Jonathan Kilman

Father/Husband/Friend/Chairman and CEO of Converge Public Strategies/General Partner Govo Venture Partners/Chairman Marcman Solutions

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

Well said.

[Auston Bunsen @bunsen]

The vibes in Miami feel pretty fantastic right now. The outcomes is the best I’ve seen.

Founders are getting funded. Companies are getting built. Investors are showing up. People are taking real swings.

Most importantly, founders are helping each other.

That part matters the most.

Miami tech has always had a chip on its shoulder. For years, people asked “is there actually anything happening there?” and the answer was annoying because there was, it was just early, uneven, and hard to explain without sounding defensive.

Now you can feel the compounding.

A founder raises and immediately starts making intros for the next founder.

Someone gets a customer and shares the playbook.

Someone meets a great operator and passes them to three other companies.

Someone writes a small angel check into a person who probably would have been ignored by the traditional network.

That’s how ecosystems actually get built.

People helping people climb.

As a result:

1. The ladder here feels more open.

In a lot of places, tech feels like a prestige maze. Right school, right company, right fund, right dinner, right group chat.

Miami is still messy enough that the doors are not all locked yet.

A kid from FIU can meet a founder.
A first-time founder can get in front of angels.
An operator can become a founder.
A community builder can become the connective tissue for an entire scene.

That’s special.

2. The energy is ambitious without being miserable.

People are working hard, and it doesn’t feel like everyone is trying to win by making everyone else feel behind.

There’s less “I missed the last wave” energy.

More “what can I build, who can I help, and how do we make this city more legit” energy.

That is a much healthier default.

3. The wins create mobility.

When a Miami company raises, hires, exits, or even just survives long enough to become credible, the whole city gets a little stronger.

Employees learn.
Founders recycle capital.
Operators level up.
Angels get created.
Customers become references.
People outside elite tech networks get a shot.

This is the part I care about the most.

Tech should be one of the last great engines of social mobility.

Miami still feels like a place where that can be true.

4. The best people here are still accessible.

There is ego everywhere. It’s tech. Let’s be serious.

Most of the newly transplanted rich folks are meeting local founders (Larry Page had the founder of an AI co over recently) & investing heavily in Miami (ie Citadel, Palantir grants).

That is new.

And fragile.

The second an ecosystem becomes too status-obsessed, it starts eating itself.

Miami has a real chance to avoid that because the culture is naturally relationship-driven. People here remember who helped them. They remember who showed up. They remember who was around before it was obvious.

People will still roll their eyes at Miami tech.

That’s fine.

They rolled their eyes at crypto.
They rolled their eyes at remote work.
They rolled their eyes at Florida.
They rolled their eyes at half the people who ended up building real things.

Miami does not need to be SF.

Miami has its own edge: immigrant ambition, sales culture, hospitality, finance, crypto DNA, Latin America access, weird builders, local pride, and a community that still feels small enough for one generous person to make a meaningful difference.

That is a very good setup.

The outcomes are getting better.

The founders are getting sharper.

The capital is getting more serious.

The network is getting denser.

And the best part is that it still feels early enough that anyone serious can show up and matter.

Pretty fantastic vibes tbh.

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@MariaDerchi Thanks @MariaDerchi and @refreshmiami!

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

Thanks @MariaDerchi and @refreshmiami!

[Maria Derchi Russo @MariaDerchi]

Latest Refresh Miami News: Govo Venture Partners doubles down on GovTech with launch of $100M Fund 2 https://t.co/4ZsqgtjuUI #miamitech #miamistartups

[Maria Derchi Russo @MariaDerchi]

Latest Refresh Miami News: Govo Venture Partners doubles down on GovTech with launch of $100M Fund 2 https://t.co/4ZsqgtjuUI #miamitech #miamistartups

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

Proud dad alert

https://t.co/P9MwZpmWe5

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

Insight for fellow parents:

https://t.co/qVrpyN5r0h

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@M___Morgenstern Govo Venture Partners

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@LievKilman Drink kombucha you’ll live longer.

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

https://t.co/9Ft0Mw2Kft

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@ErikaDonalds @ByronDonalds @damedonalds @darin_donalds Merry Christmas!

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

Happy New Year!

https://t.co/9fojmLv5ZB

[Christian Minor @chris_minor10]

Christmas Season is always special🎄

This year, even more so for 1000 @fladjj contracted provider staff working on the frontlines w/ our at-risk youth because @TaylorYarkosky @jenn_bradley championed bonuses for them.

Things like this make all the difference to a family!

[Liev Kilman @LievKilman]

Liev Kilman, 2027, OF
5’7, 165
Johns Creek, GA
@Northview_BaseB
3.8 GPA
87 EV
#uncommitted @FlatgroundBats
@CoachBombard

[Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL]

Converge Public Strategies expands New York presence with State & Broadway partnership

Reporting by @DrewWilsonFL

https://t.co/9xbsybq8Ry

#FlaPol

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

https://t.co/Sn1piLL5bM

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@KatiePhang Welcome. Everything is a little clearer in this stage of life. Except, of course, when it’s fuzzier.

[Florida Venture Forum @flventure]

Welcome to the Forum! We are pleased to share that Rob Panepinto and @JonathanKilman of @GOVOVP are our newest Forum Board Members!🌟⁠

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@JimRosicaFL You are not wrong.

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

Exciting things at Govo Venture Partners. https://t.co/7E7IR26vAJ

[Jonathan Kilman @JonathanKilman]

@brianbreslin @brianbreslin this topic has come up in three conversations I had in Miami today.