Miguel Armaza

Summary: Keith Rabois, managing director of Khosla Ventures, is on a mission to turn Miami into the next Silicon Valley and has been actively promoting the city as a tech hub. Despite some challenges and opposition, Rabois remains optimistic about Miami's potential and the growth of its tech ecosystem. Key takeaways: Keith Rabois is determined to make Miami the next Silicon Valley and has seen progress with a growing number of seed investments in the city. Khosla Ventures, where Rabois works, has made multiple investments in Miami, including one into a startup aiming to "reinvent education." Rabois continues to split his time between Miami and San Francisco, but believes that Miami offers a better quality of life and potential for building a thriving tech community. Counter arguments: Some big name investors, such as Andreessen Horowitz, have pulled out of Miami, suggesting that the city does not offer the same opportunities as other established tech hubs. Miami still has a relatively small share of total U.S. seed investments (2.6%-3.5%) which may indicate a lack of resources and opportunities compared to other cities. #venturecapital

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Thousands of applications and hundreds of interviews later, we have selected a spectacular class of 12 startups for the Techstars Miami program. Our companies are in Biotech, Aviation, Defense, Climate, Compliance, Healthcare, Logistics, E-Commerce, and more. BioReact : Bioprocess Meets Ai: AI-driven biotech analytics software for R&D scientists. Cai Creative: AI-driven composing environment that simplifies music production for non-technical musicians. It overcomes the complexity of DAWs and empowers users to create and edit music effortlessly. Cosito Inc.: Physical world insights for businesses, powered by AI sensors. Fivvy: Real-time insights into customer behavior and market trends by analyzing user device metadata, enabling businesses to optimize marketing and accelerate growth. Climatta: Simplified ESG compliance for businesses with an easy-to-use platform. Galilei Learning (Techstars 24') Learning: Boost your frontline training with gamified learning and real-life application. HyperVention: AI platform that personalizes drug schedules for hypertensive patients. Kindlee: Debiasing tools for high-risk AI/ML use cases, making inclusion profitable and ensuring fairness while complying with AI regulations. Konvas AI (Techstars '24): AI agents that automate marketing and boost sales for e-commerce brands. Roger: Real-time flight advice for pilots to enhance safety and efficiency. VendorConnect: Automated document processing for logistics operators, solving slow, costly, and error-prone manual data entry to help small and mid-sized companies scale efficiently. Stealth Company Stealth company in the AI and defense space. #givefirst #techstars Techstars

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The SomosVC 2023 Annual Report is out! Key findings of the report include: 👉 79% of venture funds over $100 in AUM have no Latino/a investment professionals at all. 👉 Latino/a's represent only 1.6% of all investment professionals at funds over $100M in AUM 💪 Latino/a led firms are more likely to invest in diverse founders - 48% of portfolio company founders identify as underrepresented people of color. 💪 Latino/a-led firms in the SomosVC community have played a pivotal role in job creation, with investments leading to an estimated 51,612 new jobs. Learn more about the report in this Axios piece! https://lnkd.in/e4d58sNd

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Ex-Two Sigma Ventures Partner Launches Category Ventures Villi Iltchev, previously a partner at Two Sigma Ventures created in 2012 as a division of New York hedge fund Two Sigma Investments, and August Capital, has founded Category Ventures, a new San Francisco-based firm currently seeking to raise $156 million for its first VC fund. The firm plans to focus on early-stage investments in infrastructure software, a segment that includes tools for software management, security, and development. Category Ventures enters a challenging fundraising environment - just 77 new funds have raised capital in the U.S. this year, down from an annual total of 215 last year, indicating 2024 may set a record low for debut fund investments, per PitchBook-NVCA data. Even worse - 2024 is on track to be the worst in at least a decade in terms of money flowing to debut funds.  Iltchev’s extensive background may help attract limited partners (LPs), who in the current market favor first-time funds launched by seasoned venture capitalists. Iltchev’s track record includes key investments in notable companies like GitLab, Remote, and Box, experiences that bolster his credentials with LPs. Category’s focus on infrastructure software aligns with a broader shift toward supporting tools that facilitate secure, scalable tech development. ✅ Looking to raise capital for your #VCfund and increase the international pool of your LPs?   🤝 Need warm #LP introductions?   📝 Selling #secondaries to increase liquidity?   🧐 Looking for co-investments (Series A/Series B)?   ▶ Please use G+QUANT's link for inquiries and fund decks, or send an inquiry to [email protected] #VentureCapital #CategoryVentures #EarlyStageInvesting #InfrastructureSoftware #TechStartups #GitLab #TwoSigma #VentureFunding

