Innovation event showcases Connect & Grow initiative

(Miami, FL) Nov.17, 2016 – More than 200 attendees gathered at STR Miami in the Little River District Nov.15 to engage with innovators about products being developed locally. The Miami-Dade Beacon Council partnered with StartUP FIU to connect entrepreneurs and innovators and their new products and technologies to the local corporate community.

The event sponsored by Carlton Fields was the first event showcasing the Council’s Connect & Grow Initiative which facilitates relationships between established companies and innovative entrepreneurs to help grow local businesses.

“We are creating a mutually beneficial synergy that will power existing businesses to new heights by employing innovations being fostered by forward-looking entrepreneurs,” said Miami-Dade Beacon Council Chair Jaret L. Davis, Greenberg Traurig Miami Co-Managing Shareholder.

Five Florida International University speakers shared their innovations and encouraged business leaders to work with them to help commercialize their concepts:  

Dr. Michael Cheng, associate professor, director, Food & Beverage Program, is blending his knowledge in culinary arts and food science to develop a new generation of tasty and nutritious frozen foods.  

Dr. Yogeswaran Umasankar, assistant professor, Biomolecular Sciences Institute, is developing an alcohol monitoring device that monitors the uses alcohol levels by employing an accessory the subject would wear.  

Dr. Jose R. Almirall, professor, director of MSc Forensic in Science Program, is concerned about air pollution in your home. He has developed a kit that will a sample the air quality in a house by using a patented ‘Capillary Microextraction of Volatiles (CMV) kit which will test your home’s internal air quality for many contaminates.

Dr. Peter J. Clarke, associate professor, College of Engineering and Computing, is developing a new software called Domain-Specific CyberTrainer (DiSeCT) and will be able to significantly reduce time and the cost of employee churn, training new hires for any company.

Patrick Roman, manager, Advanced Materials and Engineering Institute, spoke about his facility helping other StartUP FIU innovators develop products in health monitoring, and the development of smart materials and bio implants.

“This innovation showcase was a great opportunity to partner with StartUP FIU to connect businesses to innovators and entrepreneurs, and showcase the Little River Business District,” said Sheldon T. Anderson, Interim President & CEO of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. 

About Miami-Dade Beacon Council

The Miami-Dade Beacon Council is Miami-Dade County’s official economic development partnership. The not-for-profit public-private organization focuses on job creation and economic growth. Since 1985, the organization has assisted more than 980 businesses that have created more than 65,000 direct jobs and added more than $4 billion in new capital investments. It accomplishes this by marketing Miami-Dade as a world-class business location, growing local companies and shaping the local economy’s future. For more information, visit

www.beaconcouncil.com