By Krysten Brenlla
The City of North Miami has launched a new economic development initiative, NoMi Tech, to not only attract entrepreneurs and technology startups to the city, but support them as well.
The key to attracting new founders and businesses? A partnership with Lightship Foundation, an organization that provides resources and support to diverse tech entrepreneurs and startups through different programs, like an accelerator, a free bootcamp, and pitch coaching.
Founders interested in engaging with NoMi Tech’s initiatives can participate in the Lightship Bootcamp, a free, founder-focused entrepreneurship education program. Through Lightship Bootcamp, early-stage business founders and their teams work through a two-day mentorship program filled with specialized curriculums and education – with a goal of securing potential investments through its funding arm, Lightship Capital. In the past, Lightship Capital has awarded their bootcamp companies as much as $500,000 (or more) – an example being South Florida’s Chandler Malone, founder of Bootup, and a 2021 Lightship Bootcamp alumnus.
“We have several programs in Miami, including the Lightship Bootcamp, where we take a cohort of 9 to 11 founders and teach them materials on finance, legal, and raising capital for their startup – the know-how’s on launching a startup,” said Yasvin Rajapakse, a program manager for Lightship Foundation. “Our thesis at Lightship focuses on minority founders from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTQ+, people of color, veteran founders, women – basically, we focus on helping those who are underrepresented in this space.”
North Miami is the latest and only South Florida city added to Lightship’s Bootcamp series. The first two bootcamps were held in North Miami last April and December, where minority-women-and-LGBTQ-led companies spent time together crafting and perfecting their business pitches and plans under the leadership of Brian Brackeen, managing partner at Lightship Capital.
On Tuesday, the community heard from a panel of three South Florida founders and Lightship Bootcamp alumnae, including Joanna Martel, founder of dockaboat, Kimba Williams, founder of KUSHAE, and LaToya Stirrup, founder of Kazmaleje. The women took the stage to share their experiences with the bootcamp and how the program not only enhanced their startups, but also significantly advanced their entrepreneurial journeys.
“So for me, I learn a little bit differently, and just watching Brian [Brackeen]’s way of thinking and the way he would ask certain things was what I really took away from the bootcamp,” said Martel. “Yes, you can learn everything when it comes to launching a startup by reading books or watching YouTube videos, but it’s the way he asked things that actually gave me a different perspective – for me, it was the experience of getting to know him.”
The women also shared their “why” on launching startups and continuing through the complicated – yet rewarding – entrepreneurial journey.
“I was typically the only Black woman on the sales force in any of my previous jobs. I would get the job, because it looked great for the company, but then I was undervalued, underappreciated, and under-resourced. I knew it wasn’t enough for me,” Williams said.
“My ‘why’ is because I’m a dreamer, I’m a creator, and I wanted to make my own, just like my family did. My sisters and I launched something for ourselves because we’re looking to create a family legacy, and create opportunities for our kids,” Stirrup said. “I wanted to make a product that helps make a change in the way women and kids around the world care for their hair, but there’s also the other side, which is financial freedom – freedom to create. That’s the goal and the dream, and that’s why you stay and stick with it.”
For the future, the City of North Miami officials hope to continue attracting startups, founders, and programs to participate in the NoMi Tech initiative, with a goal of transforming North Miami into South Florida’s next tech hub.
“We’re in the beginning phase of it right now, but these are some of the things that need to happen, engaging these tech companies, and marketing North Miami as a destination for their companies,” John Lorfils, the economic development and strategic initiatives director for the City of North Miami, told the Miami Herald. “We’re actually bringing them here so they can see what we have to offer.”
If you’re a founder looking for more information on the Lightship Foundation, visit their website at https://www.lightship.foundation/. If you’re a founder looking to participate in the next Lightship Bootcamp, learn more by visiting https://www.lightship.education/apply. For more information on the NoMi Tech initiative, visit their website at https://northmiamitech.com/.
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