By Cristian F. Robiou
Dear Miami Startup Community,
I write this with dual intentions but one audience in mind.
The first purpose is to formally invite you all to the Startupbootcamp Demo Day to be held on December 1st at the Mana Convention Center in Wynwood. You can RSVP HERE. The second reason is to provide broader context on the motivations that power the bulk of our work: what are we doing in Miami and why should you care?
Our motivations found voice after confronting a wake of questions commonly posed but less frequently acted upon: "how do we do well for ourselves, while also doing good for others?"
At Startupbootcamp, we have made measurable strides in service of this vision of comprehensive growth, rather than the unbalanced approach put forth by our counterparts in San Francisco, Boston, New York and elsewhere. While successful in the traditional sense, the chief failure of our sister-cities has been neglecting the real, human interests technological progress is intended to serve. When combined with the long term tax created via unstated but widely recognized policies of exclusion, the glow of our own city, of our own Miami, takes an even more important hue. We’ve arrived at an answer after long months spent evaluating: to pair our Demo Day with Miami’s Art Week, and in so doing harness general cultural activity into an instrument for broader good. Specifically this means showing and sharing widely the lessons learned from building for our expanding community so that we protect and accelerate Miami’s startup trajectory. We will be hosting panels on industry specific topics that bear directly on Miami’s growth prospects. This will be paired with a broader art and health tech symposium and, of course, our own Demo Day where our portfolio companies will share the insights they’ve garnered over months working with us here.
Because we work in the health sector, this is easier said than done. But despite the challenge we’ve managed to make considerable strides. We can reach new heights with your help.
In a few week’s time, the world will turn its eye to Miami. Art Basel is one of those distinguishable events where our city brims with the spirit and promise of culture, a complexity of values expressing one of the the best shorthand indications of what we can stand for as a people: growth of all forms, diversity of distinct shades, and appreciation of the transformative power of color, origin, and perspectives.
Our work entails crafting a protected space that encourages a commitment to living, not just alongside one another as strangers in polite company, but instead as stakeholders sincerely invested in each other’s well-being. And though admittedly not the perfect forum - we acknowledge Basel itself suffers from serious inclusiveness deficiencies - our goal now is to offer a pointed method to address them, and continue to strengthen our ecosystem. In marrying the industries of technology with the world of art in Miami, we can begin forging commonality of value while celebrating diversity of experience. We can strive to make this part of Miami’s emblem. A time and place dedicated to recognizing the breadth of distinct histories while holding steadfast to the view that together we are truly are a collection of the world’s finest range of humanity.
This is an unsung philosophy we practice daily: that in this way more of us can find richer and continuous opportunities for improvement, and that we have a duty to share that as widely as possible. If the promise of Miami means anything, it is this commitment to inclusion and accommodation that separates us from those that came before.
At Startupbootcamp, we have devoted significant resources to create a non-trivial response to this issue, meeting passion with reason in equal measure. We have started this project, of fusing art and health tech under a common banner, with substantive as well as symbolic goals in mind. Though our focus industries do not form the full picture of what Miami offers, we nonetheless hope to see you on December 1st.
Cristian F. Robiou is the acting chief operating officer at Startupbootcamp Miami, a digital health seed fund and accelerator.