1
One Nuclear to go public in $1B deal to power data center boom
Energy developer One Nuclear agreed to go public through a merger with blank check company Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. VII (NASDAQ: HVII) in a deal that values the West Palm Beach-based business at $1 billion, the South Florida Business Journal reported.
The transaction is expected to raise up to $210 million in proceeds to help the firm develop two gigawatts of gas generation capacity by 2027 and three gigawatts of advanced nuclear capacity by 2034. One Nuclear aims to develop those projects in Oklahoma and Texas. One gigawatt of power is enough to power at least 750,000 homes.
“We believe our long-term approach to gas and nuclear developments, combined with strong relationships and advanced SMR technology, positions us well to play a significant role in building energy infrastructure at a scale and speed that the country needs,” said CEO Richard Taylor. Read more here.
2
Fuel VC appoints a Chief Venture Officer. Let’s meet her
Miami-based Fuel Venture Capital announced the appointment of Selene Casabal as Managing Director and Chief Venture Officer. Casabal becomes the firm’s first Silicon Valley director and will spearhead Fuel’s efforts to deploy more than $100 million in investments targeting artificial intelligence companies.
Casabal brings over a decade of experience in the venture ecosystem, including two industry-recognized startup exits. She has founded and served as an executive operator at companies such as Re:store, b8ta, and Popshop Live, ventures known for their innovative market strategies, strong user growth, and partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Collectively, these companies have raised hundreds of millions in capital from investors including Sequoia, Benchmark, and Khosla Ventures. After her last exit, Casabal worked with deep-tech founders in Intel’s Ignite accelerator and later joined Sequoia Capital’s Scout Fund as a Scout Partner. Casabal’s portfolio, including angel investments, spans 30 frontier technology companies such as Perplexity, Impulse Space, Replit, and Serve Robotics.
As Chief Venture Officer at Fuel, Casabal’s investment focus is driven by a strong thesis on AI disruption. “My goal at Fuel is to align the best companies with ready capital at every step of growth, beyond Silicon Valley’s traditional moment of favorites. I know these founders are looking for investors who are ambitious thinkers, ready to change the world themselves. That’s precisely the type of partner we plan to be at Fuel,” said Casabal, who is based in San Francisco.
Fuel manages $550 million in assets across five funds and has deployed capital into over 40 early-stage companies, including Replit, CookUnity, RecargaPay, Lunar and Betr.
3
West Palm Beach-based Katalyst & Co. launches, raises $10M
Founder and CEO Kat Marie Alvarez announced the launch of Katalyst & Co., an integrated healthcare transformation platform for strategic advisory services, capital deployment, and global operational execution. To fund this new venture, she also announced the West Palm Beach-based company has raised $10 million in funding. Investors were not disclosed.
Alvarez’s career spans leadership roles across major payers and providers, including executive positions as chief operating officer and chief strategy officer. Her experience includes more than $5 billion in healthcare transactions, $2.7 billion in profit and loss responsibility, and the management of more than 12 million health plan members. “Healthcare in the U.S. is at a crossroads,” said Alvarez. “I founded Katalyst & Co. to serve as a performance multiplier that helps providers, payers, sponsors, and tech innovators grow intelligently, deliver responsibly, and scale sustainably.”
For investors, Katalyst’s platform delivers industry insight, market analysis, and operational expertise. For health plans, the platform strengthens value-based care models to improve both financial and clinical outcomes. For technology innovators, the firm provides commercialization support for health technology solutions, and for provider groups, hospitals and healthcare systems, the company helps design and implement strategies that elevate care delivery, operational efficiency, and patient experience.
4
LeverX opens SAP AppHaus Miami
Last week, SAP AppHaus Network member LeverX officially opened its newest creative co-innovation space, SAP AppHaus Miami. It is LeverX’s second SAP AppHaus; there is also one in Warsaw, Poland.
SAP AppHaus Miami invites customers to co-create new solutions with LeverX’s experienced team of coaches and architects in the Brickell facility. The LeverX SAP AppHaus Miami team consists of top SAP experts and advanced IT solution experts, and the space is designed for collaborative innovation, accommodating up to 25 participants. Larger events can be hosted in an additional space within the building.
