AFTER SETTING UP SHOP HERE IN 2016, CAMBRIDGE INNOVATION
CENTER MIAMI QUICKLY BECAME A PILLAR OF SOUTH FLORIDA'S
START-UP COMMUNITY.
BY COMBINING CO-WORKING OFFICE AND LABORATORY SPACES WITH
ADVISING AND COMMUNITY-BUILDING INITIATIVES, C.I.C.
MIAMI HAS GROWN INTO A COLLABORATIVE HUB
FOR LOCAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, INNOVATION, AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT.
ACCORDING TO THE KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION'S LATEST REPORT ON
NEW BUSINESS CREATION, THE MIAMI-FT.
LAUDERDALE-POMPANO BEACH METRO AREA HAS THE MOST
STARTUP ACTIVITY OF ANY MAJOR U.S. METRO AREA.
HERE TO SHARE MORE ABOUT SOUTH FLORIDA'S GROWING START-UP SCENE
IS, NATALIA MARTINEZ-KALININA, GENERAL MANAGER OF C.I.C.
MIAMI AND FOUNDER OF THE AWESOME
FOUNDATION MIAMI CHAPTER.
YOU HAVE A LOT GOING ON MY FRIEND.
I HAVE A LOT GOING ON.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU.
WHAT A PLEASURE.
LETS TALK ABOUT C.I.C.
MIAMI AND C.I.C.
WAS FOUND ORIGINALLY IN BOSTON IN
1999.
TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON HERE.
THE CONTEXT OF C.I.C.
AS A WHOLE, RELEVANT FOR THE START JULY FOR
MIAMI, IT STARTED HERE IN CAMBRIDGE, HERE, NOT ENGLAND.
WE WERE AN ACCELERATOR FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, WE WERE A
TRADITIONAL CO-WORKING SPACE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
AND ALL OF ALL OF THESE EXPERIENCES WE HAVE BOTH RUNNING
OUR OWN BUSINESS AND GETTING DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE KENDALL
AREA AND CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS OVERALL WHICH HAS
CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS WE LANDED THIS
MODEL AT THE INTERSECTION OF SEVERAL THINGS WE CARE AND WE
ENGAGE DEEPLY AS PART OF OUR EXPANSION.
SO THE PROJECT IN MIAMI WAS OUR FIFTH EXPANSION OUTSIDE OF OUR
KIND OF TRADITIONAL KENDALL SQUARE HOME.
WE TEND TO EXPAND TO CITIES THAT ARE SECOND OR THIRD CHERRY
MARKETS, THAT'S WHERE WE CAN ADD THE MOST VALUE.
WE LOOK FOR COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE AN INCREDIBLE DISPARATE I'D
LIKE TO CALL IT IT RAW MATERIAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA AS YOU POINTED OUT YOURSELF HAS
SUCH INCREDIBLE ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT IT HAS TALENT IT MEETS KIND OF A VARIETY
OF THIS CRITERIA OF THESE CRITERIA BUT IT'S NOT ALL CONVERGING,
NOT ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
THERE ARE A LOT OF GAPS, THERE ARE A LOT OF SILOS, IT IS A
PRETTY VULCANIZED DEVELOPMENT ARENA AND THE STARTUP SCENE.
SO FOR US IT'S A REALLY EXCITING SCENE TO COME INTO THE CITY AND
BRING ALL THE ELEMENTS TOGETHER TO HELP ACCELERATE THE PACE OF
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, GROWTH AND INNOVATION, THINGS OF THAT
NATURE.
I THINK WHAT'S INTERESTING IS YOU'RE NOT JUST A START UP HUB.
YOU DO SO MUCH MORE TO THAT.
YOU BRING SO MANY PIECES OF THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER, INCLUDING
HEALTH CARE, GOVERNMENT, POLICY, YOU BRING ALL OF THESE PEOPLE
TOGETHER.
SO TALK A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR SPACE AND HOW THAT ALL WORKS TOGETHER.
I IMAGINE IT'S STILL LEARNING ABOUT C.I.C.
RIGHT?
ABSOLUTELY.
WE'RE COMPLICATED MARKET.
