South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub
30
May, 2023

By Nikki Cabus

Fuel Venture Capital Announces The Launch of $300 Million Flagship Fund II

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Fuel Venture Capital announced the launch of their $300 million Flagship Fund II bringing the Miami-based firm’s four funds to $700 Million. 

Fuel Venture Capital Flagship II, LP is built upon the success of Flagship Fund I following a refined investment thesis and well-defined proprietary model of Phased Investing.

Fuel Venture Capital is committed to propelling groundbreaking ideas into world-changing companies and democratizing access to the creative economy to shape the future of society. A core team leads the firm’s “founder focused, investor driven” approach with more than 80 years of combined experience in investment banking, wealth management, executive leadership, and entrepreneurship. The fund boasts a portfolio of 33 companies based around the globe across numerous sectors, bringing positive impact to virtually all corners of our modern economy.

Institutional investors will be able to participate in Fuel Venture Capital Flagship Fund II, which is aiming to raise $300 million and will target disruptive technology companies that transform how
businesses and consumers transact, consume, work and enjoy their life journey. The fund is primed to invest in seven warehouse companies, all previously backed by Fuel Venture Capital funds, which include Betr, RecargaPay, Soundtrack Your Brand, Curve, CookUnity, AEXLAB and Novopayment. Fuel will continue to find additional disruptive global, tech-driven companies to construct a portfolio across multiple geographic locations, sectors and financing stages.

“This fund will make it easier and more efficient than ever before to access the private markets,” said Maggie Vo, Managing General Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Fuel Venture Capital. “It’s our goal at Fuel VC to democratize the process of investing in private market transactions and this will make it possible.”

Fuel Venture Capital has been one of the most aggressive venture capital firms in Florida since launching in 2017. Fuel identifies innovative founders changing the world, propelling groundbreaking ideas into world-changing companies, and democratizing access to the creative economy to shape the future of society. The firm is a leading early-stage investor in technology and digital companies.  With a portfolio of over 33 companies in technology companies across a broad spectrum of areas including FinTech, Marketplace, Enterprise SaaS, Entertainment Tech, Food & Consumer Goods Tech, Sports Tech, Space Tech and more, Fuel is where institutional investors go to diversify their venture capital portfolio.

Its most recent success story is Terran Orbital, the aerospace, and defense company that is the global leader in small satellites. Terran Orbital was recently listed on the NYSE as $LLAP with a $1.8 billion valuation. Fuel’s most recent deployment made headlines with Jake Paul’s microbetting app Betr which raised a $50 million Series A. In addition, Fuel Venture Capital is a lead investor in Taxfyle, which closed its $20 Million Series B last year. Fuel Venture Capital also invested in cloud-based supply chain platform Tradeshift, smart city infrastructure platform Ubicquia, and construction technology company Eyrus, among others.

“We believe that our latest fund will be a game-changer in the private markets space, offering investors a new level of accessibility, liquidity and transparency,” said Jeff Ransdell, Founding Partner and Managing Director of Fuel Venture Capital. “The diversification of our fund is what sets us apart.”

To learn more about Fuel Venture Capital, visit https://fuelventurecapital.com/

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11
Jun, 2022

By Nikki Cabus

Boca Raton startup Owwll officially launches connecting experts for instant 1:1 advice

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As Elon Musk said “Instead of baby showers, let’s host business showers. When a friend starts a business, we all come together, celebrate them and bring resources for their business to start!” This was all Jason Hill, Founder of the Owwll app, needed to hear.

About 100 people attended the official community launch and business shower for the Owwll app held at the NSU Alan Levan Innovation Center in Davie, FL. As one of the first companies to go through the Incubate Program at the new center, the Owwll team felt is was only fitting to have the launch in the new space.

With a panel, drinks & hors d’oeuvres, a live interactive podcast booth, photo booth, and raffles and prizes, the event was full of energy. Panelists included those such as Olivia Gaudree, Partner and Core Analyst at Fuel Venture Capital and Steven Edwards, Founder & CEO of Premier Virtual, and other founders, lawyers, and investors.

“It’s so hard to launch a business so why not throw a shower. All these people that attended came with love, came with gifts, and celebrated the launch of Owwll,” said Jason Hill, as he said with a smile. “

Hill told Tech Hub that the idea for Owwll all started during his commutes to work. While we drive, we listen to podcasts and audio books, but you never get the chance to speak to these experts directly. Hill began reaching out to these experts on Instagram and LinkedIn to have no response 9 out of 10 times.  Even when they responded, getting a meeting set was a whole other issue.  Hill said he knew the world needed a platform where people could connect with one another on demand through audio calls at a moments notice and this was a gap that we had in the market that could be filled. Out of frustration and necessity, the idea for Owwll was born.

“From first hearing about the idea, giving feedback on different logo/mascot versions, and having Owwll pitch first the first time in front of a public audience at a Tech Hub pitch night during GEW 2021, it’s been so exciting t0o watch the growth of Owwll,” said South Florida Tech Hub CEO, Nikki Cabus. “Knowing that Owwll had the support of local organizations such as South Florida Tech Hub, OZ Digital Consulting, and the Alan Levan Innovation Center is even better.”

Jason has been working with Murray Izenwasser and his team at Fort Lauderdale-based OZ Digital Consulting over the past 18 months to build and perfect the app. As a local company, OZ appreciates being able to support local and help grow South Florida’s growing and successful tech community. OZ Digital Consulting is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

Before a full-scale launch, the application was tested using TestFlight, a software that implements real-time patchwork while getting direct feedback from Beta testers. After a couple of months, the interface between users, creators, and development had proven itself worthy of being downloaded by the masses.

“It was an incredible experience partnering with Jason on his entrepreneurial journey, from those initial conversations where the idea behind Owwll wasn’t even written down on a napkin,” Izenwasser told South Florida Tech Hub.

“Seeing his ideas come to shape and finally to the public launch has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career. And no client has done more or worked harder than Jason to drive his well-earned success. The entire OZ team is very excited to have been a part of bringing Owwll to flight.”

The app now has over 3000 users and growing with hot topics such as Startups, Entrepreneurship, Social Media, Podcasting, Marketing and even some folks from Hollywood and different musicians. Anyone with a large audience on social tend to enjoy the benefits of being able to connect to their audience better.

Download the app from the Apple iTunes store, or the Google Playstore to gain access to one-on-one sessions.

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22
Oct, 2021

By Nikki Cabus

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.

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Fuel Venture Capital Announces The Launch of $300 Million Flagship Fund II
Boca Raton startup Owwll officially launches connecting experts for instant 1:1 advice
Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava addresses 200 private investors at Miami conference