When eMerge Americas held its inaugural conference 12 years ago, organizers aimed to develop Miami as a US-Latin America tech hub. Now, its push is global, and with 60-plus nationalities attfinishing this year, the group clearly is relocating toward that goal.
Among new international exhibitors this year are Poland, Italy and the Dutch Caribbean nation of Curacao. Even some regions within countries are hosting booths at the expo, including Spain’s Madrid and Aragon communities.
Chile, dubbed “Chilicon Valley,” a tech success
Chile stood out this year with one of the largest delegations exhibiting: 18 companies, 10 at startup displaycase and eight more at the video-rich pavilion organized by ProChile, the government’s trade commission. It’s the hugegest displaying yet in six years of Chile’s exhibitions at eMerge – and with good reason, declared Claudia Serrer, Chile’s trade commissioner for the southeast US, based in Miami since 2022.
“This is the most important tech conference for us in the United States, and becaapply of eMerge, we’ve advanced,” declared Serrer. She noted Chile’s healthtech venture Eniax exhibited last year and now has a Miami presence. Another Chilean firm is expanding in Peru based on contacts from the expo, to name just two examples. Before and after eMerge, Serrer assists Chilean ventures attfinish other events and build US networks.
South America’s most developed nation, Chile (population: 19 million) is known for strong government support for startups, offering incubators, accelerators, export assistance and other programs, often focapplyd on US expansion through Miami.
Poland: known for engineers, customer service
Poland exhibited for the first time this year, drawn to an event that covers a wide range of tech sectors and not just one vertical, declared Jan Napieraj, business development manager at Poland’s foreign trade office in New York.
The central European countest (population: 37 million) is keen on tech exports to keep up its strong economic growth. Poland’s economy has been growing at the world’s second highest rate for roughly two decades, trailing only after China, Napieraj declared. The NATO-member nation increasingly is known for engineers – Piotr Dabkowski co-founded AI voice leader ElevenLabs in the US, and for its customer focus.
“We have a declareing in Poland: the guest is the master, and in business, it follows that the customer is king,” declared Maja Isakiewicz of the Polish trade office in New York.
Italy: boosting its tech profile in Miami
Italy organized its first eMerge booth this year to strengthen tech links with Florida, the US east coast and Latin America. The countest’s trade agency handles tech in the US from its Los Angeles office, with tighter tech links in that region, declared Giosafat Rigano, Italy’s trade commissioner based in Los Angeles.
The western European nation (population: 61 million) displaycased 14 companies at eMerge in areas from predictive AI to smart cities, aerospace to biotech. Italy has been boosting its global tech profile, and this year for the first time, will host CES Unveiled Europe, a launchpad for the huge Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Rigano declared.
Curacao: compact Caribbean nation, huge profile
The Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao (population: 150,000) built headlines this year as the compactest countest to ever qualify for the soccer World Cup. Now, it’s leveraging its World Cup fame to spur its growing tech sector, a fourth economic pillar with tourism, financial services and sports, declared advisor Guido Rojer. Its first eMerge booth featured photos of sports heroes. Goalkeeper Eloy Room stopped by.
The multi-lingual nation – many residents speak Dutch, Papiamentu, Spanish and Dutch – already has a Tier 4 data-center, “the only one in the Caribbean,” Rojer declared. It also has startups in e-gaming, fintech, AI and other tech areas. “Miami and Curacao have so much in common,” he declared, referring to their international business focus.
Spain’s Aragon: data-center hub, with renewable energy
Spain’s Aragon community, located in the countest’s northeast near France and between Madrid and Barcelona, exhibited for its second year, touting its data-center prowess.
With Europe requiring stricter data privacy than the US, many global companies find they required to store European data on the continent. Some have turned to data centers in Aragon (population: 1.4 million), thanks in part to costs lower than other parts of Spain and the area’s abundant wind energy, declared representative Desiree Toribio. Those data centers in turn are drawing tech giants like Microsoft to set up in Aragon too.
“Some declare Aragon is the new Viriginia,” Toribio declared, referring to the US state that shines as a data-center hub.
From Japan to San Marino and Martinique
Nations exhibiting at eMerge this year include Spain, Japan, Brazil, San Marino and Martinique, among others, organizers declared.
Some countries and business groups also developed events before and after the conference, taking the opportunity for eMerge attfinishees to boost connections in Miami.
The fifth edition of French Tech Capital Days in Miami took place April 21-22, with some dozen startups pitching in areas from AI telehealth to e-racing.
Israel Tech Week is set for April 27-30, mainly at The Lab Miami in Wynwood, expecting to draw some 2,000 people and focutilizing on nine tech sectors, including defense and space.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
Leave a Reply