5-2021: Tech Diaspora Acceleration

"Well that escalated quickly!...:

May 7

Welcome to the (on time-ish!) May 2021 edition of "collage art storytelling with tweets." about the technology industry’s reshuffling around the United States and the world post pandemic.

This episode chronicles the events of April 2021.

This guide in general will skew towards Miami (where I live currently) but also include Austin and Atlanta (where I also have lived and have knowledge of) among others.

For the previous episode checkout out 4-2021 Tech Diaspora Acceleration

Lead Tweet:

Bobby Goodlatte @rsg

A lot of investors are saying they're seeing more & better deals now than ever. My theory as to why: The SF Bay Area monopoly on startups was rate-limiting the industry. COVID blew that up. And now we're seeing a spring of 1,000 flowers blooming. SF/SV was the rate limiter.

4-2-2021

Mike Solana @micsolana

i too hope that nobody forgets they got wealthy because they made great things

Josh Elman 🇺🇸 @joshelman

I think it is cool that a bunch of people are moving to Miami to set up a new tech scene. But it is even cooler how many of them immigrated to the Bay Area first, made great things, and got wealthy here. Hopefully they don’t forget that.

Anthemos Georgiades @anthemos

Just did our Q2 @Zumper kickoff after a record Q1 🚀 I announced 2 new hubs we are launching right now. We're hiring up in each, hit me up! 🌴 Miami 🏖️ Los Angeles Our logic below (1/4)

Mayor Francis Suarez @FrancisSuarez

Excited about watching @jackabraham and @rabois’ journey to make OpenStore the largest Miami based company ever built...good luck...you’re gonna have a lot of competition but I know you’re up for it.

Jack Abraham @jackabraham

The curiousity about OpenStore has been unparalleled. @MMCandyCheng dives in on what @rabois and I are building here in Miami. 🚀🚀🚀 https://t.co/e7K3xdEqhC @FrancisSuarez

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

Since location and network have become mostly unbundled (in some circles), where you live is not as big of a (professional) decision as who are the 10-20 people you chat with most in digital space.

Erik Torenberg @eriktorenberg

Professionally, where you live physically may no longer be more important than where you live digitally Your twitter threads, group chats, & online communities might influence your career more than your longitude & latitude Which means you can live & work anywhere. Game-changer https://t.co/R0mgQSuJym

On Deck @beondeck

☀️ Drop #1: Miami Tech with @rabois ☀️ COVID-19 showed that there is no longer a single center of gravity in tech. On Deck is partnering with @rabois to help builders forge relationships in the city that's becoming an emerging startup hub: Miami

Miami Tech with Keith RaboisMiami Tech with Keith Rabois is a one-off, 4-week experiential program hosted in partnership with On Deck. It brings together founders, operators, and investors to explore ideas, build projects and grow their networks – all in the burgeoning Miami technology ecosystem.beondeck.com

Elon Musk @elonmusk

delian @zebulgar

when I first got into tech in 2012, the center of tech was in Palo Alto but, a bunch of weirdos decided they couldn't afford Palo Alto & wanted a better quality of life, so they moved to SF now, in 2021, all my tech weirdo friends are moving to Miami... wonder what happens next

4-5-2021

Gergely Orosz @GergelyOrosz

There are few things we’ll thank the pandemic for: but leapfrogging both full-remote and partially remote work setups (2-3 days/week in the office) in tech by a decade will surely be one of them.

Chris Herd @chris_herd

Remember when companies used to say you have to be in an office to do your work And then a global pandemic happened, and everybody saw that it wasn't true Impossible to put the remote work genie back in the bottle

delian @zebulgar

Sorry I know it's been a lot of Miami tweets, but 1 more The balance of power in VC is shifting because of hedge funds now being the most active VCs Tiger, Coatue, D1 etc & most of them are in Miami, making it a destination for founder fundraising trips

Inside Tiger Global’s Deal MachineIn early 2018, Tiger Global Management hired retired U.S. Army colonel Greg Gadson to speak at the hedge fund’s offsite conference at Miraval, a luxury resort and spa in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Gadson, who lost both legs to an explosion in Baghdad, shared this advice on overcoming intense ...theinformation.com

Ana Paula González @anapauglez

Thank you @snyatta and @marceloclaure for believing in me I'm super excited to take on this role and leverage @SoftBank 's platform to continue building the Miami we all dream of🚀 And thank you @ndahlberg for being the biggest champion that #MiamiTech could ever wish for!

