It All Started with a Vision – and a Family Legacy

Long before the keynote spotlights. Before the global investors arrived. Before 20,000+ attendees from 50+ countries walked through the doors of the Miami Beach Convention Center – there was a vision.

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Manny Medina, the Cuban-American tech titan behind one of Miami’s most iconic exits – the $1.4 billion sale of Terremark to Verizon – could have chosen to retire quietly, his legacy already secured. Instead, he chose to reinvest. Not just capital, but belief.

What he founded wasn’t merely a conference. eMerge Americas was born from the conviction that Miami could – and should – become the technology gateway to the Americas. A city not just known for its beaches or real estate, but for its ideas. Its talent. Its grit.

But the story didn’t stop with him.

It evolved – elegantly, powerfully – under the leadership of his daughter, Melissa Medina, now President and CEO of eMerge Americas. An operator, investor, and community builder in her own right, Melissa has redefined what her father started.

With over two decades of experience at the intersection of entrepreneurship, capital, and civic leadership, she has transformed eMerge from an annual event into a year-round platform – anchored by a global accelerator, venture insights, innovation challenges, and a mission rooted in inclusion.

Her leadership is not loud, but it is deliberate. Under Melissa, eMerge has not only scaled, it has deepened – bringing together voices from over 50 countries, elevating veteran founders, championing minority-led startups, and serving the broader South Florida community through initiatives like the Medina Family Foundation.

This year’s eMerge Americas was not just a celebration of technology – it was a continuation of a legacy. A father’s foresight. A daughter’s execution. A city’s transformation.And perhaps that’s the true story here: not just what eMerge has built – but how. Through vision passed from one generation to the next. Through leadership that refuses to see innovation as a silo. Through the quiet but seismic belief that Miami doesn’t have to follow Silicon Valley – it can lead on its own terms.

Today, eMERGE is more than just a conference. It’s a movement fueled by purpose – bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, government leaders, and dreamers who believe the next big thing can come from anywhere.

This year’s eMERGE Americas conference drew thousands of attendees from over 60 countries – investors, founders, students, and visionaries who believe in the power of innovation to shape what’s next. With more than 300 exhibitors, 240 global speakers across seven stages, and over 100 startups in the global showcase (10% of them veteran-led), it wasn’t just a conference – it was a full-scale launchpad. The energy was palpable. From quantum computing demos to shark-tank-style pitches, from health tech to small business labs, every corner buzzed with purpose. You could feel it in the air: this wasn’t just about Miami – it was about building the future from Miami.

Attending eMERGE Americas 2025 was more than just another stop on my professional journey – it was a full-circle moment. Over the years, I’ve experienced this vibrant conference in nearly every capacity: as a tech pass holder, as a VIP, and as part of the Built in Miami program. But this year, I came wearing a new hat. Representing She.Work, I stepped into eMERGE with a press pass – and it became my absolute favorite way to experience the event.

From the moment I arrived, it was clear how thoughtfully organized everything was. My name badge was already printed and waiting for me – a small but meaningful gesture that set the tone for what was to come. The PR team was phenomenal, making everything seamless and welcoming. One of the standout moments was when Melissa Medina, President of eMERGE, visited the press room herself and greeted each of us individually. That kind of personal touch speaks volumes about the heart behind the hustle.

As a former professional tradeshow and event planner, I’ve always been captivated by the energy of a convention center. There’s a unique rhythm to it – booths being assembled, spontaneous conversations sparking ideas, and a general sense of “something big is about to happen.” eMERGE brought all that energy and more. We went on a guided tour of the exhibition floor, stopping to meet founders and company representatives, asking questions and diving deep into their stories. My favorite stop? A booth featuring adoptable puppies. Because sometimes, even amidst conversations about cybersecurity and quantum computing, a wagging tail is what warms the heart.

The Most Inspiring Sessions at eMERGE Americas 2025

Out of hundreds of incredible panels and keynotes, a few sessions stood out for their depth, humanity, and long-lasting inspiration.

Dr. Martine Rothblatt: Engineering Hope, One Organ at a Time

Few sessions at eMERGE Americas 2025 left me quite as breathless as the one featuring Dr. Martine Rothblatt, CEO of United Therapeutics. Moderated by Maria C. Alonso, CEO & Regional Dean at Northeastern University, this wasn’t just a talk about science – it was a story of love, purpose, and the relentless belief that when the system doesn’t work, you can build a better one.

