To establish Endeavor Miami which will connect, educate and inspire Miami's startup community by identifying, mentoring and accelerating high-potential entrepreneurs in South Florida.
Through its investments in the Miami innovation ecosystem, Knight Foundation is helping entrepreneurs, investors, technologists and others transform the local landscape, building a tech and startup hub rooted in South Florida’s diversity. Explore the many elements that are making Miami more of a place where ideas are built.
In 2013 Knight Foundation decided to take its Miami community program in a new direction. Alongside ongoing work in the arts, we decided to invest in South Florida’s emerging innovators and entrepreneurs as a way to build community. Since that time we have met an incredible group of motivated changemakers looking to make this region a place where ideas are built and dreams can soar.
At the heart of our efforts to support these startups, makers and doers of all kinds is the belief that investing in South Florida’s innovators can yield important community benefits: a stronger sense of place and possibility, increased talent retention and attraction, expanded opportunity, and a greater network of engaged problem-solvers.
Few U.S. cities have transformed the way that Miami has in recent years. It has gone through a cultural awakening, boasting both vibrant cultural institutions and an energetic arts scene. It has grown into a center for higher education; it’s now seventh per capita in the number of college students in the metropolitan area. It possesses entrepreneurial zeal, ranking in the top five per capita in entrepreneurial activity among all U.S. metropolitan areas each of the last six years, including ranking No. 1. It is developing its urban core as its downtown population has doubled. And it has become an international center, comprising people and ventures from around the world, but especially Latin America and the Caribbean.
Knight has capitalized on these strengths; Since 2012 the foundation has made more than 180 investments in entrepreneurship initiatives across South Florida, totaling more than $20 million. These investments have worked to build an environment where startups can flourish, focusing on three pillars of success: connecting entrepreneurs at all levels; attracting capital and investment; and building the region’s talent base.
It is a story of collaboration and partnership. Together, institutions and individuals, businesses and nonprofits, governments and citizens, are propelling South Florida’s reinvention as a growing center for innovation and technology, and as a global meeting place for the Americas and beyond.
In Miami, Knight Foundation invests in civic innovators who help attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of engagement. Check out some of the current funded projects and how they’re influencing Miami.
Grant Details
To establish Endeavor Miami which will connect, educate and inspire Miami's startup community by identifying, mentoring and accelerating high-potential entrepreneurs in South Florida.
Grant Details
To support The Idea Center, which will provide Miami Dade College's large and uniquely diverse student body with the space and resources to connect, collaborate, build and develop their entrepreneurial ideas, thereby helping Miami to harness and retain more of its locally produced talent.
Grant Details
To attract and retain talented people in South Florida and expand opportunity by supporting the Miami launch of Startupbootcamp, an accelerator that aims to boost the next generation of startups by each year selecting the 10 best from around the world to participate in its new South Florida business development program.
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Through a fiscal sponsorship with The Miami Foundation, to develop and stage a large-scale, annual conference called eMerge Americas that serves as a catalyst for establishing Miami as the technology hub of the Americas.
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To support Black Tech Week, which aims to drive greater diversity in Miami's startup community by serving as a platform for minority-owned, high growth startups to connect with venture capitalists, other entrepreneurs, and established technology companies.
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To support LaunchCode in Miami, creating pathways to economic opportunity and upward mobility through apprenticeships and job placement in technology for thousands of Miami residents seeking jobs at local firms hungry for talent.
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To support and expand AGP in its aim to connect investors with early-stage entrepreneurs in regular pitch sessions, grow the network of investors through educational workshops, serve as a resource for navigating the South Florida investor community and to establish a fund focused on Miami entrepreneurs.
Knight Foundation has been incubating Miami and expanding startup opportunities. These are some notable remarks and statistics showcasing the evolving startup ecosystem.
Since relaunching in June 2014, angel investor group Accelerated Growth Partners has made 10 investments into nine companies totaling $1.8 million. Membership stands at over 80 investors.
Growth of annual tech conference emerge americas
number of attendees
Miami ranks seventh in the U.S. in college students per capita.
The Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area ranks No. 2 on the Kauffman Foundation’s index of startup activity.
The LAB Miami, is now home to more than 120 entrepreneurs & draws more than 20,000 people to events annually
Since 2013, Knight Foundation has made more than 100 investments totaling more than $20 million in entrepreneurship initiatives across Miami.
Refresh Miami, largest Tech meetup group in Southeast
Increased from 3,000 to 9,000 members
Annual startup activity more than doubled in Miami between 2000 and 2012.
Few U.S. cities have transformed the way that Miami has in recent years. In addition to its evolution as a year-round arts and culture location, there has been an increased focus on entrepreneurship as essential to the city’s future growth. But what does entrepreneurship in Miami look like? And what are the gaps that need to be filled? This report provides an overview of the current state of Miami’s startup ecosystem examining key drivers of success: availability of talent, funding access, and support systems that connect people and fuel startup growth. While the analysis shows that gaps persist in education, access to capital and opportunities to scale, there are positive signs pointing to an emerging and robust ecosystem.
In Miami, Knight Foundation invests in civic innovators who help attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of engagement. Check out some of the current funded projects and how they’re influencing Miami.
To support civic engagement and talent retention in Miami by funding a matching grant for The Underline which will engage the public and design a master plan of a connected, vibrant 10-mile greenway in Miami
Creating a public focal point for Miami's climate issues with the Science Barge, a floating, urban sustainable farm and environmental education center powered by renewable energy.
To enhance Miami's urban life by producing street performances that activate public parks, transit hubs and community plazas that often go unnoticed.