Miami is home to the first business chamber devoted to connecting the U.S. private sector with entrepreneurs from the Amazon rainforest.
Called the Amazon Chamber, the organization officially launched this month at an event attended by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and representatives from the Brazilian states of Acre and Rondônia and Peruvian states of Huánuco, and Loreto.
Naiana Miranda, chair of the Amazon Chamber's executive development community, said the organization is focused on supporting the Amazon bioeconomy. That refers to the share of the economy based on products and services derived from renewable biological resources, such as plants and microorganisms.
"When most people think of the Amazon they think of trees and indigenous communities. But the biodiversity there is very large and there is so much untapped potential for entrepreneurs," Miranda told the Business Journal.
The chamber matches historically underrepresented entrepreneurs from the Amazonian regions of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with investors and capital in North America. That begins with Miami, its first foothold in the U.S. The city's proximity to Latin America and connections with countries like Brazil makes it a key outpost for the group.
"Most people might never travel to the rainforest, but they might visit Miami," Miranda said. "So having a Miami presence allows us to educate visitors about the resources of the Amazon."
Introducing Amazonian small businesses to American investors gives U.S. leaders the ability to back sustainable, early-stage ventures while also protecting one of the world's most important biomes, she added.
Agricultural, health care and ecotourism startups are among the businesses associated with the Amazon Chamber. They include Eco Panel, a company that uses acai fruit waste fiber as raw material for furniture; Amayu, a superfruit juice maker that sources sustainability harvested fruits from the rainforest; and Inatú Amazonia, a brand of essential oils developed in association with local producers and indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon.
The chamber, founded in partnership with Amazonas State University in Brazil, is in the process of raising capital and aims to secure $2 million this year.
"I think the climate crisis has made people understand the need to scale nature-based solutions, and we're creating those opportunities," Miranda said.
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