Miguel Armaza

Among the many inefficiencies weighing on the heavy construction sector, equipment maintenance management is one of the more costly, particularly for heavy equipment dealers who bear the primary responsibility for managing the maintenance of the equipment they sell. We are pleased to have Digital Iron join C2V's portfolio. Ditial Iron seamlessly integrates machinery manuals, CRM data, and customer ERP systems to create a centralized source of equipment specifications, maintenance parameters, and field usage data and provides a natural language interface for researching these issues (the gen AI piece). Once dealers have established the cause of each issue, Digital Iron will automatically check dealer inventory and third-party suppliers for availability, lead time, and price of the necessary parts. This information can then be instantly shared with customers for approval and immediate order of needed parts. In addition to saving hours (often days) identifying and sourcing replacement parts, Digital Iron’s AI models also compare equipment usage information to manufacturer useful life/replacement recommendations for each component and prompt dealers to proactively suggest parts replacements to customers, allowing them to monetize all of the additional (and substantial) post-sale revenue for each piece of equipment they sell. https://lnkd.in/e2QJeQut #ai #construction #investing

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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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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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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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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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Nearly a year ago, we launched our Pre-seed to Succeed program in partnership with AltaIR Capital, Yellow Rocks!, Smart Partnership Capital and I2BF Global Ventures. The program is designed to help early-stage founders build and scale their companies by providing financial support and connecting them with experienced mentors and experts. Since then, we've received over 1,700 applications, reviewed hundreds of projects, and invested in 6 promising startups. And we're excited to meet new founders who could become part of the P2S portfolio family at our upcoming speed-dating event during TechCrunch Disrupt on October 28th! You'll have up to 3 minutes to deliver your pitch directly to investors. After the pitch, there will be a 6-7 minute Q&A session with investors. After 10 minutes, the gong sounds and the founders change their place. Don't miss this opportunity to pitch your startup and get real-time feedback from investors. Some of the investors who will be reviewing pitches include Dmitry Firskin, Partner at AltaIR, Nikolay Kirpichnikov, Managing Partner at Smart Partnership Capital, along with other top VCs. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/d-6qwCah #techcrunchdisrupt #techcrunchdisrupt2024

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Looking to take your personal brand to the next level? If you want an exceptional, personalized approach, you can’t miss The MW Method Mirna Wetter has completely redefined personal branding by meticulously crafting a tailor-made playbook that align perfectly with who you are and what you want to communicate. I had the privilege of experiencing the MW Method, and it was truly transformative. 🚀 🚀 This process changed how I perceive myself, how I present my image, and how I communicate my message to both my personal and business communities. If you’re ready to elevate your brand, I can’t recommend Mirna enough! 😎 #PersonalBranding #MWMethod #Leadership #Communication #Growth

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Summary: Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has closed its satellite office in Miami Beach, just two years into a five-year lease. This decision comes as Miami's venture investments have dwindled and a16z's plans for global outposts did not go as expected. Key takeaways: A16z's closure of its Miami Beach office is a blow to its plans of expanding to global outposts and builds relationships with founders. Miami's venture investments have decreased significantly and the area has struggled to retain entrepreneurial talent. This decision by A16z highlights the challenges startups and investors face when trying to expand to new locations. Counter arguments: Miami's struggles with retaining talent and venture investments may not be the sole reason for A16z's closure. There could have been other factors at play. A16z's plans for global outposts may still be successful in other cities despite the closure in Miami Beach. #venturecapital #vc #venture

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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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Congratulations to Pedro Siciliano, Fábio Baldissera, and the entire team at Teachy for raising a $7m Series A from some of the best in the business. When we first met Pedro in early 2023, he was a first-year student at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business with a full course load and a crystal clear vision for the company he had started to build. After a few interactions, it was clear that Pedro was the epitome of a mission-driven founder. He had a strong sense of purpose, a deep commitment to the problem he wanted to solve, and extreme focus. Being authentically mission-driven gives you superpowers that are key to building a large business. Here are a few: 👉 *Authentic leadership*: Having high conviction in your mission allows you to lead from the gut with persuasion and strength. 👉 *Boundless energy & resilience*: Understanding why you are building your business gives you the energy and grit to fight through the hard times. 👉 *Culture building*: Culture flows from the top, and nothing beats caring deeply and setting high standards for the work you, your employees, and your company produce daily. 👉 *Customer centricity*: Being mission-driven, by definition, means putting your customers and users first, the key to every successful business. Pedro and Fabio have these superpowers, and I can't wait to see how they continue to put them to work on their mission to improve education around the world. 

