The Miami-Dade Innovation Authority is once again asking technology startups to help the county attack some of its most pressing issues that impact quality of life. Today’s challenge: to help shape the future of emergency management.
The MDIA has just announced the launch of its seventh Public Innovation Challenge, an initiative that invests in and supports early-to-growth stage companies to pilot and validate their technology in collaboration with local government.
Together with the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management, Big City Emergency Managers, and Florida International University’s Academy for International Disaster Preparedness, the MDIA invites startups from South Florida and around the world to enter this challenge designed to help Miami-Dade’s emergency managers respond faster and smarter, strengthening emergency operations, optimizing real-time decision making and enhancing community resilience.
At least three winning startups will each receive $100,000 and the opportunity to pilot their innovation with the county’s emergency management team.
At a time when $1 billion in proposed FEMA preparedness cuts threaten local capacity, innovation isn’t optional, said MDIA President and CEO Leigh-Ann Buchanan.
“Miami-Dade’s $31 billion tourism economy and nearly three million residents depend on our ability to use technology not just to respond to challenges, but to anticipate them,” said Buchanan, in a statement. “From predictive analytics to real-time communication, cutting edge solutions better position our emergency response, our ability to safeguard lives and capacity sustain our resilience.”
The initiative seeks tools that help integrate data streams, enhance situational awareness, and streamline operations across Miami-Dade’s 34 municipalities. The solutions that could include, but are not limited to:
● Data and analytics tools that contribute to customizable dashboards, provide actionable insights useful for decision-making, or support impact forecasting.
● Operational efficiency tools that streamline internal communications, reduce redundant and time-consuming tasks, and support training and preparation efforts.
● Emergency Operations Center solutions that leverage AI, data, and other intelligence tools that enhance situational awareness, decision-making, and rapid response efforts.
● Resilience-focused solutions that support readiness efforts around natural, technological, and human-caused hazards, including solutions that build capacity and resilience to support emergency management community lifelines.
The launch comes amid shifting national dynamics. FEMA recently paused over $300 million in preparedness grants and introduced new requirements to verify population counts before releasing funds, adding uncertainty to local disaster readiness.
“In Miami-Dade County, we’re committed to ensuring that the government moves at the speed of business and responds quickly to our community’s needs, especially when disaster strikes,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “MDIA’s next challenge will advance that goal by investing in technology that bolsters the ability of our Department of Emergency Management to oversee our community’s emergency preparedness and long-term resilience.”
Launched in 2023 with seed funding from Miami-Dade County, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, the MDIA was founded with $9 million to support three innovation challenges per year.
MDIA’s most recent challenge sought to identify tech-driven solutions to improve how residents access affordable housing. Other past challenges have sought solutions for tackling the county’s waste management problem, improving cargo operations at PortMiami, improving the passenger experience at Miami International Airport, finding innovative ways to manage traffic and prevent gridlock, and finding sustainable uses for sargassum, the seaweed that is clogging beaches.
Buchanan reports that since its inception, MDIA has deployed more than $1 million in funding and engaged over 525 startups from 59 countries that together have generated $7 billion in revenue and have raised $4 billion in funding.
Applications for the emergency response challenge are open through Dec. 18, 2025. Startups can apply for the challenge here.
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