Opportunity Miami

Zulu Pods is an aerospace startup redefining jet engine technology and paving the way for a more sustainable future. Co-founded by Latina aerospace engineer Daniella Sladen, Zulu Pods is revolutionizing the aviation industry with innovative solutions that are cost-effective, sustainable, and transformative. “Traditional systems rely on gallons of oil, but our pods reduce that to milliliters,” Sladen explained. “This not only saves weight and cost but also improves performance. For applications like military helicopters, our pods provide the critical last burst of lubrication to safely land in emergencies.”

Buses, cars, planes, and trains account for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions in Miami-Dade County, compared to nearly 30% nationally. So how we get around will play a major role in shaping a cleaner and more sustainable future. Going fully electric can only tackle a part of the problem. Whether driving an electric vehicle or using a drone to deliver a product, the battery that powers it needs to outpower and outrange plain old gasoline. Enter Miami-based startup Ouros Energy. “The main issue is that [the batteries] just don’t store enough energy,” explains Ouros founder Ethan Loosbrock. He’s hoping to “close that gap and enable some of these transportation technologies to transition to batteries.”

Miami embodies the American dream. It’s where the spirit of entrepreneurship is woven into the fabric of our daily lives. Edrizio De La Cruz’s journey—from selling guavas on the streets to selling his fintech company to Mastercard—captures the essence of that dream. Now, through The Founder School, he’s empowering underrepresented entrepreneurs to follow in his footsteps. "I want to give others the opportunity to succeed, especially people who don’t typically have access to the tools or funding they need," De La Cruz said. This kind of leadership is essential to growing Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Miami of 2040 can be more innovative and inclusive. Tech Equity Miami is helping to close the tech disparity gap in the community. Led by Johanna Mikkola, Tech Equity Miami is a nonprofit funding consortium launched two years ago to serve as the bridge between funders and initiatives to build a strong tech ecosystem in Miami. They are deploying $100 million over five years to initiatives that remove entry barriers into the tech industry and expand economic opportunities for underrepresented groups, including youth and small businesses, in the area. “Equity and inclusion is really important because we are an ecosystem of immigrants,” noted Mikkola, who is originally from Finland and moved to Miami from Canada. “We need to make sure that there’s representation in the tech ecosystem so that kids are inspired and see it as a genuine pathway.”

Miami-Dade County has one of the country's most sophisticated emergency management programs, preparing for and responding to 41 disaster scenarios. That includes everything from extreme heat and flooding to cybersecurity and active shooter attacks. “We run the gamut of the different types of disasters in preparation, response, mitigation, and recovery from those events,” said Pete Gomez, Director of the Miami-Dade Department of Emergency Management. He’s responsible for the administration, development, and implementation of the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, which is vital to any region’s economic future and how quickly it can bounce back from a disaster.

Miami-Dade County has one of the country's most sophisticated emergency management programs, preparing for and responding to 41 disaster scenarios. That includes everything from extreme heat and flooding to cybersecurity and active shooter attacks. “We run the gamut of the different types of disasters in preparation, response, mitigation, and recovery from those events,” said Pete Gomez, Director of the Miami-Dade Department of Emergency Management. He’s responsible for the administration, development, and implementation of the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, which is vital to any region’s economic future and how quickly it can bounce back from a disaster.

When it comes to waste management and recycling, we usually think of those as government services. After all, we pay for it every year in our annual tax bills. Recycling and trash pickup, though, can be a viable business. The global waste recycling services market is estimated to grow to $90 billion in the next decade_._ “It’s hard entering a monopolized industry being a little guy, but as a grassroots company we are proof that it’s possible,” said Michelle Salas, Founder of Lady Green Recycling.

What would Florida’s economy look like if we could achieve a net-zero power grid by 2035, or thinking bigger, a net-zero economy by 2050?

Those were the two scenarios in a recent study by The Nature Conservancy that outlines a future where renewable energy and sustainable practices drive economic success.

Through land protections and restoration efforts, nature will do part of the job of decarbonization, explains Sofia Leon, the Climate Innovation & Fundraising Lead for The Nature Conservancy. “But there’s a lot more that needs to be done. Otherwise, my kids aren't going to forgive me and our kids aren't going to forgive the collective us for it,” she said in our latest interview outlining the report.

If you are trying to attract business to Miami-Dade County, talent will be at the top of the list for them. “Talent is the economic currency of the day,” said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega in an interview with Beacon Council CEO Rodrick Miller. Education is key to creating opportunities for the community. It also drives economic growth in Miami-Dade County.

Bailey Farren is a five-time wildfire evacuee from California. Her parents are first responders who relied on radio communications and paper maps to coordinate during disasters. Now she is on a mission to update disaster response communication between first responders on the ground and the general public.“It’s something that I first came to because I’m from one of those communities that has been very impacted by natural disasters,” Farren said.In 2018, she co-founded the mapping platform Perimeter, which allows first responders to share information in real time between each other and their communities during disasters and emergencies, or even during day-to-day operations and special events. 

Alyssa-Amor Gibbons describes herself as an “architeer.” It is a play on words that she says best describes her work in architecture and engineering.

“For me, architecture sits halfway between art and science,” she said in an Opportunity Miami Interview from her home in the Caribbean island nation of Barbados. “With this digital age… engineering design solutions across all these different fields, it’s hard to call yourself just one thing.”

Gibbons factors the environment into her designs, with a mix of both traditional and modern elements. Whereas in most parts of the world, “you try as much as you can to keep the weather out and then you control the internal environment – what works better for us in the Caribbean… and I think tropically is learning to work with it rather than against it,” she said.