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Interesting story and highlights the flagging VC ecosystem in Miami. Bloomberg: When Andreessen Horowitz opened an outpost in Miami Beach, the $43 billion venture capital giant bolstered the region’s ambitions of becoming a tropical tech mecca. Two years and a crypto meltdown later, that office has been quietly shuttered . . . The departure underscores the potential weakness of Miami’s staying power after the city lured a rush of finance and tech companies in recent years. Shortly after Andreessen Horowitz said it was opening the office, Miami’s crypto dreams began to crumble with the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX . . . Venture capital money flowing to Miami has flagged since 2022. Miami-based companies brought in $400 million in the second quarter, compared with $5.5 billion for 2022 as a whole, according to PitchBook data. By contrast, the artificial intelligence boom has given San Francisco even more of an edge as a tech capital. In the second quarter, companies in the Bay Area got $18.7 billion in venture capital funding . . . #miami #commercialrealestate #office #markets #investing #florida

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In recent weeks, several friends have reached out to ask about the most exciting innovation and investment trends for this year. I discussed my perspective on a podcast with Miguel A. (in Spanish) a few months back. Here are the top 5 categories I'm most enthusiastic about: 1. Verticalized AI Applications: Especially those that offer full-stack solutions or are focused on healthcare/lifesciences. 2. Web3, including digital and physical (DePIN) infrastructure. 3. GLP1 Economy, not the drugs but everything around it. 4. Defense Tech: with a focus on technologies that are reaching to consumers and businesses but not the DoD yet, including autonomy (air, land, and maritime), cyber, and VR. 5. Chips for AI: Covering everything from compute and memory to networking, new architectures, edge vs DC, training vs inference, power components, and copilots/EDA tools. Additionally, robotics (for health, bio, warehouses, ...), cell and gene therapy (tools), cyber security, and fintech infrastructure/apps continue to attract investments. On the flip side, there are categories where I'm less optimistic, primarily due to market saturation in the last 4+ years and tech maturity with no significant paradigm shifts ("why now" was also valid 5 years ago), scalability challenges, and the fast pace at which incumbents are catching up. These include Employee Benefits (mental health, HSA/FSA cards, wellness, education, 401k, ...), Telemedicine and most types of mobile/online access to health providers, Carbon Markets, Agtech, Future of Food, Mobility, Physical gadgets in the hands of consumers, digital tools for femtech, insurtech, proptech, AI for drug discovery, consumer brands requiring physical locations (coffee, sneakers, ...), spacetech, travel tech, logistics, data providers, at home health tests, diagnostics, detect and health prevention. Lastly, some areas may be better positioned for 2025+, particularly as new AI-driven platforms emerge. These include: - spatial computing (VR/AR with Apple as a catalyst) - new consumer apps with different UX (e.g., multimodal GenAI), and - gaming. You can listen to the full podcast (in Spanish) on Youtube, Apple podcasts, and Spotify

