Howard Helfant - Marketing Consultant

Howard Helfant is a veteran marketing consultant who lives and works in Miami, Florida. Howard Helfant holds a degree in marketing from Columbia University. Whenever he gets the opportunity, he enjoys plying the waters off of Florida’s east coast. “I really love boating, and Miami is blessed with so many places to see and explore on the water,” he says. “When you get onto the Biscayne Bay, the view of the Miami skyline is just breathtaking.” He says there are three islands he likes to cruise by: Hibiscus Island, Star Island, and Palm Island. “They’re clustered a bit north of the MacArthur Causeway. They’re dotted with beautiful homes; it’s a pleasant cruise.” He is the owner of a thirty-foot pontoon boat he named Chef’s Surprise. “The day we launched it, we did this whole christening thing with a bottle of champagne,” he recalls. “It was a real hoot.” He’s skippered the Chef’s Surprise as far north as the Sea Islands off the Georgia Coast, where he and his friends anchor...

Howard Helfant lifelong career in investing has taught him that venture capitalists may take on a great deal of risk with investments in unproven companies. But they may be motivated by the possibility of taking a controlling percentage over the company ownership and decisions, as well as their value. In this case, the venture capitalists in control provide not only financing but business model advice and marketing strategies to maximize the success of the endeavor. Howard Helfant’s career in marketing and venture capital investing has revealed to him the importance of the business networks which both public and private capital investing creates for new firms. These networks help new businesses grow. As the networks expand, new and struggling startups may be identified and approached with financing possibilities, which in turn provide mentoring, marketing and the technical expertise to succeed. Howard Helfant world of venture capitalists is far different than those that...