StartUP FIU had its coming out party this week at a luncheon in Miami\u2019s Little River neighborhood. In attendance: more than 200 movers and shakers eager to hear about the university\u2019s new business incubator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a collaborative in which we provide support for ideas, inventions, early-stage startup companies that can scale globally,\u201d Assistant Vice President for Research Emily Gresham told business leaders. StartUP<\/a> aims to bridge \u201cthe\u00a0gap between what we do at FIU and how that permeates to this urban core.\u201d<\/p>\n To that end, the university is putting all its resources\u2014expertise, facilities and connections\u2014behind the promising ideas of ambitious entrepreneurs with the drive to go big. The goal: turn the region into a hotbed of innovation that will attract likeminded visionaries and willing investors.<\/p>\n The Miami metropolitan area is already a recognized leader in entrepreneurial activity, with a 2014 report ranking it second among 40 big markets. In access to capital, however, it ranks 39th<\/sup>, a huge barrier to newcomers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that talent is equally dispersed and opportunity is not,\u201d Gresham said. \u201cSometimes we have to create opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n StartUP represents that opportunity. Bob Hacker, its director, looks to harness the best of South Florida by embracing local diversity. \u201cWe believe in community. We believe in social inclusiveness,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to give everyone a chance to participate in entrepreneurship.\u201d<\/p>\n The talent and the will are there. StartUP received more than 300 applications for the initial two sessions of its flagship accelerator, which is state-funded and completely free to participants. Additional accelerators, focused specifically on technology, the arts and the food industry, will come online in 2017.<\/p>\n The current cohort of 19 teams includes students, alumni and local residents with no affiliation to FIU. They have received step-by-step guidance in aspects such as identifying their competition and creating a business model; intensive mentoring from successful entrepreneurs; presentations on topics such as packaging and branding; access to labs and researchers as needed; and introductions to others throughout the community.<\/p>\n The entrepreneurs will conclude the 14-week program by making their pitches to a group of venture capitalists a la \u201cShark Tank\u201d on Dec. 6 at MMC, to which the community is invited.<\/p>\n