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I'm going to slightly disagree with this article. Miami VCs provide minimal capital to pre revenue startups, even in proven industries like fintech, regtech, insuretech, med tech, and even the leprechaun that is AI. ai have had muriple conversatuons with founders in soth florida who have experienced this, evn with groups the support the community. Fortunately, the people and groups that support the startup ecosystem do an amazing job providi g the networking, events, overall buzz of a thriving tech community, but the VCs from Boca to Miami have a long way to go to reach the investment opportunities found in Silicon Valley, New York, Austin, and Boston. Ironically, the investors that come to these events from these other cities are the ones that invest. For local VCs to step up their game, they need to believe in the founders ideas, execution capabilites, grit, experience, innovation, and market disruption or fit, instead of focusing on MRR, ARR, and mutiples of their exit. https://lnkd.in/eQxzspQz

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How Focus Drives Early Startup Success Listen to Alon Cinamon, VC at Ibex Investors:

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Wing Venture Capital is excited to unveil today the "Angels' Share 100", an exclusive list of the most active angel investors in the most promising startups in B2B technology. This project's mission is to serve as an information and relationship platform for the founder and angel community. Building a successful B2B technology company is hard work, and as early-stage investors and long-term company builders ourselves, we know we need all the help we can get! An important source of help has been the individual investors we work with. Individuals investing alongside us have consistently made powerful contributions to ultimate success. So we set out to study these “angels” in our midst. Who are they? Where did they come from? What allows them to make a difference? https://lnkd.in/gfFs4-bu

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A lot of investors have been asking me what the major industries are in the Venture Miami Built in Miami Startup Program. Here's the industry breakdown across 214 new South Florida startups. TLDR: The South Florida startups are pretty diverse across industries. Here's the largest categories in order: - 16.2% AI & Machine Learning - 14.2% EdTech - 12.2% Healthcare - 8.5% Marketing & Sales Tech - 8.1% FinTech - 7.4% Sustainability - 6.1% Travel & Hospitality - 6.1% E-Commerce The smallest category: Cybersecurity at 1.2% There's an additional 50 startups that didn't complete the survey in time but we'll get that info updated by Demo Day June 20th. #BuiltinMiami

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⛰️ CALL FOR FOUNDERS! Please, fill out this form if you would like to pitch your company during our upcoming event: Pachamama Ventures Q3 Founders & Investors Meeting! Submit your interest by no later than Tuesday, October 1st. #PachamamaVentures #CallForFounders #PitchDemo

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Last month, Uncork Capital celebrated its 20th anniversary with a jubilant gathering attended by 420 guests, marking two decades of success in the venture capital realm. Over the years, the firm, alongside industry peers like First Round Capital and Felicis, has witnessed remarkable growth, now managing billions of dollars in assets. This expansion reflects the flourishing landscape of venture capital, with the industry experiencing exponential growth in investment. Moreover, positive shifts in VC norms, such as the evolving attitudes towards board seats, underscore a commitment to providing tailored support to startups, enhancing their growth prospects. Amidst discussions surrounding sectors like AI, optimism prevails, emphasizing a steadfast dedication to investing in innovative ventures with lasting impact. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/efN6-Spd Branded Hospitality Ventures Jeff Clavier Susan Liu Ashley Cravens Tripp Jones Sarah Du Andy McLoughlin Amy Saper #innovation #technology #management #venturecapital #startup

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last train to nyc, all aboard! if you are a founder struggling with your first tech startup, this is ideal for you! join a group of 10 founders co-working for 10 days alongside our team in workshops and mentoring sessions you'll get to talk in private sessions with great founders and investors to get feedback and insights on how to tackle the obstacles ahead

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This is an insightful article from Fortune on fund manager activities in the Miami area. I had forgotten that mega $40 billion+ AUM venture capital fund manager Andreessen Horowitz opened up a Miami office amidst the historic South Florida hype era in 2022. It looks like the office was closed in May 2024 as the space was seldom utilized. This seems to be the case for many of the venture capital (and overall private markets) fund managers who came to Miami in the #hype era. Generally speaking, on the limited days I have been in the Miami area, many people I have reached out to at fund management firms are often traveling or not in the area, so this low occupancy seems to be the case across the board. As much as I love Miami and it's latin vibe and cultural diversity - it is nowhere close to replacing #NYC or the SF Bay Area, but I am encouraged in its increasingly developing role as a place for RIAs/Wealth Managers and family offices that are developing their investment activities in private markets and alternative assets overall. #alternativeassets #miami #southflorida #privatemarkets #fundmanagers #familyoffices #capitalmarkets #a16z #venturecapital #fundmanagers

