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Mana Tech, Base Miami merge; Charly Esnal to lead Mana Tech
Mana Tech, a division of Moishe Mana’s Mana Common, announced a merger with Base Miami, a Latin American-focused tech accelerator. Base Miami founder, Charly Esnal, has been appointed as the managing director for the technology platform.
“We’re thrilled to be joining Mana Tech and to have the opportunity to operate at a whole new scale,” said Esnal, in a statement. “We’re not a traditional accelerator, we focus on market entry. Our mission is to help entrepreneurs accelerate and scale their startup in the U.S. with a platform that allows them access to quality resources, collaborative learning as well as a life-changing business community in Miami.”
Esnal will play a pivotal role in advancing Mana Tech’s mission, facilitating the deployment of resources in support of tech companies. He brings over a decade of experience in international business and technology, having held CEO positions for startups and multinational corporations. Over the course of his career, Esnal has worked with over 100 Latin American tech startups to land and launch in the U.S. successfully.
“Nurturing the local technology industry will lead to the development of what this city really needs-more high paying jobs,” said Mana, in a statement. “Our vision aligns perfectly with the work Base Miami has been doing for the last two years—working to make Miami a global technology hub, connecting Latin America to the rest of the world through Miami.”
The merger will bring in market entry cohort acceleration, educational series, one-to-one programs and market entry bootcamps tailored to the unique needs of companies coming from abroad. Each component is expertly designed to help incoming companies avoid common pitfalls so they can create new opportunities for growth and expansion.
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BrainStation Miami to award 40 free bootcamps
Heads up, here’s an opportunity not to be missed. To support the growth of the Miami tech community, BrainStation Miami is offering full scholarships for its full-time bootcamps in Web Development and UX Design that start May 23 at its Wynwood campus.
BrainStation has offered these bootcamps for more than a decade across multiple cities, with more than 90% of graduates finding work at Microsoft, Google, Shopify, REEF, and Royal Caribbean, among others.
For its in-person bootcamps starting May 23, full scholarships for 20 seats in each 12-week bootcamp, Web Development and UX Design, will be awarded on a competitive basis. Tuition for each bootcamp is normally $15,000. Apply now here.
BrainStation acquired Wyncode, Miami’s original homegrown coding bootcamp founded by Juha and Johanna Mikkola, in early 2021.
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MDC named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense
Miami Dade College has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency for its robust cybersecurity curriculum, the very highest designation of its kind. The College also received validation from the NSA for the Associate of Science in Cybersecurity through 2027. In addition, MDC was recently awarded a Cyber Skills for All grant from the American Association of Community Colleges and Microsoft to increase the participation of underrepresented students in the technology and cybersecurity industry.
The NSA designation acknowledges MDC’s rigorous standards for cybersecurity curriculum developed by faculty and the college’s cybersecurity advisory committee. It also validates academic delivery excellence to equip students with expert knowledge and skills to protect and defend against the cyber threat landscape. Moreover, the designation recognizes the leadership role of MDC’s Cybersecurity Center in community outreach and cybersecurity professional development.
“This designation validates our focus and investment in cybersecurity education,” said MDC President Madeline Pumariega. “MDC has the most qualified faculty and latest technology and resources available at our Cybersecurity Center. I am proud of all we have accomplished, including our efforts to close the cybersecurity talent gap.”
Learn more about MDC’s Cybersecurity Center and related programs at https://www.mdc.edu/cybersecurity/.
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Kaseya and FIU team up on workforce pipeline training program
Kaseya, a leading IT management solutions provider with a large workforce in Miami, announced that it has teamed up with Florida International University to create a workforce pipeline to train students for jobs in technology. This collaboration is designed to foster the local tech ecosystem and hire FIU grads for positions in tech.
Miami’s technology sector has grown exponentially over the last two years, leading to a massive demand for talent to fill vacant roles. This partnership is aimed at countering South Florida’s brain drain and to ensure Miami students are prepared for roles in the city’s fast-growing tech ecosystem.
Kaseya’s new collaboration will include:
- Advising on FIU curriculum through participation on college advisory boards to ensure both technological and soft skills are incorporated into coursework
- Providing mentorship on capstone projects and offer insights from its leadership team to create co-branded credentialing programs with FIU
- Implementing the Cyber Apprenticeship Program to prepare computer science students for jobs in customer support via hands-on training
- Introducing the Grow Your Own program to cultivate talent by supporting new hires on their professional journeys with the company
You can read more about it here.
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eMerge partners with Google for Startups; Storybook is 1st recipient
Google for Startups recently announced it is partnering with eMerge Americas over the next year to deepen Google’s support for the Latino founder community across the Americas. The partnership will bring the best of Google’s products, programing and expertise to eMerge startups, and will help connect the Latin American and U.S. markets by combining our networks of support. As part of our announcement, Google announced two of the first recipients of the Google for Startups Latino Founders Fund, an award introduced last year as part of a $7 million commitment to the Latino startup community. Dani Vega and Francisco Cornejo, co-founders of Storybook, an app that helps parents combine bedtime stories with infant massage to improve sleep in babies and children, will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive cash funding.
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PAG Law hires Republic CEO for crypto practice
PAG Law announced that the CEO of Republic has joined the firm’s crypto practice. Kendrick Nguyen joins PAG as a “Special Advisor” based in Miami. He is the CEO of Republic, an investment platform connecting tech startups and blockchain projects with global investors. Prior to Republic, Kendrick served as general counsel of AngelList and Fellow of Stanford University’s Center for Corporate Governance. He is a founding adviser to NOW Ventures and CoinList, an ICO platform. Nguyen decided to support PAG Law given PAG Law’s focus on serving underrepresented founders.
In addition, Sami Ahmed, Yale Law School & Wharton graduate, will be “Of Counsel.” He has been an expert in blockchain regulation since his first law journal publication on the subject in 2018. Claudia DiGirolamo will support Nguyen and Ahmed in building out PAG’s crypto practice. She graduated with Distinction from The University of Toronto before graduating from Seton Hall University School of Law.
PLUS: Opportunity knocks
- Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Business Innovation & Technology (BIT) Center in partnership with CityCoins, Venture Miami and Stacks Foundation will launch MiamiCoin Developer Camp, a free five-week course starting Monday, May 9, that will provide participants the opportunity acquire knowledge and skills in Web3 technologies like Clarity smart contract development and decentralized application architecture. Register at https://clarity-lang.org/miami.
- Florida Power & Light recently announced an $800,000 investment in scholarships for black students to facilitate the completion of baccalaureate degrees at Miami Dade College in the technology field. The funds from FPL will be used to cover tuition, fees, books and transportation costs for eligible black students facing a financial need over the next 4 years. This support will allow students to focus on their education, accelerating completion and entry into the tech workforce in South Florida. For more information and to apply to the scholarship, go here.
Got news? Follow Nancy Dahlberg on Twitter @ndahlberg and email her at [email protected].
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