Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava addresses 200 private investors at Miami conference
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More than 200 private investors met at Fuel Venture Capital and IDC Venture’s 2.0 Expand Conference
More than 200 private investors from around the world gathered at the Rubell Museum for exclusive briefings by Miami-based Fuel Venture Capital and IDC Ventures.
During the two day conference titled “2.0 Expand,” founders and CEOs of some of Fuel’s 31 portfolio companies presented on the state of the union, growth across various tech industries and their visions of the future.
Founders from South Florida startups such as Boatsetter, Recargapay, Taxfyle, Bolt Mobility, and Ubicquia joined founders from global unicorns and soon-icorns such as Tradeshift, Curve and others.
“It was an incredible two-days of sharing, discovering and connecting. We had colleagues, investors and founders from around the world attend our conference in Miami with our partners IDC Ventures… and even more watching globally through our livestream,” said Ransdell. “I can speak for everyone in the room when I say that it was truly inspiring to listen to the progress made by the companies and founders we have put time and energy into. It’s easy to get lost in the day to day hustle, so having an event like this is crucial to being reminded of why we all do this in the first place— to change the world.”
Maggie Vo, Fuel Venture Capital’s first female General Partner and Chief Investment Officer shared her journey and stressed how transition from the public markets to the world of venture capital was spurred by the realization that value is continually shifting to actors in early-stage private-market deals. She wants to support innovative startups that have the potential to change the world.
“2.0 Expand allowed new connections to be made and existing relationships to be strengthened,” says Vo. “The stage was the perfect place to show off our portfolio investments, talk about the state of the union and spark further conversations about what’s next. As Jeff always says, there is nothing like being able to meet someone in person, shake hands and discuss how the companies we back are changing the world.”
On Thursday, Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine-Cava joined moderators Jeff Ransdell, Managing Director of Fuel Venture Capital and Bobby Aitkenhead, Managing Director of IDC Ventures alongside panelists Steve McLaughlin, CEO of FT Partners, Al Goldstein, Executive Chairman Avant, and Fernando González, CEO of Coru, for a fintech fireside chat.
The conversation quickly led to Miami’s booming ecosystem (startups raised a record $2.4 billion over 179 deals in the first nine months of 2021) and fintech’s role in the growth of the city.
When asked how she’s feeling about the tech world, Mayor Levine-Cava said she’s bullish on Miami-Dade, even going as far as saying she believes we are the center of the universe. She told Jeff Ransdell and other panelists, “we’re here for you” and that there are two kinds of people “the people who live here [Miami] and the people who will.”
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ABOUT Fuel Venture Capital
Fuel Venture Capital was founded in 2017 in Miami with the goal of fueling a modern economy based on knowledge and vision. Industry agnostic in our venture sourcing, we target exceptional entrepreneurs with groundbreaking ideas and professional track records, favoring early and late-stage companies propelled by exponential technologies. The firm’s “founder focused, investor driven” approach balances a commitment to propelling portfolio companies to success and delivering enhanced, risk-mitigated returns to our investors – ultra-high net worth individuals and the institutions that serve them.
ABOUT IDC Ventures
By entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. IDC Ventures seeks to identify, invest in, support, and propel disruptive companies at the forefront of digital innovation. Companies led by visionary entrepreneurs, with agile organizations, committed to execution, and an unwavering commitment to their teams, their investors, and most of all, the realization of their vision. IDCV backs industry-defining founders from Series A to growth stages in Europe, the US, and Latin America, and primarily in the verticals of fintech, marketplaces, and platforms. IDC Ventures is the venture capital arm of Grupo IDC, a Latin American investment bank and asset management firm founded in 1995.