Conversations with the founders, investors & builders in #MiamiTech.
Miami, FL
Joined December 2020
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Could Miami become the next major hub for pet tech? 🐾🚀
From healthcare to consumer products, the pet industry is creating some exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs. And certain cities are already emerging as hubs for innovation in the space.
Hear why Anna, Founder of Basepaws, thinks the city is well-positioned to lead.
Every founder dreams of a big exit. But how early should you start thinking about who's going to buy your company? 🤔
Turns out, the answer might be earlier than you think.
On the latest Miami Tech Pod, we explore why understanding your potential acquirers can be just as important as understanding your customers.
🎙️ Watch the clip for some valuable advice for founders.
Anna spent years building in LA before falling in love with Miami. Hear how she compares the two cities and the important distinction between each's tech scenes.
Full episode out now 🎧
Full episode - miamitechpod.com/from-shark-…
In today’s world, do you really need a cofounder?
Anna Skaya, Partner at AniVC, has met tons of founders over the years, and she’s noticed a pattern: a cofounder is great for the first 18 months. After that, it can become a liability.
Her advice: be very, very careful who you start a company with.
Founders, agree or disagree? 👇
Full episode of The Miami Tech Pod out now 🎧 Link in bio.
Full Episode - miamitechpod.com/from-shark-…
Rejected by YC four times, initially rejected by Shark Tank, told 'No' by countless VCs.
Rejection can break you or fuel you.
For Anna Skaya, founder of Basepaws, rejection served as a huge chip on her shoulder, driving her to build a business she would later sell for close to 9 figures.
Learn more about her journey in our latest episode of the Miami Tech Pod.
Full episode out now - miamitechpod.com/from-shark-…
🔥 Hot Take: Taking your best friend’s money might not be the way to go.
Hear why Anna Skaya, founder of Basepaws, still isn’t sure she did the right thing, even after getting early investors a 25x return.
Full episode out now.
Check out the full episode now - miamitechpod.com/from-shark-…
Basepaws became one of Shark Tank’s biggest success stories, and reportedly Kevin O’Leary’s best-performing Shark Tank investment.
Founder Anna Skaya shares a major lesson she learned appearing on the show.
More lessons in our full episode out now. Link in bio.
Full Episode Out Now 🎧 miamitechpod.com/from-shark-…
New Episode Drop 🎙️ From Shark Tank to a Nearly Nine-Figure Exit: The Basepaws Story
Anna Skaya built Basepaws from a “23andMe for cats” into a pet genetics company that ultimately sold to Zoetis in a nearly nine-figure exit.
But the path there was anything but straightforward. Anna was rejected by YC four times, initially turned down by Shark Tank, struggled to raise venture capital, navigated a painful co-founder split, and spent years hearing that her cat DNA company would never work.
In this episode, Anna shares how she turned that rejection into fuel, what she learned from Kevin O’Leary and Shark Tank, why founders should start building relationships with potential acquirers years before an exit, and what life after selling a company actually feels like.
Now a General Partner at Ani.VC, Anna also shares what she’s seeing next in pet tech and why she believes Miami could become a global hub for the industry.
Listen in 🎧 miamitechpod.com/from-shark-…
What changes when you build a startup the second time around?
For @AlexWilsonTGB, a lot.
After building and selling The Giving Block to @Shift4, Alex is back at it with @Cyclops_inc — and he says the experience of starting company #2 has been dramatically different.
From fundraising to hiring to simply knowing what not to do, he shares what changes when you’ve already been through the startup journey once before. 👆
Full episode out now 🎧 miamitechpod.com/this-exited…
What can you learn about leadership from working alongside Jared Isaacman?
During his four years at @Shift4, @AlexWilsonTGB got a front-row seat to how its founder operated — and one lesson stuck with him: no problem was too small to care about.
Isaacman would jump into support threads, stay close to what was happening across the business, and push a culture of ownership and accountability.
It’s a leadership philosophy Alex has carried with him to @Cyclops_inc: no matter how big you get, never lose your pulse on the business.
Full episode out now 🎧
miamitechpod.com/this-exited…
Moving to Miami was a game changer for @AlexWilsonTGB and his startup, @Cyclops_inc.
He credits the move as one of the most impactful decisions he’s made as an entrepreneur — not because of the weather or taxes, but because of the people.
Investors. Customers. Fellow founders. Executives. Many of the relationships that have helped him build his next company came from the network he found here.
Now he calls himself a “Miami maximalist”, and is actively recruiting others to join him. 🌴
Full episode out now 🎧 miamitechpod.com/this-exited…
The future of stablecoins? We stop talking about them.
@Cyclops_inc co-founder @AlexWilsonTGB believes stablecoins will eventually become so mainstream that most of us won’t even think about the technology behind them.
They’ll simply become part of the infrastructure moving money behind the scenes, faster and 24/7.
Today, he says we’re only scratching the surface. Here’s what the future of money movement could look like.
Full episode out now 🎧
miamitechpod.com/this-exited…