FIU conference showcases entrepreneurship in the Americas

Four outstanding ventures in biotechnology, education, mobile finance and consumer products doing business in South Florida and Latin America walked away with the top prizes at the Americas Venture Capital Conference, held in Miami last week.

The two-day conference, presented by the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center at Florida International University, provided a unique opportunity for Latin American and U.S. entrepreneurs to network with financiers, service providers, and others invested in the growth of Latin American business.

 “This important event is a new and exciting forum for those seeking capital for growth in South Florida and the Americas,” Gustavo A. Cisneros, chairman of The Cisneros Group of Companies, told over 350 attendees in his keynote address. “This is a place where we can begin to propel dreams forward toward reality and help creative ideas bear fruit.”

The awards went to:

• Oncobiomed, a Chilean biotechnology company focused on the prevention and treatment of cancer, received the Tres Mares Innovation Prize: $10,000 and artistic rendition of innovation by Miler Lagos valued at $5,000.
• Baby Abuelita, a producer of Hispanic cultural toys and education products for leading retailers, received the FedEx Access to Global Markets Prize: $10,000 in-kind services, for its commitment to global trade.
• Open English, an online provider offering a customized program of English Language instruction, received the CP Capital Emerging Venture Prize: $10,000 in investment banking services.
• Yellow Pepper Mobile Financial Solutions, a provider of mobile financial solutions to consumers in Latin America, received the CP Capital Inflection Venture Prize: $10,000 in investment banking services.

 “This has been a very important conference for us,” said Rafael Russ, chairman and CEO of Yellow Pepper Mobile Solutions. “A conference that gives Latin American entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their companies to venture capitalists and make high quality contacts is rare, unique, and pioneering.”

 “Each one of our presenting ventures is destined for great things, and received important feedback and support,” said Conference Co-Chair Irma Becerra-Fernandez, director of the Pino Center.  “We are also gratified by the feedback from conference attendees, who appreciated the opportunities to network and learn.”

 Joyce Elam, executive dean of the FIU College of Business, said, “We are grateful to our speakers and panelists, an outstanding group of top experts in Latin American finance, who made this conference a truly important event in the economic life of the region.”

“The presenting companies are among the most attractive set of early stage private companies I’ve seen on a stage in the last 18 months, a unique and dynamic set of companies” said Jon Karlen, general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners of Boston, Mass, an early stage venture capital fund with an investment in Open English.  “The networking is terrific.  Miami is the logical location for the event.”

Plans are under way for the second annual Americas Venture Capital Conference, to be held November 16-17, 2011, in Miami. For more information about the 2010 conference, visit the website: www.AmericasVCConference.com.