Florida’s most active VC firm is landing in Miami — and it’s adding a familiar tech name
The most active venture capital firm in Florida is finally landing in Miami — and adding a familiar tech community member’s name to its ranks.
Florida Funders, the Tampa-based hybrid venture capital fund-angel investor network, will soon open a Magic City office after years of circling South Florida.
Among its first local hires is Maria Derchi Russo, the executive director of Miami tech and startup community Refresh Miami. She will serve as Funders’ Miami director of community on a part-time basis and retain her title at Refresh. She will also be leading a local “scout” program for Florida Funders, a team that will be augmented by Miami scouts including Kiddie Kredit’s Evan Leaphart.
“Miami startups are starting to be proven with all these incredible ‘exits’ lately coming to fruition,” Derchi Russo said. “It’s proof strong businesses can be built here — and I’m excited to help get them the funding they deserve.”
Florida Funders has invested in nine Miami-based startups to date: HealthSnap, Secberus, Lula, ClassWallet, Bambino, Simplenight, Cast.ai, TempMee and Aerosens. The fund typically invests as much as $500,000 in new companies with additional capital from its 1,600 member angel network. In January, Florida Funders was named Florida’s most-active venture fund by research group CB Insights.
Florida Funders Chief Investment Officer Ryan Whittemore said the firm began investing in Miami firms prior to COVID but that having a presence gained greater urgency during the pandemic, and especially in the wake of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s viral tweets, which have been credited with helping spur a new wave of tech and entrepreneur migration here from across the nation.
That moment, Whittemore said, “woke everybody up outside to see what’s going on” in Miami.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 5:00 PM.
