Berardi of ANIMO Ventures: Building on Miami’s infectious energy (Photo by Jayme Gershen)

When Miami-based venture capital firm ANIMO Ventures launched in 2018, cofounder Nico Berardi (MBA 2018) traveled weekly. “It was 80 percent San Francisco, maybe 20 percent New York,” he recalls. But the Argentine-born Berardi loved the energy in Miami. Now, in the era of work-from-anywhere, his contrarian bet is paying off. Berardi is traveling less, as more and more founders and investors set up shop in his new hometown: “Miami was built on waves of immigration. It’s a place that makes you feel like you matter to its future and that you can be your whole, true self. Want to be a super nerd? Awesome, there’s a tribe for you. Want to drive a pink Lamborghini? Cool, knock yourself out.”

Berardi believes Miami’s infectious energy gives ANIMO a competitive advantage in sourcing deals in which it can make big bets very early, investing at the seed or pre-seed stage. The company closed a $60 million fund in 2018 and recently announced a second $77 million fund. “Who we are, and where we live, helps us see opportunities where others would not,” he observes. One example is Mighty, an educational platform that enables young entrepreneurs to start online businesses (think Shopify for kids); another is Arrive, a venture powering the circular economy that allows any brand or retailer to rent their inventory.

No place is perfect, Berardi concedes. Yet he’s optimistic the local public-private discourse is healthy enough to address Miami’s challenges, which include climate change. “You have to believe the future is bright to do what we do,” he says. “Being a diehard, almost irrational optimist is in the job description.”

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