WE HAVE PARTS OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE HAVE YET TO REACH,
SEGMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO COLLABORATE WITH, THAT WE HAVE
TO SECURE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, WE HAVE TO GROW ON.
FOR US WE HAVE A FOOTPRINT, MIAMI IS NO EXCEPTION, WE HAVE A
PHYSICAL INNOVATION DISTRICT.
EACH OF THE CITIES LOOK DIFFERENT BUT IN THE IDEAL
SCENARIO, THIS WOULD BE IN CLASS ACTION WITH OUR PRIMARY ACADEMIC
PARTNERS, BEING THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI.
HOW DO WE COLLABORATE WITH THE CITY, COUNTY, STATE LEVEL AROUND
INCENTIVES OR PROJECTS THAT MAKE SENSE TO TRY TO BRING TOGETHER
AN ADVANCE SINCE WE SHARE VERY COMMON GOALS AROUND THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY.
ENTERPRISE SO WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE CORPORATE INNOVATION
SECTOR, HOW ARE LARGE CORPORATIONS ENGAGING OR NOT IN
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL COMMUNITY.
STARTUPS, RESEARCHERS, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE LABORATORIES FOR THE
ROLE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE COMMUNITY.
TALK ABOUT THAT.
YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL WET LAB.
WE DO. IS THAT IN C.I.C.
OR JUST IN MIAMI?
IT'S IN MOST SOUTH FLORIDA, WE ARE THE ONLY SHARED WET LAB IN SOUTH
FLORIDA.
LABORATORY SPACE IS REALLY EXPENSIVE TO BUILD AND HARD TO
COME BY.
IF YOU ARE AN EARLY STAGE RESEARCHER IT CREATES A HARD
BUFFER AREA TO CONTINUE TO RESEARCH.
WHY DO WE CARE ABOUT THIS?
WHY DOES IT MATTER TO THE REST OF US?
WE KNOW ABOUT COMMUNITIES LIKE SAN FRANCISCO AND BOSTON AND NEW
YORK, THE RATE OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS A REALLY BIG MARK HE
AND HAS A RIPPLE EFFECT INTO THE INNOVATION COMMUNITY OF ANY
CITY.
WE WANT TO SUPPORT THAT IN MYCHAL AS WELL.
TALK ABOUT HOW WE ARE REALLY THE GATEWAY TO LATIN AMERICA AND
BRINGING IN COMPANIES FROM THAT HEMISPHERE, TO MIAMI AND LOOK AT
C.I.C.
OH, WE ARE -- SO IN ADDITION TO THE PHYSICAL FOOTPRINT THAT
WE HAVE KIND OF THE DISTRICT AND OF COURSE IN OUR CASE NOW THE
FIRST BUILDING OF THE DISTRICT THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN BUILT, FOR
US THAT'S THE BASIC PART THAT WE DO.
WHAT WE LAYER ON TOP OF THAT IS WHAT WE ARE ACTUALLY KNOWN FOR,
WHAT YOU'RE ALLUDING TO, THESE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS, LOOKING
AT THE GAPS IN MIAMI, FIGURING OUT WHAT OF THOSE GAPS WE CAN
HAVE AN IMPACT IN.
ONE THING WE OBSERVED WAS MIAMI AS A GAIT WAY, WE OAR NATURAL
PLACE GEOGRAPHICALLY, WE ARE A NATURAL PLACE FOR A COMPANY FROM
LABORING LOOKING TO FOCUS ON A REGIONAL STRATEGY, FROM
THERE FLAIR OTHER THAN COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS VICE
VERSA.
A LOT OF THOSE BRIDGES WERE NOT AS TANGIBLE SO WE HAVE LAUNCHED
A SERIES OF INITIATIVES AROUND SOFT LANDING AND EXCHANGE THAT
WERE MEANT TO BE BIDIRECTIONAL.
HOW DO WE HELP COMPANIES, INVESTORS, DIFFERENT TYPES OF
STAKEHOLDERS THAT ALLOW US TO ENGAGE IN MIAMI AND VICE VERSA.
