For too long, innovation hubs in other states have lured our talent away. And for too long, talented students and outstanding professionals have taken the bait and left. Are the beautiful skies, world-class beaches, nightlife, theme parks, access to outer space, and endless summers not enough?
It’s certainly not Florida’s “user interface”, I think most can agree to that. The quality of life and business-friendly policies in Florida make this an ideal place to work and play. And that same UI reference transposes to our tech and innovation communities.
In Jacksonville for instance, for every well-established enterprise or titan of industry like Florida Blue or Urban SDK, there are a dozen rising stars: Forcura, ArtRepublic, and Auditmacs among them. Raghu Misra, a co-founder of the now GE-owned ShipXpress, plans to spend $6.5 million on an innovation hub in St. Johns County. Here we can see an innovation hub done correctly, with leaders and successful founders investing back into their city’s ecology.
In fact, the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business looked at global startup success for 2014 and 2015 and found that among a slew of cities that had about 1 percent of the “unicorns” was Jacksonville. It was in a thicket that included Chicago, Singapore, London, Stockholm, Berlin, Moscow, and Prague. Jacksonville ranked higher than Atlanta, Sydney, Vancouver, and Tel Aviv. A great innovation UI indeed.
Head south and you’ll find repeated successes on the Space Coast, in Orlando, South Florida, and dominating the greater Tampa Bay Area. Florida is filled with vibrant resources and a long list of success stories, from multiple company sales well over $1 billion in 2019, to IPOs, to cutting edge innovations from coast to coast in technologies like augmented reality to cannabis. And the support organizations that help grow this ecology is impressive, well over one hundred strong! Investment dollars you ask? Florida is the retirement capital of wealthy Americans. So why does the “Florida man” schtick prevail when we have so much to celebrate?
It’s Florida’s "user experience" that needs work. We need someone to tell a unified story to unite our geographically dispersed regions, help innovators connect, and showcase the organizations and companies that already exist and are thriving. When we can un-silo the information and resources, people and corporations worldwide will be better able to see what we see: a talent-rich state with a favorable taxation system that is fertile ground for businesses.
The COVID pandemic has impacted all of us and now, nearly three months in, our innovation community continues to impress and meet the moment. After all, innovation is in our Florida DNA - from launching the first astronauts into orbit to creating the most “magical place on earth,” or inventing Gatorade. Now, our innovators are creating guidance for autonomous vehicles, reinventing casts through 3D printing, leading the way in deploying blockchain technology, and so much more.
So how do we write the code that builds a user interface that broadcasts and highlights doers, the makers, and the wealth of innovation and opportunities that exist in Florida? Enter Synapse Florida!
Synapse Florida exists to make our innovation UX more interconnected, efficient and celebrated. We are a dynamic community with resources for innovation in every county, our dozens of universities and research institutions, and hundreds of incubators and accelerators. Since launching just two years ago, Synapse has connected thousands of innovators across the state to investors, new hires, new customers, new partners, and resources across the state.
Bringing together thought leaders is easy; making that gathering impactful is what has set Synapse’s work apart.
In 2020 alone, Synapse has facilitated over 20 intimate and interactive discussions with thought leaders from across the state, and in the Summer hosted Synapse Converge, which was virtually attended by almost 1,300 attendees.
This fall we’re joining forces with Global Entrepreneurship Week - celebrated in 170 countries - to bring Florida Synapse Converge: GEW Edition. We’ll shine a spotlight on some of the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, based right here in the Sunshine State. Programming will cover two tracks: Startup Toolkit and Entrepreneur Leadership, and emphasize three themes: ecosystem, education, and inclusion.
For more information visit www.SynapseConverge.com to join the community and reach out to Brett.Maternowski@synapsefl.com to find ways for you and your organization to get involved.
