eMerge Americas brings global tech leaders to Miami

Key points:

• • eMerge Americas 2026 highlighted Miami’s role as a global hub for tech, innovation, and cross-border collaboration.
• • Abby Lindenberg positioned caa within key conversations on AI, governance, and the future of business.
• • Strong international participation and startup activity underscored growing momentum across the global innovation ecosystem.

April 2026 – Abby Lindenberg, founder and CEO of caa, was among the voices shaping the conversation at eMerge Americas 2026, one of the Western Hemisphere’s most influential technology and innovation conferences.

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Serving as a panel moderator at the event, Lindenberg brought caa’s perspective to a gathering that drew more than 20,000 attendees from over 60 countries — a testament to the conference’s growing role as a global crossroads for business, technology, and media.

Where global innovation converges

eMerge Americas has firmly established itself as the premier tech summit connecting Latin America, the United States, and the world. This year’s edition lived up to that reputation in every sense, hosting more than 325 speakers across six stages, 140-plus sessions, and more than 400 exhibitors — all under one roof.

The international footprint was striking. Chile arrived with one of the largest delegations, featuring 18 companies across a startup showcase and a dedicated pavilion organized by ProChile. Italy, Poland, and Curaçao made their eMerge debuts, joining powerhouse presences from Spain, Japan, Brazil, Martinique, and San Marino. It was the kind of room where a startup from Madrid and an enterprise executive from Tokyo could find themselves comparing notes between sessions — and that energy was palpable throughout.

The conversations that mattered

For Lindenberg, moderating a panel at eMerge Americas placed CAA at the center of the ideas defining the next era of business and communications. The event’s programming spanned artificial intelligence, national security, autonomous vehicles, cryptocurrency, and healthcare — all areas where vision and strategy intersect.

“We have to talk about how ambitious AI makes us in our businesses,” said Lindenberg. “We are all excited about the possibilities, but how do we govern ourselves accordingly to make sure we are still being responsible in our implementation?”

The speaker lineup reflected the conference’s overarching themes and industries. The eMerge stage welcomed Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple; Saswat Panigrahi, chief product officer at Waymo; Ali Dasdan, CTO of Dropbox; and Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael. Eric Trump took the stage on Day 1 alongside the CEO of American Bitcoin Corp, while Tim Tebow opened Day 2 to a packed main stage. Col. Nicole Malachowski — the first female Thunderbird pilot — delivered a keynote on the national security track that left a lasting impression on the audience.

The eMerge AI stage also featured marquee names including NVIDIA, SAP, AWS, and Delta, while the AI Pavilion showcased over 80 AI and quantum solutions providers with programming running around the clock. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made headlines on the floor when she unveiled a first-of-its-kind AI-powered hologram chatbot developed for Miami International Airport — a moment that captured the conference’s spirit of turning tomorrow’s technology into today’s reality.

Startups, Stakes, and a $600,000 Competition

For the first time, the conference hosted the U.S. Army’s xTech|Live Pitch Competition, where startups competed for up to $600,000 in prizes by pitching mission-critical solutions directly to Army and Department of War stakeholders. Winners will advance to a live soldier demonstration with the 101st Airborne Division — a remarkable validation of how civilian innovation is shaping national defense.

The conference’s signature “Shark Tank”-style Accelerator Grand Finale closed out the two days of conference activities. Marcus Lemonis, host of The Fixer on FOX, joined fellow judges Marcus Bodet of B.I.G Capital and Andrew Lane of J.P. Morgan to evaluate the top startups from the eMerge Global Accelerator. The crown went to Nigerian startup Toluwai, whose real-time production intelligence platform for the energy sector impressed the panel. Miami-based Remedian took third, signaling continued momentum for South Florida’s startup ecosystem.

A platform that reflects caa

eMerge Americas is a window into the clients, industries, and narratives that will define the next decade. The intersection of artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, policy, and global commerce aligns with caa’s focus across more 18 major U.S. metro areas.

eMerge Americas returns to Miami Beach March 2–4, 2027, and caa will be there.

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