(2021-05-06) Miami Tech Week Wasnt Planned But The Hype Is Infectious

'Miami Tech Week' Wasn't' Planned. But the Hype Is Infectious. Founders and funders are flocking to the beach for an impromptu event that some are calling "South by Southeast."

Mayan, who lives in Oklahoma City, bought a plane ticket and booked an Airbnb. Then he saw that Keith Rabois, a venture capitalist who had recently moved to Miami, was hosting a four-week fellowship for entrepreneurs and investors. Mayan applied, got in, and arrived in the city on Wednesday, just ahead of a kick-off party that would bring together 100 people “to explore ideas, build projects, and grow their networks.”

The city had gone into full-on festival mode for “Miami Tech Week,” a phrase that refers to neither a conference nor an event, but a vibe.

Delian Asparouhov, a principal at Founders Fund, tweeted on Sunday. “I know of at least 100 founders, VCs etc all flying in.”

High-profile venture capitalists like Rabois and Jack Abraham moved there last year from San Francisco, and have shared details of their new lives on Twitter

In December, Mayor Suarez made it his personal mission to make over Miami as the next great tech capital. He put up a large billboard in San Francisco that looks like one of his tweets: “Thinking about moving to Miami? DM me.”

Rea is one of the original members of Miami Tech Life, a WhatsApp group created by Demian Bellumio, another local tech veteran, to field questions from recent transplants

The group quickly outgrew WhatsApp’s 256-person capacity, and now communicates on Telegram

Asparouhov, who recently bought a house in Miami, envisions the city as the next great tech capital.

"I started to see all of the things that got me excited about San Francisco when I moved there in 2012—all these early-stage founders, builders, intellectual types. Palo Alto used to be the energy for that, and it got a little too corporate."