Have you ever wondered what it takes for a young immigrant to truly achieve the American dream? Well, you might just be able to learn a thing or two from Manny Medina’s story.    

After emigrating to Miami as a young teen and—as he puts it—surviving high school, Medina was able to develop a unique and valuable perspective on the US-Latin American market. From his jetsetting early years as a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers, to his time in Kuwait helping rebuild after the liberation, to creating network access points while the internet was still in its infancy, Medina has frequently been at the center of some of the most important industry events of the last 50 years.

Medina’s decision in the late 1980s to take the leap of faith from real estate to tech when he found himself at a crossroads might’ve been the most important move he ever made. He was able to reinvent himself and his company, Terremark, once again, from a highly successful developer to an early adopter of burgeoning internet tech, where he found his true calling.

Medina served as Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Terremark until 2011, when the company was acquired by Verizon Communications. In 2012, he founded Medina Capital, a private equity firm with a focus on emerging cybersecurity technologies where he currently serves as managing partner. He is also the founder and chairman of eMerge Americas, a tech networking event that serves to connect the US, Latin America, and Europe.

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Some Questions Asked: 

• What made you decide to take the risk of leaving your job at Pricewaterhouse to become an entrepreneur? (05:13)
• How long did you have your first firm? (7:23)
• What was the turning point where you realized your company would survive the dot com bubble bursting? (14:49)
• How much change has there been since you started in the ability to recruit for tech positions within Florida? (20:31)
• What’s Medina capital working on now? (23:21)

In this episode, you will learn:

• About Medina’s experience immigrating to the US from Cuba at 13. (02:25)
• How the real estate crash of the late ’80s spurred Medina’s move to tech. (08:07)
• The origin story of Terremark Worldwide. (09:51)
• The one surprising thing Medina did after Terremark was sold that he had never allowed himself to do before. (16:28)
• Where Medina sees Miami’s tech industry going in the next 5-10 years. (26:26)

Connect with Manny:

• in the Miami Herald
• on Wikipedia
• Medina Capital