StartUP FIU Speaker Series: Textile Edition

StartUP FIU will be holding a series of Summer seminars and workshops conducted by creative professionals prior to its official launch this Fall. This is an excellent opportunity to meet StartUP FIU’s creative community while acquiring the skills needed to build a successful application to our program. For this Speaker Series edition, we are partnering with PRISA USA, a leader in the athletic apparel industry, to bring you a conversation between two successful entrepreneurs. Bob Hacker, the Director of StartUP FIU, and Sara McDevitt, a co-founder of PRISA USA, will discuss their experiences as industry leaders, as well as the unprecedented growth and future of the startup community here in Miami. After this enlightening conversation, join us for a cafecito break followed by a Student Showcase with student guests Hendrick Tousant and Ari Sernik. Agenda: 6:00 PM – Networking 6:30 PM – Speaker Series: Sara McDevitt, PRISA USA 7:30 PM – Cafecito Break 8:00 PM – Student Startup Showcase: Hendrick Tousant and Ari Sernik Who is Sara McDevitt? Sara has worked in the apparel industry for more than 25 years. She currently serves as president of PRISA USA, an athletic brand which she co-owns with her husband. PRISA supplies custom apparel and accessories to polo players and teams around the world. PRISA has established itself as a design innovator and purveyor of top quality, dependable products to meet the demands of a high intensity sport such as polo. PRISA is headquartered in Miami but maintains an office in Buenos Aires as well. Prior to launching the brand, Sara gained domestic and international experience in the business world working at adidas. Her positions at their US headquarters in Portland, OR included apparel development and product line management. While stationed in Buenos Aires, she served as regional manager of apparel and accessories for adidas Latin America. Sara’s comprehensive knowledge of the apparel industry also includes manufacturing and retail. This variety of experiences is necessary as she is deeply involved with operations and wears many hats on a daily basis. Who is Bob Hacker? Bob has taught traditional and social entrepreneurship at FIU for eleven years. As the former CFO of One Laptop per Child, Bob has first-hand knowledge of building a company centered around social entrepreneurship. Earlier in his career, he built a publicly-traded billion dollar company in Indonesia. He is the author of two books on entrepreneurship and a frequent speaker on the subject. Bob believes that StartUP FIU will introduce entrepreneurial concepts to the entire South Florida community and lead to the creation of local, high-growth companies to support economic development. What is StartUP FIU? StartUP FIU is a collaborative entrepreneurship hub for FIU students, faculty, and early-stage startup entrepreneurs in South Florida. We help to create and grow traditional companies, high-tech ventures, and social enterprises. Who should attend? The summer seminar series is open to students, faculty, and community members who are interested in learning about startups and entrepreneurship. It is also an excellent opportunity for early-stage startups to familiarize themselves with StartUP FIU before applying for the Fall cohort.