Venture-backed platform eMerge Americas appoints Melissa Medina as new CEO

eMerge Americas, a venture-backed platform transforming Miami into a global tech hub, announced that Melissa Medina, President of eMerge Americas and part of the founding executive team, will step into the Chief Executive Officer role and continue to serve as president. Current CEO Felice Gorordo will step down to serve as the U.S. Alternate Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and as a U.S. representative on the Board of the World Bank Group.

"I am extremely grateful to have been Felice's partner for the last five years. He has had an exponential impact on eMerge, and I'm incredibly proud of him as he transitions into this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Medina. "I look forward to continuing working with the eMerge team, being inspired by Felice's innovative thinking, continuing my father's bold vision, and leveraging the unique eMerge Americas platform we've grown for nearly a decade to help innovators in Miami and around the globe flourish."

Medina will build upon the eMerge Americas legacy of creating a tech ecosystem that is uniquely Miami, while giving organizations the opportunity to attract and retain diverse talent and cultivate an inclusive environment. In her new role, Medina will propel innovation in South Florida and beyond, and facilitate connections between global technology industry leaders and investors, corporate business executives, government leaders and innovative entrepreneurs.

"It has been an honor and privilege to serve as CEO of eMerge Americas and work alongside Melissa over the last five years in helping build out our tech ecosystem," said Gorordo. "Together with our partners, we have forever changed the course of history of South Florida and undoubtedly established it as a global hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. I'm more bullish than ever on what the future has in store for eMerge, and excited to see Melissa take our platform and ecosystem to the next level."

In the past five years, eMerge has grown from a single event into a year-round platform that fosters the South Florida innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem through new investor summits, startup pitch competitions, innovation challenges, hackathons, roadshows, masterclasses, webinars and other events. Additionally, eMerge launched and established the "eMerge Insights" reports, a leading publication for tracking venture activity, investment trends, emerging entrepreneurs and startups, and the "eMerge Membership Program," a year-round initiative that deepens their expansive network of high-value individual investors, entrepreneurs, innovators and executives. Moreover, eMerge has accomplished all of this while continuing to successfully expand its tentpole event, breaking records and surpassing all previous metrics and milestones for the annual eMerge global tech conference.

Diane Vidoni will remain Chief Operating Officer and continue to be an integral part of the eMerge Americas executive team as she oversees the ongoing business operations of the company, expanded growth opportunities and overall event planning.

Launched in 2014, the eMerge Americas annual conference now attracts more than 20,000 attendees from over 50 countries and 4,000 unique participating organizations, and features a diverse group of speakers, live workshops, interactive exhibits and product demonstrations centered on emerging technologies and entrepreneurial success stories. 

www.emergeamericas.com