It’s what smart companies like One Wheel, Architizer and HandUp all have in common. Urban.Us, a fresh venture fund investing in seed and early stage startups, is co-founded by Stonly Bastiste. The firm’s growing portfolio currently includes 16 startups, and looks at initiatives that will positively impact 100 cities within five years. Baptiste reflects the caliber of innovator that CreativeMornings has been bringing to the breakfast table since the inception of its Miami chapter. In this month’s edition, he will be exploring the theme “Collaborate,” served up with free coffee and BunnieCakes in the Miami Design District.
Baptiste, who’s barely in his thirties, explained in an interview with The Miami Herald how “It is about the opportunity. There are always going to be problems in cities, and we are going to continue to see interesting startups that are solving these problems.” With technology, there’s a leveling of the playing field in the DIY economy. Baptiste and Urban.Us co-founder Shaun Abrahamson look at areas such as mobility, sustainable building, delivery and resistance; manage a global community of more than 700 people; and work with the types of startups offering turnkey solutions that are both scalable and accessible.
Baptiste is one of CNN Money's 2015 Upstart 30 and his work has been featured on NBC’s Meet The Press and CNN, among others. Baptiste previously founded an enterprise software company, Veddio Cloud Solutions, which was acquired after a year of self-funded growth. He has spent the last 10 years as a serial entrepreneur, building five ventures spanning different sectors and international markets, including Brazil and Canada.
CreativeMornings Miami is hosted by Malik Benjamin, and introduces curious locals to inspired spaces and collaborators every month. The Miami Design District’s Palm Court fits seamlessly into the equation as a location that’s home to Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome ™, Xavier Veilhan’s sculpture of Le Corbusier, and this Friday, to CreativeMornings and its thinkers.
For more details information and to register for free tickets, visit the website at https://creativemornings.com/talks/stonly-baptiste.
