Our new year begins now: Let’s launch stronger, together

By Christine Johnson – Guest Contributor

The success of the #MiamiTech movement relies on all stakeholders of our community to engage, connect and grow together. The incredible pace of development in our community over the past year is thanks to new entrants and our existing talent, whether from educational programs, local startups or enterprise companies. 

Recognizing this, the Beacon Council’s newest Technology Committee Chair, Juha Mikkola, Co-Founder of Wyncode Academy (now part of  BrainStation), has prioritized further elevating the group’s positioning as a convener of these stakeholders throughout his 2021-2022 term. 

“I’m thrilled and honored to lead the Beacon Council Tech Committee this year,” says Juha (pictured above). “Miami’s tech scene has never grown faster or been more relevant and I am looking forward to fostering valuable connections between the new entrants to Miami and those that have been here, doing the work for years.”

As #MiamiTech has evolved and matured, the Technology Committee’s leadership has always aligned with each unique stage of growth. Juha’s term continues on this trend as he leans into highlighting the strengths and opportunities of the ecosystem with three key themes that will have a common thread throughout the committee’s meetings:

  1. Welcome to Miami
    Introductory conversations with new #MiamiTech leaders, investors, founders, and programs. 
  2. Connecting Enterprise to Startups
    Miami’s enterprise companies will share their best practices on interacting with startups and tips for peers.  
  3. Our Diversity is our Strength
    Spotlight impact-driven initiatives that are drivers that help ensure our ecosystem authentically represents the richness of our multicultural community. 

Each committee meeting will feature local leaders as hosts of the session to facilitate thoughtful dialogue with featured speakers. 

James Kohnstamm, Executive Vice President, Economic Development at The Beacon Council notes, “The organization’s regular committee meetings have always brought industry leaders together to network and have unmatched dialogue on how best to advance the growth of our business community. Juha’s approach presents an even greater opportunity to strengthen this value by prioritizing local voices and resources as central to this year’s committee agenda.” 

The first committee meeting of the year will take place on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 9am. The agenda includes  Michael Rubenstein, Co-Founder and President, OpenStore;  Cheriene Floyd, Director of Performance and Analytics, Miami-Dade County; and Ivan Rapin-Smith, Managing Director, Watsco Ventures, along with highlights of what can be expected from the Committee this new year and recognition of outgoing chair, Ken Finneran, Vice President, Global Human Resources, Kaseya. 

The meeting will take place on Zoom and is open to the public. To learn more and RSVP, visit: https://beaconcouncil.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__JeG7jIhT8-CKwC33mDNqQ

For questions, email me at [email protected].

Christine Johnson is the Miami-Dade Beacon Council’s Vice President of Innovation and Economic Development.