The Launch Pad

#WaffleWednesday with LiveNinja
2016-02-03 09:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | FL
Every week, members of Miami’s creative and tech communities come together out of the LiveNinja office in Wynwood to celebrate the middle of the work week. Hear pitches and announcements from local startups and companies, enjoy fresh exotic juices from Caribé Juice, and perk up with LiveNinja’s bullet proof coffee and fresh, gourmet waffles. Doors open after 9AM. Presentations begin at 10AM. Parking Instructions The building parking lot is closed to outside visitors. There are metered spots within a block of our building AND free parking on 26th Street past 3rd Avenue. Interested in giving a talk, pitching your product, or showing a demo? Let us know! Reach out to Danielle @ liveninja.com.

3D Printing BASICS
2016-02-03 18:30 - 20:00 | 2041 NW 1st Pl, Miami, FL, United States
Our BASICS series is designed as a bi-weekly workshop split into 4 different sessions. Each session will focus on a new technique, product, or application for the various 3D Printers at our lab. Learn how to use design software, machine controls, and various materials to create your own custom pieces. You get to take home your creation! Purchase all four sessions for more making and more savings. All Materials Included Ages 10+ *Any session will satisfy the safety and basic use requirement for Moonlighter members who wish to use the machine on their own.

Usability Research Master Class: Test Early & Test Often!
2016-02-03 18:30 - 21:00 | 350 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL, 33139, United States
By: Design Thinking Miami Usability testing is often misunderstood, overlooked, or dismissed as costly and unnecessary. But this couldn’t be further from the truth! Strong usability is associated with higher conversion and loyalty rates and can contribute significantly to the bottom line. Valuable insights can be obtained using anything from paper prototypes to near final designs with input from just a handful of users. This master class will provide a thorough overview of usability testing, teach you how to conduct a user testing study, highlight important planning considerations, and give you opportunities to practice moderating user testing sessions. Covered Topics: -What is usability testing? What it is not! (hint – it’s not focus groups!) -Why is it important? -The ROI of User Testing -Different types of methodologies: qualitative, quantitative, moderated and unmoderated, remote and in-person -Lifecycle of a user testing project: key phases, activities and deliverables -Tips on how to find representative users, tools and technologies to help you out -Testing on a shoestring budget -Interactive partnering work on moderating a user testing scenario

Spark Miami: Creating a Client Pipeline That Pays
2016-02-03 20:00 - 21:30 | inner-6
True, successful freelancers convert leads into clients by getting to know their prospects’ biggest issues, and proving themselves to be expert problem-solvers. But the real secret to netting new clients? Following up. Studies show that 80% of prospective clients say “no” before they say “yes.” 90% of sales are lost when no second contact is made! Join Spark on February 3 to create a client pipeline that pays. Ensure interested leads are the real-deal (no tire-kickers!) Tailor your marketing efforts to proven lead sources Develop a client relationship management (CRM) system that doesn’t let you miss an opportunity to connect Win new business and customer loyalty with this month’s Spark! Remember to take photos of the event and post them to Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using the hashtag #FreelanceSpark.

UX/DEV SUMMIT 2016
2016-02-04 - 2016-02-06 | 3301 College Ave Fort Lauderdale, Davie, FL, 33314, United States
3 epic days where designers and developers come together to network and increase their knowledge and expertise in User Experience, AngularJs, Ember, React, Front-End Development and more!

SunshinePHP Conference!
2016-02-04 08:00 - 2016-02-06 18:00 | FL
The SunshinePHP Developer Conference is hosted by the South Florida PHP community (SoFloPHP) in Miami, Florida from February 4th – 6th, 2016, and you’re invited! We’ll host some of the best speakers, awesome talk topics, latest technologies, and up to date news in PHP. And don’t forget our Hack-a-thon and Uncon’ference, as well as a great hallway track! The conference has something for every level of PHP developer. We start with a full day of 8 PHP related tutorials and workshops that are each 3 hours of in-depth information. Next we follow that with 2 days containing 5 keynotes and 30 PHP talks over 3 tracks. So come meet other PHP developers and see what others are doing, and please share your experience as well. Then relax or have some fun at the evening events with plenty of fun for everyone!

