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What will be new at eMerge Americas this year? Who’s keynoting? Here’s the lowdown

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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By Nancy Dahlberg

Grammy award-winning artist and entrepreneur Pitbull, aka Armando Christian Perez, will be back and he won’t be the only celebrity innovator enlightening the crowd at the upcoming eMerge Americas Conference happening March 27 and 28 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. eMerge Americas today announced several keynote speakers and new features coming to the 11th annual conference that connects industry leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts.

Among the speakers are “El Presidente” Dave Portnoy, founder of digital media company Barstool Sports that produces popular podcasts such as “Pardon My Take” and “Chicks in the Office,” Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU, author, and perhaps best known for his Shark Tank fame, Palmer Luckey, founder of defense technology company Anduril Industries and Oculus VR, and  Martine Rothblatt, founder and former CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio who currently leads United Therapeutics.

“Our content team has really done a phenomenal job in identifying experts across different industries who have built groundbreaking companies. That’s a common thread that you’re going to find across all of these speakers, and you’re also going to see the alignment in the verticals that we’re focusing on for this year,” said Melissa Medina, eMerge Americas co-founder and CEO, in an interview with Refresh Miami.

“Palmer Luckey is a pioneer now in defense tech, and we have a massive dual use and defense tech effort, including a pavilion this year. Martin Rothblatt is a leader in biotech and in AI satellite communications. When you look at our themes, we have a full healthtech focus and pavilion. We have the AI + Quantum Village. She cuts across both. With Dave Portnoy, Damond John, and of course Armando Pitbull Perez, you just have incredible entrepreneurial journeys. Their backgrounds and stories are going to inspire all of our attendees, and that focus on entrepreneurship, venture capital, building massive brands, that’s all part of the eMerge DNA,” she said.

“Additionally, we are honored to have Stephen Ross, a visionary leader whose commitment to South Florida and transformative work in real estate has shaped the region’s growth. His dedication to fostering will resonate powerfully with our audience,” said Medina about the Related Company CEO of Related Company and Dolphins owner.

eMerge 2025 attendees will experience content across six stages spotlighting key trends in technology, entrepreneurship, and digital transformation. A range of curated experiences for eMerge 2025 will include the HealthTech Innovation Hub, AI + Quantum Village, Country Pavilions, an  Opening Night Block Party, and Startup Alley & its grand finale pitch competition that will close the conference. The eGov Summit will also take place at eMerge 2025, offering a rare chance to engage with military generals, top government officials, and defense leaders.

As part of the new defense tech and dual use pavilion and focus this year, there will be startups and scaleups innovating in the defense tech industry presenting and showcasing their products and solutions. Large defense organizations as well as defense tech investors will also be part of conversations taking part across all the stages, and there will be interactive exhibits on the eMerge floor, Medina said.

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What else will be new this year? “You’re going to see a lot more conversation about innovation across our state as a whole. I think that there’s a massive opportunity in terms of tech innovation and entrepreneurship to connect the dots between everything that’s happening across cities in Florida and that’s something that our attendees are going to be excited to see this year as well,” Medina said.

eMerge will also feature a third networking lounge area – think of it as sort of a meet-up hub within the floor – in addition to the VIP lounge and the investor-founder lounge for the 100 Startup Showcase companies.

Also new this year is the launch of the SMB Growth Lab. It’s a program where 30 SMBs will be participating in a six-week virtual accelerator program leading up to eMerge. At eMerge, the SMBs will get exhibit space, and there will also be an SMB Growth Lab Pavilion at eMerge it’s all being powered by JP Morgan Chase and Tech Equity Miami. “Our hope is that this is the first year of many in growing this program. This is just planting the seed into a much bigger effort to help SMBs,” Medina said.

eMerge Americas – founded by serial entrepreneur Manny Medina along with Melissa – launched its inaugural tech event in 2014. Over the past 10 years, it has grown to 20,000 attendees from 60+ countries, and over 4,000 participating organizations. Additional information about the conference and speakers can be found here.

eMerge also organizes and hosts year-round executive summits, a startup accelerator program, startup pitch competitions, community events, masterclasses, and webinars, and publishes venture activity and investment insights reports.

The eMerge Americas conference has had a $2.5 billion economic impact on South Florida since its launch in 2014, according to a report from The Washington Economics Group. The event has also generated 9,894 direct and indirect jobs in the tri-county region over the last decade.  The report said businesses that participated in the eMerge Americas accelerator and showcase program have gone on to raise almost $2 billion.

eMerge CEO Melissa Medina with Armando ‘Pitbull’ Perez. At the top of this post is a main stage scene from last year’s eMerge conference. Photos provided by eMerge Americas.

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Nancy Dahlberg
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