Positive Outlook for Venture Capital in Florida
Author: Kevin M. Levy
Publisher: Boardroom Brief
Date: November 30, 2011
Florida has come a long way in terms of attracting the attention of venture capitalists. Over the past year, the dedicated work of a number of notable incubator founders, including Susan Amat with the Launch Pad at the University of Miami, Marc Billings with Incubate Miami and Jane Teague with Enterprise Development Corporation’s at FAU have begun to pay dividends for the state and venture capital activity. Not only have these incubators attracted attention, they have sparked the interest of local angel investors and VCs from the Northeast and California to come kick the tires of South Florida grown and based entrepreneurs.
The growth in participation in venture capital events and conferences among entrepreneurs and private investors in Florida has ballooned. For instance, Demo Days, an event held by Incubate Miami, grew from 20 attendees in 2010 to over 250 in 2011. Many of the attendees included a number of local angel groups and California and Northeastern-based VC firms.
Florida started the year with a strong foot forward. During the first quarter of this year, Florida was among the top-10 states to receive VC funding according to a quarterly survey conducted by MoneyTree survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. The most recent survey of the third quarter ranks Florida as 18th nationally. During the third quarter of this year, Florida companies received more than $48.3 million from professional venture-investment firms. Although the quarterly survey indicates there was a drop from the first quarter of the year to the third quarter, Florida should still be optimistic. Read more here.
Companies Participate in 14th Annual Emerging Technology Business Showcase
Publisher: Boardroom Brief
Date: November 15, 2011
For a day, the ballroom at the Hilton Deerfield Beach looked a lot like a Silicon Valley gathering with a view of the ocean as the Enterprise Development Corporation of South Florida (EDC) hosted its annual Emerging Technology Business Showcase (ETBS) on November 10, 2011. South Florida’s most innovative science and tech companies were in attendance ranging from global enterprises to little-known, how-do-you-spell-that type of companies.
According to Jane Teague, EDC Executive Director, “South Florida science and technology entrepreneurs have turned to EDC for well over a decade for assistance with growing their companies. EDC is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, providing startups with a variety of support services such as mentoring and business incubation to help them succeed. ETBS provides a venue for visibility and high-value networking opportunities, and this year’s conference did not disappoint”. Read more here.
