Miami-Dade County Mayor announces new Tech Innovation Advisor

Today, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced that Francesca de Quesada Covey will join her team as Tech Innovation Advisor, to help engage, build, and nurture a more sustainable and equitable tech ecosystem in Miami-Dade.

The new role was made possible by a generous investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to establish a Tech Innovation Advisor in the Office of Mayor Levine Cava to accelerate the growth of Miami-Dade’s tech sector and build a more resilient, inclusive economy and community.

“This is a thrilling moment for the future of tech in Miami. It’s more essential than ever that we harness the momentum and energy of Miami’s continued growth as a tech hub to expand opportunity for residents across our community – and at the same time leverage the spirit of innovation and collaboration with leading entrepreneurs to tackle some of our greatest challenges,” said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “We’re grateful to the Knight Foundation for this generous investment that will ensure Miami-Dade has the tools and expertise to maximize the moment before us and build a tech sector that contributes to a more inclusive, diverse economy. I can’t imagine a better person to step into this new role than Francesca de Quesada Covey, a native Miamian with deep experience forging public-private partnerships, and look forward to working closely with her and leaders across the tech community to move forward together.”

Francesca is a seasoned business development technology executive and investor with over 15 years of experience developing public-private partnerships and advising technology firms, elected officials, and government agencies. She is a partner at The Venture City where she invests in early-stage companies. Prior to this role, Francesca worked at Facebook where she led and scaled partnerships teams focused on underserved users, including growing Internet.org, working with Latin America developers, and creating greater payment tools through Novi/Diem. She also worked at the White House as Deputy Counselor for Strategic Engagement between 2011 and 2013, and started her career in finance. Francesca has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and French from Columbia University and a master’s degree in finance and strategy from the Institut d`Etudes Politiques de Paris. 

“Miami-Dade County is a burgeoning tech hub, built through dynamic partnerships between the local government, private sector, and universities. I am excited to bring my experience building and scaling products focused on underserved communities and creating more space for diverse founders,” said Francesca de Quesada Covey. “I am delighted to help deepen the relationship between the tech community and Miami-Dade County and to help advance Mayor Levine Cava’s efforts to create an inclusive, diverse, thriving economy.”

“We’re thrilled to support Francesca de Quesada Covey in her role as Tech Innovation Advisor for Miami-Dade County. Her important work in this role will further accelerate the growth of Greater Miami’s tech sector, expand access to opportunities and put Miamians at the center of their community’s future,” said Raul Moas, director of Knight Foundation’s Miami program.

Since 2012, Knight has invested in Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting initiatives that expand individual economic opportunities and build a community of innovators. Most recently, Knight has focused on growing the pipelines that develop tech talent to meet growing demand from companies who need more skilled talent to power their growth and from Miamians who seek to participate in the local tech economy. 

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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation 

We are social investors who support democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media.