Nancy Dahlberg @ndahlberg

Ana Paula Gonzalez to head SoftBank’s Miami Initiative - Refresh Miami. Big things to come from SoftBank Miami https://t.co/cbLFAGC72O via @refreshmiami #miamitech @softbank @anapauglez

4-6-2021

Mayor Francis Suarez @FrancisSuarez

Learn about Ethereum from the founder of the cryptocurrency himself @VitalikButerin⤵️ Amazing #CafecitoTalk with @VitalikButerin @CryptexFinance & @fintechfrank discussing Ethereum’s role in making Miami the Capital of Crypto🚀

Marcelo Claure @marceloclaure

Excited to welcome @eightsleep to the @SoftBank family! Proud to invest in our first Latina co-founded company through the SB Opportunity Fund. I can personally say I haven’t lost any sleep over this decision, my Pod Pro mattress doesn’t let me. hrld.us/2PzDW3f

4-7-2021

Bobby Goodlatte @rsg

A lot of investors are saying they're seeing more & better deals now than ever. My theory as to why: The SF Bay Area monopoly on startups was rate-limiting the industry. COVID blew that up. And now we're seeing a spring of 1,000 flowers blooming. SF/SV was the rate limiter.

4-8-2021

will.vc @boujeehacker

punks in @WynwoodMiami

4-10-2021

Stephen Stark @stephenrstark

How an Atlanta incubator turned into a new co-working business | Courier

How an Atlanta incubator turned into a new co-working business‘You can study it and research it, but you’ve got to just do it’mailchimp.com

4-12-2021

Chester 🆖 @chest

👀 Atomic Miami is open. Come build with us. 💻📱📈🏝🔥 @JoinAtomic @jackabraham @FrancisSuarez

Lightspeed @lightspeedvp

1/4 The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a long-term change in the way startups operate. We’re many months into this shift but there’s a lack of data Founders can use to inform their decisions. Our Founder Success Team ran a workplace re-entry survey to help:

When will business return to normal — and what will ‘normal’ look like?Facebook, Microsoft, and Uber have already begun returning employees to their headquarters on a part-time basis. Surprisingly, Google recently announced plans to limit remote work for most employees…lmbeseda.medium.com

Mayor Francis Suarez @FrancisSuarez

It was such a pleasure hosting investor and founder @DavidSacks for a #CafecitoTalk We talked about what he sees in the “burgeoning tech scene” in Miami and what it could mean for the next decade in our City. Check it out⬇️⬇️

Lucy Guo @lucy_guo

Miami might be *more* SF than SF

4-14-2021

On Deck @beondeck

Applications are due today for Miami Tech with @rabois! From Miami Swag to a session at Barry's to a Founders Fund party, the program will provide a full Miami experience.

Miami Tech with Keith RaboisMiami Tech with Keith Rabois is a one-off, 4-week experiential program hosted in partnership with On Deck. It brings together founders, operators, and investors to explore ideas, build projects and grow their networks – all in the burgeoning Miami technology ecosystem.beondeck.com

Mayor Francis Suarez @FrancisSuarez

America’s Wunderkind Mayor On Miami 2.0, ‘Silicon Beach’ And His Own Political Ambitions43-year old Mayor Francis Saurez is spearheading Miami’s 2.0 economic Renaissance ‘into a once-in-a-generation movement’. And he’s only getting started. That’s great news for South Florida. Silicon Valley and Manhattan should be worriedforbes.com

Ryan RC Rea @volvoshine

Between the efforts of @FrancisSuarez and @rabois at the top and the efforts of @Bellumio, @chrisadamo_ and yours truely in the middle.... We've built a crazy slick recruiting funnel for #miamitech / #Miami. Like you come to one happy hour & then boom you're all the way in 😁😏

Demian @Bellumio

It’s been and will always be better!! #miamitechlife

Is Miami the new Silicon Valley?The techxodus has begun — San Fran’s top start-ups are making the Sunshine State their home. Andrew Barker reports...standard.co.uk

4-19-2021

Michael Arrington @arrington

2/ But it’s way more than that. The city is alive in a way that Seattle and San Francisco are not. It doesn’t hate itself, nor is it guilting itself into abasement. It is vibrant, diverse and on the rise. Much as Silicon Valley was in the beginning of my career.