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If you are curious to learn about angel funds, their difference to other angel investing models and how it reduces the risk of investing in startups, come listen to this episode of VC10X podcast. Here, Prashant Choubey and I talk about this and much more. Thank you Prashant for this conversation! #angelinvesting #startups #innovation #angels #angelfunds #coreangels

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Miami F1 did not disappoint, with all sorts of legendary entertainers, investors, and even scientists descending on Miami to see who could throw the best party of the week. I was fortunate to receive an invite to a party on the legendary 180-foot Gene Chaser, the support vessel for the floating laboratory, Gene Machine, which carries all the toys. The owner, best known for his contributions to next-generation DNA sequencing, was a fascinating person to meet and get to know. This yacht was the fastest in the marina, equipped with four Caterpillar engines reaching a top speed of 22 knots. It was also the most traveled last year, visiting places like Antarctica and Singapore. Fun Fact: This boat isn’t allowed in St. Barts because the intense heat from its exhaust could melt other yachts. My favorite part was trying out all the hardware, especially the first-ever portable brain MRI that will soon be going into space. This was probably my favorite event of the entire weekend. https://lnkd.in/eRF6Z7RN For specs on the boat, click on the link here: https://lnkd.in/eP7bnYtr #MiamiF1Experience #GeneChaserYacht  #NextGenSequencing #PrivateInvestmentLuxury #FamilyOfficeEvents #SuperyachtScience  #InnovativeInvestors  #LuxuryAtSea  #TechOnDeck #AdventureYachting

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Sharecare (NASD: SHCR) is the recent target of Altaris as more public companies are going private in the current difficult capital markets environment. Other deals include clinical trials, mental health and more. Read the latest deal news in LECOs weekly healthcare newsletter. PitchBook also released their takeaways from the Healthcare Capital Markets & Innovation Summit LLC HCMIS24 (Save the date May 28-29 2025) #healthcareinnovation #dealmaking #privateequity #goprivate #TheSmartHealthCity #HCMIS #HCMIS25

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Wing Venture Capital's Founder Docs project is a unique collection of startup wisdom, by founders, for founders. The authors of the docs are talented founders themselves, sharing their experience on the topics they are most passionate about. I'd like to highlight the contributions of Edo Liberty, founder / CEO of Pinecone. Edo writes about the special opportunities for the scientist / founder (and he is one of the best of this breed!), as well as some of the risks and challenges they face. I got a lot out of reading Edo's stuff and I suspect you will too! https://lnkd.in/g_wyRMiE

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Congrats to Mairon Sandoval, Manuel Cangas & Team OCN (onecarnow.com) on the successful $86M round of funding (debt and equity), Co-Led by Great North Ventures! OCN, provides a car subscription (rental) service for gig workers in Mexico that provides the strongest financing coupled with a myriad of other services to benefit the driver and their riders. They raised $86 million in equity and debt to fund growth in Mexico as well expand internationally. The Series A round for the company was led by Brazil’s Caravela Capital, Collide Capital, and Great North Ventures on the equity side. New York-based i80 Group led the debt portion of the raise. The proceeds of the round will be used to grow the company’s tech infrastructure, hire numerous positions including bolstering executive team, and of course to finance quite a few more cars. Great North Ventures invested in the earlier Seed round and has watched the company grow very quickly over the past 12 mos. See link for more details about OCN and this round including a link to the coverage from Bloomberg. Nate Pierotti Nick Moran J.R. Moran Brian Hollins Edward Goldstein Rodrigo Basil Andersen Brunna Zogbi Ivan Montoya https://lnkd.in/gg28Cssg

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