Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

My experiences at Venture Hive

[nicoleazzi]

Would You Wait in Line?

I absolutely detest waiting in long lines.  Despite this fact, on the first Wednesday of every month you will find me doing exactly that - waiting. I have a valid reason. This is the only time that the restaurant Bugatti in Miracle Mile sells THE GREATEST lasagna. This Wednesday I got together with some high school friends and the result of our conversations made me realize how much this internship program truly has impacted me.

Towards the end of our dinner, one of my friends harmlessly mentioned how she desperately wanted to leave Miami and complete her residency in California. Immediately, as if it were uncontrollable, I blurted out "But why leave Miami?! It's so great here!" The rest of the girls snickered a bit (partially because most of them live in other cities now).

I was genuinely surprised by this reaction because I had just heard a presentation given by Matt Haggman from the Knight Foundation the previous week. The meeting was meant to close out the internship program with a social event where we could all discuss our past experiences and future plans.

After Matt listed so many startups, mentioned so many networking spaces, and referenced so many statistics about Miami becoming such an attractive city, I was amazed. I left feeling fired up about how fast Miami was developing.

It wasn't until lasagna night that it hit me. Not everyone knows about how much change Miami is going through. While my friends brought up everything from the startup community in San Francisco to the art culture in Austin, I found myself adamantly defending Miami.  The problem was, I sometimes struggled to articulate arguments or explain examples of exciting things going on in Miami.

That's when the second lesson hit me. I, myself, only scratch the surface in terms of understanding the city's transformation. This internship program lit the fire under me to become an advocate for Miami, but now, I must convert others into Miami-lovers as well. One way to do that is to learn about all of the amazing opportunities happening here, but in my opinion, the BEST way to do it is to actually participate in those opportunities.

Interning at Venture Hive was a great introduction for me to learn about how I can contribute to Miami's development. Now I'm considering extending this blog's life to capture other similar experiences I hope to embark on this year.

After all, if nothing ventured, nothing gained...

[nicoleazzi]

Not Nice - Necessary

Every time there is a new visitor at Venture Hive, the founder Susan Amat gives a tour of the space and talks about her vision for the organization. While there are always tours, this week seemed especially busy - which I loved! By far my favorite part of her tour is when she enters the room where I work (and I promise it's not my favorite just because it's the part of the tour I hear the most). She explains with enthusiasm how this room will soon become the first U.S.-based Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC).

The first time I heard this I didn't know exactly what it meant but I knew it was something to be excited about based on her smile. Other things were starting to build up the anticipation. We received a shipment of a few dozen computers and I saw coworkers eagerly begin to arrange them in the room.

Before:

After:

Eventually I couldn't contain my curiosity and I had to look up this mysterious MIC. Think of a place that provides a variety of services, programs, and resources to anyone interested so that the community as a whole can thrive.  More specifically, the Miami location is going to focus on developing four areas: academia, startups, government, and the Latin American community.

The more I read, the more I became interested. After asking a co-worker, I found out in addition to the countless training programs Microsoft will offer, the hope is that other organizations will reach out, partner up, and use the space for other events or educational opportunities.

I love working in this room because it is a constant reminder that I need to step back and look at the bigger picture. This space in Venture Hive would not have as much potential if it did not have a partnership with Microsoft. Likewise, in order to take my leadership to the next level, I must develop my own partnerships with people who share my vision.

This lesson of partnering is not some brand new revelation to me, but in full disclosure it seems I have amnesia. The second school starts back up again, it's as if my classroom becomes my world. My daily decisions are centered around the 100 or so students I teach. While this focus can be good, I know I can have an even greater impact if I find partners that my students can learn from and vice versa.

This internship has strengthened my resolve to look outside my classroom's four walls and see how I can connect with the community. Partnerships are not simply "nice," they are necessary. 

[nicoleazzi]

Nothing like some Mediterranean sweets to bring everyone at Venture Hive together! Thanks Ifdad and Ahsaan!

[nicoleazzi]

"Take Two"

During our internship mixer at The LAB Miami, I was asked to introduce myself when Kiesha, one of the organizers of this program, asked a follow up question: "What connections have you made between your internship and teaching?" I gave an appropriate, succinct response about how some of the skill sets overlap but I was left wondering if my answer was enough. Did I truly capture the connections between two worlds that seem so different at face value? I'm the type of person that at times replays a situation over and over again. What I love about this blog is the fact that it gives me a second opportunity to respond after I've reflected more on the question. This is my "take two."   

As a teacher, I am leveraging my experiences of planning lessons and developing assessments to help Venture Hive develop curriculum for its Venture Hive Prep K-12 program. I mistakenly thought that the connection stopped here. After all, we associate the entrepreneurship world with innovation, risk, and  challenging the status quo. Unfortunately, those are not exactly the words that come to mind when thinking of a traditional school system (although I'd like them to be).

