Silicon Valley…On the Beach?
By Collin Willardson, Intern (@cwillardson)
This week has been very exciting for me; I have been working on a new project with Suzanne McGee, director at Fusion. We are researching the tech business in Florida to see what new businesses are up-and-coming, in what we like to call “Silicon Beaches.” The term Silicon Beaches, coined by Suzanne, evolved out of the term Silicon Valley, an area in California where tech businesses boomed in the 1990s and is still running strong.
It has been a lot of fun and, in addition to researching tech, I am also learning a lot about Florida. To be honest, I don’t know much about the state. Prior to this research project, I thought Florida was an overly-populated, humid, assisted-living state. In some ways, my initial thought is true but I’ve found out that there are a lot of companies emerging in the Sunshine State. There is even an alliance for southern Florida tech companies called South Florida Technology Alliance.
Suzanne and I have decided to start tackling a new major city in Florida each day and see what tech companies are already there and which ones are emerging. Silicon Beaches is becoming the new hot spot in the recession. If you’re going to open a new business, why not do it on the beach?
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