Photo of downtown Miami by Michael Bolden. 

Nico Berardi is managing director of Accelerated Growth Partners, an angel investor network, which Knight Foundation supports to develop the South Florida venture capital community. 

While the formula for building a great tech company remains a mystery, investment capital is definitely an important ingredient. The fact that most startups don’t qualify for traditional sources of funding makes early-stage investors a key component in any ecosystem.

Technology advancements have made the costs of developing a tech company lower than ever and have provided opportunities to scale beyond our wildest imaginations. Think of companies like Uber or Google valued at $40 billion each in less than five years. These trends have taken the investment community by storm.

Knight Foundation has been a transformational force in Miami becoming a tech hub by connecting and cultivating entrepreneurs. We’re starting to see the first success stories, with Mako exiting at $1.65 billion, .CO exiting at $109 million, OpenEnglish raising capital at a valuation of over $350 million, MagicLeap raising $542 million at a $1 billion-plus valuation. And yet, this is the tip of the iceberg. At Accelerated Growth Partners, we’ve made six seed investments and are closing three more. Every day we’ve been surprised by the quantity and quality of companies being built in our backyard.

Miami investment dollars have traditionally flowed towards real estate, public securities and some private equity but almost none into venture or angel investing. We have heard time and time again, from both entrepreneurs and investors, that while the capital is here, the community still does not have the necessary tools to invest in this complex space.

As the tech scene booms, we need more investment dollars to be intelligently allocated towards early-stage projects. And we need the tools and resources to do that. That’s why we teamed up with Knight Foundation, Greenberg Traurig and the Kellogg School of Management—the best partners in town—to create the Angel Education Series. The series will consist of six workshops covering topics such as “Valuations,” “Portfolio Strategy,” “Post-investment Relationship,” “The Legalities of Angel Investing” and “Picking Winners.”

On Jan. 28 the first session will provide an overview of what is ahead, and will be taught by the Angel Resource Institute, leaders in angel investing research and education. Local experts who have generously volunteered their time and effort will deliver the other sessions. The second workshop is scheduled for March 4. The series is free for investors accredited by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Please register at AGPeducation.eventbrite.com.

Investing in tech can potentially yield substantial returns but that’s just half the story. Investing in the future can have an impact beyond our imaginations.