The founder of Open English shares his journey from startup struggles to global success, offering insights into the Miami tech ecosystem
By Riley Kaminer
Andres Moreno might not be from Miami, but as far as #MiamiTech is concerned, he’s an OG. That’s because for the last decade and a half, Moreno’s M.O. is a relentless pursuit of the next thing, casting his net far and wide into the depths of the global startup ecosystem, always with Miami as his base.
As the founder and CEO of Open English, Andres has built one of the most recognized online education platforms while also launching several other successful ventures, including in the healthtech and small business space. Originally from Venezuela, Moreno’s journey is one marked by ambition, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to making a difference.
In this Q&A, we delve into Andres’ thoughts on the Miami tech scene, his current projects, and the lessons he has learned along the way.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Refresh Miami: Can you tell us about the main projects you’re working on right now? What excites you the most about them?
Moreno: Right now, I’m deeply involved with several ventures. I’m still very active in Open English, which I founded 15 years ago. It’s a classic garage startup story: I started it with a vision to teach English to professionals in Latin America by bringing recent U.S. college graduates to serve as instructors. This was back before video conferencing was mainstream, so the idea of offering live, online English classes with native speakers around the clock was quite innovative. We faced a ton of challenges, including running out of money multiple times and having to sleep on a friend’s couch for a year. But despite the odds, we persisted, and today, Open English has trained over 3 million students globally, making it the largest online English school in Latin America. We’ve expanded into new markets, including Brazil, Spain, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and our brand continues to grow stronger.
Beyond Open English, I’ve always been on the lookout for new opportunities. One such opportunity is Longevo, a venture that’s close to my heart because it focuses on preventative health, which is an area I believe holds tremendous potential. In Latin America, there isn’t a strong culture of healthy living – people don’t prioritize things like nutrition, exercise, or sleep in the way they should. With Longevo, we’re trying to change that by providing live instruction and coaching to help people develop healthier habits before they become health problems.
Another venture I’m particularly excited about is Escala, which is a CRM platform designed specifically for Hispanic small and medium-sized businesses. The small business landscape in Latin America is huge – even larger than in the U.S. There’s an incredible number of SMBs being created every day, but many of these businesses are still operating in a very nascent stage, handling customer communications through their phones or relying on a cousin to create their website. Escala aims to simplify and professionalize this process by offering an all-in-one platform that helps businesses manage their leads, automate emails, and maintain a unified inbox. The company has grown rapidly, and we’ve already acquired almost 1,000 clients.
What challenges did you face as an entrepreneur in the early stages, and how did you overcome them?
The early stages of entrepreneurship are always the toughest. When I started Open English, there was no playbook for what we were trying to do. We were building something entirely new — an online English school that offered live classes with native speakers, 24/7. This was before the days of Zoom or any of the video conferencing tools that are so common now, so we had to create our virtual classroom technology from scratch. It was an ambitious project, and we faced a lot of challenges along the way.
One of the biggest challenges was funding. Back then, the concept of angel investors or seed funding wasn’t as developed as it is today, especially in Latin America. We ran out of money multiple times, but we believed in what we were building, and we kept pushing forward. Eventually, we were able to raise significant venture capital from investors who saw the potential in what we were doing.
As an entrepreneur who’s been building in Miami for over a decade, how do you see the Miami tech scene today compared to when you first moved here?
When I first moved to Miami, the tech scene was pretty sparse. It wasn’t a place that was known for technology or startups. There were very few tech companies, and there wasn’t much infrastructure to support entrepreneurs. But that has changed dramatically over the years. Miami has grown into a thriving tech hub, and it’s been exciting to be a part of that transformation.
A few key organizations have played a critical role in building this ecosystem. Endeavor Miami, for example, has been instrumental in supporting high-impact entrepreneurs in the region. I’m proud to have been one of the founding board members of Endeavor Miami, and it’s been amazing to see how much the organization has contributed to the growth of the tech community here.
One of the things that make Miami unique is its position as a gateway to Latin America. This has attracted a lot of talent and businesses that are focused on the Hispanic and Latin American markets. Miami has become a natural bridge between the U.S. and Latin America, and this has brought a lot of attention to the city.
There’s now a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, investors, and tech professionals here, and the energy is palpable. It’s a great place to start and grow a business, especially if you’re targeting the Latin American market.
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