Miami-Dade Innovation Authority

Meet Gabriela Mestre, Public Innovation Fellow at MDIA. Learn more about Gabriela: Favourite Book: My favorite book is Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (or anything else by him– like Never Let Me Go) Country to Visit/ Where are you from: I’m from Miami, Florida and from Cuban descent. My favorite country to visit is Spain. Hobbies: My favorite hobby is tennis. I also love to go on walks, drives, and bike rides to explore any city that I’m in. This started during COVID when my sister and I would choose a new street or neighborhood almost every day to explore. #TechInnovation #Community #teammember #PublicInnovation

Refresh Miami features exciting news! The U.S. Economic Development Administration has awarded $19.5 million to the South Florida ClimateReady Tech Hub, led by Miami-Dade County. MDIA is proud to be part of this initiative and to position our region as a top destination for climatetech innovators, creating 23,000 high-paying jobs and generating $41 billion in new revenue over the next decade. #FridayNews #refreshmiami #climatetech #Solutions

Meet the finalists for the Cargo Visibility Challenge with PortMiami. These companies provide solutions that revolutionize cargo visibility and efficiency. Congratulations to all our finalists! Stay tuned for the winners' announcement. #TechInnovation #Communityhighlight #PortMiami #cargovisibility

MDIA Board member Seth Cassel, Co-Founder and former President of EveryMundo, shared what other people should know about MDIA: "I think people should understand how the MDIA is an innovative way for a city achieve innovation. The leadership of Miami-Dade County is thinking creatively and pragmatically about how to make Miami a better place for its residents, and there is recognition that we need to try new approaches to accelerate the adoption of solutions to our top challenges as a city." #TechInnovation #Communityhighlight #Leadership #TopChallenge

We're thrilled to highlight Michele Migliuolo, who participated in our Selection Panel for the Airport Passenger Experience Public Innovation Challenge. As a Professor of Entrepreneurship at at Nova Southeastern University, Michele is passionate about helping young entrepreneurs enter the workforce. At the University, he introduces students to his network and helps them secure internships, summer jobs, special projects, or actual employment. Michele told us, "There is nothing better to turbo charge a resume than spending time with a real CEO of a real company solving real challenges". #TechInnovation #Communityhighlight #Innovation #PublicChallenge

MDIA is identifying technologies that reduce the cost of supplying new housing, expanding access to capital for acquisition, improve risk-prediction and supply projection methods, or ease the costs and hassles of access and administration of housing affordability programs. #housing #housingsolutions #verticals #Technology

Meet Russell Sillmon: Product Pilot Manager at MDIA Russell works collaboratively with public sector, anchor institutional partners and strategic subject matter advisors to support MDIA’s challenge funding recipients through the public test of their technology and products. Learn more about Russell: Currently Reading: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, by Yuval Noah Harari (one of my favorite authors) Country to Visit: Hard to pick! One of my favorite trips was in El Salvador, riding along the coast to the Guatemalan border on a scooter. Also, can’t wait to get back to Guyana to continue exploring all the nature it has to offer. Hobbies: My wife and I recently relocated to Miami, and we love exploring our new home. I enjoy live music, comedy shows, beach days, rock climbing, cooking, biking along the water, y practicando mi Español! Why MDIA? I was immediately drawn to MDIA’s mission, and I am so excited to help grow Miami’s tech ecosystem. #TechInnovation #Community #teammember #PublicTest

MDIA Sargassum Challenge Winner Carbonwave was featured by Fast Company as one of the most innovative companies in agriculture. Puerto Rico-based Carbonwave transforms sargassum—the smelly seaweed that plagues Caribbean beaches—into vegan leather, cosmetics, and more, while removing carbon from the environment. Partnering with resorts in Florida and governments in Mexico, they help clean beaches and repurpose the algas into valuable products. Their SargaAg fertilizer offers up to a 10x return on investment for farmers. This startup is turning a coastal nuisance into sustainable, profitable solutions. Learn more about the other Sargassum Challenge Winners at mdia.miami #Sargassum #Agriculture #Environment #ClimateChange

Discover how innovative technologies are transforming health by connecting individuals with health systems, care teams, providers, insurance, public health, and social services. These startups are at the forefront of revolutionizing care through applications in aging, assistive technology, and more. #MiamiGovernment #health #healthsolutions #verticals

Meet Abhiram Manchi, one of our Special Projects Fellows. Abhiram plays a crucial role in the research that helps us create impactful solutions and foster an inclusive innovation ecosystem. Abhiram informaiton: Currently Reading: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Ken Follett paints such an expansive and intricate picture of medieval England. Favourite Book: I can’t decide between “To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee and “Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman” by Richard Fenyman Country to Visit: I’m from Chennai in South India, and my favorite country to visit is Spain, and particularly Barcelona where I spent a couple of months during my undergrad. Hobbies: Movies and Squash Why MDIA? MDIA works in the unique intersection of public sector and private sector and facilitates the solving of genuine civic society problems using technology. MDIA provides a platform for upcoming startups and also fosters a close connection between government and startups which is always a good thing. #Miamidadecounty #TechInnovation #Community #teammember