Pitching in a classroom is one thing. Pitching to the executives of a public AI infrastructure company, in its own office, is another. FIU Business students did the second at Miami-based Hut 8.
Students in professor Agustin Cohen’s Marketing for Entrepreneurs course visited the company’s Brickell headquarters. The stop was a coaching session ahead of the course’s Panther Tank competition.
Five Minutes to Make the Case
Hut 8 is a publicly traded energy infrastructure company that supports AI and data center development. Its headquarters recently expanded in Brickell.
Student teams presented developing business concepts to three Hut 8 leaders. They were Tim D’Agostino, a senior vice president, and Kevin Ruiz, director of Miami ecosystem and impact.
Michael Waggoner, one of the company’s strategic finance leaders, joined them. Each team had five minutes, followed by questions and feedback.
One team pitched a venture that turns discarded food into a bio-stimulant for soil. The plan is to collect organic waste from retailers and producers and sell the product to farmers.
The idea has a clear supply, a clear customer and a clear revenue path. Those are the three things investors probe first.
The discussion moved to business models, financial viability and how founders communicate value to investors. Those are the questions real investors ask.
D’Agostino told students not to lean on their phones for notes. “Speak confidently, and speak with conviction,” he said.
He reminded them that investors ultimately want to know how a business will generate returns.
Taking the Class Out of the Classroom
Cohen said the format is deliberate. “Learning by doing is at the heart of this course and Panther Tank,” he said. “This year, we took the class out of the classroom.”
He chose Hut 8 because it is a disruptive company with entrepreneurship in its DNA. Students were coached by senior executives, in their space and on their terms.
“It’s harder and more stressful than any typical class, and it’s meant to be,” Cohen said. He wants students comfortable with the uncomfortable while still in college.
The students felt the difference. International business major Haru Ogata said every group got impactful feedback that his team will apply to its pitch.
Marketing senior Kelly Ho had never visited a company’s headquarters for a class. “I think it’s really pivotal for us to do more of that,” she said.
Feedback delivered face to face by executives lands differently than comments on a rubric. Students heard where their stories and numbers were thin.
They have weeks to fix it before the Dec. 4 final.
Hut 8 representatives also described their backgrounds in finance and technology. They encouraged students to explore career and internship opportunities.
Internships matter in particular. Students who meet employers early are better placed when hiring begins.
Hut 8’s own Miami ecosystem and impact role suggests the company wants these ties.
A Company With Local Roots
The visit adds a classroom chapter to Hut 8’s Miami story. MAIN has reported that Miami’s Hut 8 landed a $1.07B AI data center loan.
Another MAIN story traced how Equinix’s AI boom runs through a Miami landmark. Together they show infrastructure becoming a visible part of Miami’s economy.
Local students are now meeting the people who run it. That shortens the distance between a degree and a job in the sector.
The students return to FIU with practical feedback and new professional contacts. Their final presentations are on Dec. 4.
By then each team will have defended its idea to people who invest for a living. That is the experience Cohen set out to create.
For Hut 8, the visit builds ties with local talent. For students, it is a rehearsal for the real thing.
The Panther Tank final will show how much the coaching changed their pitches.
Sources: 1. FIU Business: FIU Business students pitch ideas to AI infrastructure firm 2. MAIN: Miami’s Hut 8 Lands $1.07B AI Data Center Loan 3. MAIN: Equinix’s AI Boom Runs Through a Miami Landmark