Working on the Venture Hive curriculum has forced me to push past these assumptions. There is a far greater connection that both realms share. Whether in entrepreneurship or education the outcomes of both greatly depend on something that has many names: the intangibles, the soft skills, the mindsets, or the character traits. I can teach math to the point that students use linear equations and formulas in their sleep, but if they do not know how to persevere through difficult problems or adequately communicate and justify their answer, then their knowledge is limited. Likewise, an entrepreneur can understand every detail of a marketing plan or financial model but if they do not have the resilience to bounce back from failure or the adaptability to change course after feedback, then their efforts will be fruitless.

Both worlds require these skills in order to be successful and I have seen both worlds grapple with how to teach these skills to children. Now we just need the people in both worlds to have these conversations together. I'm hoping to find a way to make that happen.

[nicoleazzi]

Good Morning Whiteboard

Every morning at work as I set up my desk, the first thing I see is a big blank whiteboard. In fact one of the first things I noticed when starting at Venture Hive was how every single workstation had a big blank whiteboard (with some not so blank anymore). At first I paid little attention to them, since after all, most businesses use them to post events, reminders or action items. Now halfway through my internship, however, my blank whiteboard reminds me about the power of a blank canvas.

When I was given my assignment to help develop the Venture Hive Prep program, I was pleasantly surprised by how little instruction was given. I was used to the teaching world where I add my personal style to a lesson but in reality a majority of the work comes with explicit directions on what to teach, when to teach it, and sometimes even how to teach it. This project was the complete opposite of that and honestly, it was invigorating.

There are no confining parameters on how to expose middle school students to entrepreneurship so Venture Hive has an opportunity to invent it themselves. While this freedom is exciting, a blank canvas can be daunting. Every time I stare at my whiteboard it reminds me of the responsibilities we have, but better yet, it also reminds me of  the endless possibilities we have to be a disruptive force. Is this what entrepreneurs feel when they see their whiteboards? Regardless, I think it's the perfect mix of emotions that motivates me to become an energetic, dedicated team member.

In the future when I lead my own team I will make sure to do what Venture Hive has done for me. Not just provide people with white boards, but with a blank canvas.

[nicoleazzi]

Role Reversal

Entering the startup world for the first time, I knew I would have to shift from my usual role as teacher to become a student. What I did not expect was that my students - literally  my  former  students - would become my teachers.

On my way to my desk one morning I came across a group of high schoolers engaged in a session on self branding. This took me by surprise for a few reasons. Aside from assuming that most high schoolers would choose to spend their summer in front of a TV, I was also surprised because this is not the image that comes to mind when thinking of the startup world.

After some casual conversation, I quickly began to realize how many connections I had with these students. I had taught Frantz’s younger sister and was delighted to see Davidson, who was one of my students for a few weeks before he transferred schools. What was even better to hear was that these students had won the Congressional STEM Competition presented by Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. The competition was an App Challenge and the award for the top two teams was to spend a week at Venture Hive learning about entrepreneurship.

At the end of the week both teams had to do their final pitch and hearing how much thought they put into their apps was inspirational. Just as an example, one of the teams mentioned how they had been concerned with pricing. You mean to tell me they didn’t just make the app cost $0.99 like every other app they probably see? Well the founder of Venture Hive, Susan Amat, invited them to stay at the incubator for a few more weeks so that they could develop a pricing strategy together.

Through this experience my students taught me an unforgettable lesson. If we want to truly make Miami an entrepreneurial hub, we need to do more than just attract outsiders. If we want to be a city of innovation, we need to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs within Miami. If we want to be a community on the cutting edge then we need to involve all members of the community: congresswomen, business leaders, teachers, and students. THIS is what makes Venture Hive more than just your typical startup incubator.

[nicoleazzi]

Who Wrote These Quotes?

Walking into Venture Hive for the first time as an intern, I saw within minutes its name come to life. This  startup incubator space had a conglomerate of conference rooms, cozy cubicles, and expansive studios filled with desks. Each corner swarmed with entrepreneurs hard at work and the buzzing was palpable.  

Surprisingly, the space in this hive that left the largest impression on me was the kitchen. No, it wasn't because of the Nespresso machine. I came across a large white board in the shape of a honeycomb with tons of quotes. Some I recognized from famous leaders, others must have been said by entrepreneurs here, but all were meant to inspire. I noticed that each quote was done in a different handwriting. Who were the people writing these? Why did they choose that specific quote? As someone who collects quotes and even has them sent as a text once a day (through Vitamin Q), I understand the power of a good quote. I thought to myself, "These authors must have a personal connection with the quote they wrote" and  just like that my goal was to find out why.

As I begin this internship, I want to learn from the risk-takers and change-makers behind the quotes. Their stories will be of value to me as I explore the path of entrepreneurship myself.  In fact, the startup world is new to me. I have been teaching math at Miami Edison Middle School for the last three years and thought that internships were limited to my college years. After seeing so many problems in our school system, however, I realized I needed to equip myself with more skills than just lesson planning. An internship with Venture Hive is an incredible opportunity to do just that. After all, I am looking for solutions to my school system's problems and who are better problem-solvers than entrepreneurs?

As of now, what I am most excited about and my greatest challenge are one in the same:  finding these mystery quote-makers...