MIAMI — March 11, 2015 — PreMoney, a one-day conference that aims to attract new investments in the technology sector by connecting funders and showcasing new innovations in venture capital, will be held in Miami on March 20, 2015. An initiative of 500 Startups, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund and startup accelerator, the conference is supported by $100,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
500 Startups invites accredited and active investors to apply to attend the inaugural, invite-only PreMoney conference in Miami. Featuring leading business speakers, the conference will provide participants with insights and tactics for building successful, scalable venture portfolios. It will include a number of panels and workshops, as well as opportunities for investors to network and share ideas. Sessions will center on the latest innovations and changes in venture investing and focus on ways to encourage entrepreneurial activity in Miami and Latin America.
Speakers will include leading investors, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists including: Scott Kupor, partner and COO, Andreessen Horowitz; Mark Suster, partner, Upfront Ventures; Dave McClure, founding partner, 500 Startups; Christine Herron, director, Intel Capital; Fabrice Grinda, co-founder and CEO, OLX Inc.; Ash Fontana, venture hacker, AngelList; Thomas Korte, founder, AngelPad; Glenn Fogel, executive vice president head of worldwide strategy and planning, Priceline Group; Annette Franqui, partner, Forrestal Capital; Benoit Wirz, director of venture investments, Knight Foundation; Christian Hernandez Gallardo, founder and managing partner, White Star Capital; Bedy Yang, managing partner, 500 Startups; and Allen Taylor, vice president, Endeavor Global.
“The success of Miami’s innovation ecosystem largely depends on creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs to get funding and support for their ideas,” said Matt Haggman, Knight Foundation program director for Miami. “PreMoney will help build a more connected and informed community of venture investors in Miami, while building their potential to innovate and better contribute to our growing startup community.”
“This is the first time we are producing PreMoney outside of the Valley, and we strategically made Miami our first stop,” said Bedy Yang, managing partner at 500 Startups. “Our firm has made over 100 deals in Latin America, and we believe Miami is on the brink of becoming a great innovation hub for the region. Investing directly in companies is not sufficient, however, as we must also build a strong, trusted network of investors and create a platform for discussion about trends and disruptions in venture capital. Ultimately, that is what this PreMoney event is all about.”
Launched in San Francisco in 2013, PreMoney is a sell-out conference that has attracted thousands of participants in the business and financial sectors. Past speakers include tech heavyweights, such as Marc Andreessen, co-founder and general partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz; Bill Maris, managing partner of Google Ventures; and Naval Ravikant, co-founder and CEO of online investing platform AngelList. The event has been covered by The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Forbes, Fortune, MIT Technology Review and numerous business journals. The conference has been live-streamed on news website TechCrunch and around the world, resulting in a trending status on Twitter. Miami will be the first location outside of the Bay Area to host a PreMoney conference.
Support for PreMoney forms one part of Knight Foundation’s efforts to invest in Miami’s emerging innovators and entrepreneurs as a tool to build community, while fostering talent and expanding economic opportunity. Over the past two years Knight has made more than 100 investments in entrepreneurship in South Florida. Please visit PreMoneyMiami.co for more information and to register.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more information, please visit: knightfoundation.org.
About 500 Startups
500 Startups is a venture capital fund and startup accelerator based in Silicon Valley with ~$125M in assets under management. 500 Startups has invested in over 900 companies all over the world since its inception in 2010, and employs a team of 40 people across 10 countries who speak over 20 languages. The company operates accelerator programs in the SF Bay Area and Mexico City emphasizing Internet marketing and customer acquisition, design and user experience, and lean startup practices and metrics. Our investment team and mentor network has operational experience at companies such as PayPal, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter, Apple, and Sesame Street.
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CONTACTS:
Jess Erickson, Director of Marketing, 500 Startups, 763-269-9107, [email protected]
Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677, [email protected]