Emergency Ventures
Venture Overview
Emergency Ventures builds life-saving technology to connect and serve citizens, volunteers, and emergency managers in communities impacted by natural disasters. Founder Joseph Russo is a longtime ecosystem builder, having founded Tech Hub South Florida and co-founded 1909 to support entrepreneurs across the Palm Beaches. With extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, economic development taskforces, academic advisory boards, and chamber councils, Joseph brings deep civic infrastructure expertise to emergency response innovation.
Website: https://emergency.ventures
Venture Issue Area: Placemaking & Safety
Venture Headquarters: West Palm Beach, Florida
Venture Founder
Joseph Russo is the Founder & CEO of Emergency Ventures, a startup building technology to connect and serve citizens, volunteers, and emergency managers in natural disasters.
In 2015, Joe founded Tech Hub South Florida, a nonprofit tech association Building South Florida's Tech Hub. Since its founding as the Palm Beach Tech Association, Joe led the organization to attract over 200 corporate members and over 10,000 professionals to their community, with an annual budget over $300,000 and 5 FTE's.
In 2018, Joe co-founded 1909, a nonprofit to support entrepreneurs throughout the Palm Beaches by partnering with the FAU Adams Center for Entrepreneurship and with $350,000 in support from the Knight Foundation and four (4) local Cities. Originally established in 2016 as Downtown West Palm Beach its first coworking space raising $150,000+ from the Knight Foundation, City of West Palm Beach, and private donors.
Since 2013, Joe has also served on the academic Advisory Boards for FAU, FIU, PBSC, and local School Districts. In addition to Economic Development Taskforces, Chamber of Commerce Councils, and several nonprofit boards and committees.
A Native Floridian, he attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach and Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.