Michael Arrington @arrington

6/ In conclusion, I don’t think there is a better place for entrepreneurs on the planet right now than Miami. Moving here significantly increases your chances of success. If you can, do it Do It GIF

Do It GIF

delian @zebulgar

In my first 12 hours in MIA I've had dinner with the up & coming TikTok VCs + YC founders coming in to the FF office to do an IRL conference-room pitch deck walkthrough Which is just so much more energizing than a Zoom meeting...

Auston Bunsen ⚡️ QuikNode.io @bunsen

Shervin Pishevar @shervin

This is a great program with @rabois @beondeck @eriktorenberg @glen__allison @APompliano @lucy_guo @FrancisSuarez @m_franceschetti and many more!

Miami Tech with Keith RaboisMiami Tech with Keith Rabois is a one-off, 4-week experiential program hosted in partnership with On Deck. It brings together founders, operators, and investors to explore ideas, build projects and grow their networks – all in the burgeoning Miami technology ecosystem.beondeck.com

Monique Farantzos @farantzos

@arrington Miami-Austin daily flights are going to be hot and full of commuting entrepreneurs, much like SF-NYC and SF-Pac Northwest used to be once upon a time.

solbier @solbier1

The energy in #Miami reminds me of early 2010s SF. Every cafe is packed with builders and tech founders, houses are being bought sight unseen, rentals are being snatched up. The feeling that something new is being built is intoxicating. @MattSlater @html5cat

delian @zebulgar

Mayor @FrancisSuarez comes to a tech event and explains the value prop of Miami for tech and says "My number one priority is low taxes" Crowd explodes in applause 😂😂😂

4-20-2021

delian @zebulgar

@brianbreslin @MiamiTechPod Happening all the time now, Miami is clearly a fundraising destination Crossover funds + VCs means it's now the highest concentration of Series B/C/D leads Will take some time to be the highest for Seed/Series A but possible...

Brian Breslin @brianbreslin

Had a founder from Silicon Valley dm me about coming to Miami to raise VC funds for his startup. NEVER did I think Miami would be a destination for folks to come to raise money in. #miamitech @MiamiTechPod

Adam Nathan 🌱 @adampnathan

SF is not dead. SV is not dead. But something special is very clearly happening in Miami. It's not a zero-sum game.

Austen Allred @Austen

Miami is just going to meme its way into being an actual tech hub isn’t it

Saxon Baum @Saxonbaum

Great to hear @FrancisSuarez talk about the future of Miami tech thank you to @JoinThe305 and @EndeavorMIA

4-21-2021

Alex Bouaziz @Bouazizalex

I’m so proud & excited to finally share that @deel has raised its Series C of $156 million led by @ycombinator Continuity & co-led by @a16z + @sparkcapital. That’s 🦄 status, captain!!! letsdeel.com/blog/deel-seri…

It’s official. Deel is now a U-N-I-C-O-R-NThese past 12 months have been an incredible ride. Today we’re happy to share with the world (and especially you reading this) that we’ve raised our Series C of $156 million, bringing Deel’s valuation to $1.25 billion. We’ve officially entered unicorn territory, captain 🦄letsdeel.com

Kasim Reed @KasimReed

Michael Tavani @tavani

👀 @switchyards "When we go back [to a place to work], I want more flexibility, less space, but I want that space to be more communal, and more aspirational and more fun." - @profgalloway

Devon ☀️ @devonzuegel

Since moving to Miami a few months ago, I've had a lot of fun exploring my new stomping grounds. I wanted to share what I've found, so I wrote some field notes to give you a peek into what life is like here: devonzuegel.com/post/field-not… Questions/additions welcome!

