In this week’s Member Spotlight we focus on Marshall Swatt, a valued member at The Lab Miami. Mr. Swatt is the former co-founder and CTO of Coinsetter, a bitcoin exchange platform. He co-started Coinsetter in March of 2013, alongside CEO Jaron Lukasiewicz. Mr. Swatt was originally working in New York for Coinsetter, but later relocated his company to Miami. New York was proving to be an extremely burdensome place to hire talent for the team as Wall Street created great competition for many finance techies who wanted to join the fintech scene in New York. Mr. Swatt chose Miami after careful consideration of other cities in the U.S. and Canada, as he needed to see what city would be fit for his company and where Coinsetter could excel to its true potential. Eventually, Miami was chosen as the best option and was seen as a great entrepreneurial hub, with the city also being known for its financial prowess. Mr. Swatt found great success in his adventure to Miami, and eventually sold the company in late 2015. He is now working as a Startup Consultant and building his new startup SocialSplendor, continuing to develop his great creative ideas in a place he knows he can continue to nurture and build them, The Lab Miami.
Member Spotlight Q&A
Q: What got you interested in startups?
A: I’ve always been extremely interested in business and entrepreneurship. I’ve been involved in startups for twenty or so years.
Q: Did you ever think you would find yourself here in Miami, working in your industry?
A: I visited Miami for the first time ever last year. I always pictured it as a party town and little else, but after attending a conference I became curious. Mostly I was thinking Miami would just be a great place to play tennis, and potentially offer a better quality of life than NYC.
Q: How did you find The LAB Miami coming down from New York?
A: I returned to Miami after a month to explore the city and see if it made sense for a second office for my startup. I visited all the co-working spaces that I could. The LAB impressed me as more startup-oriented than any of the others I visited.
By: Carlos Crespo | April 15, 2016