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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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Some interesting points about venture investing by family offices made in the CNBC article below: According to PwC, almost a third of startup capital came from family offices in 2022 (2024 data not available).  This article points out that a major trend has family offices “co-investing” as partners alongside a VC fund, which leads the investment (often with lower fees than LPs). This arrangement is a win-win: lower risk for the family offices who don't have the in-house expertise or bandwidth to effectively source and vet early stage opportunities and large pools of funds for VCs to put to work. Among the drivers for venture investments by family offices is the desire to stay ahead of the technology curve. Family office advisors point out that serial investors often take the perspective that investing in startups is a way to get a first-hand and early understanding of specific technologies and markets, knowledge which they can put to use in larger investments or inside their own companies. This has multiple potential benefits, from providing early stage companies with the inside opportunities to accelerate R&D and go-to-market, while offering the portfolio companies of the investors early access to implement and reap the rewards of emerging technologies. #familyoffice #investing #tech #startups #venturecapital #vc #alternativeinvesting #vcfunds #earlyadaptors #researchanddevelopment

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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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Today's Boring Biz (# 98): Pirate Ship Party Boat Tour - $4.0M Revenue - $3.5M Cashflow - $2.9M Ask Price - 0.8x Multiple - Baja California (Mexico) Note: We do not represent this deal, highlighting for informational purposes only for viewers What does the company do? 1. Pirate ship party tours 2. Themed entertainment experiences 3. Alcohol + merchandise sales Investment highlights 1. Exclusive liquor license to sell off dock 2. Equipment: 2x large ships + 1x speed boat 3. Seller ran similar business 1990 - 2013, longtime operator Investment risks/concerns 1. Owner dependency risk 2. Vulnerability to Mexico tourism laws 3. Owner health issues/ fire sale #SMB #ETA #finance #Cashflow #investing #search #searchfund #privateequity #microprivateequity #smallbusiness #venturecapital #vc #entrepreneur #business #businessowner #pirate #ship #party #boat #mexico Disclaimer: Hypothetical and illustrative only. Please do your own research (DYOR) or work with tax and legal professionals before making a decision. This video are intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice, nor should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security by SMB PE LLC or any third party.

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

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Meet the Techstars NYC Fall 2024 companies. This class features startups in a range of industries, including Cybersecurity, AI, Fintech, HealthTech, LegalTech, HRtech, Gaming, and Augmented Reality. The selected companies are led by founders who have a deep understanding of customer pain, an ability to execute quickly, and the potential to generate billions of revenue. They are targeting real problems in their respective industries and will leverage the city of New York's diversity of industries. Here are the companies: Basil Streamlined talent planning, management, and payments for creative and marketing teams in a single platform. Buildstash Automated archival and easy management of builds, simplifying the way app and game developers manage and share their builds. Conduit High-impact marketing videos for game developers using metadata, scalable designs, and AI. Dobbie Helps e-commerce brands reduce OPEX and achieve profitability quicker with an AI operating system, that automates marketing and operations. Hatchproof The Retention Solution for building aligned, engaged, and thriving teams. LendAPI A digital product builder and high-performance decision engine for banks to launch products in hours rather than months. NimblemindAI Enrich clinical datasets with risk scores and billing data, unlocking non-clinical revenue for healthcare organizations. OB2.AI Detect and respond to cyber threats in seconds.  Ozeki Technologies Software to automate negotiations for your business. Skyglass The software suite for filmmakers of the future. Our AI-powered app makes it easy for content creators to produce Hollywood-grade visual effects with just an iPhone. Triton Triton’s automated system synthesizes operating and financial data on private companies from fragmented online sources to help investors make better investment decisions. These companies were selected from thousands of applicants through a rigorous application, interview, and diligence process. We are excited about their accomplishments over the next few months and beyond. #techstars #givefirst #builtinnyc #nyctech #nyc

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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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