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Week of November 23, 2000 |
MIA MEMBERSHIP: Ericsson has joined the Miami Internet Alliance as a founding member and trustee. Andre Vanyi-Robin, alliance president, said Ericsson represents 20 markets in the region as well as having its headquarters here. "Ericsson is focused on the Mobile Internet," said Alexander Carrizo, Latin American sales director for the communications supplier. "The potential in Latin America is enormous." He said his firm expects 75 million mobile subscribers by 2005. MORE CONNECTION: Miami's Conectium, which bills itself as an end-to-end Internet solutions provider, this week announced it has opened offices in Bogot and Buenos Aires. The developer of private-label mobile Internet portals for Latin American telcom firms has dual headquarters offices here and in Caracas. E-FREELANCERS: Freelance.com held a launch party recently in the Miami Design District. CEO Alexandre Attal calls his site "an innovative online professional services network that connects pre-screened freelancers with Fortune 1000 and market-leading Internet companies." He says three key trends are changing the workplace — outsourcing, the demand for intellectual capital and the rise of freelancing. The key issue, he says, is not so much a shortage of talent as accessing that talent — hence the need for his service, which matches buyers and sellers for a fixed fee. SHOPPING POST: A North Miami Beach-based dot-com called My Shopping Center — without the spaces, of course — named Diane Venitelli executive vice president of marketing. The firm, Ms. Venitelli says, "has come out of the chute very fast. In only a matter of months, the company has established a dominant national presence." The company is self-described as a "broadband data and networking service for shopping centers and merchants," offering site designs with B2B capabilities, among other things. WACHOVIA E-NOTES: Wachovia announced this week that it added two features to its Connection Plus Internet-based cash management site — wireless access and "proactive notification." Douglas G. Hartsema, executive vice president, called them innovative steps. Wireless access involved use of a 724 Solutions Financial Services Platform for corporate customers, he said, while the "proactive" feature involves e-mail alerts to treasurers and CFOs when company-initiated payments require approval. Wachovia is due in Miami-Dade early next year through its acquisition of Republic Security Bank. SPORTS KICK: Miami's Spanish- and Portuguese-language sports portal, SportsYA!, announced a partnership with StarMedia Network for a joint sports site. The pact means SportsYA! has access to StarMedia's audience, estimated at 18 million. The site will focus on soccer coverage for the most part. |
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