Upstart Business Journal’s first-ever Upstart 100 list features two South Florida entrepreneurs.
Rony Abovitz, CEO of startup Magic Leap, and Susan Amat, founder of Venture Hive, were both recognized on the Upstart 100 list, which includes inventors, backers and entrepreneurs leading the charge in today’s shifting marketplace. The list includes legends like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.
Rony Abovits, who previously brought medical device company MAKO Surgical to a $1.65 billion exit is now leading Magic Leap, a Dania-based virtual reality company founded in 2011 that was rolled out in 2014, with a $542 million investment led by Google and a valuation of $2 billion.
Susan Amat founded Miami’s Venture Hive accelerator in 2013. In 2014, she brokered an agreement to host the Microsoft Innovation Center at its downtown Miami location. Her goal is to transform Miami into a mecca for startups.
The placement of these two South Florida entrepreneurs on the Upstart 100 list continues to solidify Miami and the rest of South Florida as the hottest emerging international platform for tech startups.