Congratulations to:
- LoanPass, a Miami fintech startup offering a no-code, SaaS application for loan decisioning technology that gives lenders control over loan product, pricing and underwriting decisions, on raising a $5M Series E round from Jacobs Asset Management.
- EarlyDay, a Miami edtech startup offering an early childhood educator marketplace platform, on being acquired by Wonderschool for an undisclosed amount.
- Phoenix Tower International, a Boca Raton wireless communications infrastructure provider, on raising an undisclosed amount from BlackRock and Grain Management.
- CTF Capital, a Miami quantitative cryptocurrency asset investment manager, on being acquired by Borderless Capital for an undisclosed amount.
Making news:
- West Palm Beach Comvest Partners, a middle-market private equity and credit investment firm, closes 6th flagship private equity fund, Comvest Investment Partners VI, at $881M – seeks to deploy up to $150M per investment in targeted industries including consumer, healthcare services, infrastructure and field services, and professional and managed services.
- Plug and Play opens semiconductor accelerator program at NeoCity in Osceola County funded by the county – $1.5M/yr. for 3 years – program is a collaboration between the county, BRIDG, and imec – to accelerate a minimum of 20 semiconductor startups per year.
- Florida Venture Forum’s upcoming Florida Early Stage Venture Conference – last year’s top winning company, Kind Designs, went on to raise $5M in venture funding – Anya Freeman, founder and CEO of Kind Designs: “Presenting at Florida Venture Forum events is a fantastic way to gain exposure to top venture investors in a setting where they are open and actively looking for investments. Kind Designs presented in 2023 and shortly thereafter we closed several investments directly as a result of connections made at the event.”
- CoworkingCafe top U.S. metros for coworking spaces: Miami #3, 272, Tampa #19, 73, Orlando #26, 53.
- Karina DuQuesne, founder of Valia Partners, an AI-powered advisory firm servicing high-growth companies and startups in the realms of legal, operations, and human resources, joins Miami’s Caldera Law as a partner and practice leader for the firm’s new Technology & Innovation Practice.
- Flow, the apartment startup founded by WeWork founder and billionaire Adam Neumannand backed by a16z, is underway with three projects in various stages of development at Miami Worldcenter, the $6B master-planned mixed-use community in downtown Miami.
- Tampa’s Embarc Collective celebrates 5th anniversary – 24 of its 25 inaugural early-stage startups remain in business – Lakshmi Shenoy, CEO: “We’re hitting it out of the park on relevance and by doing that, we’re helping them (entrepreneurs) stay accountable to their goals … which is why they are defying the odds.”
- Tampa’s Sunshine Cyber Conference, hosted by Cyber Florida, a statewide cybersecurity organization housed at USF – conversations on AI and the implications of emerging technology dominated the event- as Tampa has become a hub for cybersecurity through companies like ReliaQuest, KnowBe4, and Rapid7, the conference also shared an insight into future challenges for the state’s business and technology ecosystem.
- Botkeeper, a Boston fintech startup offering automation software for bookkeeping, relocates to St. Petersburg – has more than 500 employees and has raised more than $85M in venture capital across three funding rounds.
Upcoming technology entrepreneurship events on our calendar:
- eMerge Americas, April 18 to 19, all-day, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach. eMerge Americas is the premier global tech event convening in Miami and anchoring #MiamiTech Month 2024. eMerge Americas gathers the brightest minds and attracts business leaders, government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across the globe to discuss technologies transforming our lives. Learn from visionary leaders in technology. Experience and demo the latest technology advancements & solutions, all while networking with thought leaders and industry experts.
- BioFlorida Celebration of Biotechnology, April 25, 9:30 am – 1 pm, Momentum Labs, Alachua. This outdoor event attracts more than 500 industry and life science professionals to Alachua – a hub for innovation in biotechnology and life sciences – features over 100 exhibitors, a guided bus tour of the local life sciences community, music and several food vendors.
- 2024 Florida Early Stage Venture Conference, June 4 to 5, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando. The 16th annual Early Stage Venture Conference will feature a record $300,000 in award dollars and capital investment from Forum members Space Florida, DeepWork Capital, and Florida Power & Light’s Innovation Hub, 35 Mules. The conference also will include the Space Florida AeroTech Summit which will feature presenters and programming relevant to the space and aerospace industries, and the Forum’s Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition, during which startup teams from 10+ Florida colleges and universities compete for award dollars.
- Florida International Medical Expo (FIME), June 19 to 21, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach. The largest gathering of medical device and equipment companies in the US. Conference includes Business and Innovation Health Hub with Health Biz and Innovation Talks, Innvo8 Start-up Competition, and the Business and Trade Series.
- BioFlorida Annual Conference, November 19 to 20, all-day. Walt Disney World Swan, Orlando. This conference will bring together the life sciences community in the state and showcase current scientific advancements, business achievements, and public policy affecting the industry.
