Find Tampa women building a trade route from Israel to Florida

Pam Miniti wants to bring robot bartender to Tampa Bay.

In February, a Florida-Israel Business Accelerator, Cecilia AI, focused on an imaginary event created by the company, during which the Israeli company outlined its expansion plans in Florida.

“You can see the technology, but you weren’t here in person,” said Miniti, co-director of the Tampa-based speed control. “Of course there are a few people in Miami right now. So we’re trying to find that bartender here. It’s amazing.”

Connecting Israeli startups to customers and investors in Florida Florida-Israel business is fast-paced about everything. A.D. Founded in 2016, the group’s single (and statewide) focus differs from other local accelerators such as the Tampa Bay Wave, Embarc Collective or Tampa Bay Innovation Center. Working with and working with those groups, the goal is to help Israeli companies gain a foothold in the technological ecosystems in Florida, particularly in Tampa Bay, Miami, and Orlando.

“They’re coming to us,” said co-director Rakefet Bachur-Phillips. “In Florida, especially in Tampa Bay, there is more awareness and interest than ever before. We don’t need to deliver much now. The Israelites are coming here to Florida, and we are happy to support them.

In a recent interview, Miniti and Bachur-Phillips talked about the team’s evolution and future goals. (This conversation has been edited for a long time and transparency.)

Do many states have a pipeline directly to Israel?

Bachur-Phillips mourning I think it is in other states, in other cities and for good reason, because Israel is the source of this kind of creativity in all different areas. Some states have realized that, and are trying to attract these companies to the area, because when they are successful and increase in size, they can have a positive economic impact on the environment. In Michigan, they focus more on power and automobiles and safety. In Atlanta, they have good cooperation with Coke and Verizon. Here in Florida, more recently, we have focused on agricultural technology. There are many innovations in agriculture in Israel. So hospitality and tourism are the focus this year and we will continue to be the No. 1 industry in Florida.

Did you go to Israel after the plague?

Minute Nerd.

Bachur-Phillips mourning We want to go and take some key leaders from the Tampa Bay area. Jane Caster came back recently, and we met shortly after she returned. She wants to go back and send some more people to Tampa Bay.

When it comes to hiring businesses in Florida, is it focused on getting businesses in Florida or getting funding from Florida?

Minute We will definitely focus on aspects of this economic development. We have two executives who have moved here, displaced their families, hired people here, opened a factory. It’s about economic impact, job creation, opening offices, hiring people, contributing to the Tampa Bay and Florida ecosystem.

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So is it better to accommodate the investors in these organizations once they get here?

Minute All the companies that come here want two things: they want customers and they want investment. Investors often do not want to invest in an Israeli company unless they are domestic customers and often need domestic money to get local customers. Not only do you have to be willing to invest in technology, but you have to be willing to invest in Israeli technology, and most of these companies are not headquartered in the United States, and they are not headquartered in the United States, so it’s a challenge. Get these dollars.

How much are beginners and investors in the rest of the world looking at the tech scene in Florida?

Bachur-Phillips mourning I think they are looking for more where the investors are and where the customers are and who are looking for a foothold in the door. Investors go where they are, and if they are around Miami, they go there. Some of the hospitality companies we spoke to came to Miami because they knew about the restaurant and hotel industry there. Some doors were opened and they were successful, so they said, “OK, let’s stay here and see how much we have in the market.” Customers and investments come first, they go where they are, and then the support system is secondary.

Minute We spoke to a company in the Fort Lauderdale office of the surgical robotics and asked, “Why Florida?” We have. “Florida is a surgical robotics center. There’s Boston, there’s New York, but it was clear we had to come here. They focused on what was going on in their industry, where their clients were, where the profession was and it was a clear choice for them.

The world of tourism and hospitality does not look like an open space for an entrepreneur. What problems are being solved by beginners filling that space?

Minute The real problem, it seems, is a lack of manpower. How can you maintain the quality of the service and meet the effects of labor shortages? They are robots that transport food to the table and to the bus tables and clean tables. There are many online orders that come with the supply system, which gives you an idea of ​​what is going on. With so many kitchens, a lot is going on and being able to order and facilitate that is coming out of place quickly. Artificial intelligence is now a great place to get information about the customer, and people are looking for that in a variety of ways. There is more to life than you think, and many of these things can be applied not only to food service but also to other retail establishments – customer loyalty, customer habits, customer behavior and so on.