Your Complete Guide to South Florida's Exploding Startup Ecosystem
70% of all Latin America VC deals have Miami involvement. Access to 650M consumers and $6T GDP market.
Key Advantage:
Bilingual talent, cultural bridge, same time zones
0% state income tax, 0% capital gains tax. Founders save $130K+ annually vs California on $1M income.
Real Savings:
Keep 13.3% more equity proceeds at exit
Host of Bitcoin Conference, ETHMiami. Mayor takes salary in Bitcoin. Crypto-friendly regulations.
Ecosystem:
500+ blockchain companies, $500M+ in crypto funds
Wynwood
Miami Beach
Brickell
Fort Lauderdale
Digital Innovation, AI/ML, Blockchain
Downtown Miami
LatAm, Global Markets, B2B
Wynwood
Climate Tech, Sustainability, Impact
Coconut Grove
Student Ventures, EdTech, Consumer
Coral Gables
HealthTech, BioTech, MedTech
Brickell
Tech Leaders, Unicorns, Scale-ups
$5M - $1B
Beauty Tech, Retail Tech, Sustainability
$500K - $5M
Civic Tech, Media Innovation, Community
$100K - $1M
High-growth companies
Program Benefits:
Mentorship, network, no equity taken
First-time founders
Program Benefits:
$25K funding, mentorship, 4% equity
Student & alumni ventures
Program Benefits:
Free office space, mentorship, grants
B2B SaaS
Program Benefits:
$100K funding, product development
Tech skills + startups
Program Benefits:
Technical training, demo day
Miami's creative district with highest concentration of startups, VCs, and tech events. Street art everywhere.
Miami's Manhattan with banks, corporate VCs, and fintech. High-rise living with city views. Very walkable.
Work from the beach. Popular with crypto bros and lifestyle startups. Traffic to mainland can be brutal.
Beautiful suburban area near University of Miami. Good for families. More traditional business environment.
Rapidly developing with new towers. Home to government, Knight Foundation, and civic tech. Good transit access.
Laid-back waterfront neighborhood. Popular with remote workers. Great restaurants and nightlife.
78 SW 7th St, Miami
400 NW 26th St, Wynwood
Multiple locations
1951 NW 7th Ave, Miami
2750 NW 3rd Ave, Wynwood
Major Tech Conference
Focus: Tech innovation, VC, Global
Week-long tech festival
Focus: Startups, Crypto, VC
If you have any LatAm connection, expansion plan, or Spanish-speaking team, emphasize it. Miami VCs love the "gateway to LatAm" narrative.
Pro Tip:
Show TAM calculations for both US and LatAm markets. A $100M US opportunity becomes $600M with LatAm.
Skip generic networking. Focus on these high-ROI spots where VCs actually hang out:
Miami VCs have specific preferences. Adjust your deck accordingly:
Emphasize:
De-emphasize:
Miami is relationship-driven. Cold emails have <2% response rate. Get warm intros through:
Subject: [Mutual Connection] suggested we connect - [Company] expanding to LatAm
Hi [VC Name],
[Mutual Connection] mentioned you're the expert on [specific focus area] in Miami and suggested we connect.
We're a [stage] [industry] company that [one-line value prop]. We're seeing strong traction with [specific metric] and are exploring Miami as our hub for Latin American expansion.
Quick highlights:
• [Impressive metric with %]
• [Notable customer or partnership]
• [Why Miami/LatAm makes sense]
Would love to grab Cuban coffee in Wynwood next week if you're around. I'll be at [specific Miami event] on [date] if you'll be there too.
Best,
[Your name]
Year-Round Summer
Beach meetings are real. Seasonal depression doesn't exist.
Travel Hub
Direct flights everywhere. 3hrs to NYC, 6hrs to SF, 2hrs to Caribbean.
International Vibe
70% speak Spanish. Global mindset. Amazing food scene.
Work-Life Balance
5pm beach volleyball is standard. Outdoor lifestyle year-round.
Car Required
Public transit is terrible. Uber gets expensive. Traffic is LA-level bad.
Expensive Living
Rent up 40% since 2020. $3K+ for decent 1BR. Food/drinks pricey.
