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Miami Hack Week returns with new partnerships and immense opportunities for founders and developers

Anayansy Hernandez
Anayansy Hernandez
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By Anayansy Hernandez

Miami Hack Week returns with new partnerships and programming that highlight the different depths of the tech industry. This year attendees can expect major changes as Miami Hack Week has partnered with both Founders Fund, one of the world’s most prominent venture funds, and Miami Tech Week to provide developers with a week of programming from April 7-14.

The new partnership offers attendees the opportunity to connect with more than just engineers. The latest programming includes networking opportunities with investors and other founders in the growing tech ecosystem. The full Miami Tech Week programming offers investor lunches, kickoff parties, and much more.

So what has changed? In contrast to previous years, the majority of the events for Hack Week will be happening in Wynwood. The event is bringing a new energy with an exciting debut theme dubbed “Technologies of the Future.” The theme is being implemented into this year’s “hacker hubs,” which are technology-themed venues where hackers and sponsors can collaborate with each other. The hubs’ themed technologies are artificial intelligence, machine learning, AR/VR, and hard tech.

 “I think these are some of the industries that are going to be shaping the future of Miami as a community and as a tech hub. The next breakout startups may come from these industries,” said Ja’dan Johnson, co-founder of Miami Hack Week.

Ja’dan Johnson

Johnson said Miami Hack Week’s vision has changed from its launch. What started as an initiative to expose individuals outside of the city to Miami’s tech community and culture, has now become a community that helps connect the different talents that exist in our tech ecosystem.

Miami Hack Week has incorporated various initiatives that uplift and showcase Miami’s talent. Founders will have the opportunity to source talent at their Founder x Engineer Talent Fair and will also have the opportunity to showcase themselves on Miami Demo Day. Flex and 305 Ventures are sponsoring Demo Day and it’s where selected startups will be chosen to pitch their ideas in three minutes to a panel of investors. Founders can apply here.

 The organization is also empowering young hackers with the help of the Knight Foundation and Init through their student hackathon. This portion of the hackathon offers high-school and college students the opportunity to compete against each other while also being eligible for the grand prize. “We give a tremendous amount of locals opportunities and exposure that isn’t traditionally represented here or even in other hackathons that happen in Miami,” said Johnson.

As of now, Johnson has been dedicated to creating a space for people who want to build tools that interact with the physical world, but he is unsure of where Miami Hack Week will lead next. “It’s challenging to know what the future may hold, but I’m very excited that hack week will lead into ten years of eMerge Americas because I have the greatest respect for Melissa Medina and the role they’ve played in catalyzing the ecosystem so far,” he said.

Photos are from previous Miami Hack Week events.

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