Recorded live at Mana Tech in downtown Miami, this edition of Ugly Talk pulls back the curtain on the Florida tech boom. While the city is often celebrated for its energy, the panel explores the "unpolished reality" and the specific playbook required to turn local Miami dynamics into global opportunities.

The conversation features three founders who have navigated the transition from zero-to-one innovation to scalable product operations:

• Nafis Azad (Co-founder, Lucky) details the seven-year journey of building a commerce data platform—from driving product in his own truck during the pandemic to a 2025 acquisition by SPINS.
• Bogdan Savonea (Co-founder & CEO, Blindspot) shares how he scaled a platform allowing anyone to buy billboard ads by the hour, famously using an $18 "stunt" in Times Square to land major clients like Netflix.
• Guillermo Gonzalez Aleman (Founder & CEO, Litebox) discusses managing a 60-person growth agency across Miami and Argentina, specializing in scaling high-tech startups through branding and advanced strategy.

You’ll hear their unfiltered takes on:

• The Fundraising Myth: Why "work and dedication" are more critical than capital, and the dangers of marrying the wrong investor.
• Vibe Coding 101: How prompting AI is lowering the barrier for non-technical founders to build fully functional prototypes and stand up databases.
• The Miami Advantage: How to tap into a community of high-net-worth serial entrepreneurs who have moved to the city for lifestyle but are "wired" to get back to work.
• Remote vs. In-Person: The real-world results of a "one day a month" office policy and why forcing a return to the office can actually tank productivity.
• The Scale Journey: Why you must detach your personal identity from your company to survive the burnout of a multi-year scaling effort.

Chapters

00:00 – The Capital Myth: You don’t need money; you need dedication.

01:00 – Live from Mana Tech: The reality of the Miami tech founder scene.

04:20 – The Stakeholder Game: Learning to tap into the "veteran investor" community in Miami.

06:30 – The Pivot Story: Moving from "hacky" LA logistics to a beauty industry data monopoly.

08:50 – Vibe Coding: Prompting AI to write code and validate ideas instantly.

10:30 – The Reddit Stunt: Using a beer-fueled idea to create the most upvoted post in Reddit history.

15:50 – The Art of Outreach: Why "cold everything" is dead and personal research is the only way in.

24:40 – Visionary vs. Integrator: Using the EOS framework to manage growth and operations.

35:10 – The Burnout Reality: Running away from burnout long enough to reach an outcome.

45:00 – Scaling Talent: The challenges of the local talent pool and the shift to 100% remote teams.

53:20 – Overhyped Advice: Why the traditional "you need a co-founder" rule may be outdated in 2026.

55:30 – Miami 2036: Transforming from a "lifestyle" city into a global business powerhouse.

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