Alumni panelists discuss what's next for Miami

The alumni entrepreneurs and business leaders shared their experiences and perspectives about Miami’s new chapter, addressing the growth in South Florida while also reflecting on the challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19.

“Everyone wants to have a piece of Miami and be in Miami," Holtzman, managing director at Cushman & Wakefield, said. "Miami is on fire right now.”

Cassel, co-founder and co-president of EveryMundo, the global leader in fare marketing technology for airlines, echoed that sentiment, noting that “being in Miami suddenly became incredibly attractive.” At the same time, Cassel reflected on issues such as income inequality, affordable housing, climate change and transit issues. “My big hope,” he said, “is that there is a way to take advantage of the attention that’s brought upon the city to channel some of the capital, the power, the influence to actually address these places and make Miami a truly amazing, sustainable place to live for everybody.”

Krinzman added, "Miami is at the beginning of its next chapter of growth and our bourgeoning tech community is the driving force. Due to the influx of new founders and funders, we are seeing more and better Miami-based start-ups focused on next generation solutions in verticals such as FinTech, HealthTech, AI, Blockchain, Mobility, and CleanTech. Additionally, Miami is attracting more world class conferences that are bringing executives here to experience the energy and exponential growth for themselves.”

At the end of the conversation, Townsend invited the panelists to impart words of wisdom on RE students of today as they come of age in an ever-changing world. 

Ferre, vice president at Ceros Capital Markets, encouraged students to pursue interdisciplinary paths, saying, “Try to combine two things that are just completely different that you love and have a passion for – and pursue it. Because there’s always going to be room to create or disrupt in those areas.”

Tellez, managing director at Ocean Azul Partners, said, “Pay attention to your passions. Figure out what you’re motivated by and what interests you, and how to turn that into something meaningful and valuable.”

Cassel reflected, “The most important thing is to learn how to write… and therefore how to think critically and reflect on literature.”

Holzman shared, “The sense of giving back to my community is something I wish I did more of in high school.”

Beeck, chief of staff at an emerging market VC fund, closed, “Emotional intelligence is a very important skill to learn. Regardless of what you get into, you’re interacting with people.”

You can watch the recording of the entire program here.