By the FL Innovation News editorial team · Entrepreneurship
Miami’s startup scene is finally a contender against those in Silicon Valley and New York City, and among the key figures driving this transformation is Rebecca Negro Rocha, a sharp-witted force in the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. As Manager of Growth Programs at Endeavor Miami, Rocha has spent the last five years methodically constructing a bridge for Miami’s most promising startups, guiding them from their precarious early days to the corridors of high-growth success.
Originally from Brazil, Rebecca carries the global perspective that has become essential in Miami’s metamorphosis as a central tech hub. She studied at Tufts University before carving a career that defies easy categorization, weaving through the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. However, her passion has never wavered: economic development through entrepreneurship.
When Rebecca joined Endeavor Miami in 2018, the organization was best known for championing later-stage entrepreneurs, those already on a strong trajectory toward industry dominance. But Rebecca saw an opportunity, an overlooked segment: startups that had outgrown the accelerator phase but weren’t yet ready for Endeavor’s flagship program. In response, she started a new service model, one that would give early-stage founders the resources and strategic support they needed to scale.
The results speak for themselves. What began as a pilot program has since matured into a full-fledged department, supporting over 50 companies a year with an alumni network that now includes more than 200 founders. Under her leadership, Endeavor Miami’s approach has become a model for other offices worldwide.
Talk to any founder in Miami’s startup scene; chances are they’ve encountered Rebecca—not just as a program leader but as a trusted advisor. Her philosophy is clear: growth isn’t just about capital and market fit, but about people. The relationships she has cultivated with founders and within her own team are a key part of her success.
In the summer of 2023, Rocha took that expertise to a different stage: Vietnam. Invited by Endeavor Vietnam’s Managing Director, she spent a month helping the team scale its own version of the ScaleUp Program, bringing lessons from Miami to an entirely new market.
For Rocha, the experience was revelatory. “Entrepreneurship is this universal language,” she says, reflecting on her time in Vietnam. “The same challenges—access to capital, hiring the right people, figuring out product-market fit—exist everywhere. What changes is how ecosystems respond and how we nurture and strengthen them.”
Back in Miami, Rocha is already looking ahead. If the last five years were about proving what’s possible, the next five, she says, will be about deepening that impact. She wants to expand Endeavor Miami’s footprint, strengthen partnerships, and refine the blueprint for scaling startups that she has so carefully built.
