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MIAMI, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- eMerge Americas, a venture-backed platform focused on transforming Miami into a global tech hub, has announced the kick-off of the annual 2022 Global Startup Showcase where participants will have a chance to win over $400,000 in investments: $250,000 investment by Florida Funders, $120,000 investment by Panoramic Ventures, $50,000 investment by eMerge Americas, and with additional prizes to be announced in coming weeks. With the exponential growth of blockchain-based companies, as well as the move towards Web3, this year's showcase will be presented by Algorand, a foundational blockchain accelerating the convergence between decentralized and traditional finance by enabling the simple creation of next-generation decentralized applications.

"We are extremely excited to be collaborating with eMerge Americas on the 2022 Startup Showcase in order to support founders and developers who are building applications and solutions of the future," said Steve Kokinos, CEO of Algorand. "Algorand is becoming the modern infrastructure for serious blockchain-based initiatives and we look forward to fostering the Miami tech ecosystem as the innovation accelerates."

Through a competitive application process, eMerge Americas will select 100 startups within three stages (University Stage, Early Stage and Late Stage) to participate in a robust multi-week program, which will culminate in a grand finale pitch competition. This competition will take place April 18-19, 2022, at the eMerge Americas global tech conference in front of leading venture capitalists, corporate enterprises, government officials, global media outlets and judges. This year, CNBC Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, "Mr. Wonderful" himself, will be a judge in the Startup Showcase finale along with Ryan Whittemore from Florida Funders, Paul Judge from Panoramic Ventures, and more judges will be announced soon.

"The Startup Showcase is the heart and soul of eMerge Americas, the cornerstone of our year-round programming, and the anchor of our annual global tech conference," said Melissa Medina, President of eMerge Americas. "We have thoughtfully curated programming for founders to foster exposure to a diverse network of angel investors, venture capital funds and growth equity firms, as well as connect them with mentors, partners and other resources to help scale their businesses."

Applications are now open and the deadline for entry is February 28, 2022. Click here to apply.

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to make a significant investment in a great seed or early stage tech company as part of the eMerge Americas Global Startup Showcase," said Tom Wallace, Managing Partner at Florida Funders. "Many of us at Florida Funders have been there as founders and entrepreneurs and deeply understand the challenges and needs of companies at this stage. We are excited to help foster their growth through this investment."

All participating startups will be allocated prime exhibit space on the 2022 eMerge Expo Floor within "StartUp Alley" to showcase their company over the course of the two-day event.

"We're excited to partner with eMerge Americas to bring Startup Showdown back to Miami." said Paul Judge, Managing Partner of Panoramic Ventures. "This partnership speaks to the collaboration across the Southeast ecosystem to support entrepreneurs and provide them the access to capital and a support network to reach the next level."

To date, more than 800 startups that have participated in the eMerge Americas Startup Showcase since the program's 2014 inception, of which 70 startups have raised an aggregate of more than $1 billion in venture capital funding.

To apply to 2022 eMerge Americas Global StartUp Showcase, submit your application here. The deadline for applications is February 28, 2022.

About eMerge Americas

eMerge Americas is a venture-backed platform focused on transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas. The eMerge signature event, launched in 2014, is a global tech conference held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center, attracting more than 16,000 attendees from 40 countries and over 3,900 unique participating organizations. In addition to the annual conference, eMerge organizes and hosts year-round executive summits, innovation challenges, startup pitch competitions, masterclasses, webinars, as well as publishes venture activity and investment insights reports. For the last decade, eMerge has served as a catalyst for innovation and investment across the Americas, working at the forefront of building the South Florida entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem. Visit www.emergeamericas.com for more information.

About Algorand

Algorand is building the technology to power future economies where the convergence of traditional and decentralized models unite into a system that is inclusive, frictionless, and secure. Founded by Turing Award-winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, Algorand developed a blockchain infrastructure that offers the interoperability and capacity to handle the volume of transactions needed for defi, financial institutions and governments to smoothly transition into FutureFi. The technology of choice for more than 1000 global organizations, Algorand is enabling the simple creation of next generation financial products, protocols and exchange of value. For more information, visit www.algorand.com.

About Florida Funders

Recognized as the most active  VC in the Southeast region by Pitchbook, Florida Funders is a combination of a traditional  venture capital fund and a network of over 1700 angel investors to fund and support founders in building great  early-stage technology companies in Florida and beyond. In order for Florida to evolve from the Sunshine State to the Startup State, we ensure there is as little friction as possible in the ecosystem, that investors have access to meaningful deal flow, and entrepreneurs have access to a wide range of accredited investors, capital, and experience. Florida Funders educates our community of investors, provides transparency during the funding process, fosters communication across the ecosystem, and empowers the strategic relationships that drive investments. Our team is composed of serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and experienced angel investors singularly focused on uncovering the next breakout technology companies. To learn more, visit www.floridafunders.com.

About Panoramic Ventures

Panoramic Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Atlanta that takes a "wider-view" approach to investing by targeting the Southeast and Midwest and placing a focus on diverse founders and university startups. Panoramic opens new doors for overlooked founders, giving more entrepreneurs access to capital to build leading tech companies. For more information, visit www.panoramic.vc or follow Panoramic Ventures on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter @panoramicvc.