It all started with her daughter’s devastating diagnosis: pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare and fatal illness with no available treatments at the time. “I was very happy in aerospace and satellite communication,” she shared. “But I finally had an epiphany. The only way our daughter, Genesis, was going to be saved was if I dropped everything and focused like a laser on learning medicine and biotechnology.”

With no medical background – she hadn’t even taken biology after high school – Martine taught herself everything she needed to know. The result? A drug that didn’t just save her daughter’s life but changed the landscape of treatment. “She is now the longest-living person in the world with pulmonary hypertension. We just celebrated her 40th birthday.”

But Martine didn’t stop there. What started as a mother’s mission to save her child has since grown into a global ambition to solve the organ shortage crisis.

“We’re now creating an unlimited supply of organs based on a patient’s own DNA. Organs they won’t reject. No more immunosuppressants. That’s my goal for 10 years from now.”

One of the most goosebump-inducing moments was when she reflected on her vision:

“Why should someone have to die for someone else to live?”

That sentence hung in the air. Because what Martine is really engineering – beyond organs and AI – is a future where compassion drives innovation. She’s building a world where “persistence truly is omnipotence.”

As a mother and someone passionate about the intersection of health, technology, and equity, I left her session in awe – and reminded of the quiet power that comes from fighting for love.

Pitbull & Jason Turner: Building Legacy, One Digital Life at a Time

Some sessions at eMERGE Americas 2025 dazzled with ideas. Others, like this one, touched something deeper – inviting us to reimagine the future not just as technologists, but as humans.

When Armando Christian Pérez, known to the world as Pitbull, stepped on stage with Jason Turner, CEO of Digital DNA Labs, and Melissa Medina, President of eMERGE Americas, the energy shifted. What unfolded was more than a conversation about innovation – it was a meditation on legacy, access, and the quiet courage to believe in those who’ve been forgotten by the system.

It began, as many great stories do, with a teacher.“I didn’t graduate high school,” Pitbull shared. “I went to 20, maybe 25 different schools. I was never a troublemaker, just always around trouble. And then one day, a teacher grabbed me. Her name was Hope Martinez. She said, ‘I believe in you.’ That was the first time anyone said that. It changed everything.”

Those three words became the seed for a life that would defy every odd – and for a movement that now impacts thousands of students across the country.

That seed grew into SLAM – the Sports Leadership Arts and Management school Pitbull founded in Miami, which now has a 100% graduation rate. “We built SLAM,” he said, “so we could be that voice for kids like me – the ones who get written off.”

Jason Turner, listening intently beside him, nodded. He’d been working on something parallel, though on the surface it looked very different. His work at Digital DNA Labs is building technology that creates immersive, AI-powered replicas of real human expertise – digital twins that preserve not just what we know, but who we are.

“Every one of us has a story to tell,” he said. “What if we could synthesize your digital DNA the same way we sequence your physical DNA? That’s what we’re doing – so that a teacher, a coach, a fitness trainer, anyone with mastery, can multiply it. So your story doesn’t just stop with you.”

He calls it agentic AI. But the message was simple: Multiply your mastery. Scale your heart.

There was something tender in the way both men spoke – one raised in the streets of Little Havana, the other building AI systems that could change how we learn. And yet, their goals were strikingly aligned. “This isn’t about replacing people,” Jason said. “It’s about amplifying them. Especially the ones who don’t always get heard.”

Together, they painted a vision of education that is personalized, multilingual, and empathetic. Imagine a kid who doesn’t raise their hand in class because they’re embarrassed. Now imagine them going home and being guided by an AI tutor that knows their name, speaks their language, and believes in them. That’s the future they’re building.

And then Melissa Medina, who had been guiding the conversation with warmth and quiet brilliance, brought it all home.

She didn’t need to say much – her very presence, her leadership, her belief in eMERGE as a platform for stories like these, said it all. But one could sense how deeply this moment mattered to her: a city she helped transform into a tech epicenter now birthing conversations about equity, legacy, and love.

The most goosebump-inducing moment came toward the end, when Pitbull paused, then said quietly:

“Forget selfish. Start with self-first. Love yourself first. Believe in yourself first. Then you can love others, help others, and they’ll believe in you too.”

And that’s what this session was really about. Not fame. Not algorithms. But belief.

Belief in kids society forgets. Belief in entrepreneurs who just need a shot. Belief in the power of technology to preserve the best parts of us – and pass them on.

As a mother, a founder, and a woman who believes deeply in the power of education to change lives, I walked away from this session full-hearted and wide-eyed. Because maybe the most revolutionary technology we’ll ever create is the one that teaches us how to believe again.

