1
LoanBud opens Southeast hub in Fort Lauderdale
LoanBud, a New York City-based fintech marketplace that connects entrepreneurs to SBA financing, announced it is expanding and has opened a new office in Fort Lauderdale at 110 East Broward Boulevard. LoanBud, now with about 10 employees in South Florida, is planning to add 20 new hires in 2026.
South Florida was chosen for its Southeast hub because it has a deep pool of financial services talent and an active lending ecosystem. LoanBud COO Randy Spradlin is already based in the region and will lead the new office.
“South Florida is primed for growth and it’s where financial innovation meets entrepreneurial energy,” said Burke Purcell, founder and CEO of LoanBud. “By establishing operations here, we’re tapping into a strong base of loan officers, credit analysts, and loan document specialists who know the market. Combined with Randy’s leadership on the ground, this office will help us grow and scale faster.”
The company, which also has an office in Orangeburg, SC, plans to hire locally for financial operations roles, including credit analysts, loan document specialists and loan officers.
2
NextEra, Google Cloud to develop data centers
NextEra Energy, the parent company of FPL, will expand its existing partnership with Google Cloud to jointly develop multiple gigawatt-scale data centers, the companies announced Monday. The partners have already started development on three data centers and are working to identify more locations.
The locations of the three data centers have not been disclosed. Also undisclosed is how much extra capacity the new data centers would or the financial details of the partnership, the South Florida Business Journal reported. NextEra Energy already has about 3.5 gigawatts in operation or contracted with Google, according to company figures.
“Our partnership with Google exemplifies this very singular moment when energy and technology are becoming inextricably intertwined,” said NextEra Energy chairman and CEO John Ketchum, in a statement. “Together, we intend to build data center capacity and energy infrastructure at scale, advance cutting-edge technology and reimagine how energy companies operate.”
Next year, NextEra Energy will also incorporate Google’s AI capabilities in its field operations, grid management efforts and forecasting and power flow models, which is expected to control costs. Read more here.
3
Quantum Florida kicks off
A week after the federal government unveiled the Genesis Mission, a sweeping national initiative to accelerate science and innovation through quantum technologies and next generation advanced computing, leaders from Florida’s technology and venture sectors today announced the formation Florida Quantum. This new statewide initiative aims to organize, attract, and accelerate quantum innovation across Florida.
The Florida Quantum initiative is co-led by Matt Cimaglia, founder & managing partner of Quantum Coast Capital, and Tony Jimenez, managing partner of Medina Ventures, in collaboration with the Florida Alliance for Quantum Technology (FAQT), eMerge Americas and FloridaCommerce. Quantum Florida will connect private industry, and government to strengthen Florida’s position in the global quantum landscape. Its mission is to inspire quantum companies to build in Florida, develop a skilled workforce for the quantum era, and diversify the state’s technology investment portfolio within this rapidly emerging ecosystem. The launch builds on the momentum of the third Quantum Beach held this past October, a gathering that convened leading quantum companies, investors, researchers, and policymakers, signaling that Florida’s quantum activity is evolving from scattered events into a coordinated statewide movement.
“Florida has long been a launchpad for technological revolutions from the early days of computing to the modern aerospace era,” Cimaglia said. “With quantum, we’re organizing early to ensure Florida doesn’t just participate, we lead. This initiative will serve as a catalyst for collaboration, capital, and talent across the state.”
Florida Quantum aims to connect universities, investors and leading quantum companies with federal and private partners to foster investment and workforce development. The initiative will coordinate statewide quantum efforts, engage accelerator programs, and build pathways for capital investment into quantum-focused companies and research. At the same time, it will support workforce development, including early K–12 exposure to foundational quantum concepts, to prepare for long-term demand, all in its mission to attract leading quantum companies and expand Florida’s role in the national quantum economy. The new initiative was introduced last week at the Tech Basel Miami AI Summit.
4
More robots hit the streets
Serve Robotics, a California company that operates food delivery robots, has expanded to Broward County. Its AI-powered sidewalk robots deliver to Uber Eats customers in downtown Fort Lauderdale and Las Olas Boulevard. The company already operates in Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles, and plans to have 2,000 robots across its cities by the end of the year .
