By Riley Kaminer
Through his role as the Director of Miami for national nonprofit Venture for America (VFA), Paul Griebel is passionate about creating an accessible and inclusive version of entrepreneurship in Miami and beyond. It is a role Griebel started to take on last year, coming most recently from a role at the World Strategic Forum.
Previously though, Griebel worked in economic development at the local and state levels, at the Beacon Council and Enterprise Florida. “I was itching to get back into more hands-on economic development,” Griebel [pictured above] told Refresh Miami. “The kind of role that would have more impact on this community in particular.”
At Venture for America, Griebel is responsible for developing top entrepreneurial talent and providing access to talent through programs, networks, and resources. Equally, it is Griebel’s job to work with companies to find the best talent to fit their needs.
Companies that benefit the most from working with Venture for America include those that are rapidly growing and ready to start developing their business. Early-stage firms that do not have the resources or processes in place to vet talent can also benefit from VFA’s experience in finding the best talent.
On the flip side, Griebel offers recent college graduates a two-year fellowship program to give them firsthand startup experiences. The idea is to foster future leaders who want to make a meaningful impact with their career. The program starts in the summer with a training bootcamp that brings all the fellows together for a week to equip them with some of the skills necessary to thrive in their new role.
Currently, there are around 10 fellows active in the Miami area. VFA has had 78 fellows hired by 48 Company Partners since launching in Miami in 2014. Companies include Nearpod, Upside, AutoLeadStar, and Jibby Coffee. Nationally, VFA has welcomed more than 1,200 fellows since the organization’s inception.
“My key goal for this year is to get both of those numbers up,” said Griebel. “I want to have more companies posting diverse job opportunities to attract different people and to increase the number of fellows in Miami.” Nationally, VFA’s most recent cohort included around 200 fellows.
After successfully completing the fellowship, many fellows continue to work at the same startup. Many also go on to found their own companies.
For Oliver Kruze, the VFA fellowship was particularly meaningful. Over the course of three years, Kruze rose the ranks from Analyst all the way to CEO of Tikun, a medical marijuana company.
“To me, VFA is all about creating opportunity – for aspiring entrepreneurs and emerging cities alike,” said Kruze. “Startups face a lot of risk and uncertainty in hiring a recent college graduate with little work experience. VFA helps reduce hiring risks for companies by cultivating a community of exceptional, motivated, and tenacious young entrepreneurs – and in turn providing outscaled opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs.”
“This is such an exciting time to be in Miami,” said Griebel, asserting that the pandemic-induced growth of Miami’s tech scene is here to stay. “The movement is real, and now is a critical time to take action and make sure that our ecosystem’s growth is sustainable.”
“Venture for America can play a really important role in continuing to build a diverse ecosystem, and providing a valuable service in terms of talent pipeline development to founders and startups and companies that are already here.”
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- Buy, rent, sell, manage: Miami’s proptech ecosystem may be as hot as our real estate market
- Antonio García Martínez and Michael Eisenberg: Miami doesn’t need to replicate SF to become a successful tech hub
- In the spotlight: Jibby Coffee brews the jitter-free fuel for the #MiamiTech movement
