Deals done, networks forged at FIU’s 2011 Americas Venture Capital Conference


Top ventures win $50,000 in awards

With rising global interest in Latin American ventures, FIU’s 2011 Americas Venture Capital Conference brought together entrepreneurs, investors and service providers in Miami for two days of deal-making, networking and education.

Speakers from the top echelons of Latin American entrepreneurship, venture investing, international finance and government addressed the conference, held Nov. 16-17 at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. The conference is presented by the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center and the College of Business Administration.

“This event provides a great opportunity to connect investors with entrepreneurs who are looking for capital in order to grow their emerging businesses,” said Gustavo Arnavat, United States Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank and a conference panelist.

“Miami is a central point in linking technology transfers going north and south, as well as connecting investors,” said Jose Maria Blanc, managing director of Intel Capital and a keynote speaker. “FIU has relationships with universities around the world and a great entrepreneurship program, and it is doing a lot to help exchange ideas and connect people.”

Other keynote speakers included Wenceslao “Wences” Casares, Co-CEO, Lemon.com and founding partner, MECK Ltd; Dave McClure, founding partner, 500 Startups; and Manuel D. Medina, Chairman and CEO, Medina Capital Partners, Inc.

Twelve Top Global Innovative Ventures and nine Top Global Emerging Ventures, companies in growth industries from Latin America and South Florida, presented to an audience of more than 350 participants from throughout the globe, and competed for over $50,000 in prizes.

South Florida-based Consult A Doctor, winners of the Tres Mares Innovation Prize, a $10,000 cash award and a work of art valued at $5,000, announced at the closing ceremony that it would donate the cash portion of its prize to support the 2012 Americas Venture Capital Conference.

“This act of generosity demonstrates that at every level we are forming a community that works in unison toward economic growth,” said Irma Becerra-Fernandez, Americas Venture Capital Conference founder and conference co-chair. “In challenging economic times, FIU’s Americas Venture Capital Conference offers the opportunity to showcase our best efforts to bootstrap and innovate our way to success. We look forward to sharing more good news about the impact of the conference with our global community shortly.”

At the closing ceremony, Pass The Notes, a company formed by FIU alumni, received a $20,000 term sheet from the Miami Innovation Fund.

Other prize winners included:

FedEx Access to Global Markets Prize: $10,000 in-kind services, for its commitment to global trade – Buscalibre, S.A. (Chile)

CP Capital Inflection Venture Prize: $10,000 in investment banking services – Wormhole IT (Argentina)

CP Capital “People’s Choice Award”: $10,000 in investment banking services for a company that causes ripple effects of influence on people, industries and business around them (through Facebook Voting) – Cinemagic (Mexico)

C+VOX’s Wave Maker Prize: $5,000 in strategic communications consulting for a company that causes ripple effects of influence on people, industries and business around them (chosen through Facebook voting ) – Grupo de Investigación en Bioingeniería (GIB) Universidad EAFIT (Colombia)

The five prize winning companies also received a complimentary year membership to the Founders Network.

Plans are under way for FIU’s 2012 Americas Venture Capital Conference, which will be held next Nov. 14-15 in Miami.

Media Contact: Ellen Forman at 954-873-4118.

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