Right to Start Names Miami-Based Matt Haggman as its Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer

Renowned Expert on Entrepreneurship, Who Previously Had Leadership Roles at Knight Foundation and Opportunity Miami, Will Spearhead the National Nonprofit’s Initiatives to Increase Its Growth and Sustainability

Kansas City, MO – April 16, 2024 – Right to Start, the national nonprofit organization championing entrepreneurship as a civic priority, announced today that it has appointed Matt Haggman, the renowned expert on entrepreneurship who most recently led Opportunity Miami, as its Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer. He will now spearhead the organization’s initiatives to increase its growth throughout the nation and its long-term financial strength and sustainability. 

Matt Haggman has had a long involvement in entrepreneurship over more than two decades in Miami, FL. For the first decade of his career, he was an award-winning journalist for the Daily Business Review and The Miami Herald, focusing on business and government. His awards include the Gerald Loeb Award, the highest honor in business journalism. During this time, he first became interested in entrepreneurship.

He then became Miami Director at Knight Foundation, where he created and built the foundation’s program that played a key role in propelling Miami’s rapidly growing tech and startup community. Among the influential initiatives that the foundation funded and supported under his leadership were Endeavor Miami, which was the first Endeavor affiliate in the United States; The Idea Center at Miami Dade College; eMerge Americas; Center for Black Innovation; Miami Angels; Maker Faire Miami; The LAB Miami; Babson’s Women Innovating Now Lab, and Venture for America in Miami.

He subsequently led Opportunity Miami, a community-wide initiative focused on imagining the Miami of 2040 and helping the community build it. He did so through his role as Executive Vice President at The Beacon Council, Greater Miami’s public-private economic development organization. Opportunity Miami focuses on driving innovation and entrepreneurship, dramatically increasing talent development and inclusion in one of North America’s most diverse regions, and catalyzing an effort to turn a city threatened by climate change and sea level rise into a leader in the transition to a sustainable, net zero economy.

“We are excited that Matt Haggman has joined Right to Start on a full-time basis in this new capacity, after serving as a volunteer Ambassador for Right to Start,” said Victor W. Hwang. “Matt brings extraordinary experience in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Miami, and we look forward to his bringing his strategic prowess to Right to Start, as we expand our impact throughout the nation and create long-term sustainability for advocacy of entrepreneurship.”

“I am excited to take on this new role at Right to Start and to have a chance to influence the growth of entrepreneurship throughout the nation,” said Matt Haggman. “I am an ardent believer in entrepreneurship as a way to transform communities from the ground up. I look forward to having a national impact in this way, while remaining based in Miami and active in the exciting entrepreneurial ecosystem that Miami offers.”

Originally from Cambridge, MA, Haggman has degrees from Tulane University and Vermont Law School. He is a Founding Board Member of Endeavor Miami and Trustee at New World Symphony. He and his wife Danet Linares live in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood.

To speak with Victor Hwang or Matt Haggman, contact Henry Miller at hmiller@highimpactpartnering.com.

Right to Start is a national nonpartisan movement to advance entrepreneurship as a civic priority throughout the United States. Entrepreneurship has long been viewed as a solitary endeavor – the lone starter in a basement or garage. Right to Start’s vision is to transform America so that all communities prioritize entrepreneurship, clearing away obstacles to ensure that every American has an equal right to start and a level playing field on which to embark. The campaign is conducted through two affiliated nonprofit organizations, a 501(c)3 and 501(c)4.