After signing a 13-year, $325 million contract with the Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton has some full pockets. The 25-year-old right fielder currently has the largest contract in all of professional sports. Counting endorsement deals, Stanton will not have to worry about money, other than how to spend it.
Sure, the slugger could buy 1,500 Lamborghini Spyders (and still have some left over) or he could invest his money to try and diversify himself and his own brand. Luckily for him, the “Latin Capital of America” is blooming into a tech hub. Miami is home to many investment opportunities in the tech industry that are looking for backers.
1. Kandid
Social media is a huge part of the digital fabric of our culture. Many web developers are looking to found the next Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Miami startup ShareWare Inc. believes that they have done just that, already raising more than $1.4 million for their “Kandid” app.
Kandid is an anonymous photo and message sharing app, similar to Whisper or Yik-Yak. Already popular on college campuses, Kandid is designed to allow users to vent their stress and get things off their chest in the form of confessions.
The secrets shared are tied to one’s location; centralized with their college or university. So, if one moves out of the designated “School Zone”, he or she would be unable to view their feed. This prevents users from other schools or even other states from commenting and posting controversial messages to stir up trouble. An investment by Stanton into Kandid would be supporting local developers who aim to deliver a personalized product based on one’s location.
Kandid is currently available for iOS devices.
2. CareCloud
The healthcare industry is prime for an economic boom. With roughly 8 million Americans getting health insurance via the Affordable Care Act, healthcare providers will need the capability to keep track of patients’ insurance information and medical histories.
CareCloud is an online storage service designed to help alleviate smaller health practices. Through cloud-based storage, CareCloud is designed to optimize efficiency for doctor’s offices and improve communication with patients.
The Miami-based startup is currently providing services to approximately 6,000 clients, and has gathered $45 million in venture backing. If he were to get on board, Stanton would be able to help CareCloud expand its services to more healthcare practices and help the overall life and well-being of the Miami community.
3. Kimetric
The most important thing in the retail industry is the ability to fulfill the customer’s needs and wants. Being able to determine just what it is a consumer is looking for, is paramount for success.
A spinoff of an Argentinian company, Ingematica, Kimetric is a marketing research tool that uses motion-sensing cameras to determine customer behavior. The technology is based off Microsoft’s Kinect, originally developed for the Xbox 360 as a hands-free gaming device (Ingematica has been a Microsoft Gold Partner for more than 12 years).
The Kinect gathers information on those who stop at store windows and displays in the store, determining things such as gender, age, and height as well as creating a heat map of the store.
The motion-sensitive cameras also detect what shoppers interact with, and provide them information on their prospective purchase. For example, if one picks up a Miami Marlins jersey, that item will appear on a nearby display with information on available sizes and colors.
4. Muzik
Another Miami-based startup, Muzik has developed the perfect complement to the smartphone; smart headphones. Muzik looks to make listening to music a social experience once again.
Along with boasting high quality audio, Muzik smart headphones pair with an app that allows the listener to share what tracks they’re listening to with their friends, with a wave of the hand via the headphones’ motion-sensing technology. That way, Stanton could share his playlist with his fans, while he’s taking his pre-game warm-ups. The app also has an open platform for developers to access via an open source license.
Already having raised $10 million in funding from investors, the headphones have been earmarked for this past’s holiday season at $299 each.
Being financially set for life, Giancarlo Stanton has numerous opportunities to use his money to better his Miami community through health care, and expand his marketing brand via retail ventures.