Edgardo Defortuna was born in Córdoba, Argentina, but came to Miami to study English at the age of 22 and never left: He created a company called Fortune International Group, which develops and sells luxury projects. Two months ago he launched a platform so that people can invest in Miami on a low budget.
The platform is called Growie. It was launched in partnership with Globant and people can invest in real estate projects without a minimum ticket. How does it work? Through the purchase of a token or digital asset, it can be traded over time and generate returns. It should be noted that the platform is not for buying properties, but rather for buying assets in developments. That is, the investor does not keep a property. Regarding the amounts, Defortuna explains that an average person invests from US$10,000 upwards.
In addition, something that the founder of Fortune International Group, a company with more than eight million square feet developed in Miami, highlights is that on this platform you can diversify risks. “You can invest in different projects, which is what those who do not fall in love with a single project like,” explains Defortuna, and regarding profitability he assures that this business leaves a return of around 20% annually in dollars or a total of 120% from the beginning of the project to the end, which usually lasts four or five years.
On the platform, for the moment, you can invest in Nexo Residences North Miami Beach and Ritz-Carlton Pompano Beach. The first, called Nexo Residences, will have 254 residences with one to four bedrooms and will be delivered in 2026. It will have 15 floors and has a price range that goes from US$626,000 to US$1,075,000. The second project, called Ritz Carlton, is a luxury resort that is expected to finish its 32-story construction in 2025. It has units from one to five bedrooms and the size of each apartment is around 83 square meters. The residences, meanwhile, have a starting price of US$1,250,000.
“What makes me proud is that my eldest son, Andrés, had a role in this platform that we created in partnership with Globant, since he handles technology much better. I see him very motivated,” says Edgardo. For his part, Andrés says: “The inspiration for Growie came about when we realized the transformation that digitalization is causing in various industries around the world. We saw a unique opportunity to integrate blockchain technology into the real estate sector, creating a vehicle that allows small and medium-sized investors to participate in the capital (equity) of some of the most luxurious projects in Miami.”
Defortuna explains that Miami is an area that is booming, because many companies based in New York or Chicago moved there and Brickell in particular is an attractive hub.” And he says there is a boom in permanent housing that makes the buyer more local, that is, the North American is buying in Miami, especially considering that there are the best schools and where they are going to work.
“Of course, the first thing they always ask me is if there is anything on the beach. And it is not easy today to get an available lot on the beach to continue building. Also, when people analyze it, the beach is far from the school and work area, which are the places where you move every day, so the luxury products are so well made in the Brickell area that people focus on that, and go to the beach in their free time, but it depends on the needs and tastes of the client,” he adds.
After the Champlain Towers South Condo collapsed in Miami two years ago, leaving 98 dead and not complying with construction codes and regulations, a new regulation and code was created for the maintenance of old condominiums.
