When the Blockchain Center opened its doors, it marked a defining moment in the history of Miami’s Tech Scene. From the beginning, the vision of the blockchain center was to make Miami the crypto capital of the Americas and educate the masses.
It was a physical location that became a place for communities that typically exist online to meet in person. An opportunity to IRL create, share ideas and collaborate for new businesses. For the crypto curious, the center was an opportunity to meet face-to-face with someone who could answer their questions about bitcoin. For the traveling crypto community, it was a must-see destination while in Miami. For the local government, it was an exciting way to attract tech talent and for the local tech scene, the blockchain center became home.
The roots of the Blockchain Center Miami stem from the original Bitcoin Center New York, opened in 2013 by Nick Spanos. The political climate in New York became unwelcoming to Bitcoin and the NY location was forced to close its doors. Meanwhile, Miami locals Eryka Gemma and Scott Spiegel understood Miami’s potential as a hub for technology. Together, Eryka, Scott and Nick opened a center in downtown Miami, two blocks from Bayfront Park. Although the 6000 square foot location represented different things to different people; the Blockchain Center became a symbol of innovation, companionship, education, and a meeting point for a new technological movement.
The grand opening of the Miami Blockchain Center set the stage for a new era of partnership between entrepreneurs, academia, and government with the goal of establishing common ground to foster crypto and blockchain technology. To highlight this new era of collaboration, the city honored the space by providing an official proclamation dedicating the center. Mayor Francis Suarez performed a ribbon cutting ceremony and sponsors included the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), Beacon Council, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. These key groups had an early understanding of how influential embracing this technology could have on the city they represented.
The differentiator between the Blockchain Center and other tech focused coworking spaces was the focus on education (in English and Spanish). With a goal of “mass adoption” of bitcoin, the team at the center would host weekly free courses, setup wallets and give away bitcoin just to educate the locals. There was office space for entrepreneurs to base their startups and incubator services for founders who needed support in building their blockchain based companies. Having a physical meeting point really elevated Miami, especially when out of town crypto investors who felt alienated in their hometowns were welcomed by the enthusiastic and constantly growing crypto community.
Although blockchain is a decentralized technology, the growth of an industry still requires human connection. The value brought by the relentless efforts of the Blockchain Center team, the willingness of the local government, and the enthusiasm of the community is the reason why Miami is now seen around the world as the Crypto Capital of the Americas and a Center of Excellence for decentralized technologies.