YOU WERE ABOUT TO LAUNCH YOUR BREAK THROUGH.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
WE LAUNCHED TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO, AND IT'S VERY EASY TO
MOVE ON AND KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING.
WE FIGURED WE SHOULD PAUSE, FIGURE OUTS WHAT WE'VE DONE,
WHAT WE HAVE LAUNCHED AND WHAT HAS WORKED.
WE ARE PUTTING OUT OUR TWO YEAR LAUNCH AND GROWTH IMPACT REPORT.
THE ME>RICS SHOW WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADD REAL VALUE TO SOME OF THE
CORE TOPICS WE CARE AND BELIEVE ABOUT IN MIAMI.
FOR THE CITY AND THE REGION AND THE CONTEXT OF C.I.C.
AS A WHOLE.
WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH THE FOLKS IN OUR NETWORK.
THE AWESOME FOUNDATION TELL US ABOUT THAT.
I HAVE FOUNDED SEVERAL DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND IT
WAS MY FIRST ONE.
I STARTED THIS FROM NEW YORK AND TO BE FULLY TRPS TRANSPARENT I
WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY IN MIAMI, I'M GOING TO
CREATE THE COMMUNITY I WANT TO BE A PART OF.
I STARTED THE AWESOME FOUNDATION HERE, IT IS A MICROGRANT ENTITY,
WE AWARD ONE GRANT A MONTH, SOMETIMES MORE.
IT'S $1,000 EACH.
THE GOAL IS TO BE PHILANTHROPY AND BOTH SIDES OF THE EQUATION.
FOR PEOPLE WHO WANTS TO BE PHILANTHROPISTS WHO ARE YOUNG,
EARLY IN THEIR CAREERS, HAVING OTHER PRIORITIES, CONTRIBUTING
$100 A MOO OVER THE PERIOD OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP IN THE BOARD IS
A VERY ACCESSIBLE NUMBER.
THEY FEEL THEY'RE ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY, INVESTING IN THEIR
NEIGHBORS AND IT'S A REALLY BEAUTIFUL FEELING.
FOR THE APPLICANTS EVERYBODY CAN APPLY.
ANYBODY.
THE BARRIER IS SO LOW IT'S A VERY EASY APPLICATION ONLINE.
IT'S WHAT?
FIVE QUESTIONS?
IT'S THREE QUESTIONS.
VERY, VERY SIMPLE.
IT'S MEANT TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE ACROSS ANY CORNER OF THE
CITY.
GIVE US AN EXAMPLE.
WE HAVE A MINUTE LEFT BUT ONE WAS TEACHING GROWTH IN THE CITY.
LIKE KEEPING BEES.
IT WAS USING THE SPHOONLT OF BEES KEEPING TO TEACH THE GIRS
ABOUT NATURE ABOUT COLLABORATION ABOUT WORKING AND CARING FOR
SOMETHING.
WE'VE HAD MANY IN THE GAMUT FROM -- WE'VE HAD EVERYTHING IN
THE GAMUT FROM FOR PROFITS TO PEOPLE CARING ABOUT SOMETHING
VERY MINUTE OF IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY, TO RECURRING ISSUES
THAT BECOME ANNUAL EVENTS.
WE HAVE FUNDED OVER 100 IDEAS AN THE MAJORITY HAVE GONE ON TO BE
SOMEWHAT SUSTAINING IN SOME WAY.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED WITH
C.I.C.
JUST REACH OUTS TO YOU?
VISIT OUR WEBSITE.
WE HAVE A VARIETY OF EVENTS EVERYWEEK.
USUALLY ABOUT TEN OR MORE.
INCLUDING OUR SISTER ORGANIZATION, VENTURE CAFE HAS
AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY.
MOST OF WHAT WE DO IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
EASY TO FIND US.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, GREAT TO MEET YOU.
TO APPLY FOR AN AWESOME FOUNDATION GRANT, VISIT
AWESOMEFOUNDATION.ORG.
AS ALWAYS, WE'LL HAVE THIS LINK PLUS MORE INFO ON C.I.C.
MIAMI ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE,
@YOURSOUTHFL.