This April, MDC will provide several opportunities for students and the community to connect with South Florida’s booming tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem
Miami, March 27, 2023 – Miami Dade College (MDC) will host and participate in several events during Miami Tech Month in April, including a prominent spot at eMerge Americas 2023, April 20-21, where students will have an opportunity to showcase their projects and immerse themselves in South Florida’s fascinating world of technology and entrepreneurship. MDC activities at eMerge will include three sessions featuring leading industry experts, as well as College leadership, including MDC President Madeline Pumariega; Enrique Infanzon, Dean of Continuing Education; and Alejandro González, Executive Director, The Idea Center at MDC.
Miami Tech Month events:
Tuesday, April 11
#MiamiTech Innovation Run
6:30 – 9 p.m.
Join City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and the Brickell Run Club for a 3.5 mile run through downtown and Brickell. The race will end at MDC Wolfson Campus with a huge block party! Sign up here.
Thursday – Saturday, April 13 – 15
AI Hackathon
Put your tech or teamwork skills to work by building something using AI. No coding skills necessary. The winning team will go home with a $10,000 cash prize. Register here.
Thursday – Friday, April 20 – 21
MDC at eMerge Americas 2023
Miami Beach Convention Center
1901 Convention Center Dr.
Miami Beach, FL. 33139
eMerge sessions:
Thursday, April 20, 12:25- 12:55 p.m.
Atomik: The Man Behind the Orange
Launch Pad Stage
A fireside chat with local graffiti legend Adam Vargas, aka Atomik, the man behind iconic orange characters drawn on Miami walls, sidewalks, stickers and more. He will join Alejandro González, Executive Director at MDC’s The Idea Center, to talk about how he turned his passion for graffiti art into a global brand and a thriving business.
Thursday, April 20, 4:20-4:50pm
Tomorrow’s Solutions Today: Exploring the Transformative Power of Future-Tech in Addressing Global Challenges
Main Stage
Future-tech will play a critical role in tackling the urgent environmental and societal challenges of our time. This executive session moderated by MDC President Madeline Pumariega will feature a panel of experts that includes Jackie Kossmann, Partner, Congruent Ventures; Kiel Berry, Founder and Managing Partner, Mission One Capital; and Tony Cho, Founder and CEO, Future of Cities. Together, they will explore cutting-edge innovations that promise to revolutionize the way energy is produced and consumed, how natural resources are managed, and address global issues such as climate change, food security and sustainable urbanization.
Friday, April 21, 2:35- 2:55 p.m.
The Transformational Rise of the Metaversity
Texpert Stage
This presentation featuring Steve Grubbs, CEO at VictoryXR, and Enrique Infanzon, Dean of Continuing Education at MDC, will delve into the topic of Metaversity and how the college is implementing it. Areas of discussion include: what is a metaversity; where is it deployed and in use today; what related courses is MDC teaching, what does the early data say and what does the future look like with mixed reality and augmented reality folded into virtual reality.
Thursday – Friday, April 20-21, all day
Startup Showcase
Expo Floor
The Startup Showcase will feature projects by MDC students and staff, including Volunteer Scout, a user-friendly platform created by Xavier Koepf, a School of Advanced Studies student at MDC, which allows students to browse fun, long-term volunteer opportunities free of charge, and bonnee, an interactive social platform that connects the closets of fashionistas and allows users to swap mid-to-luxury clothing and accessories created by MDC alumna Maritza Sanchez-Schubert, MDC employee Meredith Vey and Vanessa Sanchez. These entrepreneurs will compete for a chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes, access to virtual bootcamps and meet with global enterprises and investors.
As in previous years, MDC’s booth at eMerge Americas will showcase the college’s trailblazing technology, innovation and entrepreneurial programs and facilities, including the Idea Center, Business Innovation and Technology Center and MAGIC. To learn more about MDC Tech programs, visit www.mdc.edu or call 305-237-8888.
About eMerge Americas
eMerge Americas is a venture-backed platform focused on transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas. The eMerge signature event, launched in 2014, is a global tech conference held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center, attracting more than 16,000 attendees from 40 countries and over 3,900 unique participating organizations. In addition to the annual conference, eMerge organizes and hosts year-round executive summits, innovation challenges, startup pitch competitions, masterclasses, webinars, as well as publishes venture activity and investment insights reports. For the last decade, eMerge has served as a catalyst for innovation and investment across the Americas, working at the forefront of building the South Florida entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem. For more information about eMerge Americas, visit www.emergeamericas.com.
