2023-12-15 17:00:00
But despite this, Miami surprises. Relatively flat, the city has let buildings grow like mushrooms. Buildings with original shapes, more rounded, more “flex” than in other large American cities. All decorated with palm trees. It’s amazing. And the city, despite its size and its history, still has many construction sites. The city is alive.
The view, sheltered from the rain, over Miami, from the Greenberg Traurig offices. ©Antonin Marsac
If the members of the Agoria delegation loved Atlanta, there’s a little extra thing that makes their eyes light up in Miami.
Because if Atlanta has given pride of place to demonstrations by powerful groups, such as Cisco or Microsoft, Miami seems to be focusing more on the “start-up” aspect, unicorns, blockchain, etc.
“My job is to keep you out of jail and allow you to do business”
Lots of investors but “unpayable” real estate
“Investors like Miami thanks to the ‘business environment’. We have interesting regulations and a strong community. Atlanta is a bit like ‘corporate America’, where Miami will be more of a land of SMEs, even if there are has giants like Virgin etc.,” explains Ivan Rapin-Smith, managing director of Watsco Ventures (the financial arm and investment fund of the group specializing in air conditioning and heating Watsco) and co-founder of Nest’up, an incubator start-up launched… in Mont-Saint-Guibert, in 2013. He has lived in Miami for 12 years now.
“In the ‘tech hubs’, here, we are not only open to business but we also work with the government to see how we adapt environmental policies and regulation at this level, to make things simpler for innovators The climate challenge urges us to find solutions,” explains, for her part, Leigh-Ann Buchanan, president of the Miami Dade Innovation Authority, during a panel discussion organized with the Belgian delegation in the offices of Greenberg lawyers. Traurig.
“Miami has started to be economically unaffordable, it’s true, in terms of real estate. But what we also see is that salaries are starting to follow the cost of living, which was not the case in the past. So yes, there are strong economic disparities. And there are efforts to be made on all sides. But we are seeing a ‘leapfrog effect’ (leap forward, Editor’s note) in terms of salaries. Which reduces the impact of excessive prices,” she specifies.
The city of Miami has almost more charm at night, when the nightlife takes over, despite the noise of the backfiring engines of the sports cars speeding down certain avenues. ©Antonin Marsac
Miami, the enemy of Atlanta?
If Atlanta and Miami have become a bit of a competitor to each other, what emerges from the trip is a feeling of complementarity. But let’s take advantage of the presence of the vice-president of Greenberg Traurig, Jaret Davis, to ask him the question. “Atlanta claims to have a much larger and more productive workforce. What do you answer him? ”, we ask him.
The man, of large stature, sits up in his armchair, too small for him, and smiles. “We often hear that. I love Atlanta, I carry it in my heart, but it is not an ‘international city’. We are. I’m going to play fair because I’m working with Atlanta. I don’t want any trouble. But let’s all build our own dreams,” he says with humor. But it turns out that Atlanta, with the various universities and the headquarters of large companies, has a “crossroads” side to the United States which would favor it on this issue. However, Miami and its opening to South America allow other opportunities.
“It’s almost a joke, in reality, this competition, because the cities are aimed at different audiences. They have a different profile which means that there is not a violent competition, as can happen between certain established regions and other emerging ones. But Atlanta is more oriented towards ‘hard tech’, electric mobility, industry. And Miami more towards web3, financing, ‘venture capital’, etc.”, explains Michel Gerebtzoff, consul general of Belgium who lives in Atlanta and followed the mission to Miami.
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“I know it’s not the best choice for my career but I don’t care. I only have one life”
South Miami Avenue. ©Antonin Marsac
Chris Umé, the Belgian “in” and “outside” the American tech universe
And as we meet Chris Umé, co-founder of Metaphysic.ai, in the offices of self-made man and now billionaire Moishe Mana, founder of Mana Tech, the character shows us a stunning presentation of his masterstroke on the show America’s got talent where he was able, among other things, to bring Elvis Presley back on “stage” thanks to artificial intelligence. He had already hit the headlines with the deepfakes of Tom Cruise, “Deep Tom Cruise”, shortly before. Secure your online identity? “It’s going to be a big challenge, and it’s going to be complicated,” he admits.
“I come from Limburg. I live in Bangkok now. I came to Miami because… the mission asked me to,” he smiles, while his company has its headquarters in London but also in Delaware and has “an office in Los Angeles. “Bangkok is not the best place for this business. Not at all. But in the past, when I was asked to come to LA (Los Angeles, Editor’s note), I tried it for a week and I didn’t like it. I was asked too much. In Bangkok, I leave my house, and it’s silent. I like it. I know it’s not the best choice for my career but I don’t care. I only have one life,” he says, bluntly.
Chris Umé, co-founder of Metaphysic.ai, who explains the challenges of modeling with and without AI for the reproduction of human faces. Here, that of Cristiano Ronaldo. ©Antonin Marsac
“International” Miami, in a few key figures
Population: 439,000 inhabitants in 2023.
Median salary: Around $53,000. But the average salary is higher, depending on the field. It can rise to $89,000 for executives and be much higher in certain sectors of activity.
Average rent: $2,650 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Share in U.S. GDP: In 2022, the GDP of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area was $483.7 billion. As an indication, Belgium has a GDP of 594.1 billion euros.
There is no feeling of being cramped in Miami. ©Antonin Marsac
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