The #MiamiTech Pod

A single “no” can end a career plan or it can light the fuse. Our first guest post-relaunch is a Miami native and co-founder of Material who proves what persistence looks like: he gets shut down at Honda, quits days later, sells nearly everything he owns, moves to the UK, and fights through sponsorship rejections until Mercedes Formula One finally says yes.

We unpack what it’s actually like to design at the highest level and why elite motorsport engineering culture feels so different from the rest of industry. From rear wings to gearboxes, he shares how fast you’re expected to become an expert, what seven world championships teach you about process and pressure, and how COVID ultimately pulls him back home. Then we shift to Rivian, where remote teams, rapid hiring, and thin infrastructure create a different kind of anxiety that many startup builders will recognize.

The conversation turns into hard tech and the future of energy storage. Material is developing a multimaterial 3D printer that can print batteries in any size and shape, not just a cylinder or pouch. We dig into conformal batteries, pack-level energy density, drone battery packs for defense applications, wearables and smart glasses, and why the “manufacturing layer” of batteries may be the biggest untapped lever. We also talk funding, including a $7.1M seed round and Air Force SBIR work, plus the very specific engineers they’re hiring to build a “factory in a box.”

Subscribe for more Miami founder stories, share this with an engineer or investor, and leave a review if you want more hard tech conversations like this.

Listen to the latest episode of The Miami Tech Pod with Bianca Padilla, CEO and Cofounder of Carewell. Hear:

• Bianca’s Miami story 
• What led her to start Carewell
• The challenges & opportunities in the elder care market 
• The road to raising a $24.7M Series B
• Why Miami is a great place for healthtech companies 

Find Bianca on X:
https://x.com/biancapadilla

Follow the Hosts:
Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

A BIG THANK YOU to this episode's sponsor, Zendesk!
Zendesk is currently offering Miami Tech startups 6 months of their software FOR FREE! Learn more by clicking here. 

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Listen in to our interview with Emil Michael, former Chief Business Officer at Uber and current Chairman & CEO of DPCM Capital.
Topics on deck:
Lifelong leadership lessons
Building teams that love you
Scaling and taking big bets
How he ended up in Miami
What Miami companies he's excited about!

Find Emil on X
https://twitter.com/emilmichael

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Jeremy Wood founder at OpenStore.

While working at Google, he watched as companies like Shopify brought small businesses online and was re-energized by the space. When Keith Rabois told me about an idea to maintain founder-created brands while giving the founder liquidity so they can move on, he knew he was onto something big. The goal was to preserve those brands that might otherwise get shut down. They launched less than a year ago and it’s been incredible working with such a passionate, energized team here in Miami. We’ve already acquired a number of Shopify businesses and have very ambitious goals for next year.

Topics on Deck:

- His Experience working @google
- Building @openstore in Miami with @rabois
- Solving Liquidity Problems for Merchants
- Developing a New Influencer Marketplace at getgumdrop.app
- We Share Our Favorite Miami Restaurants!
- And More!

Follow Jeremy on Instgram:

https://www.instagram.com/jemdwood/?hl=en

Check out OpenStore:

https://open.store

Great Article in Forbes about Jeremy and OpenStore:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/garydrenik/2022/01/05/the-startup-that-allows-shopify-merchants-to-cash-in-on-their-business/?sh=6b8af3f8a3e3

Check out Gumdrop:

https://www.getgumdrop.app

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Cary Gahm and Ed Thomas Co-founders of Tempmee.

TempMee is a new and easier way to connect Licensed Dental Professionals with Dental Offices in need of temporary help through an on-demand staffing platform. Advanced algorithms match dental professionals with dental offices through a web and mobile platform

Topics on Deck:

- Raising a $4.1M Seed w/ @floridafunders 

- Their Amazing Co-founder Chemistry 

- Revolutionizing The Dental Profession 

- And more!


