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10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from Gloria, Reental, 54D, Comcast Rise, Material Bank, Miami Moonshot winners, eMerge Americas and more.

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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1

An exit & new role for Miami founder of soccer startup Gloria

OneFootball, the world’s largest football media platform, announced the appointment of leading gender equality activist, campaigner, and Miami tech entrepreneur Victoire Cogevina as VP of Women’s Football.

In 2018, Victoire co-founded Gloria, a football community which will now be  rolled into OneFootball. As part of the transaction, existing Gloria investors including Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and founder of VC firm Seven Seven Six; Garry Tan, founder and managing partner of Initialized Capital; and Assia Grazioli, co-founder of Muse Capital are transferring their investment to OneFootball.

“As a football fan, I was immediately drawn to Victoire’s passion for the sport and her drive to build an inclusive, global football community online. By joining OneFootball, she will have even more opportunity to expand that vision and bring the sport of football to a whole new generation of fans,” Ohanian said.

This move represents OneFootball’s long-term commitment to women’s football as it continues to invest in new club, league, federation and player partnerships to bring the women’s game to its 100+ million monthly active users. Under COgevina’s stewardship, OneFootball is looking to significantly grow its women’s football offer and female audience.

Cogevina, 31, who founded Gloria in Miami, moved to San Francisco to grow the company and then moved back to Miami during the pandemic, also co-founded  with her mother in Miami the first female sports agency representing male professional players in Major League Soccer. She is serving as a UN Women ambassador for Gender Equality in Football.

2

Reental plants US-LatAm HQ in Miami

Reental, a leading European company in tokenized properties, has opened offices in Miami and appointed Fernando Ors as its new president for the US and Latin America. Ors will be in charge of the Spanish fintech’s expansion on this side of the Atlantic.

 In his new role, Ors will promote the company’s strategic partnerships and growth, which aim to democratize investment through the use of blockchain and smart contracts. With a community of around 8,000 members from more than 55 countries, Reental  says it offers investing options in several asset classes with annual returns of more than 10%.

“Leading Reental’s growth in the Americas is a huge responsibility and an exciting challenge. We know that Miami is a particularly attractive destination for investors from Latin America and a strategic hub for our regional expansion,” said Ors.

 3

Miami fitness startup 54D expands to NYC

Miami-based fitness startup 54D, with both in-person and online fitness programs, will be expanding to New York City in October. 54D already has locations in Coral Gables, the Miami Design District, Mexico and Colombia. More are coming to Los Angeles and Broward County in 2023.

54D was founded by former professional soccer player and Miami resident Rodrigo Garduño, who  took to Instagram amid pandemic lockdowns and motivated hundreds of thousands of people around the world to stay positive and healthy.  Its program consists of nine weeks of intensive training, nutrition and recovery. In just six months, Garduño’s account grew by 1M+ followers and he reached over 16M+ Instagram video views, according to Meta. [Read more about 54D on Refresh Miami]

4

Comcast RISE awarding additional $1M in grants

Comcast  announced it will award $1 million in grants to 100 small businesses owned by women and people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, among others, in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, bringing the Comcast RISE program’s total investment in South Florida to $2 million.

From October 3 through October 16, eligible small businesses in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties can apply online for one of the $10,000 grants at www.ComcastRISE.com. Comcast is also awarding grants in Chicago, Oakland, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

In addition, Comcast RISE invests in ongoing mentorship and resources to help businesses succeed over the long-term. The program has partnered with Ureeka, an online platform for entrepreneurs, to provide grant recipients with business coaching to help build skills in company foundation, growing customers, and financial stability.

For more information and to apply, visit www.ComcastRISE.com.

5

Material Bank joins Climate Pledge

Material Bank, the world’s largest marketplace for architectural, design and construction materials, joined The Climate Pledge, a commitment by companies to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050.

Based in Boca Raton, Material Bank  allows members to search from more than 450+ brands on a single website, order samples until midnight ET, and receive all materials in a single box by 10:30 AM the next morning. To date, the company has saved more than 2.4 million+ packages, eliminated 4,000 metric tons of C02, and diverted 100,000+ pounds of samples from landfills, Material Bank says.

By signing The Climate Pledge, the company takes its commitment to sustainability a step further, going beyond industry standards to place climate health and decarbonization as a top priority. 

Signatories to The Climate Pledge agree to: measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis;  implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations; and neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040. “The gravity of climate change is something we cannot ignore, and we hope our bold commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 will inspire the larger design community to continue to reevaluate and innovate when it comes to environmental impact,” said Material Bank Founder & CEO, Adam I. Sandow.

6

And the Miami Moonshot winners were…

We’ve got the winners of the  inaugural Miami Moonshot Awards. The winners took home a unique TIMEPieces NFT and a roundtrip ticket to NYC, said Saif Ishoof, founder of Lab22c that organized the contest.

