About

A network, not an institution

Tech Florida Advocates exists to give Florida’s technology sector a voice, and to connect it to the rest of the world.

Who it is for

Anyone in the ecosystem

Founders and operators, investors, corporates, policymakers, academics, and people who want to work with the technology sector without necessarily being in it.

The organization is volunteer-led, proudly independent and not-for-profit. Informal networking and peer-to-peer support is the whole model, and it is designed for people who do not have time for another committee.

Why it exists

Florida punches below its weight abroad

The state has the companies, the capital and the talent. What it has had less of is a single, consistent private-sector voice that the rest of the world recognizes.

  • We bring together startups, scale-ups, corporates, policymakers and academics to exchange knowledge and experience.
  • We connect Florida to the world’s fastest-growing technology cities and regions.
  • We support an inclusive community that is open and free to join.
  • We give technology a voice, in Florida and worldwide.
What you get

What membership actually gives you

  • Introductions. Warm connections into a network of 40,000+ leaders across 48 hubs.
  • Events. Gatherings across Florida and online, plus access to the wider GTA events programme.
  • Working groups. Ten GTA groups including HealthTech, DataTech, Quantum, Semiconductor, FoodTech, Future of Work and Young Entrepreneurs.
  • Market entry support. The GTA Launch Pad, for expanding into new countries through people already there.
  • Visibility. A platform for what you are building, to an audience that can act on it.

It costs nothing. The network is financed by sponsors and partners, and run by volunteers.

The wider network

Global Tech Advocates

What began in 2013 as Tech London Advocates, a support group giving the private sector a voice in London’s young tech cluster, is now an international movement.

More than 40,000 business leaders, experts and investors volunteer their time across 48 hubs in over 60 countries, from Boston, New York, Atlanta and California to the Nordics, India, Japan, Nigeria and the Emirates. Florida sits in that network as an equal.

Proudly independent, private-sector led and not government-backed.

Global Tech Advocates

Leadership

Who runs it

Luis Novella

Co-Founder · Lead

An executive and entrepreneur with experience across energy, cybersecurity, insurance, FinTech and DeFi, and consulting. Over a 30-year career he has worked hands-on in the US, Europe and Latin America, specialising in turning businesses around and scaling technology companies.

He has held senior leadership positions at KPMG, Accenture, The Hackett Group and Areva, and has managed EMEA and LatAm operations for several US technology and professional services companies. A Chartered Director and FIoD, and former Chairman of the IoD in France. He chairs IXI Labs, is an Executive Director of BanSivar, and is COO at Hownd.

LinkedIn · @NovellaLuis

Sammy Tuffaha

Co-Founder · Tampa Bay Lead

A technology innovation and FinTech expert with more than two decades conceptualising new products and orchestrating global launches for IBM, AT&T, Orange and Etisalat.

He led the Etisalat FinTech accelerator and advised Orange incubators and the Orange Techno-Center, helping deploy startup solutions across diverse markets. As a partner at Vivat Group and the founder of multiple startups, he supports technology companies expanding into the US and Florida markets.

LinkedIn · @SammyTuffaha

Maryem Sader

Women in Tech Lead

A branding, marketing and strategic communications professional with more than 20 years in international and global markets, with a particular interest in leadership and innovation.

Her background spans North and South America, the Middle East and Europe, and ranges from corporate brands and PR agencies to startups and scale-ups, covering press relations, go-to-market and positioning strategy across art, technology and innovation. She is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at AKARi, a Board Member at Funtasia Impact, and serves as a Fractional CMO.

LinkedIn · @MaryemSader

Photographs to be added

Add a headshot for each founder at assets/people/, roughly 600x600, and set it as the background of the matching .person__photo block. The bios are complete; only the images are missing.

Ready to join?

Free, open, and designed for busy people.

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