Field notes: MiamiThese field notes are a bit different from previous cities I’ve explored, because unlike those, Miami is my home! So this post partially serves as a life update—I moved to Miami Beach from California a few months ago, and I’m excited to share my...devonzuegel.com

JONATHAN SIDDHARTH, CEO Turing.com (We’re hiring!) @jonsidd

Remote Workers get paid $12K to move to West Virginia. As Silicon Valley moves to the cloud, we see more of this @turingcom. 👩‍💻👨‍💻 Cities competing for great people is good. We're already seeing Miami's amazing recruiting efforts with @FrancisSuarez. cnn.com/2021/04/18/us/…

Remote workers can get paid $12,000 to move to West VirginiaDuring the pandemic, cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Natchez, Mississippi, have offered remote workers cash to relocate there, while exotic destinations like Aruba have promoted their islands for stay-at-home jobs.cnn.com

Chris Herd @chris_herd

So many companies are about to find out a huge number of their teams have moved away from the cities their offices are in and that they would rather quit than go back

John Backus @backus

Big detail I forgot: Seeing @FrancisSuarez speak positively about tech was actually meaningful I founded my startup in 2013 and watched media & gov villainize tech more every year I work really hard on stuff I'm proud of. Living somewhere where that's appreciated was appealing

4-24-2021

Matteo Franceschetti @m_franceschetti

@rabois Every weekend I meet new founders or operators that just moved here or are visiting (many then stay). In the past two weeks I met more investors here than when I was flying to SF pre covid

4-25-2021

Keith Rabois @rabois

Brunch w @darian314 in Miami. 6 of his CEOs are in Miami now, including a new seed investment and a billion $ company.

delian @zebulgar

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the unofficial start of the inaugural Miami Tech Week I know of at least 100 founders, VCs etc all flying in Reply here if you're gonna be in town this week so folks can know!

Harvey Multani @HarveyMultani

The shilling of MIA today may make you feel the same as when you encountered the shilling of TSLA and BTC from 2010-2015. If you were pessimistic while patting yourself on the back for being cautious/mature...how do you feel now?

4-26-2021

Ja’dan Johnson @jdanjohnson

Had an amazing catch-up call with @_rpgbx from the @beondeck team! Super excited for their fellowship happening in Miami starting this week. Love the receptiveness on ways we can connect fellows traveling here to the OG #MiamiTech community. Watch this space.

Drake @drakerehfeld

actually **wild*** how much tech has pushed demand on MIA flights $700+ for round trip??

Chris Adamo @chrisadamo_

To all the newcomers here for #miamitechweek come meet the OGs in #miamitech Wednesday at 6pm at lagniappe, grab a table near the back and we’ll make some magic city connections. All are welcome ❤️ this is how we do it in #miami @volvoshine @FrancisSuarez @Bellumio @zebulgar

Mayor Francis Suarez @FrancisSuarez

With the excitement around an impromptu Miami Tech Week, I want to invite all founders to join me and my VentureMiami team for a Cafecito Meetup tomorrow at 9am at City Hall. Looking forward to meeting all of you while sipping on some Cafecito ☕️ RSVP➡️ forms.gle/g9Y6Ej2dZ6K1zX…

Chris Adamo @chrisadamo_

And there we are #miamitech see y’all tomorrow ❤️ @jdanjohnson @Bellumio @rjwile @FrancisSuarez @rabois @zebulgar @saif305 @melmedina305 @WhereByUs @tryletterhead @soulafloat miamiherald.com/news/business/…

Ja’dan Johnson @jdanjohnson

@harryhurst @Mr312 The twitter-verse orchestrated this one but hey, we're making the best of it. I wrote a little breakdown for @refreshmiami that might be worth checking out:

It’s #MiamiTechWeek and you’re invited! - Refresh MiamiIf you’re experiencing some massive FOMO from all the tweets about the unofficial Miami Tech Week, have no more fear - Refresh Miami is here to break it all down.refreshmiami.com

4-28-2021

Mayor Francis Suarez @FrancisSuarez

Successful start to Miami Tech Week with a Cafecito Meetup at Miami City Hall #HowCanIHelp

Dave Fano @davidfano

#MiamiTech is no passing fad. @FrancisSuarez @Bellumio @chrisadamo_ @matthaggman @MariaDerchi and many more have been building this for years and it’s amazing to see it working.

Demian @Bellumio

Ok when has city hall seen a line of young entrepreneurs, tech professionals and investors to actually celebrate the city’s mayor? Congrats ⁦@FrancisSuarez⁩ Proud of you my friend!!! https://t.co/x6vSf3GocP

delian @zebulgar

together we all managed to meme a tech conference into existence memes rule the world!!! well done folks, especially the locals that are helping lean into it miamiherald.com/news/business/…

Leo Polovets @lpolovets

I posted some thoughts on @pairagraph about whether SF will still be the capital of tech post-COVID. TLDR: I think SF's position is significantly weakened, & the future of tech will likely be distributed & in the cloud, & not dominated by a single city.