“South Florida has proven to be an incredible market for autonomous delivery,” said Serve co-founder and CEO Ali Kashani, in a statement. “Building on our success in Miami, the expansion to Fort Lauderdale allows us to serve more communities, support more restaurant partners and continue scaling our low-emissions delivery network across the region.”
No doubt, you’ve seen food-delivering robots around. Besides Serve Rotbotics, other brands roaming around Brickell, Wynwood and beyond include Coco Robotics, Cartken and Tiny Mile.
5
Gold Coast Tech Accelerator wraps up inaugural cohorts
The Gold Coast Tech Accelerator Program, an 8-week hybrid accelerator program for FinTech and Dual-Use and Defense Tech startups, has just wrapped up its first program. In a collaboration between The Florida Council of 100 and its Foundation, eMerge Americas, and Related Ross, the participating startups were connected with resources such as mentorship and connections from some of the top CEOs and business leaders in Florida as well as free office space.
“By bringing Southeast Florida’s strengths together, we are empowering entrepreneurs to innovate, attract investment, and drive the next chapter of Florida’s economic growth,” said Mike Simas, president & CEO of The Florida Council of 100, noting that Florida has posted the nation’s second-highest finance and insurance GDP growth over the past five years, outpacing New York and California.
The Dual-Use and Defense Tech cohort included Extremis Systems, Phantom Photonics, Thor Dynamics Corporation, Material Hybrid Manufacturing, Symbio Holdings, ProximaVision Aerospace, Impatient Software, Future Optek, bundleIQ, and Farview. The FinTech cohort included: Retrievables, Grove, SyncData.ai, Preventor, RiskRator, Cypator, Maestro, Clox AI, Delfi, and Eyeclone.
The 2026 accelerator program has not been announced yet, but sign up for updates here.
6
Seaworthy Collective applications open
Seaworthy Collective announced that applications for Cohort 7 of its flagship Startup Program, The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator are now open. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Jan. 28th, 2026.
The 2026 program will once again support US-based startups developing ocean data technologies and services, in alignment with the priorities of the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Initiative. This is a result of Seaworthy’s expanded role in its $14 million NOAA partnership, The Continuum, a coordinated network of ocean enterprise accelerators that fast-tracks startups getting to market by making support for BlueTech solutions more scalable, efficient, and interconnected. The Continuum partners include Braid Theory, Ocean Exchange, Seaworthy Collective, St. Pete Innovation District, Tampa Bay Wave, World Ocean Council, and the University of South Florida.
“By aligning directly with the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Initiative, we are giving founders a clear focus and immediate relevance. This program isn’t just mentorship; it’s a structured pipeline that guides promising startups from concept validation to securing capital, ensuring their innovative solutions make a real impact on the Blue Economy,” said Tamara Kahn Zissman, Director of Founder Success at Seaworthy Collective.
In addition to the launch of the cohort 7 application, Seaworthy has also released its 5 Year Impact Report, available here.
7
Economic development boards head to NYC
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, and the Miami-Dade Beacon Council are joining forces on a three-day mission to New York City that started Tuesday. The mission corporate executives, site selectors, professional advisors, and other key market influencers to reinforce the strong business ties between the two regions and spotlight new cross-market opportunities.
The delegation’s visit reflects the deep economic and industry connections shared by South Florida and New York City, with the two markets linked by companies and talent that actively operate across both geographies.
A designated ‘mega-region’ for future U.S. economic growth with a GDP of more than $533 billion, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach MSA is home to more than 6.3 million residents, a multilingual workforce, and globally connected infrastructure. Combined, the three counties added 42,600 jobs over the year as of June 2025, with a job growth rate of 1.5 percent, which outpaces the national average of 1.1 percent.
“South Florida is not just growing; our diverse modern economy is outpacing national averages in economic output and business formation, particularly within our tech, aviation, life sciences, healthcare, and finance sectors,” said Bob Swindell, president & CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. “Further strengthening the connectivity between New York City and South Florida, with its business-friendly tax and regulatory environment, can create low-risk, high-margin opportunities in both regions.”
8
Vultr, AMD to launch AI supercluster
To advance and scale AI workloads worldwide, Vultr, the South Florida-based cloud infrastructure company, recently announced that it will launch an AI supercluster, powered by AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs deployed in its new Springfield, Ohio cloud data center location. This 50 MW expansion delivers unprecedented performance per dollar for AI training and inference.
