There’s still time to sign up for SoftBank’s free Master Class series starting this month
To help build the next-generation tech community in South Florida and Latin America, the SoftBank Operator School is bringing over 20 expert founders and operators from SoftBank Group, its portfolio and partners to speak in a master class series.
The master classes, free and open to the public for virtual registration and participation, are part of a semester-long program aiming to fill the talent gap of highly trained startup operators. The SoftBank Operator School will also offer for-credit graduate and undergraduate courses to enrollees at Florida International University, Miami Dade College and University of Miami. (Read more about the school here)
Kicking off the Master Class series will be an introductory session, “How Inputs Affect Outcomes,” on Thursday, Aug. 12, at 12 p.m. ET with Alex Szapiro, Managing Partner of SoftBank Operating Group. Szapiro will discuss how obsessing over key business inputs such as price, speed, operations and customer feedback can drive long-term results for profitability and growth.
Then the series officially begins on Aug. 26 with a session by SoftBank Managing Partner Shu Nyatta, who oversees the SoftBank Latin America and SB Opportunity Funds, on “The Power of Tech Startups” in the economy.
Speaker sessions will include “Building in Miami” with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Lumu Founder and CEO Ricardo Villadiego, “Setting KPIs and Goals” with WeWork LatAm CEO Claudia Woods and QuickNode Co-founder and CTO Auston Bunsen, and “Startup Culture” with Rappi Co-founder and President Sebastian Mejia.
Other speakers include Carlos Garcia, Founder and CEO of Kavak and Marcelo Abritta, co-Founder and CEO of Buser on master storytelling; Cesar Carvalho, Co-Founder and CEO of Gympass and Matthew Vega-Sans, Co-Founder and CEO of Lula on “Listening to Users”; and Alexandra Zatarian, Co-Founder and VP of Brand & Marketing of EightSleep on creating a data-driven culture. Founders and CEOs Joanna Smith (AllHere) and Sergio Furio (Creditas) will discuss growth challenges at various stages of your startup.
There are more. The full lineup of speakers, which include local and international startup CEOs, and course programming can be found on the SoftBank Operator School website. The Master Class series will continue every Thursday from 12-1:30 p.m. ET through Nov. 26.
Oh, to be a student again. Enrolled SoftBank Operator School students at UM, FIU and MDC will also participate in workshops on topics including ”Digital Transformation” (SoftBank), “Team Culture” (Saif Ishoof), “Success is not a Straight Line” (Rony Abovitz), “Accelerating Growth through Biz Dev: (Uber) and other topics including “Legal Matters,” “Building your Brand with PR,” and “The Myth vs. Reality of Perfect Balance.”
The curriculum is practical and designed in combination with the universities, said Laura Gaviria Halaby, Head of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives at SoftBank Group International, in an earlier interview. “Hopefully it will inspire a lot of people to be part of a company that has the potential to transform the way we live.”
The master class series will be streamed online to registrants around the world. SoftBank Operating School is also partnering with WeWork to bring the sessions directly to attendees who are registered for the course at FIU, MDC and UM in Miami.
“Communities in Miami-Dade and across Latin America have a wealth of untapped talent that will benefit tremendously from investments like these,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, in a statement. “As Miami-Dade grows as a world-class tech hub, it’s more important than ever that we invest in the next generation of talent right here in our own neighborhoods.”
Registration information can be found here.
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