All about the Miami Tech Pod

Maria Derchi Russo is a leading voice in Miami’s tech and startup ecosystem. As CEO of Refresh Miami, she has spent over a decade growing the organization from a grassroots meetup into the city’s premier tech media publication and community -- a go-to source for news, events, jobs, and resources shaping the region’s innovation economy. Maria is also the Founder of Women in Miami Tech, a community of over 3,000 women working across technology, startups, and venture capital, dedicated to fostering connection, mentorship, and visibility for women in the industry.

Born and raised in Miami, Cesar serves as Head of US State & Local Government Relations at Anthropic. Previous to Anthropic, Cesar served as the Head of US State Government Relations at FanDuel, Director of US Public Affairs at Pacaso, and a Partner at Converge. His client list at Converge included notable tech companies like Zillow, REEF, Nuro, Revel, EA, Lilium, Vivid Seats, etc.

Prior to joining Converge, Cesar managed Uber’s government affairs work before state and local government in Florida for three years and was instrumental in the passage of statewide ridesharing regulations. His advocacy at Uber also extended to autonomous vehicle legislation, negotiating a multi-million dollar settlement with Miami-Dade County, and leading strategy for contract negotiations with a half-dozen Florida airports. Shortly after, Cesar transitioned to a role on Uber’s Public Policy team for Central America and the Caribbean, where he represented the company’s interest before the national governments of seven countries.

Native Miamian, Founder of Refresh Miami, Former Director of The Launch Pad at the University of Miami.

Brian is a serial entrepreneur, most recently co-founding JPegMorgan, Deal Flow Miami, VCDB, FLStartups, and this podcast.

Will Weinraub is a serial entrepreneur and currently CEO and Co-Founder of OnChain Studios, the makers for the NFT gaming platform Cryptoys. Before OnChain Studios, Will founded Miami-based startup LiveNinja which was acquired in 2017.

Will also invests in startups through Flamingo Capital and runs The Local Leaders Collective, an organization that helps founders overcome challenges through peer support. On the personal side, Will is obsessed with Miami sports (the Heat and Dolphins in particular), has three kids (Victoria, Kevin, and Tyler) and an Australian Shepherd (Ace). He also has a strong affinity towards really good southern bbq and thinks the best flavor combination in the world is chocolate and peanut butter.