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27
Feb, 2024

By Nikki Cabus

Endeavor Miami Announces Exciting New Latinx Cohort

Read Time 3 Minutes

Endeavor Miami has announced its latest EndeavorLAB Latinx cohort, showcasing the wealth of Latinx talent, its commitment to elevating underrepresented founders, and South Florida’s rise as a global innovation hub.

Tailored explicitly for underrepresented entrepreneurs in Florida, EndeavorLAB addresses a crucial gap in the startup ecosystem. EndeavorLAB focuses on Black, Latinx, and Women founders, whose businesses are often underfunded  and may face more struggles to access the resources they need for growth. EndeavorLAB fills this void, offering a sanctuary of community, knowledge, and support that reaffirms their potential and empowers them to persevere.

This year’s Latinx cohort is a vibrant mosaic of ten startups led by a diverse group of twenty co-founders from across Latin America – Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil. This selection celebrates cultural diversity and spotlights the innovative spirit and scalable potential within the Latinx entrepreneurial community. From enterprise SaaS to fintech, consumer tech to CPG, and logistics, these startups represent a broad spectrum of industries poised for significant growth.

Within just a few years of founding, these ventures collectively achieved over $2.5M in revenue in 2023, with projections to surpass $10M in 2024. They are supported by an impressive $18M in external funding.

EndeavorLAB’s design reflects a deep understanding of the entrepreneurial journey, offering a structured yet flexible program that aligns with founders’ busy lives. Over two months, with a commitment of just four hours per week, participants engage in a curriculum focused on scaling up, tailored to integrate seamlessly into their schedules. This thoughtful approach ensures that learning and growth can occur without disrupting the ongoing momentum of their businesses.

“We are immensely proud to introduce these extraordinary startups to the world, ” said Claudia Duran, Managing Director of Endeavor Miami, as she expressed her enthusiasm for the cohort.

Their ambition and innovation embody the spirit of Endeavor Miami. This cohort underscores the vast potential within our community and the broader Latinx entrepreneurial ecosystem. We’re excited to facilitate their growth journey and look forward to the remarkable impact they will have.”

EndeavorLAB’s introduction of this year’s Latinx cohort, supported by JPMorgan Chase and in collaboration with DELL For Startups, is a milestone for Endeavor Miami and a beacon of hope and inspiration for underrepresented founders in South Florida. It highlights the organization’s role as a catalyst for meaningful change, fostering a more inclusive, diverse, and competitive entrepreneurial landscape. As these startups embark on their EndeavorLAB journey, their success stories will undoubtedly inspire future entrepreneurs, proving that the possibilities are limitless with the proper support and community.

Here is a complete list of the EndeavorLAB Cohort:

  • Casalú | A rum seltzer brand built to represent modern Latino Culture.
  • CodeGPT | Empowers businesses with a customizable, robust, and secure LLM as an Operating System (OS) for seamless business integration providing total control of the AI experience and the data back to the companies.
  • Highlights App | Helps fans stay connected to their favorite sports, teams, and athletes by leveraging their intuitive mobile interface and advanced AI to aggregate full highlights across all sports and leagues and personalize them to fans’ preferences.
  • iTruckr | Fueled by AI and smart algorithms, transforms independent trucking with automated operations, personalized scheduling, and real-time load booking, boosting financial control and profitability for owner-operators.
  • Kanto | A multi-platform interactive singing app. With Kanto Score, users experience the world’s most accurate scoring technology an a large library of songs and playlists.
  • Mavity | AI-powered tool that supercharges creative operations.
  • Neomoon | Revolutionizes financial access in LATAM, offering easy-to-use dollar accounts and empowering users with deep financial education, bridging the gap between technology and everyday finance.
  • Onyx Private | Empowering Small Business Owners to Thrive and Grow with a Unified Personal and Business App that Simplifies Financial Management.
  • Palla | A platform that enables people and companies to instantly send funds from the US to LatAm. Palla partners with Financial Institutions and Fintechs in LatAm to enable their customers to request and receive funds in seconds, instead of hours or days.
  • Securily | Company behind the World’s Easiest Pentest, it revolutionizes pen testing for small and medium-sized businesses by combining certified human expertise with cutting-edge AI, streamlining cybersecurity processes and ensuring compliance.

Endeavor’s Miami affiliate was established in 2013, with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as the first U.S. affiliate of the global Endeavor organization. Miami’s Endeavor Entrepreneurs generated over $900M+ in revenues and employed over 6,000 individuals in 2023. With the addition of its newest companies, the affiliate currently supports 35 companies and 60 Endeavor Entrepreneurs.

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16
Oct, 2023

By Nikki Cabus

Endeavor celebrates a decade of impact across Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem

Read Time 4 Minutes

On October 11th, Endeavor Miami rang in their 10th anniversary with sunset celebration at Joia Beach in Parrot Jungle Miami.

The event was a celebration of impact, “empowering entrepreneurs to dream bigger, scale faster, and pay it forward,” as the Endeavor team would say.

Endeavor, a global organization that supports high-impact entrepreneurs in 40+ countries.

In 2013, Endeavor expanded from Latin America into the United States with their first office in the country based in Miami. The expansion was funded by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation who approved a $2M grant in 2012. South Florida has always been a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity and boasted a great work-life balance, yet struggled to support scaling startups. Endeavor Miami was on a mission to change that.

The event drew an impressive crowd of local leaders including two distinguished guests, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniela Levine Cava and City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who both addressed the crowd and congratulated Endeavor Miami and the team for their accomplishments over the past decade. Other attendees in attendance included Ernest Bachrach, Chairman of the Board, Lucas Chaya del Pino, Head of Dell for Startups, Matt Haggman, Founding Board Member and other leaders such as Melissa Medina, Johnna Mikkola, Erick Gavin, and our very own Tech Hub CEO Nikki Cabus. It was a great night for all!