LeverX, a SAP partner, global system integrator and digital transformation consultancy, moved its global corporate headquarters from Silicon Valley to Miami in 2023. “This milestone highlights how a focus on user experience enables organizations across industries to create and implement best-in-class SAP business solutions,” said Victor Lozinski, LeverX co-founder and board chairman.
5
Terrabank and MDC team up to roll out AI training for every employee
Terrabank has teamed up with Miami Dade College, in partnership with Grovear, to roll out the AI Clinic, an intensive AI training program, to raise the level of AI proficiency across the bank’s workforce. The curriculum is tailored to Terrabank’s needs with modules designed for senior leadership, managers and staff. Terrabank expects the AI Clinic to strengthen its operations across all departments, while creating measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency and customer service.
More than 130 employees are expected to complete the course, which combines online learning with in-person workshops. By the end of the program, participants will be able to program their own AI agents, apply a variety of AI tools to their daily work and design solutions that improve efficiency and service quality. The AI Clinic is offered through MDC’s AI Center and its School of Continuing Education & Professional Development. Employees will complete 20–25 hours of online study and then participate in up to 12 hours of workshops to apply their learning safely and ethically.
READ MORE: Google invests $2 million on AI readiness at Miami Dade College
6
Miami fintech Druo raises seed funding
Druo, a Miami-based global direct-debit payment method, raised a seed funding round led by Global PayTech Ventures. The amount of funding was not disclosed, but Pitchbook reported it to be $2 million. The company intends to use the funds to scale its global proprietary network and increase service availability for more merchants and nd users.
Led by CEO Alejandro Pinzon, Druo is a global direct-debit payment network enabling businesses to accept payments directly from bank accounts. The company connects 10,000 financial institutions and services almost 1 million users in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru.
In September, Druo reached approximately $294 million in total transaction volume processed since its 2022 launch, including $57.8 million USD in Q3 2025 alone, representing 188% year-over-year growth. DRUO is expected to be available in Europe in 2026 as it continues expanding its global network. “We removed almost a dozen middlemen and built a new system to replace an antiquated process. DRUO gives merchants what they never had — secure, near-free payments. It now works with more than 1 billion bank accounts,” Pinzon said.
7
Rocketbeet becomes an Endeavor Entrepreneur
Rocketbeet is now officially an Endeavor Miami company, and it is Founder Juan Damia’s third company selected by the global Endeavor network for the honor; the first two were selected by Endeavor Argentina. “Yet it feels just as thrilling as the first time,”’ Damia said in a LinkedIn Post. “Each chapter with Endeavor has shaped my journey as a founder and reminded me how powerful this global community truly is.”
Rocketbeet is an external, standard, and neutral risk score for startup investability, like a FICO Score but for the Venture Capital industry. Rocketbeet’s proprietary algorithm evaluates over 90 variables to quantify how investable a startup is, bringing transparency and comparability to venture capital. “With Rocketbeet, we’re all in on building something that can redefine how venture capital is assigned, because no high-impact entrepreneur should ever have to slow down for lack of capital,” said Damia, “Capital should flow to potential, not ZIP codes.”
Damia previously founded Intellignos, a data analytics firm acquired by Havas Group in 2017, where he went on to expand and lead data consulting services and the development of algorithms for marketing purposes. Juan also served on the Board of the Digital Analytics Association, authored the book Meta Analytics, and hosts Born2Unicorn on YouTube.
8
MORE STARTUPS IN THE NEWS
Out of 1,000 startups that applied, Miami-based Tukki made it to the 43North Finals in Buffalo — and last Thursday, CEO and Co-founder Ramiro Roballos took the stage to pitch and declared one of this year’s winners. Tukki, which helps global talent navigate their U.S. immigration journey, is the second winner in a row from Miami. Last year, Evan Leaphart of Credit Academy participated in the yearlong program.
Last week we reported that Fort Lauderdale-based Captain Compliance won the Early Stage Showcase at Venture Atlanta 2025, claiming the top prize among 90 presenting startups at one of the Southeast’s largest venture conferences. But there was another Miami winner that night.The Audience Choice Award went to Miami-based Kind Designs, the 3-D-printed seawall technology startup. Read more about Kind Designs here.