Is SF Finished As the Capital of Tech?Ted Egan & Leo Polovetspairagraph.com

Shahed Khan @_shahedk

Just got back from Miami and I’m already planning a second trip. A lot of folks polking fun on Twitter, but I have to say—that community is alive and thriving.

armand type beat @2irl4u

Miami Tech Week looks absolutely lit, huge FOMO not being there

Ryan RC Rea @volvoshine

Thank you @pardesoteric for documenting #MiamiTechWeek !!! Feat: @chrisadamo_ , @hi_rankin @a_zatarain @zebulgar @FrancisSuarez and yours truly.... wired.com/story/miami-te… #Miami #MiamiTech

‘Miami Tech Week’ Wasn’t Planned. But the Hype Is InfectiousFounders and funders are flocking to the beach for an impromptu event that some are calling “South by Southeast.”wired.com

balajis.com @balajis

SF is finished as the capital of tech. Leo makes the case: - Family & business unfriendly - Advantages for tech dwindling - Other cities becoming increasingly attractive - Remote work here to stay It's time to decentralize tech to the world, not concentrate it in one place.

Leo Polovets @lpolovets

@pairagraph @zebulgar @Jason @DavidSacks @friedberg @chamath @rabois @zaoyang @balajis @antoniogm This took longer than I expected, but I finally posted some thoughts at https://t.co/47HzAE3QbX

4-29-2021

Keith Rabois @rabois

There are so many founders investigating Miami this week that 6 other VC firms were impelled to host events to complement Delian’s schedule.

Chris Herd @chris_herd

Some news: @FirstbaseHQ has raised a $13m Series A led by @a16z In the last year, 11,000+ companies with 20m+ employees signed up to learn how we can help them set up, support, and scale their remote team globally A few reasons why this is so important [ a thread ] 💻🏠🌍

Chris Herd @chris_herd

• Remote is more cost-efficient ✅ • It leads to far higher productivity ✅ • It lets companies hire better talent ✅ • It increases retention of that talent ✅ • 90% of people want to work remote ✅ Remote-first companies dominate going forward

Google is saving $1 billion per year as a result of employees working from homeGoogle is known for perks such as massages and retreats. Not having to pay for those things during the pandemic has padded the company’s bottom line.latimes.com

delian @zebulgar

monkey brain expand fast fast fast

Garrett Scott 🕳 @thegarrettscott

There’s a TON of people in Miami and had people in my DM’s wondering what to do. So I built an UNOFFICIAL events page for Miami Tech Week today. If you hear of or want to host your own meetup, post it there. Would love to get some niche meetups going!

EventsUnofficial Miami Tech Weekunofficialmiamitechweek.com

4-30-2021

Glen Allison @glen__allison

Bet on #miami panel with @beondeck. Thank you @FrancisSuarez @MelissaKrinzman @MariaDerchi @michaelsayman @rflipsey

On Deck @beondeck

Miami Tech Kickoff ✅ Where to next?

Pomp 🌪 @APompliano

The tech event last night in Miami proved that Silicon Valley has officially moved to Miami. Founders - come here. It will be a competitive advantage moving forward.

Adam Nathan 🌱 @adampnathan

Advice for founders considering Miami: come down and try it out. Rent a place but don't pack up your life just yet. It's not all Barry's & drinks at Faena. Founders I know here still put in long hours. The nature of VC is different & their experiences will differ from yours.

Zach Coelius @zachcoelius

I can now confirm the Miami tech scene is very real. @rabois @zebulgar and the whole crew is building something very cool. I am super excited to see what the community there does. Oh, and the @foundersfund @137ventures party last night was really really good.

Marcelo P. Lima @MarceloPLima

Great interview with tech startup CEO (and Miami Mayor) @FrancisSuarez 🧵: nytimes.com/2021/04/29/opi…

Opinion | Why Is So Much Money Moving to Miami?The city might be sinking, but Mayor Francis Suarez is still luring tech bros there.nytimes.com

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