Open English In The Miami Herald

The Miami Herald reported on Open English’s participation in the upcoming Americas Venture Capital Conference.  It’s only a few days away, see you there!

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Fueling innovation: FIU enterprise conference focuses on Latin America

Companies with innovative ideas and a focus on Latin America will get a chance to meet up to 100 investors at a new FIU enterprise conference.

Fifteen innovative companies from South Florida and Latin America will make a pitch to get funding to fuel further growth during the inaugural Americas Venture Capital Conference next week at Florida International University.

It’s a chance to rally investors interested in the region and match them with promising companies that need additional capital.

In fact, the two-day event running Nov. 17-18, whose theme is “Latin America: The New Mainstream,” is the only venture capital conference focused on new ventures based either in South Florida or Latin America that have a primary focus on that region, said Irma Becerra-Fernandez, director of the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center, and professor of management information systems at the College of Business Administration at FIU.

“We are saying South Florida is a great place for entrepreneurship,” said Becerra-Fernandez, the conference co-chair. “And if you want to find out what is happening in South Florida and Latin America, with the hot companies, this is the place to come.”

Months in the making, the conference is expected to attract 400 attendees, including 80 to 100 investors, she said.

Among those is Faquiry Diaz Cala, president and chief executive of Tres Mares Group, a Miami-based venture capital and private equity investment firm.

“We’re always on the lookout for investment opportunities and will be using the conference as a scouting field for innovative companies in the region that we may want to invest in,” said Cala, who is co-chairing the conference and helped arrange conference speakers. He was also a member of the group that selected the 15 presenting companies.

The selectees were chosen from 71 applicants and include seven firms from South Florida and eight from Latin America, including Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil and Chile.

Among the selection requirements: The companies had to have strong management teams, solid track records, a minimum of $2 million in annual revenue and a focus on one of seven industry sectors that are geared toward growth.

In addition to several biomedical and logistics ventures, the presenting companies include an online English-language school based in Coconut Grove.

That company, Open English, has already raised $6 million in funding, including a recent round from Boston-based Flybridge Capital Partners.

But Andrés Moreno, founder and chief executive, said he is hoping to make more connections at the conference in hopes of meeting investors potentially interested in participating in another batch of funding needed early next year, as Open English expands its market to Brazil.

Open English has already signed up 5,000 students – in 15 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries – who pay about $1,000 for a one-year learning experience.

“We’re excited that there is finally a hub for U.S. venture capital with an interest in the region,” said Moreno, who has also helped recruit sponsors and speakers for the conference. “We’ve gone to a lot of these conferences in Silicon Valley and otherwise, and it’s great to see this community getting together in Miami, so we’re helping any way we can.”

Each company will have 10 minutes to make its presentation on Nov. 18.

Before the conference ends, three of the 15 companies will receive awards to aid their development, worth a total of $35,000:

• Tres Mares Innovation Award: $10,000 cash award to the conference’s most innovative presenting company, and an artistic rendition of innovation valued at $5,000.

• CP Capital Emerging Venture Award: $10,000 in investment banking services, awarded to the most promising company;

• FedEx Access to Global Markets Award: $10,000 in-kind services award to a company with a commitment to expanding in global trade.

The conference will also have a roster of keynote speakers: Gustavo A. Cisneros, chairman of the Cisneros Group of Companies; R. Marcelo Claure, founder, chairman, president and CEO, Brightstar Corporation; Constancio Larguia, founder and CEO, Weemba, and co-founder, Patagon.com; and Don Browne, president, Telemundo Communications Group.

“I am delighted that through the help of our advisory board and many volunteers we have lined up an amazing group of speakers,” Becerra-Fernandez said. “It’s going to be a very worthwhile event, from what people will learn at the panel discussions and the networking events.”

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/11/08/1911069/fueling-innovation.html#ixzz1523M6syF 

Comments

[Martin Mayorga]

Hi My name is Martin Mayorga
i live in Nicaragua and would like to improve my english with Open English, but there is an small problem in the form appear area code, and i have only cell phone and don't have a area code only the contry code that is 505 and then the number.

the area code apply only to conventional phones that is example.if you call for another country 00 country505 area2552 phone2304
for movil phone it doesn't apply only contry code and number thats it.

and also
highlighted my name and last name everything.

so i cannot get registered.
what can i do?

how much is the cost for the English course?

thanks for you information.

Martin Mayorga
505 8689 2128
martin11feb@gmail.com