Vultr was among the first cloud providers to deploy AMD Instinct MI325X and AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs, and is now expanding its AI infrastructure with an additional 24,000 AMD Instinct MI355X GPUs in its new Springfield, Ohio campus. Looking ahead, Vultr will extend its adoption of AMD Instinct GPUs by integrating the next generation AMD Instinct MI450 series GPUs and the “Helios” rack-scale infrastructure.
“As demand for AI infrastructure continues to accelerate, Vultr is committed to delivering hyperscale capacity with speed and global reach,” said J.J. Kardwell, CEO of Vultr. “By investing in the development of racked GPU capacity at scale, we’re enabling enterprises to push the boundaries of what’s possible with AI and bring next-generation applications to market faster.”
PLUS
Opportunity knocks
- eMerge Americas will be hosting a SHINE! Pitch Competition on Wednesday, 12/17 at The Lab Wynwood. Applications are now open for early-stage startups with at least one female founder. Six startups will be selected to pitch live, and the winner will receive a $2,500 grant and a fast-track spot in the 2026 eMerge Accelerator + Showcase. Apply here.
- Applications are now open until December 12 for the Venture Miami Scholarship Fund, which helps City of Miami residents gain access to high-wage, high-demand careers through professional training and credentialing programs. Currently, three accredited programs are eligible for scholarship support: Digital Marketing & AI; Data Science & Data Analytics; and Project Management & AI. To be eligible to apply, you must be a City of Miami resident and a US citizen or Green Card holder. Learn more here.
- Apply to catapult your startup at the 2026 eMerge Americas Conference + Expo April 23–24 in Miami, where 100 startups will be selected to learn from class mentors, connect with investors and partners, showcase in front of thousands, and potentially pitch for $125K in funding and prizes in the grand finale. Learn more and apply by Jan. 16.
- Looking to raise capital? Apply now to present in front of an audience of investors at the Florida Venture Forum’s 2026 Florida Venture Capital Conference Feb. 23–25 at the Loews Coral Gables. Apply here.
- The Miami Dade Innovation Authority (MDIA) has launched its seventh public innovation challenge and it is centered on emergency response. MDIA is seeking applications from early-to-growth stage startups with pilot-ready solutions to improve hazard mitigation, incident response, and public outreach and safety coordination for the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management. Apply here.
- The SMB Growth Lab, hosted by eMerge Americas, JPMorganChase + Momentum Miami, empowes Miami-Dade small and mid-sized businesses to embrace digital transformation, strengthen operations, and unlock sustainable growth opportunities. Apply here by Jan. 16.
- Israeli founders can showcase their startup, product, or breakthrough solution to global investors, partners and media at Israel Tech Week Miami 2026 next April. Apply now on the website here.
ICYMI
- Latest fundraise: Flex lands $60M Series B to become the private bank for America’s overlooked wealth creators
- Anti Fund closes $30M Fund I, adds Logan Paul as general partner
- Tech Basel Miami AI Summit delivers a peek into the future and strategies to ride the wave
- Archer’s air taxi network plan is starting to take shape in the Miami metro area. We get a peek at the eVTOL, too.
- As Miami enters an ‘Innovation Super Cycle,’ Lab22c taps Nafis Azad as EIR to help shape what comes next
- The transatlantic tech connection: How the UK and Florida are shaping a shared innovation future
- Digital art finds a home, thanks to young collectors
- Guest post: Smart money, smarter debt: Why founders can’t ignore credit as a growth lever
- Fast payroll across borders? Ontop thinks it shouldn’t be rare
- And much more paywall-free news here.
Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at [email protected] and follow her on X @ndahlberg and on LinkedIn. Subscribe to Refresh Miami’s free weekly newsletter here featuring startup news, tech job opportunities and events.
- 8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News about data centers, LoanBud, Quantum Florida, delivery robots, Gold Coast Tech Accelerator, Seaworthy Collective, Vultr & more – December 10, 2025
- Anti Fund closes $30M Fund I, adds Logan Paul as general partner – December 5, 2025
- Tech Basel Miami AI Summit delivers a peek into the future and strategies to ride the wave – December 4, 2025
