Clockwise from top-left: Keith Rabois; Mayor Francis Saurez; Lucy Guo; Animo Ventures founders Antonio Osio and Nico Berardi. Art by Mike Sullivan
When Mike Shebat needed seed funding for his startup last year, he went where the money was: a popular fitness studio called Barry’s Bootcamp in Wynwood, Miami’s arts district.
Venture capitalist Keith Rabois, a denizen of Barry’s, told Shebat to meet him there after the entrepreneur contacted him over LinkedIn. During and after their workout, Shebat pitched Rabois on Traba, an online jobs marketplace that connects people to flexible shifts at warehouses. Founders Fund, where Rabois is a general partner, later led a $3.6 million investment in the startup.