breakdown always varies but there is typically a team member with significant knowledge on the technology and/or programming.

For more information, please visit our program page: http://www.incubatemiami.com/technology-accelerator-program/