Miami FinTech Forum 2016
2016-02-04 16:30 - 20:00 | FL
Village Capital, Citi Community Development and Florida International University are excited to launch the 2016 Miami FinTech Forum, the first event of the”Inclusive Enterprise Series”, aiming to bridge the opportunity gap for entrepreneurs who are taking on major challenges in Financial Inclusion, Health and Education throughout the US. On February 4th the Miami FinTech Forum will bring together leading entrepreneurs and investors with business experts and local stakeholders. The event will feature pitches by the Miami area’s most innovative FinTech companies. Selected companies will have the chance to win $20K in seed funding. Pitches will begin at 5:00pm, followed by light appetizers and networking at 6:30pm. Location: To be announced. We invite all interested stakeholders and community members to participate. Please join us! About Village Capital: Village Capital sources, trains, and invests in seed-stage social entrepreneurs around the world. Village Capital develops entrepreneurs solving specific problems in agriculture, energy, education, financial inclusion, and health, and then puts the power of investment in the hands of those entrepreneurs, who award investment capital to the two ventures ranked highest by their peers at the end of every program. The organization’s unique peer-selection model and curriculum received the prestigious McKinsey/Harvard Business Review M-Prize for innovation in 2013. Village Capital has supported 500 entrepreneurs across 39 accelerator programs in 9 countries in the last 5 years, creating 8,500 jobs and raising more than $118 million in follow-on capital. About Citi: Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: https://blog.citigroup.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi About Florida International University: As South Florida’s first and only urban public research university, FIU has distinguished itself as one of the nation’s largest, most diverse institutions of higher education. Approximately 84 percent of FIU’s students are minorities who reflect the multicultural and underserved communities of South Florida – more than three-fourths of whom remain in the area after graduation. At FIU, an astounding 53 percent of the student body are classified as the first generation in their families to have entered college. The University ranks first in the nation in awarding bachelor’s and master’s degrees to Hispanic students, and has awarded more bachelor’s and master’s degrees in STEM disciplines to Hispanic students over the last 10 years than any other university. FIU houses several programs and centers dedicated to promoting and assisting entrepreneurship in the region. These include the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center, which organizes training and other events for entrepreneurs; and the SBDC at FIU, with a team of experts who provide no-cost, one-on-one consulting to entrepreneurs and business owners.​” Have questions about Miami FinTech Forum 2016? Contact Village Capital and Citi Community Development

CNC Milling BASICS
2016-02-04 18:30 - 20:30 | 2041 NW 1st Pl, Miami, FL, United States
Our BASICS series is designed as a bi-weekly workshop split into 4 different sessions. Each session will focus on a new technique, product, or application for the CNC Mill. Learn how to use design software, machine controls, and material to create your own custom piece. You get to take home your final project at the end of the four sessions! *Attendance at all four sessions in sequence required to create final project. Spots are very limited All Materials Included Ages 15+ *Completion of all four sessions needed to satisfy the safety and basic use requirement for Moonlighter members who wish to use the machine on their own.

Wyncode Open House: Take the first step to becoming a Web Developer
2016-02-04 19:00 - 21:00 | 400 NW 26th Street, Miami, FL, 33127, United States
Join us to learn more about Wyncode and find out if coding is for you! We’ll talk about how you can change your life by learning how to code and why Wyncode’s 9-week intensive bootcamp will launch you in a new direction. Our next cohort in Wynwood will begin on March 28th – apply now, seats fill up fast!

Tech Beach Networker @ Radio Bar
2016-02-04 20:00 - 22:00 | 814 1st Street, Miami Beach, FL, 33139, United States
Happy 2016 Tech People! It’s a new year and it’s time to get out and make some new connections within our local tech community. We have teamed up with Radio Bar for another Tech Beach Networker on Thursday, February 4, 2016, at 8pm. Please be there on time and sign-in to receive your drink ticket. Follow us on twitter @techbeachMIA and on Facebook!

CODE ART MIAMI I Digital Art Exhibition & Speaker Symposium
2016-02-06 16:00 - 19:00 | 315 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Students, parents, educators, and members of the tech community are encouraged to attend the inaugural Code Art Miami event hosted by MAGIC at MDC Wolfson Campus. Code Art Miami is a collaboration between local Girls Who Code Clubs and CODeLLA, a non-profit organization teaching coding and tech skills to Latinas from underserved communities. Code Art Miami seeks to inspire more girls to code. Student digital and 3D-printed art will be displayed throughout MAGIC’s facility. Winners of an “art through code” competition for girls in grades 4-12 will be announced at the event. There will be also be a speaker program. It will include a one-on-one interview with Mary Spio, founder of Next Galaxy Corp, a Miami-based virtual reality company. This will be followed be a panel of local leaders — including Josie Goytisolo (CODeLLA), Felecia Hatcher (Code Fever), Willie Avendano (Wynwood Maker Camp), and Cristy Charters (FIU) — who are working to promote coding to young people. A silent auction will be held featuring unique art and tech-related items. Offerings include two NEW pieces created just for this event. A painting by world-renowned South Florida native Ahol, and a limited-edition print by London-based artist Ryca. There will be a raffle to win a one-week summer camp scholarship at MAGIC for ages 14-19 and family-friendly MAGICal experiences in the venue’s green screen capture studio and sound recording studio. Net proceeds will fund scholarships for women enrolled in MDC’s gaming or animation program.