Shark Tank’s Daymond John headlined Mindspace Miami’s second Big Pitch Night, moderating a packed live competition where five Miami entrepreneurs pitched their ventures before a panel of investors and business leaders. Robert Vasquez, founder of Sail Wellness, took home the top prize for his AI-powered nutrition platform that simplifies healthy living through personalized insights. Vasquez was awarded six months of complimentary office space at Mindspace Downtown Miami. Other startups that pitched were Nathalya Ramir.ez, Co-Founder of Early Intervention Systems Inc., Yadira Diaz, Founder of Gradible, Carmelo Colon, CEO of InterviewCoach.AI, and Jeremey White, CEO of MindGallery.
9
UM joins statewide quantum tech alliance
With the second quantum revolution on the horizon, the University of Miami joined the Florida Alliance for Quantum Technology, a collaborative effort that brings together universities, government agencies, and the private sector to make Florida a national leader in this field. UM’s College of Arts and Sciences is home to more than a dozen faculty members whose research involves quantum technologies, and is leading the University’s participation in the alliance.
The goals of the Florida Alliance for Quantum Technology include supporting research and entrepreneurship, as well as the development of a “quantum-ready workforce,” according to a memorandum of understanding that alliance members signed. Read more here.
10
Need interns? This program’s got you covered
This summer, 65+ Miami Dade College students worked with startups and small businesses across Miami through its Miami Startup Ecosystem Internship Program. Students gained real-world experience, employers benefited from meaningful contributions, and several interns turned their summer roles into full-time jobs.
Next summer, MDC is scaling up the program. In 2026, up to 100 students will be placed with Miami-based companies, expanding the program’s impact and strengthening our local startup ecosystem. If your business would like to work with interns, learn more and sign up here.
And wait, there’s more: Jobs, jobs, jobs
Here are a handful of jobs open now:
Betr – Data Analyst
Betr – Marketing Video Editor
Exowatt – GTM Lead
Kandji – Software Engineer, Windows Agent
Kaseya – Director of Product Finance
Lennar – HR Technology Lead, Workday
Letterhead – Product Manager
Propy – Front End Developer
RMW Accounting – Head of Talent Acquisition
RMW Accounting – Head of Service Delivery
Vultr – Data Center Operations Manager
Vultr – Junior Test Automation Engineer
Find hundreds more jobs on Refresh Miami’s job board here.
PLUS
Opportunity knocks
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.
GatorPitch Miami, November 6, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm, Miami (register to see address, registration is subject to approval by the host). GatorPitch Miami highlights a cohort of the top startups and entrepreneurial talent from the University of Florida. Influential investors and members of the greater ecosystem get exclusive access to the burgeoning talent from the heart of Gator Nation. Startups affiliated with the University of Florida can apply to pitch by October here.
The 2025 SXSW Pitch Showcase, now in its 18th year, is a premier startup competition spotlighting 45 startups across nine industry categories — from AI and Healthcare to Sustainability and FinTech. Finalists will pitch live in Austin, March 13-14, 2026, before investors and industry leaders. Past participants have gone on to raise over $23B in funding. Apply here by Nov. 7.
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.
Join the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation for the next Pitch Night and Networking Reception on Wednesday, November 19 from 5pm to 8pm, sponsored by Veterans Florida. The Better Business Bureau is supporting it with prize money for the pitch competition. Watch entrepreneurs from the sixth cohort of the Accelerate Program pitch their venture. Reserve here.
ICYMI
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.
Thank you for reading Refresh Miami and supporting paywall-free news. Give Miami Day is coming up! Please support us so we can continue covering #MiamiTech for you.
I am a writer and editor with extensive media experience and a passion for journalism and serving the community. Most of my career has been spent with the Miami Herald in business news, and my expertise is writing about tech and entrepreneurs. I love hosting this blog for Refresh Miami and we aim to be the go-to site for South Florida startup and tech news, features and views. Have news? Contact me at [email protected]. Thanks for reading! Latest posts by Nancy Dahlberg (see all) 10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from One Nuclear, Fuel VC, Katalyst, Druo, LeverX, Rocketbeet, Tukki, Kind Designs, Sail Wellness, UM, MDC, jobs & more – October 31, 2025 OpenEvidence, the ChatGPT for clinicians, has raised $200M on a $6B valuation – and recently moved to Miami – October 22, 2025 With a new mission for the AI era, Kandji is now Iru – October 22, 2025