Daymond John: Betting on Yourself Is the Ultimate Investment

Some talks teach you something new. Others remind you of what you already knew deep down – but may have forgotten. That’s what it felt like sitting in the crowd at eMERGE Americas 2025, listening to Daymond John’s conversation with Mariana Atencio.

This wasn’t a conversation about fame or fortune. It was a homecoming story, a story about starting with $40 and a dream stitched together with love, hustle, and audacity.

Daymond’s journey began in Queens, where hip hop wasn’t just music, it was the emerging technology of the streets. It was how kids in underserved communities told their stories, claimed their identities, and dreamed out loud. “I couldn’t rap,” he said, “but I loved the style. I wanted to be in the videos, so I started dressing the artists.” And just like that, he found his way in, through fabric, fashion, and the fearless drive to be a part of something bigger than himself.

FUBU was born not in a boardroom, but in his mother’s house, where his first business partners literally lived on the floor below. They didn’t have Shopify, Tiktok, or startup capital. What they had was each other, and belief.

“Don’t think you need money to start,” Daymond said. “That’s a myth. What you need is time, consistency, and proof of concept. Sell two. Then sell ten. Then twenty. Let the idea teach you.”

Throughout the session, he dropped truths the way only a self-made mogul can, plainspoken, sharp, and soaked in lived experience. He spoke of the cost of fame as “the most addictive drug I’ve seen”, the trap of chasing what’s shiny, and the importance of gut instinct. “Your gut,” he said, “is God whispering to you.”

But perhaps the most moving part came when he shared what drives him now: not empire-building, but giving. Giving his time to teach kids financial literacy. Giving his wisdom to entrepreneurs who look like him and dare to dream. Giving others the roadmap he wishes he had.

And he reminded us of something that may seem simple, but is anything but easy in a world full of noise: “Bet on yourself.”

Bet on your grit. Bet on your vision. Bet on the version of you that shows up when no one is watching, when the checks haven’t come, when the dream feels far away.

“Success is when you maintain it. And being successful? That comes with a whole lot of people trying to suck a piece of you. But stay humble. Treat the janitor and the CEO the same. And always – always – be of service.”

He could’ve ended the talk with a flashy announcement. Instead, he gave us something better: the tools to reclaim our agency in a world rushing toward AI, automation, and avatars.

Because while the world may be changing faster than ever, some truths remain timeless.

Like this one: the best investment you’ll ever make is the one you make in yourself.

And in that moment, as the applause rose, you could feel it – every single person in the room remembered that they’re already enough to start.

Baiker: The AI Chef That Left Me Intrigued

One of the most thought-provoking sessions was led by Jason Turner of Entanglement and master chocolatier Jacques Torres. They unveiled Baiker, an AI agent that teaches you how to cook – correcting your mistakes in real-time, remembering your preferences, and even replicating the voice and presence of a loved one.

When Jacques said, “I’d give anything to cook with my mother again,” I felt a lump in my throat. I too would give anything to cook with my mother again.

AI isn’t just about efficiency. It can be about memory. About legacy. About love. And it made me wonder: what if we brought this kind of AI into real estate development? What if future developers could learn directly from the visionaries behind a Burj Khalifa, a Merdeka 118 or a Shanghai Tower – interacting with their knowledge, not just reading about it?

A Highlight: A Fellow Turk on Stage

One of the most powerful moments for me was witnessing Burhan Sebin, CEO of Atlas Space, take the stage. Seeing a fellow Turk share his vision at a global platform like eMERGE wasn’t just a proud moment – it was personal. It reminded me that every time someone from our homeland breaks into the global conversation, it opens doors and hearts for others, too. Representation isn’t just symbolic – it’s fuel. For hope, for possibility, for the next generation watching and thinking, “Maybe I could do that, too.”

Stepping Into the Future

As eMERGE Americas 2025 came to a close, I found myself standing alone on the main stage. The room was dark. Quiet.

In that stillness, I closed my eyes and made a quiet wish: Let there be light.

And then – truly, almost magically – the spotlights came on.

I’ve attended eMERGE as a guest, a listener, a storyteller. But not as a speaker yet. That’s my next chapter. Not just to be on stage – but to share something of value, to contribute to the conversation, to connect.

This year reminded me that behind every breakthrough, there’s a heartbeat. A dream. A choice to keep showing up.

So here’s to what’s next.

To trusting timing.

And one day, to step back into that light – with an idea worth spreading.

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