MIAMI – (Nov. 4, 2013) – The third annual Americas Business Council Foundation Continuity Forum will expand its reach this year, responding to the growing demand for opportunities that connect Miami’s entrepreneurs and innovators. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will support the two-day convening with $150,000 to provide a platform for prominent social entrepreneurs and innovators to present their ideas and win funding support.
The event, being held in partnership with Ashoka, a leading social entrepreneurship organization, will take place from Nov. 6-7. It will bring together high-profile speakers to present their ideas and use their influence to address social challenges across the Americas—from community building to poverty and food security. The program will highlight presentations from 21 social entrepreneurs and several featured speakers, including Larry Summers, Buzz Aldrin, David Axelrod, Jane Goodall and Arianna Huffington.
Three promising ideas from the 21 presenting entrepreneurs will receive $100,000 each to help with financing, hands-on advising and operating expenses. Additionally, this year the convening will move to a larger location at the New World Center in Miami Beach after being staged in a Coconut Grove hotel ballroom each of the past two years. The new venue was chosen to accommodate South Florida’s growing community of innovators and entrepreneurs. The public is encouraged to purchase tickets at: www.abccontinuityforum.org/register. It is the first time that the event will be live streamed to a larger public audience.
“The growth of the Continuity Forum signals an increasing momentum for entrepreneurship and idea building in Miami,” said Matt Haggman, Knight Foundation’s Miami program director. “It also underscores the diversity of entrepreneurs in our community and the corresponding need for a diversity of opportunities that foster and connect them.”
“The Americas Business Council Continuity Forum provides a unique platform to discover and invest in innovative social and environmental projects. We strive to help these initiatives achieve their full potential by providing hands-on advisory support, financial services and media exposure to ensure their long-term success in addressing critical issues in the Americas,” said Camilo Galvis, executive director of the Americas Business Council Foundation.
The Americas Business Council Foundation was established by Latin American business and media leaders Emilio Azcárraga, chairman and CEO, Grupo Televisa; Angélica Fuentes, president and CEO, Grupo Omnilife; Jorge Vergara, chairman, Grupo Omnilife; and Mario Scarpetta, chairman, Grupo Azurita. Its mission is to identify, replicate and improve the most innovative global solutions to social and environmental challenges facing the Americas. To this end, it identifies high-impact organizations and provides them with hands-on support, financial assistance and data-driven planning.
Support for the Continuity Forum forms one part of Knight Foundation’s efforts to inform citizens and create new opportunities by strengthening Miami’s emerging community of entrepreneurs, startups and makers.
Visit www.abccontinuityforum.com for updates. Follow the Americas Business Council Foundation on Twitter @abc_foundation and Facebook at www.facebook.com/abcfoundation for news and highlights. The event hashtag is #abcforum
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To purchase tickets, please visit www.abccontinuityforum.org/register. Tickets are $750 for a two-day pass and $500 for a one-day pass.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
About the Americas Business Council Foundation
The abc* Foundation was created in 2008 by the Poder Magazine team in conjunction with several top Latin American media and business leaders seeking to strengthen the culture of philanthropic engagements in the Americas. abc* is a think-do tank fostering deep and continuous engagement by pairing the best innovators with the resources they need to deliver sustainable impact. Through this method of investment philanthropy they work to maximize impact and introduce competition so that social and environmental investments enjoy the same returns we strive for in all other markets.