Melissa Medina co-founded eMerge Americas in 2014, when Miami was still fighting for recognition as a technology hub. Twelve years later, the conference draws more than 20,000 attendees from around the world.
When Melissa Medina and her father, technology entrepreneur Manny Medina, launched eMerge Americas in 2014, Miami was hardly considered a serious competitor to Silicon Valley or New York as a technology center.
The city had entrepreneurs, investors and successful technology companies, but lacked the international visibility and business networks enjoyed by more established tech hubs.
Medina knew the problem firsthand. Before co-founding eMerge Americas, she worked at Terremark Worldwide, the Miami-based data center company her father built and eventually sold to Verizon in 2011.
Despite Terremark's international success, its Miami headquarters often raised questions among prospective clients and business partners. In a September 2026 interview with Forbes, Medina recalled the difficulty of recruiting talent and convincing outsiders that South Florida could support a major technology business.
Rather than wait for that perception to change, the Medinas launched a conference intended to bring international investors, technology executives and entrepreneurs directly to Miami.
Twelve years later, eMerge Americas has become one of the city's most prominent annual business gatherings. Its 2026 edition attracted more than 20,000 attendees from over 60 countries, according to the organizers.
The event has also expanded well beyond its original conference format. eMerge now operates startup accelerator programs, organizes investment and industry events, and publishes research on venture capital activity in South Florida.
Its startup showcase alumni have collectively raised more than $4 billion, according to figures cited by Forbes.
Under Medina's leadership, the organization's programming has expanded into artificial intelligence, healthcare, financial technology and national security, reflecting the growing range of industries competing for investment and talent in Miami.
Beyond eMerge, Medina is a partner at early-stage investment firm Medina Ventures, president of the Medina Family Foundation and a trustee of The Miami Foundation.
Miami's technology economy has changed considerably since 2014. Major investment firms have established operations in South Florida, venture capital activity has increased, and the city has attracted entrepreneurs from across the United States and abroad.
That growth has involved far more than any single organization. But eMerge Americas has given Miami something important: an established annual meeting place where local companies can reach international investors, potential customers and industry leaders without leaving South Florida.
With the next eMerge Americas conference scheduled for March 2–4, 2027, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Medina remains closely involved in an industry she helped organize long before Miami's technology boom attracted national attention.