Hurricane Season
June-November anxiety. Insurance costs skyrocketing.
Talent Challenges
Smaller tech talent pool. Many engineers remote from cheaper cities.
REEF Technology - $1.5B Valuation
Ghost kitchens & urban logistics. SoftBank led $700M.
Papa - $1.4B Valuation
Companion care for seniors. Tiger Global invested.
Pipe - $2B Valuation
Trading platform for recurring revenues. Moved HQ to Miami.
CareCloud - $665M Exit
Healthcare IT. Acquired by MTBC/Augmedix.
Nearpod - $1B Exit to Renaissance
EdTech platform. One of Miami's biggest exits.
Kiddo
Parenting super-app. $16M Series A from Seae Ventures.
Pocketnest
Financial wellness platform. $30M raised.
Boatsetter
Airbnb for boats. $38M raised, expanding globally.
Velocity
Revenue-based financing. $35M Series A.
ClassWallet
Digital wallet for education. $95M raised.
| Metric | Miami | Austin | NYC | SF Bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Income Tax | 0% | 0% | 10.9% | 13.3% |
| Avg 1BR Rent | $2,900 | $2,100 | $4,200 | $3,500 |
| VC Funding 2024 | $2.4B | $4.1B | $29B | $63B |
| Tech Talent Pool | 95K | 145K | 320K | 480K |
| Avg Tech Salary | $115K | $125K | $145K | $165K |
| Quality of Life | Beach! | Music! | Culture! | Tech! |
| Int'l Airport | Major Hub | Limited | 3 Airports | Good |
Miami wins on taxes, lifestyle, and Latin America access. It loses on talent depth and total VC funding. Best for: B2C, marketplaces, LatAm expansion, crypto/Web3, and lifestyle businesses. Skip for: Deep tech, enterprise B2B requiring specialized talent.
Move to Miami if: You're pre-Series A, targeting LatAm markets, in crypto/Web3, want better lifestyle, or can operate with a remote team. The tax savings alone can extend your runway by 20%.
Stay put if: You need specialized technical talent, are raising Series B+, need proximity to enterprise customers, or are in deep tech/biotech where ecosystem depth matters more than taxes.
Pre-seed/Seed: Actually easier in Miami due to less competition. Average seed round closes in 3-4 months vs 4-6 in SF.
Series A: Similar difficulty, but you'll likely need to travel to NYC/SF for larger rounds. Many Miami startups raise remotely.
Series B+: Much harder. Only 15% of Series B+ rounds in Miami are led locally. Most require coastal VCs.
The reality: Miami has 95,000 tech workers vs 480,000 in Bay Area. Senior engineers are particularly scarce and expensive.
The workaround: Most successful Miami startups hire remotely from Latin America (30-50% cost savings) or maintain distributed teams. Local hiring works for junior roles and non-technical positions.
Growing fast: Tech employment up 40% since 2020. University programs expanding. But still years behind major hubs.
The stereotype is outdated. While Miami leads in crypto/Web3 (30% of startups), the ecosystem is diversifying rapidly:
The party reputation helps with recruiting and networking but isn't the whole story.
Real concerns: Hurricane season (June-Nov) causes anxiety. Insurance costs up 40%. Some areas flood regularly. Long-term sea level rise threatens certain neighborhoods.
Mitigation: Modern buildings are hurricane-resistant. Most tech offices are inland (Wynwood, Coral Gables). Business interruption is rare - even major hurricanes typically mean 2-3 days offline max.
The irony: Climate risk is driving massive investment in climate tech startups locally.
Week 1-2: Reconnaissance
Week 3-4: Integration
Pro tip: Mention you're considering moving from SF/NYC - instant credibility and people will want to sell you on Miami.
Miami-Dade Beacon Council
Relocation incentives & tax breaks
Enterprise Florida
State grants and tax credits
Venture Miami
City-backed innovation programs
Connect with 150+ active VCs, find your perfect co-working space, and tap into the fastest-growing tech ecosystem in America.
Last updated: September 2025 | Data sources: PitchBook, Crunchbase, Miami-Dade Beacon Council