Sixteen founders from 10 high-growth companies have been selected for Endeavor Miami’s Spring 2023 ScaleUp Cohort.
The cohort represents a diverse group of founders, 85% of which are Latinx and 30% women. The companies operate in verticals such as EdTech,TalentEnterprise SaaS, Healthcare, Mobility, FinTech and F&B. Although all companies are based in Florida, they have an expansive footprint in multiple countries such as in Latin America and Europe. Collectively, the 10 companies employ over 800 people and have raised more than $35 million in external capital.
Scaling high-growth companies is crucial for the growth of the Miami tech ecosystem, and Endeavor’s mission. According to a report by Endeavor Insight, high-growth companies in Miami have been responsible for over 70% of job creation since 2012. Yet these companies face challenges uniquely related to their rate of growth, such as hiring for scale, building investor relations and joining trusted peer-to-peer networks, with 60% of them closing down at five years of operations. “Endeavor ScaleUp is designed to address these challenges and provide high-growth companies with the support they need to scale up,” said Rebecca Negro Rocha, who leads Cohort Initiatives at Endeavor Miami.
Endeavor ScaleUp is open to high-growth Florida-based companies with product-market fit and generating $1M to $4M in annual revenues. The selected companies will undergo 16 weeks of group modules, mentorships, peer-to-peer chats, and office hours on scaling up, culminating in a Demo Day for the Endeavor community.
Here are the companies selected for the Spring 2023 cohort of Endeavor ScaleUp (descriptions provided by Endeavor):
Aplós: Aplós is a non-alcoholic spirit brand, reimagining the cocktail occasion for a new era. Their functional, non-alcoholic spirits deliver an experience, quality, and functional effect on par with the world’s most sophisticated cocktails. All without the regret and negative effects of traditional alcohol. Entrepreneur: David Fudge, Co-Founder & CEO.
Intelligent Observation: Intelligent Observation reduces healthcare acquired infections and their associated costs for healthcare facilities by providing an automated hand hygiene tracking system. Entrepreneur: Seth Freedman, CEO.
Keybe: With Keybe companies experience the next level of smarter, scalable and profitable sales teams, with a Smart Chat, powered by advanced sentiment analysis, artificial intelligence, intuitive suggested interactions and automatic data enrichment. : Samuel Urquijo, Co-Founder & CEO, Dani Jokka, Co-Founder & COO, Juan Esteban Rios, Co-Founder & CTO, Caleb Ramos Co-Founder & CSO, and Felipe Arango Co-Founder & CMO.
La Wawa: La Wawa is a mass transit mobility platform that enhances day to day transportation for the commuting population through the deployment of a fixed route urban and extra-urban network in cities, solving the daily mobility needs of businesses and employees. Entrepreneurs: Maria Fernanda Vera, Co-Founder & CEO, Juan José Pocaterra, Co-Founder & President, and Daniel Felipe Cisneros, Co-Founder & Director.
Lazo: Lazo is a SaaS platform that offers back-office solutions for VC-backed startups. It includes accounting, finance, legal, tax, payroll, and investor relationship management. Lazo technology also gives VCs access to their portfolio information and structured data. Entrepreneurs: Juan Manuel Barrero, Co-Founder & CEO, and Lucas Imai, Co-Founder & CPO.
Papumba: Papumba is the educational app that is reshaping the way parents and kids engage with technology. Their all-in-one app includes educational books, games, videos, and audio stories. Entrepreneurs: Pablo Capurro, Co-Founder & CSO, and Gonzalo Rodriguez, Co-Founder & CEO.
Santo Dulce: Santo Dulce is an artisanal churros and ice cream company that highlights the hispanic heritage of Miami. Their mission is to introduce “a new way” of eating churros, enriching the lives of their community and their employees. Entrepreneurs: Laura Luque, Co-Founder & CEO, and Yule Nunez, Co-Founder & CMO.
smartBeemo: smartBeemo is an online education platform for latino entrepreneurs that teaches modern day business models and cutting edge entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneur: Michel Edery, Co-Founder & CEO, Eitan Shoval, Co-Founder & CFO, and Natan Lustgarten, Co-Founder & CXO.
VLA (Virtual Learning of America): VLA is a skill-based, online course platform that develops workforce skills in IT, IT Management, and Languages and connects graduates with jobs through a talent acquisition agency called VLA Jobs, all through low monthly fees starting at $50 a month. Entrepreneurs: Josue Rodriguez, Co-Founder & CEO, and Veronica Vasquez, Co-Founder & COO.
Workana: Latam’s leading Dev community. Workana started as a self-service marketplace for independent talents and projects and has pioneered the remote work revolution across Latam. Now, leveraging on an amazing pool of talents, Workana is focusing on matching certified remote Latam devs with the world’s best startups. Entrepreneurs: Tomás O’Farrell, Co-Founder & CEO, and Eliana Bracciaforte, Co-Founder & Head of Talent.
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