Despite a tumultuous year for funding across the nation, Florida and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area saw a rise in investments. The latest edition of eMerge Insights, published in partnership with Knight Foundation and Florida International University, is an overview of the exponential growth and resiliency of our local tech ecosystem. Notable highlights include:

• $5.81 billion was invested in South Florida startups and later-stage companies in 2022. Compare that to $5.33 billion in 2021.
• Startups based in the Greater Miami metro area snagged 71% of the state’s venture capital take in dollars and over 61% of the VC deals.
• The Miami metro ranks 7th in the nation, and the state of Florida tied for sixth.
• In 2022, fundraising by VC firms was also a bright spot for South Florida, hitting $5.07 billion, up from $497 million in 2021

eMerge Americas unveiled its second eMerge Magazine issue with publishing partner, Havas House in Fall 2022. The Miami tech industry story goes beyond what facts and figures can tell. Notable highlights include:

• Capital For All: Diversity In Venture Capital
• Where Art Meets Tech: How Miami Innovators Disrupting The NFT Industry
• Insights on the Miami tech ecosystem’s growth, such as:
  • South Florida startups pulled in $3.1 billion across 209 deals in the first half of 2022
  • Startups based in the Greater Miami metro area snagged 79% of the state’s venture capital take in dollars and over 64% of the deals
  • Miami’s bid as the #cryptocapital is gaining steam, with 21 crypto and blockchain deals totaling $732 million recorded in 1H-2022, following a strong Q4 in 2021
• And so much more…

eMerge Americas launched its inaugural eMerge Magazine issue with publishing partner, Havas House during the eMerge Americas 2022 event. The Miami tech industry story goes beyond what facts and figures can tell. It’s a story about the entire innovation ecosystem — entrepreneurs, investors, academia, corporate and government leaders working together to achieve a common goal. A story where creativity and grit combine to elevate tech offerings. A story where fledgling businesses are given the support needed to thrive, scale and succeed.

This latest edition of eMerge Insights, published in partnership with Knight Foundation and Florida International University, is an overview of the exponential growth and potential of our local tech ecosystem. Notable highlights are:

• $1.26 billion was invested in South Florida startups and later-stage companies across 106 deals
• The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale metro area ranked 13th in the U.S. for VC investments by dollar volume
• Startups based in the Greater Miami area snagged 73% of Florida’s venture capital take in dollars
• The Miami movement is bearing fruit, as two of the top 5 deals were new-to-Miami companies: Pipe, in the No. 1 spot with a $250 million raise, and CRM-focused Introhive, whose $100 million raise ranked third.
• Q2 showed considerable strength in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, with venture capital surging 171% over Q1. If the 1H momentum continues, South Florida will have a record year. 

2019 was a record breaking year: $2.39 billion was invested in South Florida startups. The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale metro area ranked seventh in the U.S. for dollar value of deals, besting Austin, Chicago and Washington D.C. Additionally, venture capital in Latin America roared to record levels which produced over a dozen new unicorns in the region. As a community, we are now facing a new set of challenges to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

It is shaping up to be a very good year for the Greater Miami ecosystem. In this report, you will read about some incredible venture capital investments in South Florida companies during the first half of 2019. If trends hold, it could be the year that shatters the record books. But behind this news is a number of developments worth celebrating.