Opportunity Miami

L’ATTITUDE Ventures is changing the Latino narrative by investing in early-stage businesses led by Latinos. Its mission is to transform the VC ecosystem for Latinos. Laura Moreno Lucas, a partner at the firm, explained how LAT VC started in 2019 with a smaller fund that invested in five entrepreneurs. It now has over 30 companies in its portfolio and closed a $100 million investment in August 2022...

From climate change to rising housing costs, how can Miami-Dade County be ready – today – for the future? Mayor Daniella Levin Cava has called on public and partner sectors to team up to create an economic future that is focused on local talent, small businesses, and innovation. Elected in 2020, Mayor Cava is the first female to lead the county, and her focus – as she said – is on getting us futur...

There are huge inequities in how companies of the future are being built and huge gaps in the opportunities for people to develop talent. On top of that, access to capital is especially unequal: Black founders received not even one percent of venture capital funding nationwide in the third quarter of this year. Black startup founders accounted for just over one percent of funding in the year's fir...

How can augmented reality impact the future of work and education? The technology offers an opportunity to serve as “the beginning of a new medium,” said Peggy Johnson, CEO of the augmented-reality venture Magic Leap. She explains AR’s true potential when it comes to how we interact with technology in our latest podcast. “Right here, right now, we can make South Florida a center for mixed reality:...

Restoring our oceans goes beyond philanthropy. Companies that address environmental issues such as coastal resilience, plastic removal, or limiting greenhouse gas emissions can be viable enterprises. “It is creating jobs. It’s driving economic growth. It’s expanding opportunity. It’s sort of the confluence of both sustainability and economic growth,” said Daniel Kleinman, CEO of Seaworthy Collecti...

Miami is leaning into a net zero future as part of a national green energy transition. The Inflation Reduction Act is paving the way to transform America, injecting hundreds of billions of dollars into climate solutions on the pathway for a 40% carbon reduction by 2030. Investing in our climate is already a boom for the future, a transition described as the “mega-trend of the century” by Vijay Vai...

Reducing our carbon footprint is essential to tackling global warming, but doing so is going to take a lot of money and energy. Enter the carbon-credit market, which is becoming a big business worldwide, including here in Miami which is ground zero for climate change. Many of our top leaders are betting on a combination of public and private partnerships to help get Miami-Dade County to net-zero e...

Miami is in a unique position to help build Miami’s future workforce by meeting the needs of a changing student body and bringing them off the sidelines, said Jamie Merisotis, CEO of Lumina Foundation. He spoke at our first Opportunity Miami Live event with the Academic Leaders Council, crediting the educational institutions with size and reach across our community. But he also touched on the need...

Tech is about creating big companies, solving problems at scale and building the next billion-dollar company. But what about using technology to propel small companies like micro businesses and freelancers? Launched in 2018, Miami-based Novo has raced to a valuation of $700 million and named to Forbes’ Fintech 50 this year. Novo may well be Miami’s next unicorn by serving businesses that range fro...

Turning buildings into Telsas: that’s the goal of one climate tech, Brooklyn-based company that is rapidly making American cities green. BlocPower makes it faster and cheaper to decarbonize buildings, all while increasing jobs and improving social mobility. How? BlocPower’s Ian Harris joins us on the podcast to explain how they are a “one-stop shop,” analyzing the buildings and neighborhoods and a...

In Miami-Dade County the biggest emitter of climate-warming emissions is transportation. In thinking about Miami’s future, a critical piece will be how we get around in a way that is emissions-free. Since Miami is surrounded by water, why not turn our focus to another mode of transportation? Boston-based REGENT has created all-electric seagliders – a cross between a plane and a boat – that are hig...

As Chief Digital Officer at Microsoft U.S., Jacky Wright is leading teams to help businesses innovate and succeed in this rapidly-changing tech industry. She’s also one of the few females – and black females -- at the top of the industry. Jacky joins us for our first studio podcast to discuss how to drive real inclusion and diversity in tech, including here in Miami where there are wide disparitie...

Energy-efficient development is going mainstream with the help of PHIUS, or Passive House Institute U.S. The nonprofit trains and certifies professionals on the Passive House standard, focusing on building “net-zero and net-positive buildings by minimizing the load that renewables are required to provide.” This includes super insulation, airtight envelopes, high-performance window installation, si...

In thinking about the 15-minute city, neighborhood hubs can help to build a future that is more livable, offer more of a sense of community, and be more sustainable. Listen as Opportunity Miami explores this future with the Miami-based startup REEF. Co-founder and Senior Vice President of Product, Philippe Saint-Just, explains how the company is reimagining neighborhoods.

There’s a revolution taking place around the world. The car industry is going electric. Mercedez-Benz by 2030 will be fully electric. Volvo is doing the same. General Motors is moving to all electric by 2035. And, of course, Tesla - which pioneered the wave to electric - has become the most valuable car maker in the world. It’s an important change in the broader effort to shift the global economy...

When we think about building Miami’s economic future, we know it’s critical to be a place that creates lots of new jobs. Studies show that virtually all new job growth comes from companies five years or younger. If Miami’s job sectors are to grow, then this means being a place that launches lots of high-growth tech companies — which Miami’s doing better than ever. But it also means that Miami need...

The pandemic brought our need for broadband access into sharp focus. In many ways, we need internet connectivity like we need electricity or running water — the internet’s how we look for jobs, learn, shop, and receive healthcare. But across the country, many people still don’t have internet; in Miami-Dade County alone, nearly 1/4 of homes don’t have access to the internet. Now, the Federal govern...

In the first half of 2021, only 1.2% of venture capital went to Black founders — and that was amid a record year for investment in Black-owned startups. How can we build a future where being a Black entrepreneur is normal, not novelty? On the Opportunity Miami podcast, we hear from Shu Nyatta, managing partner of SoftBank Group International, about SoftBank’s $100M Opportunity Fund, which was foun...

Entrepreneurs, community leaders and venture capitalists are flipping the script on climate change, turning it into an opportunity for growth and innovation. Could new efforts in climate tech help make Miami a global leader in sustainability and resilience? On the Opportunity Miami podcast, we hear from Clay Dumas, founding partner of Lowercarbon Capital, an $800 million international venture-capi...

Climate change isn’t a favorite topic of conversation in Miami, one of the cities most vulnerable to sea-level rise. But some venture capitalists see climate change as a generational business opportunity, because the drive to lower carbon emissions will create new industries, businesses and jobs — and the places that embrace them will win. Is this a huge opportunity for Miami? Watch or listen as O...

This is a pivotal moment for Miami, which has never been positioned so strongly for success — or faced such daunting challenges, from sea-level rise to income inequality. On Opportunity Miami, host Matt Haggman talks to the innovators, entrepreneurs, and community champions who are turning the community’s biggest challenges into its greatest opportunities. Opportunity Miami is an initiative of the...