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What is Tech Equity Miami?

Tech Equity Miami is a first of its kind funding consortium that aims to deploy $100 million in philanthropic funding over five years into initiatives that remove entry barriers into the tech industry and that will create opportunities for underrepresented groups, including youth and small businesses.   

To measure community impact, all projects that receive a Tech Equity Miami designation will contribute information and statistics to a public database that tracks progress towards the initiative’s outcomes and impact goals.

Facilitate access to broadband connectivity and devices for underserved communities.

Access

Increase exposure to high-quality tech experiences for K-12 students.

Pipeline

Create defined pathways into tech-based careers.

Talent

Accelerate small business growth through improving their ability to participate in, and benefit from, the digital economy.

Digital Transformation

Our Why

Miami’s evolution into a global tech hub is accelerating, with recent reports showing 45 percent growth in venture capital dollars across the metro area. The Brookings Institution and LinkedIn report equally robust growth in the number of tech professionals choosing to work in Miami, with a 30% increase in the net flow of workers in the software and IT sector who moved to the region since 2020.

Similarly, enrolment in tech-related programs at Florida International University and Miami Dade College is experiencing double-digit year-over-year growth.

The tech movement is exposing equity challenges and opportunity gaps. More than 65% of Greater Miami residents identify as Black, Hispanic or Latino, yet of all South Florida tech employees, these groups make up only 12% and 27% respectively. What’s more, only 26 % identify as female. The issue of tech equity goes far beyond representation in the workforce, with census data reporting as many as 100,000 households in Miami without any internet access - roughly one in five homes. 

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Our vision for Tech Equity Miami is to effectively direct resources to projects and initiatives that use tech to improve quality of life for individuals, families, and business owners across the economic spectrum.

Widening disparity, coupled with the national spotlight on Miami as a tech hub of the future, makes this a pivotal moment to drive outcomes-driven systemic change. A model of collective investment and impact reporting can achieve just that.

Team

Johanna Mikkola

Chief Executive Officer

Johanna Mikkola is the CEO of Tech Equity Miami, leading the strategic vision and partnership development for the organization. Formerly, Johanna was the Vice-President and General Manager of BrainStation Miami and the former CEO and Co-Founder of Wyncode Academy. She is an advocate for underrepresented individuals in tech, promoting BrainStation’s goal to close the gap for women in STEM as well as having led on a number of local and national efforts to build inclusive pathways in technology. She has spoken at TEDx Miami about the importance of diverse teams and how to hire the right tech talent. She is also a contributing member of the Forbes Technology Council. Before launching Wyncode in 2014, Johanna spent a decade in corporate management with the National Hockey League, becoming the highest-ranking female in her department’s history. Johanna holds an honors Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto. In 2007 she represented Canada as a forward at the World Floorball Championships.

Johanna Mikkola is the CEO of Tech Equity Miami, leading the strategic vision and partnership development for the organization. Formerly, Johanna was the Vice-President and General Manager of BrainStation Miami and the former CEO and Co-Founder of Wyncode Academy. She is an advocate for underrepresented individuals in tech, promoting BrainStation’s goal to close the gap for women in STEM as well as having led on a number of local and national efforts to build inclusive pathways in technology. She has spoken at TEDx Miami about the importance of diverse teams and how to hire the right tech talent. She is also a contributing member of the Forbes Technology Council. Before launching Wyncode in 2014, Johanna spent a decade in corporate management with the National Hockey League, becoming the highest-ranking female in her department’s history. Johanna holds an honors Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto. In 2007 she represented Canada as a forward at the World Floorball Championships.

Nicole Sedlack

Director of Operations

Nicole Sedlack leads financial management, strategic operational development, technological solutions, and talent acquisition. She is driven to build systems with purpose and has a passion for clarity and efficiency in her work products. In developing non-profit infrastructure, her primary focus is building tools that remove the operational burden on teams and allow them to focus on their communities and impact. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College, and her breadth of educational background in fine arts, sciences, and technology has resulted in her developing an inquisitive, creative approach to problem-solving.

Nicole Sedlack leads financial management, strategic operational development, technological solutions, and talent acquisition. She is driven to build systems with purpose and has a passion for clarity and efficiency in her work products. In developing non-profit infrastructure, her primary focus is building tools that remove the operational burden on teams and allow them to focus on their communities and impact.

Dana Tumbaga

Data and Project Management Lead

Dana leads Tech Equity Miami’s research, data management, and analysis in addition to supporting designated project onboarding. Leveraging skills gained through her MBA and more than six years of nonprofit experience in areas of operations, fundraising and development, program design, and strategic planning her work is focused on increasing the capacity for social and public sector organizations to scale. Her work often lies in the intersection of entrepreneurship, equity and inclusion, and data and storytelling.

Dana leads Tech Equity Miami’s research, data management, and analysis in addition to supporting designated project onboarding. Leveraging skills gained through her MBA and more than six years of nonprofit experience in areas of operations, fundraising and development, program design, and strategic planning.

Board Members

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Leigh-Ann Buchanan

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Raul Moas

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Melissa Medina

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Kristen A. Corpion

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Andres Rivero

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Monique Hayes

Team Headshot

Johanna Mikkola

Chief Executive Officer

Johanna Mikkola is the CEO of Tech Equity Miami, leading the strategic vision and partnership development for the organization. Formerly, Johanna was the Vice-President and General Manager of BrainStation Miami and the former CEO and Co-Founder of Wyncode Academy. She is an advocate for underrepresented individuals in tech, promoting BrainStation’s goal to close the gap for women in STEM as well as having led on a number of local and national efforts to build inclusive pathways in technology. She has spoken at TEDx Miami about the importance of diverse teams and how to hire the right tech talent. She is also a contributing member of the Forbes Technology Council. Before launching Wyncode in 2014, Johanna spent a decade in corporate management with the National Hockey League, becoming the highest-ranking female in her department’s history. Johanna holds an honors Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Toronto. In 2007 she represented Canada as a forward at the World Floorball Championships.

Team Headshot

Nicole Sedlack

Director of Operations

Nicole Sedlack leads financial management, strategic operational development, technological solutions, and talent acquisition. She is driven to build systems with purpose and has a passion for clarity and efficiency in her work products. In developing non-profit infrastructure, her primary focus is building tools that remove the operational burden on teams and allow them to focus on their communities and impact. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College, and her breadth of educational background in fine arts, sciences, and technology has resulted in her developing an inquisitive, creative approach to problem-solving.

Team Headshot

Dana Tumbaga

Data and Project Management Lead

Dana leads Tech Equity Miami’s research, data management, and analysis in addition to supporting designated project onboarding. Leveraging skills gained through her MBA and more than six years of nonprofit experience in areas of operations, fundraising and development, program design, and strategic planning her work is focused on increasing the capacity for social and public sector organizations to scale. Her work often lies in the intersection of entrepreneurship, equity and inclusion, and data and storytelling.

Advisors

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Charmel Maynard

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Dave Lawrence

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Jaret Davis

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Rahel Weldeyesus

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Rebecca Fishman Lipsey

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Stephanie Sylvestre

Supporters

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