South Fliorida Venture Capital, Startups, Investments, an Interview with Rhys William - TECHEDTV Podcast

Startups in South Florida are looking for capital and funding. Rhys
Williams is a well-known name in the area, he is part of New World
Angels, also directed TECH Runway a few years at Florida Atlantic
University..  We spoke about several topics including good and
bad investments, the value of accelerators & incubators, even
how we met back in 2002 at the University of Florida as I was part
of the "UF's Entrepreneurs' Club" actually, one of the founders.
together with Ahmed Kourouma, Erick Coffie, and a few crazy
engineers that saw value in startups. Twenty years later, we meet
and record this podcast for my audience from the EGLAVATOR, EGLA
CORP's tech incubator.  Rhys Wiliams at EGLAVATOR studios -
TECHEDTV Podcast Rhys Williams Bio hys L. Williams is the CEO,
Co-Founder, and Director of MedicSmart, a VC-backed startup
digitally transforming the workplace safety & emergency medical
response space (presently in stealth mode).  From 2016 to
2021, he served as Managing Director of the highly successful FAU
Tech Runway technology incubator/accelerator program & TRIN
investor network. Mr. Williams has more than two decades of
experience in the early-stage life sciences realm, having
co-founding three biotech spinouts from three of Florida’s
institutions of higher learning.  He is also an active
member of the Florida angel investor community, having co-founded
the New World Angels in 2003, Florida’s most established and
successful structured angel investor group (immediate past
president; current chairman), with several successful exits across
the domains of therapeutics, medical devices, and healthcare
IT.  Recognized as one of 50 “Power Leaders in
Technology” by the South Florida Business Journal, Mr. Williams has
also testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Technology
and Global Competitiveness.   Mr. Williams received his
undergraduate degree from Harvard College magna cum
laude and both a law degree (JD) and an MBA (with honors;
class president) from the University of
Florida.  Additional work experience includes CapSoft
(president, e-commerce venture), SI Ventures (institutional venture
capital firm affiliated with Gartner), Ixion Biotechnology
(VP-finance/associate general counsel), Smith Barney, TranZitions
(operations director/corporate counsel, HR venture), and American
Express.   Mr. Williams is a U.S. Army veteran, having
served as commander of a Special Forces Combat Diver Detachment
(“green beret”). From 2018 to 2021 he served as an appointed
director on Harvard Alumni Association national board (representing
Eastern Florida and Puerto Rico) and continues to serve with the
Harvard Club of the Palm Beaches (president) and the Harvard
College Fund.  ​Other board service includes the Florida
Venture Forum, the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium
(immediate past chairman), and the Cade Museum for Creativity and
Invention (advisory committee).  Former board activities
include the Angel Resource Institute (director of research),
Aplicor, Inc., and the Florida Institute for the Commercialization
of Public Research (gubernatorial appointee; treasure of venture
capital fund).  He is also a graduate of Leadership
Florida (Cornerstone Class 22) and Florida Blue Key.  Mr.
Williams is admitted to the bar in both Florida and New York, and
he speaks both advanced Spanish and functional
Portuguese.  A fifth-generation South Floridian, Mr.
Williams, his wife of 30 years (Dr. Lorna Williams), and their two
children reside in Palm Beach County, Florida Transcript by
EGLA.ai  WEBVTT   00:00:20.130 --> 00:00:36.000Good
evening, Good morning good afternoon, you guys are watching
TECHEDTVwith doctor edwin hernandez and today we have a great guest
an entrepreneur that I met twenty years back we just make a
number just a fewminutes back twenty two now at twenty two years
ago when we were justnobody at the university of Florida
00:00:36.660 --> 00:00:56.