On November 8, 2023, the Harvard Business School (HBS) Alumni Angels of South Florida hosted their 4th Annual Entrepreneurship Night pitch competition at the University of Miami Herbert Business School.
The HBS Alumni Angels of South Florida is a volunteer-based angel investor group that invests in early-stage businesses and supports the local startup ecosystem. The primary mission is to connect investors and entrepreneurs by bringing them together through pitch events and by enhancing their skills through educational events and resources.
The event featured an inspiring keynote from Manny Medina, founder of Terremark, Medina Capital, eMerge Americas, and CEO of Cyxtera Technologies, as well as pitches from 4 finalist startups competing for investment and services from the Alumni Angels group.
In his keynote, Medina shared insights on succeeding as an entrepreneur, stressing the importance of cultivating curiosity to stay innovative, maintaining a positive attitude to persevere through challenges, putting in hard work to properly prepare, and having the determination to see your vision through. He encouraged attendees to think of themselves as brands and focus on building trust in their abilities as well as passionately delivering on their ideas.
Medina spoke on the exciting opportunities in emerging sectors like quantum computing and AI, predicting massive disruptions from combining these technologies. He urged entrepreneurs to get ahead of the coming waves of change, attributing his success to curiosity about revolutionary technologies.
The pitch competition started with 36 companies, and its four finalists spanned health tech, food and beverage, and AI services. The judges ultimately awarded first place to Tilden, a premium, non-alcoholic, cocktail company. Ulevo Health, working to automatically detect and reduce muscle spasms, took second place, AI Squared, an AI platform that accelerates AI projects, third, and Modern Trials, a healthcare technology company that connects patients with relevant clinical trial opportunities, fourth. For the first time, the audience also voted for a People’s Choice winner, awarded to AI Squared.
Tilden will get to present at the World Business Angels Investment Forum’s global fundraising stage in South Africa. Tilden and AI Squared will also have the opportunity to pitch at an upcoming South Florida Alumni Angels event. All winners received prizes of complimentary legal services.
Mariah Hilton Wood, co-founder of Tilden, who won the pitch competition, had a great experience. “I really enjoy pitching because it gives me an opportunity to hear ideas from other entrepreneurs.â€
She also offered advice for rising entrepreneurs. “Be willing to test out an idea that fails,†Hilton Wood stated. “Dedicate time to it, having time set aside is important.â€
HBS Alumni Angels of South Florida is looking forward to next year’s Pitch Competition and Entrepreneurship Night.