“South Florida by the numbers” is a web feature that catalogs the most notable, quirky and surprising real estate statistics. The giants of technology and innovation will converge in Miami Beach next month for the eMerge Americas Conference, which runs from May 1-7.
Billed as “TechWeek Miami,” this international summit is designed to promote Miami and South Florida as the technological hub of the Americas, connecting global industry leaders and investors with Latin America’s top business executives, IT decision-makers and innovative entrepreneurs. The conference’s impact on Miami in general – particularly in the real estate sector – could help establish the region as a southeastern Silicon Valley, or “Silicon Beach.” So, boot up, log in and interface with this latest edition of South Florida by the numbers.
6
Number of topics eMerge Americas will focus on over the course of the conference: finance, health care, cities, entertainment/media, education and innovation. Conference founder Manny Medina (a South Florida entrepreneur who sold his data-services company Terremark to Verizon in 2012) likens the event to Austin’s South by Southwest creative extravaganza, but “with Miami sizzle.” [Sun-Sentinel]
$1.6 billion
Boost to Miami-Dade County’s GDP from the conference and its economic development impact, according to a Washington Economics Group study commissioned by the Technology Foundation of the Americas (organizers of eMerge Americas). The report also conservatively predicts that the conference will produce about 17,000 high-tech jobs in Miami over the next decade, plus $2.4 billion in additional sales tax revenues over that same timeframe. [Business Wire]
100
Notable South Florida technology innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders recognized in “Techweek100 Miami.” The list includes leaders from all aspects of the tech community, including prominent investors, active supporters in the startup community and other innovators that make important contributions to their field. [Techweek.com]
1.5 million
Web visitors last year to the Miami-based web portal Properati, which connects brokers in the region with serious investors in Argentina, Brazil and other South American countries. The startup is housed in VentureHive, a converted warehouse in Miami’s Park West neighborhood that serves as shared office space for budding technology companies. [Daily Business Review]
More than $300 million
Estimated amount of venture fund capital raised in South Florida in 2013 (according to the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto), ranking the region 16th among the 380-plus U.S. metro regions. The MPI’s research suggests urban centers have collectively overtaken Silicon Valley as the nexus of venture capital-funded high-tech startups. [Miami Herald]
$8.7 million
Price paid by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2013 for a 7,230 square-foot, four-bedroom/four-bathroom home in Wellington’s Mallet Hill neighborhood. The home was built on four acres of land and includes show jumping training grounds and two barns with space for 20 horses. (Gates’ daughter Jennifer is training to become a world-class show jumping rider.) [Gossip Extra]
288
Feet in length of “Fountainhead,” the yacht owned by technology entrepreneur Mark Cuban, which has been docked behind the Epic Hotel in Miami since 2011. “Fountainhead” is currently ranked as the 48th largest superyacht in the world, according to “Boat International.” [exMiami]
This column is produced by the Master Brokers Forum, a network of South Florida’s elite real estate professionals where membership is by invitation only and based on outstanding production, as well as ethical and professional behavior.