A native to Miami, FL, Melissa Medina Jiménez is Founding Executive team member and President of eMerge Americas, a venture-backed platform focused on transforming Miami into the tech hub of the Americas. The eMerge signature event, launched in 2014, is a global tech conference held annually at the Miami Beach Convention Center. With Melissa’s leadership, the eMerge Americas conference now attracts more than 16,000+ attendees from over 40 countries. eMerge gathers the brightest minds and convenes investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, business executives, government leaders, academia and renowned subject matter experts from across the globe to discuss technologies transforming our lives. In addition to the annual conference, eMerge organizes and hosts year-round executive summits, innovation challenges, startup pitch competitions, masterclasses, webinars, as well as publishes venture activity and investment insights reports and publications. Melissa has been at the forefront of helping to foster a thriving entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem in South Florida.

Melissa is also the President of the Medina Family Foundation (MFF). As President of the foundation, Melissa defined the foundation’s mission as funding and playing an active role in local initiatives that focus on mentoring children and empowering families by enhancing education and quality of life. The MFF has supported various organizations including: The Children’s Movement, Roots of Hope, SEED School of Miami, FIU Aquarius, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Women of Tomorrow, Informed Families, Voices For Children, Camillus House, Shake-A-Leg, Guitars Over Guns, The United Way, among many others. The funding provided to these organizations, along with Melissa’s personal involvement in each of the organizations, has allowed these non-profits to continue their missions and ultimately, create a brighter future for the South Florida community.