A Miami for Everyone: Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair brought out 1,300 job seekers and 74 companies

‘We’re seeing so much energy and passion for crypto and tech, and it’s all right here in Miami’

Looking to get hired? Miami has a job for you.

Miami’s top academic institutions, community partners, and hundreds of jobseekers gathered on a sunny Thursday afternoon at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus to meet 74 businesses looking to fill more than 2,687 open roles.

Just four months ago, the inaugural Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair was launched with Miami’s top academic institutions and key community partners in hopes of bridging the disconnect between new-to-Miami tech firms and hiring local talent.

But this Hiring Fair was more than double the size, featuring local tech startups like Kaseya, Tradestation, Chewy and SwagUp, alongside familiar corporate favorites like Microsoft and Amazon, all with hundreds of openings available for Miami talent looking to fill them. About 1,300 job seekers attended the three-hour event, according to organizers.

“The Venture Miami team is constantly looking for innovative ways to prepare our students and job-seekers to get hired,” said Erick Gavin, Executive Director for Mayor Francis Suarez’s Venture Miami team. “We’re working with our academic partners at Miami Dade College, Florida International University, the University of Miami, Florida Memorial University and the Talent Development Network to ensure we’re preparing quality talent for businesses looking to hire – we’re going and we’re growing.”

There is a clear demand from both employers and job seekers for continuous efforts in job fairs like this, added Kevin Ruiz, Senior Advisor of Business Development & Recruitment for the Venture Miami team. “We’re following up with employers and jobseekers to measure stakeholder impact and improve implementation for future fairs moving forward.”

At the hiring fair, Gisela Garcia, Director of Recruitment for TradeStation, a desktop platform for stock, ETF, option and future traders, said they are looking to hire more than 100 people for roles in computer science, engineering and finance. Since the launch of #MiamiTechMonth and the unveiling of TradeStation’s latest symbol of finance – the #MiamiBull – their gates have been flooded.

“Miami events like this hiring fair are all great opportunities for us at TradeStation to tap into our roots and the talent that make up what this city is all about,” said Garcia, noting a huge increase in applications, website views and social media engagement within the last few weeks. “We’re seeing so much energy and passion for crypto and tech, and it’s all right here in Miami.”

The #MiamiBull has found a home on Miami Dade College’s Wolfson campus. Read more about the bull here.

Sofia Solorzano, a student at Miami Dade College, has practiced cyber security for years, ensuring her family’s computers are equipped with the latest and safest antivirus software. However, one major roadblock she faced in her job search was companies only looking to hire candidates with prior experience – a vicious cycle, she says, that’s hard to break.

“When I was looking to break into cybersecurity, Assurant hired me without prior experience and without a degree – they gave me a shot based on my passion and personal projects I had done on my own time,” said Solorzano, who was at Assurant’s table talking to potential job seekers. Now a Cyber Security Analyst at Assurant, Solorzano says that if you find the right company and stalk the right people on LinkedIn, you’ll find the opportunity that’s meant for you.

Companies like SwagUp and CoinRoutes are also finding that Miami talent is unlike others they’ve seen.

“Excitement, discipline and commitment is what we’re seeing in Miami,” said Carolina Zapata, Director of Talent Acquisition at SwagUp, a promotional products supplier that specializes in building unique swag packs for businesses and enterprises. Since the last Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair, they’ve seen hundreds of applications – and they’re looking for more. “With Miami talent, we’re seeing a breath of fresh air,” she continued.

“After seeing everything Mayor Francis Suarez had been doing for business owners and the tech industry, I packed my bags and moved my company down here from New York in 2021,” said Ian Weisberger, Co-Founder of CoinRoutes, a software platform that helps cryptocurrency traders navigate the fragmented market. “At the last Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair, we hired five people. We’re ready to hire more,” he said. ­

It’s candidates like Ana Chaves, an MBA student at the University of Miami interested in sustainability, that companies like Amazon were picturing when it comes to local Miami talent. Not only did she meet Amazon, but she also met new faces and learned what local tech startups are doing in the world of crypto and #MiamiTech. It’s exactly what Venture Miami’s Senior Advisor for Talent Development and Miami Dade College’s Vice President of Innovation and Technology Partnerships Antonio Delgado envisioned at the launch of the Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair.

“The number of job-seekers across Miami coming here and being a part of what’s happening with #MiamiTech is incredible,” said Delgado on the Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair.

Among the incredible pool of talent were job seekers Sheena Johns, an information technologist, and Joshuah Burke-Warmington, a financial analyst and crypto fanatic, both looking to land dream opportunities in #MiamiTech.

“We’re seeing extremely eager jobseekers with impressive resumes getting hired, and I’m also seeing companies offering those opportunities for them,” continued Delgado. “Many lives are changing.”

The Venture Miami Tech Hiring Fair was a months-long undertaking that was spearheaded by Venture Miami ‘s Kevin Ruiz and included the work of community leaders Kelly Montoya, Niki Demko, Sa’Vanna Smith, Keith Carswell, Madeleine Pumariega, Antonio Delgado, Dana Dellacamera, Jeffrey Duerk, Rhea Gellineua-King, Ken Jessell, Miguel Asencio and Caryn Lavernia.

READ MORE MIAMI TECH MONTH COVERAGE ON REFRESH MIAMI:

Krysten Brenlla