By Pabla Ayala
Over 1,800 people attended TechCrunch’s Disrupt New York 2013 for three full days of startup firepower, April 29-May 1, 2013. 180 companies exhibited in Startup Alley and Hardware Alley, and 30 more duked it out on the Disrupt Battlefield stage for a chance to win $50,000 in cash and the glory and fame of being named TechCrunch Disrupt 2013 Winners. That doesn’t even include the 1,100 coders and designers that participated in the 24 hackathon that presented 164 projects on the eve of Disrupt!
Yes, the speakers were amazing and some of the best in the industry speaking candidly about their opinions, lessons learned and imparting wisdom, which you can read and watch on TechCrunch’s extensive coverage. But one thing was painfully obvious to a local South Floridian: With startups coming out the wazoo, I found only TWO South Florida-based companies present!
Among them were the 2012 SuperConf Winners LiveNinja, a digital marketplace that gives a skilled person the opportunity to become an online entrepreneur by earning additional revenue from teaching what they are best doing such as play a guitar, cook, give legal advice or even give yoga classes. (Pictured below are Will Weinraub, CEO, and Alfonso Martinez, chief creative officer of LiveNinja)
The other company was the 2012 Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge Winner Geopon, a free mobile app allowing users to find coupons and deals on their favorite items, earn points or punches which can be redeemed for prizes, store membership and loyalty card information. (Pictured below are Ido Meros, CEO and Oscar Salguero, lead mobile developer, of Geopon)
Both companies are great examples of South Florida’s entrepreneurial success and we are proud to have them represent us, but we need to roll up our sleeves up and get to work South Florida.
TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco is right around the corner, September 7-11, 2013, followed by the first ever TechCrunch Disrupt Europe: Berlin, October 26-29, 2013. This means there is time to apply to compete in the Startup Battlefield or even present at Startup Alley.
Startup Battlefield Requirements:
- Your startup must be live for 3 months or less at the time of application.
- First time startup launches are preferable, but not a dealbreaker. Significant new company products are considered and any company around the world can apply.
- You have not presented at other public launch events.
- Apply here!
"The first TechCrunch Disrupt we attended was San Francisco in 2012, before going to Disrupt New York. Both experiences were very valuable, but what we got a lot at both events was that most of the people who came to our booth were really impressed by the fact that we are a startup based in South Florida. They even asked us if there were more startups or technology companies in Florida," says Oscar Salguero, co-founder and Lead Mobile Developer of Geopon. "People think Miami is only about fashion, boat shows, vacations and partying. It seems people have forgotten that it was a team of Boca Raton engineers that launched the first PC back in 1981 and that it was at an IBM/BellSouth campus in South Florida where the first smartphone, the Simon, was born. Silicon Valley and New York should not underestimate Miami, its surroundings and its incredible potential."
LiveNinja's founder found this to be true, too, and believes local companies need to step up to increase awareness. "This was our second year in a row attending Disrupt and both times many people we spoke with were very intrigued when we mentioned that we are a Miami-based company. The more we talk about it, the more obvious it’s become that the attendees, speakers and investors that go to these conferences don't stop to think that there's innovative activity happening here,” says Will Weinraub, CEO of LiveNinja. “Obviously they're not properly informed and fixing that is simple: local companies just need to go where they are and get in front of people's faces. The more startups attending these major conferences the more it will increase awareness, not for just the startups themselves, but for the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole. We need more representation on both a national and international level."
*Pabla Ayala is co-founder of pFunk Media.*Watch pFunk Media's videos and see blog posts from Tech Crunch Disrupt 2013 here.