Alexis Ohanian : Investing in Tech Startups

Currently, Miami is mostly seen as a town to party in or a town for so many other industries that are not tech. These perceptions are about to change, as more talented people are turning their attention to this delightful place.On today’s episode, I am joined by Alexis - one of the co-founders of Reddit, who is an important player in the angel investing area, and Andrew – the founder of Papa, a Florida-based company. Alexis invested in Andrew’s business, and they are sharing with us their entrepreneurial journey.Alexis Ohanian co-founded Initialized Capital with Garry Tan, in 2012. Alexis's expertise includes product, marketing, and community, and he is a prolific early-stage investor. Alexis was a co-founder of Reddit, the third-largest website in the US, which was funded by Y Combinator in 2005 and acquired by Condé Nast in 2006. He also served as a partner at Y Combinator and wrote the bestselling book Without Their Permission.Andrew Parker is the founder and CEO of Papa – a Florida-based tech startup. He started the company to support a personal need with his grandfather. Papa provides on-demand personal assistance and socialization to seniors.So, listen to Episode 05, to learn about the future of Florida, tech-wise, and what we can do to attract more people to start their business here.Listen on Apple Podcasthttps://open.spotify.com/episode/6e381KJmTuQMRZ1sQ51qrC?si=3ORuI-wNT0yWjRhEeqCDnghttps://youtu.be/U-iecY0ZFLUQuestions I ask:

• How did you guys meet? (07:51)
• Andrew, I saw you expanded geographically. Tell us about that. (11:52)
• Alexis, what do you think of the deal flow here in investments versus California? (12:39)
• What tech do you see coming down the road, in terms of technology, from an investment standpoint? (16:33)
• Have you had any issues with recruiting people you need? (20:43)

In this episode, you will learn:

• How Initialized was born. (02:32)
• How Papa became a business. (04:21)
• Alexis’s experience with Y Combinator. (05:26)
• The reasons why technology can never replace the human touch. (18:08)
• What Florida needs to do right now, to become an important player in the tech space. (21:22)