Miami Dade College to Host First Code Art Miami: Inspiring Girls to Code
2016-02-06 16:00 - 19:00 | 315 N.E. 2nd Ave., Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Miami Dade College (MDC) invites South Florida students, parents, educators, and members of the local tech community to attend the first-ever Code Art Miami beginning at 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6, at MDC’s Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (MAGIC). Code Art Miami, a digital art exhibition and speaker symposium, is a collaborative effort between local Girls Who Code Clubs and Miami‐based CODeLLA, a non‐profit organization committed to teaching coding and tech skills to Latina girls from underserved communities. This event is free and open to the public. “With the ever‐changing dynamics of technology and the way gaming and coding has been evolving, it is becoming a major, major industry,” said Mauricio Ferrazza, MAGIC chairperson. “We know entertainment software companies are growing as a source of employment across the country and locally. We applaud the initiative of the local Girls Who Code clubs and CODeLLA, and welcome them at MAGIC.” Code Art Miami seeks to inspire more girls to code and to foster community among participating student groups. The event is sponsoring a competition for girls in grades 4‐12 to enter their digital and 3D‐printed art created through coding. All area students are welcome to submit their “art created through code” for display at the event. The art will be displayed digitally on several flat screens throughout MAGIC’s state‐of‐the‐art industry facility and winners will be announced at the event. One lucky raffle winner will receive an one‐week summer camp scholarship at MAGIC for ages 14‐19 in either animation or gaming. Net event proceeds will go toward funding a scholarship for women enrolled in one of MDC’s gaming or animation programs. There will also be a silent auction with art and tech‐related items including two NEW art pieces created just for this event, a painting by internationally‐acclaimed South Florida native Ahol, and a limited edition print created by London‐based artist Ryca. “Women today represent only 18% of all computer science graduates and just 22% of gaming developers. My hope is that events like Code Art Miami will help increase those numbers,” said Maria Mejia, Code Art Miami student founder. “Coding is the language of tomorrow, and I want all girls to feel like they can be a part of the future.” To learn more and reserve tickets, visit www.codeart.miami, or email us at info@codeart.miami.

The National YoungArts Foundation Presents Alumnus Jason Moran in Outside the Box Performance & Salon Talk
2016-02-06 17:00 - 23:00 | 2100 Biscayne Blvd. 7th Floor , Miami, FL, 33131, United States
YoungArts Alumnus Jason Moran (1993 Winner in Jazz) is bringing an inspired blend of jazz, skateboarding and new media to the YoungArts Campus. Join us for an intimate Salon about Moran’s creative inspiration, sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where Moran will meet iconic street skater and childhood hero Mark Gonzales (also known as “Gonz” or “The Gonz”) for the first time. Often called the Salvador Dali of skateboarding, Gonz has been credited with reinventing the wheel for street skaters and bringing street skating to the forefront with a 1984 cover for Thrasher magazine. Following the talk, Moran will share a site-specific iteration of this body of work replete with acarved-out half-bowl, half-pipe ramp installed on the Plaza in a family-friendly, multidisciplinary Outside the Box performance on the YoungArts Plaza. Featuring Miami’s best street skaters organized by professional skateboarder Joel Meinholz and acclaimed skateboard photographer Ian O’Connor, audiences will experience a 360-degree immersion filled with the art of improvisation in both music and sport.STARR Catering Group will be offering a range of beverage options, and light to hearty bites will be available for purchase. The National YoungArts Foundation identifies and nurtures the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts and assists them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. YoungArts aspires to create a community of alumni that provides a lifetime of encouragement, opportunity and support. WEBSITE: https://www.youngarts.org/outside-the-box TICKET PRICE: Tickets are $35 (general admission), $28 (members), $20 (students), $0 (Outside the Box Performance) jasonmoran.eventbrite.com RSVP: otb2016.eventbrite.com