The social impact winner, Kerry-Ann Royes, also was awarded a $10,000 direct investment in the YWCA South Florida thanks to Amazon. And the winners were…

  • Miami Moonshot Award presented by TIMEPieces: Adriana Cisneros, Cisneros
  • eMerge Americas Convener Award: Michelle Abbs, Web3 Equity
  • Social Impact Award presented by Amazon: Kerry-Ann Royes, YWCA South Florida
  • Miami Dreamer Award presented by Greenberg Traurig: Brian Breslin, The Launch Pad at University of Miami
  • Velocity Awards presented by Delta Airlines: Will Weinraub, OnChain Studios
  • Ecosystem Builder Award: Maria Derchi, Refresh Miami

Congratulations to all – but particularly our own Refresh Miami Executive Director Maria Derchi and Refresh Miami’s founder Brian Breslin. Yes, we are a little biased…

7

eMerge Americas Startup Showcase open for applications

The 2023 eMerge Americas Startup Showcase is once again merging with Florida Funders and Panoramic Ventures’ Startup Showdown for a mega-pitch competition.

For the opportunity to catapult your startup to the next level and pitch your brand in front of investors, decision makers and industry leaders at eMerge Americas on April 20-21, 2023, apply here. There is no cost to apply.

Over 100 companies will be selected to compete within three tracks (University Stage, Early Stage, and Later Stage) for a chance to share your story on the eMerge Main Stage. The winning startup will receive over $400,000 in investment, as well as in-kind prizes that will be announced soon. Last year, Topal.AI won the big prize.

8

Femtech startup plans to hire 12 for new Miami Beach HQ

Femtech startup 28 is locating its HQ to Miami Beach and plans aggressive hiring. The startup, founded by women for women in 2020, delivers a personalized feminine fitness and holistic wellness experience (via site and mobile app), powered by custom technology and each user’s natural menstrual cycle.

As part of the new office, the company said it plans to hire a dozen people over the next year. The startup’s Miami Beach relocation comes a month after it raised $3.2 million in a seed funding round led by Thiel Capital.

9

More #MiamiTech news to note

  • Decrypt Studios announced its upcoming Cryptie Awards gala. Its inaugural Crypties Awards will be presented on November 30th during Art Week in Miami and will honor “community members who have transcended creative and technical boundaries to help bring the tenets of Web3 into the mainstream,” including Industry Achievement recipient Erick Calderon, founder of Art Blocks.
  • The Global Entrepreneurship Network announced a collection of individuals to serve as the community organizers for Global Entrepreneurship Week to drive engagement in thousands of activities this November to help start and grow startups around the world. For 180 countries with roughly 9 million participants in 35,000 activities, GEW will take place November 14th – 20th.  South Florida Tech Hub and Synapse will serve as the GEW Community Organizers for the state of Florida in 2022. Florida events can be submitted at www.GEWflorida.org. Read more on South Florida Tech Hub here.
  • Stephen Tucker joined Yuga Labs, the web3 startup behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection, as Chief Gaming Officer, overseeing the company’s gaming and metaverse initiatives. Tucker was previously the president of games at Scopely and senior VP of product at Gree International Entertainment. Yuga Labs raised $450 million at a valuation of $4 billion earlier this year. 
  • The Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation (Levan Center of Innovation), an economic and education development engine in South Florida, announced the appointment of Joseph E. Hovancak as its new Deputy Executive Director. With more than 15 years of experience in strategic development and community engagement, Hovancak most recently spearheaded the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance’s Prosperity Partnership initiative. He also previously was part of the Miami-Dade Beacon Council.

10

Opportunity knocks

  • TechCrunch is looking for founders building web3 or crypto companies to pitch in-person at  TC Sessions: Crypto coming to Miami on Nov. 17. Startups applying to pitch should have web3 or crypto as the central pillar of their product, regardless of industry application. Founders will have 4 minutes to pitch followed by a Q&A with our panel of judges. Selected companies will be announced on TechCrunch. Apply here.
  • The Tech Hub “Hack My City” Hackathon is a weekend event where participants form teams, vet ideas, create a project, and then present their work to an expert panel of judges. Winners walk away with $5,000 in  cash and in-kind prizes. When: Oct. 7-9. More info here.
  • Data science and analytics training provider Metis is partnering with  Florida International University to launch the FIU Data Science Bootcamp, a 24-week online immersive program that begins in October. Trainees can develop skills to help them advance or jumpstart a career in data science, according to the university’s website. Learn more and apply here. 

ICYMI:

Have news to share? Email Nancy Dahlberg at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ndahlberg

Nancy Dahlberg
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