MONEY & MIAMI

For everyone in Miami, we hope you're enjoying the last day of Art Basel Miami Beach. The fair this year features the largest number of new exhibitors in a decade, with 286 galleries from around the world. Whether you've already made purchases or just window-shopped at the fair, you can check out our recommendations below—sushi or bagel, it's up to you.

For those interested, we have tips on securing VC funding for startups, which was one of the most frequently asked questions during our panel at Soho House.

The panel was such a success that we've partnered with Soho House Berlin to launch a yearly panel series featuring brands, founders, and creatives in 2025.

For those new here, I'm also including the interview with Beau Brieske, a professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball (MLB), to understand the key takeaways from baseball and how they correlate with business.

MIAMI
RESTAURANT

El Bagel: Young families, hungover bros, Gen Z-ers, and carb-loving 40- and 50-somethings all dive into their hand-rolled, long-fermented sourdough bagels while dozens wait in line. Worth the wait? Yes, definitely. (Bagel with schmear, $6.50; sandwiches, $10–$16.)

MIAMI
RESTAURANT

Ogawa: In 2023, restaurateur Alvaro Perez Miranda—who spent 15 years in Tokyo—revolutionized Miami's omakase scene with Ogawa (which means "Little River" in Japanese). The intimate restaurant features 11 counter seats and an outdoor garden that maintains its serenity even as cargo trains rumble past hourly. After earning a Michelin star, Ogawa continues to impress with its 19-course tasting menu. Each perfect bite showcases Chef Masayuki Komatsu's artistry: vinegar and egg-yolk-flecked spiny king crab, mirin-glazed monkfish liver, and caviar-topped swordtip squid. Diners watch as he hand-paints soy sauce, grates fresh wasabi, and precisely dots lime juice onto fish flown in from Tokyo (omakase menu $350; drink pairings $250).

During our Soho House Panel, a recurring question emerged: "How to get funding for a startup?" Here are few recommendations:

Define your funding needs and a timeline

Evaluate if your startup truly needs investment now.If yes, determine your funding priorities and timeline. Map out your startup's journey through funding series (A, B, C) with clear goals for each stage. Set clear growt to forecast funding needs and strengthen investor discussions.

Understand the full value of VC support

Startups should consider both financial and nonfinancial benefits when approaching investors. A clear understanding of these resources demonstrates strategic thinking and enriches negotiations. VCs offer valuable expertise, guidance, and networks that can improve product-market fit, talent acquisition, and marketing efficiency. Viewing them as pure funding sources limits potential benefits.

Prepare for due diligence

Investors in 2024 are conducting more rigorous due diligence than before. Your business must be legally compliant to be considered. Form a proper legal entity and keep thorough documentation including financials, taxes, contracts, and employee records. Protect your intellectual property through trademarks or patents to demonstrate credibility.

Build a detailed business plan and financial forecast

A clear business plan attracts investors by showing your unique market position.Present realistic financial projections with clear explanations. Monitor actual results against your plan and include contingency scenarios to demonstrate risk awareness.

Craft a compelling pitch

Your pitch deck is the face of your startup, so craft it carefully.Cover the essentials: the problem you’re solving, product-market fit, business model, and so on. Keep your narrative data-driven, show potential returns on investment, and highlight why your team is prepared to succeed.

Keep Building!

EVENTS
HERR OBER X SOHO HOUSE

Following the outstanding feedback from our community on our recent panel talk, Herr Ober will launch an event panel series in collaboration with Soho House Berlin, starting in 2025. 💘 

Follow HERR OBER on Instagram to find out more : @herrobercity

INTERVIEW
BEAU BRIESKE

What can business executives learn from professional athletes?

I sat down with Beau Brieske, a professional baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball (MLB), to understand the key takeaways from baseball and how they correlate with business.

What is life like as a professional baseball player?

It is challenging and fun. You put a ton of time and effort into improving as a player/person, and you are tested in many ways as the long season goes on. It is rewarding when you realize the work you put in leads to you improving at your craft.

How do you assess the situation or opponent on the field?

I view it as an opportunity to test myself against the best. I feel that the biggest competition is with myself. I hold myself to a standard and try to perform at the level I'm capable of as often as possible.

How do you keep your cool on the field?

I keep my cool by trusting that I have done the necessary work to prepare properly. When I'm out on the field, the only thing I can do is trust my training and compete as much as possible.

What can executives or entrepreneurs learn from baseball?

They can learn that you are always trying to improve yourself and that anything external is out of your control. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and always being willing to make adjustments as you maneuver through whatever field you are in is the only thing that is important.

What is the secret to staying on top?

Never being satisfied and striving to be your best is the only way to go about your business. As soon as you are satisfied or content, that's the day you stop improving. Everyone always has something they can improve. That mindset carries you through any circumstance.