Follow Ed and Cary on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/mee_ed

https://twitter.com/carygahm

Linkedin: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cary-gahm-a03084186/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-thomas-tempmee/

Learn more about Tempmee: 

https://tempmee.com 

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Edrizio De La Cruz.

Edrizio is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor and occasional stand up comic :-)

He’s a Dominican immigrant who grew up in Harlem. He dropped out of college to work as an aircraft technician to help make ends meet. He ultimately went back to college, worked on Wall Street and earned an MBA from The Wharton School.

In 2013, he co-founded Arcus, a fintech company. He worked with an incredible team to build the company from scratch to 100+ employees, 100+ clients and raised $19M in funding from Y-Combinator, Ignia, Softbank and Citi Ventures. In 2021, the company was sold to Mastercard.

Topics on Deck:

- Hitting Rock Bottom & Persevering
- Wining 200K with Visa Everywhere Initiative
- Getting Acquired By Mastercard
- His Time As A Partner At Y Combinator
- Writing A Book To Help Underdog Founders
- And More!

Learn more about Edrizio: https://www.edriziodelacruz.com/

Follow Edrizio on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/EdrizioCruz @EdrizioCruz

Linkedin: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edrizio-de-la-cruz-2b8ab75/ 

Learn more about Arcus: 

https://www.arcusfi.com

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Javier Ramirez Lugo of Cuota!

Javier is the founder of Cuota which is a company of B2B Sales consultancy, he has helped over 40 venture backed-startups. 

His B2B Sales experience comes from being a top-performing sales leader at 3 unicorns: Zenefits, Rippling & WeWork.

Before tech, his career originated in Wall Street, first as a Credit Analyst then joining the Sales & Trading organization at Goldman Sachs.

Javier graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration with a dual concentration in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

He was born & raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

Topics on Deck:

- Javi’s experience leading sales team at 3 unicorns (Zenefits, Rippling & WeWork)
- Why he chose to move to Miami
- What most founders get wrong when hiring a sales leader
- What most Sales leaders get wrong when selling
- Parallels between B2B sales and dating
- and more!

Follow Javier on Twitter! 

@Javib2b

Learn more about Cuota: 

https://www.cuota.io

Javiers new podcast:

https://www.youtube.com/@0a100.podcast

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi
Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL
Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Zaid Rahman Founder/CEO of Flexbase

Topics on Deck:

- Who Is Zaid Rahman?
- Dropping Out Of College For The Thiel Fellowship
- Working In A.I. Before It Was Cool
- Building a Finance Super App 
- Investing With 305 Ventures
- Biggest Learnings As A Founder 
- Miami Culture Shock
- And More!

Follow Zaid on Twitter! 

@Zaidrmn

Learn more about Flexbase: 

https://www.flexbase.app

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi
Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL
Elizabeth Irizarry @Darthv83r
Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Katy Carrigan CEO of Goody.

Topics on Deck:

- Revolutionizing Gift Giving at Goody
- Working out of Pareto Holdings Venture Studio
- Miami Over SF
- Big Hairy Audacious Goals 
- If you could send a gift to anyone in the world, who would it be?
- & more!

Follow Katy on Instagram! @KatyCarrigan

Learn more about Goody: 

https://www.ongoody.com/
Twitter:  @goodygifting
Instagram: Ongoody

Follow The Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi
Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL
Elizabeth Irizarry @Darthv83r
Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Chester Ng General Partner at Atomic.

Topics on Deck:

- Chester's incredible Entrepreneurial Journey
- What is @JoinAtomic
- Tips to Evaluate Talent
- Atomic's Builders Summit 2023
- Why Miami Drivers are the Worst
- & more!

Follow the guest: Chester Ng @Chest

Learn more about Atomic:  https://atomic.vc

Follow Atomic on Twitter:  @JoinAtomic

Follow The Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi
Jeanine Suah @JeanineSuah
Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: [email protected]

To learn more about about Startup Day Miami visit: www.refreshmiami.com/events

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

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