“Endeavor Entrepreneurs generated $800 million in revenue and created nearly 5,000 jobs in 2022! That, my friends, IS IMPACT!” exclaimed Duran.

“Our journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. It’s about people coming together, like our Board Members, mentors, partners, and team members, who understand the potential of entrepreneurs to change the world. All of them make our work possible. And, of course, the show’s true stars, our incredible entrepreneurs, ” shared Claudia Duran, Endeavor Miami’s Managing Director.

Since launching in Miami in 2013, Endeavor has built and supported a portfolio of more than 25 companies led by over 40 entrepreneurs who have created over 5,000 employment positions throughout Florida as they scaled and hired talent. This momentum has brought in more than $800M in annual revenues in 2022. That’s huge!

According to a January 2022 Endeavor article, “As of 2022, 123 companies have completed our cohort initiatives and have gone on to employ over 1,500 individuals and generated $131M in annual revenues.” We can’t wait to see what those stats look like as we close out 2023.

Duran joined Endeavor Miami in 2019, where her determination, leadership experience, and thorough understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset have led the office to new heights of success. Endeavor Miami has recently launched Endeavor ScaleUp and EndeavorLAB. Both programs are exclusively for companies based in Florida, as we believe in the power of economic transformation by our local companies and we want to help write their stories.

Endeavor ScaleUp is a cohort-based initiative that equips high-growth founders in Florida with the network and resources to gain clarity on their path to scale. Endeavor selects up to 10 companies following its global selection criteria for high-impact entrepreneurs. They become your support system and community during and long after Endeavor ScaleUp is over.

EndeavorLAB is a cohort-based initiative to support underrepresented founders in Florida in building a foundation for scale. Current and past cohorts include a Latinx Founders, Women Funders and Black Founders cohorts sponsored and supported by VensureHR, Venture Miami, Dell for Startups and FPL Be PowerFL.

This year was the first time Endeavor Miami partnered with a city outside of Miami-Dade county in an effort to regionalize their efforts. The pilot program  was conducted with The City of Boca Raton through a two-month accelerated growth program where Boca-based founders took advantage of Endeavor Miami’s community of founders and experts, while gaining insights on how they can scale their business.

Congratulations to Endeavor Miami – we’re looking forward to the next 10 years!

To learn more about Endeavor Miami, visit https://endeavormiami.org/

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12
Apr, 2022

By Riley Kaminer

Endeavor launches new program to accelerate the growth of early-stage companies in Boca Raton

Read Time 3 Minutes

The Miami branch of Endeavor, a global community of high-impact founders, has announced a partnership with the City of Boca Raton’s Office of Economic Development. Endeavor Miami’s second EndeavorLAB cohort of the year will focus on local entrepreneurs from Boca Raton.

Through this two-month accelerated growth program, Boca-based founders will be able to take advantage of Endeavor Miami’s community of founders and experts, while gaining insights on how they can scale their business.

“We are extremely happy to partner with the City of Boca Raton Office of Economic Development on this regionally specific program,” said Claudia Durán, Endeavor Miami’s Managing Director. 

“Boca Raton has always been a hotbed for entrepreneurial success with many large-scale companies headquartered in the city,” continued Durán. The Endeavor Miami team also noted that Boca Raton was where IBM developed the first computer and is the headquarters of major companies including Celsius, VitaCost, Orangetheory Fitness, Misfits Gaming, and Modernizing Medicine.

“Boca Raton is excited to partner with Endeavor to propel our robust and thriving tech ecosystem,” commented Scott Singer, Mayor of Boca Raton. “We look forward to working to build on our rich history of innovation and accelerate our exciting future.” 

To apply to EndeavorLAB, companies must have product-market fit and must be generating between $50K and $500K in annual revenue. The program is industry agnostic, but Endeavor Miami is looking for companies with solutions that are tech-enabled and not service-based. The deadline to apply is Saturday, May 2nd at 11:59pm ET.

The program has four stages. Stage 1 is the application phase, in which a select group of potential participants will interview with Endeavor Miami’s staff. Next, companies will go through a diagnostic x-ray to help determine how they can make the most of the program. In stage 3, companies take part in five weeks of group modules and 1-1 mentorship sessions. Finally, participants pitch to a panel of judges – including investors – during a demo day. Along the way, founders will have access to ecosystem guides, digital discounts, and founder resources.

Rebecca Negro Rocha, Junior Manager of Growth Programs at Endeavor Miami, told South Florida Tech Hub that this program will play an important role in coalescing our tri-county region of tech entrepreneurs. 

“We think it’s really important to unite our South Florida region when it comes to entrepreneurship, rather than work in silos in each of our counties,” said Rocha. “Since Endeavor is a global organization, we think this will be a great opportunity to show how it is possible to work across county lines and continue building bridges in our ecosystem.”

Endeavor Miami is also running a handful of other programs relevant to South Florida founders. They are collaborating with Dell for Startups on a program for Black-led companies (applications open until Sunday, June 5th at 11:59pm ET). And a cohort of climate tech and clean tech companies, supported by Silicon Valley Bank, is currently in motion, with a demo day scheduled for May 5th.

Are you interested in applying to EndeavorLAB? Learn more by watching a recording of the program’s launch event, read more from Endeavor Miami, or click here to apply.

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Endeavor Miami Announces Exciting New Latinx Cohort
Endeavor celebrates a decade of impact across Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Endeavor launches new program to accelerate the growth of early-stage companies in Boca Raton