Leigh-Ann Buchanan's new venture will champion inclusivity as Miami's tech scene booms

Ashley Portero, Senor Reporter of the South Florida Business Journal speaks with Leigh-Ann Buchanan about her next venture:

After five years as the founding executive director of Venture Café Miami, Leigh-Ann Buchanan and her team are departing to a new organization.

Launched by Buchanan, Aire Ventures will build on the work of Venture Café – which leads Miami's largest weekly gathering of innovators, startup founders and entrepreneurs – by constructing tech and entrepreneurial ecosystems that are diverse, equitable and accessible for anyone who wants to participate.

"When we started Venture Café, the need at that time was convening and connecting people," she said. "Now we've evolved, we're at a growth stage, and this ecosystem needs an infrastructure everyone can get behind."

Aire Ventures, she said, will be among the architects of that ecosystem.

That starts with helping community and business leaders identify innovation hubs that are racially equitable, diverse, inclusive (REDI) and accessible for all.

Buchanan said Aire Ventures will issue scorecards to benchmark the "REDIness" of communities in South Florida and beyond.

That assessment will play a role in creating actionable plans to bridge gaps when it comes to access to capital and opportunity among startup founders. Some of the main challenges facing entrepreneurs at Venture Café include securing funding and talent that matches their stage of growth, Buchanan said.

Aire Ventures is collaborating with local leaders such as Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to convene a series of town halls with businesses and tech and innovation stakeholders as part of that process.

"There are life cycles of a business, from early stage to mature," Buchanan said. "The challenge is: How do I find resources to fit my stage of growth? One of the core principles of Aire is developing resources and infrastructure that adapts to the needs of founders where they are."

As one of the nation's most diverse and fastest-growing cities, Buchanan said she believes Miami can create a REDI ecosystem that will eventually serve as a model for the rest of the country.

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