By Nancy Dahlberg
The Miami Herald.
The founders of two Miami area companies, a fashion-forward medical apparel venture and a vehicle-tracking technology company, were selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs on Friday.
Trina Spear and Heather Hasson, founders of FIGS, and Robert Rubin, founder of SkyPatrol, join Endeavor Miami’s growing portfolio of high-impact entrepreneurs, which now includes 13 companies in its portfolio.
Panelists with global expertise selected FIGS and SkyPatrol at Endeavor Global’s three-day International Selection Panel held in Mexico City. Endeavor, a nonprofit, selects, mentors and accelerates high-potential entrepreneurs. As part of Endeavor’s global network, Endeavor Entrepreneurs receive targeted services including mentorship and access to capital, markets and talent.
FIGS, a medical apparel company based in Hollywood, is shaking up an antiquated industry making the same boxy, uncomfortable and not-always-hygienic scrubs for a century. The fashionable FIGS scrubs, with properly sized pockets for today’s devices and work gear, also have four-way stretch and are optimally designed for fit and performance. FIGS’ product line is expanding: A vest, designed to wear over scrubs, is a best seller. The company is partnering with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (formerly Miami Children’s) to make hospital gowns that children and teens won’t be embarrassed to wear, said Hasson.
Integral to its social entrepreneurial business model, FIGS has a nonprofit arm, Threads for Threads. For every set of scrubs sold, FIGS gives a set to medical workers in need in emerging economies in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and other parts of the world.
Endeavor Miami has already helped Spear and Hasson with connections, including with Nicklaus Children’s. The founders are particularly interested in the Endeavor network helping them scale internationally.
Born and raised in Miami, Robert Rubin runs SkyPatrol, which created proprietary tracking technology that monitors vehicles’ location, diagnostics, fuel consumption and other metrics in real-time, producing actionable data to help managers reduce risks, control costs, and boost sales on their mobile assets. Its award-winning product, Defender, helps auto lenders increase the rate of borrowers’ on-time payments and lower the cost of repossessing cars in default by up to 60 percent, Endeavor said.
Other industry-tailored platforms include Protek for new car dealers; Protek PowerSports for motorcycle dealers; Fleet Command for large fleet owners; and Auto Rental for rental fleet companies.
“Trina, Heather and Robert are all high-impact entrepreneurs that have the potential to innovate and impact the ecosystem in South Florida. The amazing access Endeavor provides with their mentor program is key to their success and I am inspired and honored to be a part of it,” said Jocelyn Cortez-Young, co-gounder/CEO of Minerva Capital Group. She is an Endeavor Miami mentor who participated as a panelist at this ISP.
Endeavor’s International Selection Panel is the culmination of a rigorous selection process, where panels composed of six top global business leaders interview candidates about their businesses, high-impact leadership potential, and timing. To be selected, an entrepreneur must receive a unanimous vote from all panelists.
Endeavor Miami launched its operations in September 2013 with the support of Knight Foundation and a local board of business leaders. For more information on Endeavor Miami or to nominate entrepreneurs, visit www.endeavormiami.org.
