Happy Holidays to all our readers! Thank you for reading and supporting Refresh Miami. Keep your news coming in 2026!
Here is some news in brief from recent days, and stay tuned to Refresh for our year-end and look-ahead coverage.
1
Togal.AI plans to add 100 to team in 2026
Togal.AI, an AI platform for construction estimating, plans to add 100 employees across all departments in 2026. The Miami-based startup’s recent announcement follows strong growth. Topal.AI reports that from January 2024 through December 2025, ARR grew more than 1,000%. That followed 940% growth in 2023.
“Construction is a multi-trillion-dollar industry that has historically relied on manual processes. What we’re seeing now is a fundamental shift. AI is becoming essential infrastructure for builders, and Togal’s growth reflects how quickly the market is moving toward smarter, more scalable estimating solutions,” said Patrick Murphy founder & CEO of Togal.AI, in a statement.
Founded in 2019 by former estimators, Togal.AI provides an AI-powered platform that helps automate and streamline the construction estimating process. Togal automatically identifies and tallies 200,000 individual items or elements in construction plans per day, the company reports. What’s more, 90 million+ LLM tokens are processed daily, demonstrating the scale of Togal.AI’s construction plan analysis.
To date, Togal has analyzed more than three million construction plans.
2
Miami investment firm targets AI-enabled healthcare
Vitalis Ventures is a Miami-based investment firm focused on backing AI-enabled healthcare technology companies advancing next-generation care delivery.
The firm recently announces a $15 million investment in Drive Health, an Arizona-based healthcare technology company behind Avery, a Google-powered agentic AI platform that enables patients to navigate care and alleviates the workload placed on clinicians. Vitalis Ventures partnered with Inside Capital Partners on the transaction.
Vitalis Ventures’ latest investment brings the total capital committed to Drive Health to more than $26 million. Vitalis Ventures will join Drive Health’s Board of Directors. “Vitalis brings real operational depth, health-system experience, and the long-term vision needed to scale Avery responsibly. With their support, and through our continued work with Google, we are accelerating our ability to deliver safe, accessible, and compassionate AI support to healthcare facilities and patients nationwide,” said Drive Health CEO Kevin Longoria.
Vitalis Ventures invests in AI-enabled healthcare technology companies to improve access, quality, and efficiency across the U.S. health system, a thesis informed by years of operating a portfolio of outpatient medical, surgery center and behavioral health facilities.
3
PairSoft receives majority investment
PairSoft, a Miami-based provider of procure-to-pay automation and payment solutions, received a majority investment from TA Associates. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. As a result of the transaction, existing investor Turn/River Capital will fully exit its stake in the business. PairSoft plans to use the funds for product development and global expansion.
PairSoft offers a comprehensive suite of procure-to-pay automation and payment solutions that streamline accounts payable, procurement, payment and document managSpaceTement workflows for mid-market and enterprise organizations globally. The company’s AI-driven solutions integrate natively with major ERP systems, including Oracle, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Blackbaud, and Sage Intacct, enabling finance teams to streamline processes and achieve greater visibility across the P2P lifecycle. PairSoft says it currently serves more than 1,500 customers across North America and Europe. The company will continue to operate independently as part of the TA portfolio.
“From broadening our user base globally to reinforcing our products with in-house AI, we’ve made great strides in providing products highly tailored to finance teams, and I look forward to even more momentum as we begin this new chapter,” said PairSoft CEO Matt Cotter, in a statement.
4
SpaceTech startups chosen for Space Florida program
Space Florida, the state’s aerospace and finance development authority, and Seraphim Space, a leading SpaceTech investor, announced the launch of the SpaceTech Investor Readiness Program, a partnership designed to accelerate innovation and investment across Florida’s growing SpaceTech ecosystem.
Seraphim has a portfolio of 148 companies across 32 countries, including five unicorns, collectively raising over $8.2 billion in funding. Leveraging its global network and expertise, Seraphim together with Space Florida will help connect Florida-based startups with investors and key partners to drive growth and investment readiness.
Seven Florida-based SpaceTech startups were chosen for the inaugural cohort. They are:
The seven companies selected are:
Aloft Biotechnologies: Building biomanufacturing solutions for microgravity through air-film technology
AMROK Inc.: Enabling rapid, autonomous maneuver for space fleets,
Arachnid Systems: Developing hyper-sensing robotics to inspect spacecraft and launch vehicles
Blackstar Orbital: Reusable hypersonic satellites providing rapid, affordable LEO access and down-mass for government, commercial, and retail sectors,
ETA Space: Enabling sustainable space exploration by building cryogenic propellant stations for refueling satellites and other spacecraft in orbit, on the moon, and on Mars
Micro-gRx, Inc.: Harnessing microgravity to produce potent, high-quality nanomedicines at a clinical scale to repair heart and muscle damage
X-Lumin: X-lumin’s dual-use Free Space Optical systems enable multi-gigabit, jam-resistant laser communications for ground-to-space and terrestrial networks
5
Xpoint secures growth funding
Xpoint, a geolocation and compliance technology provider for the online gaming industry, announced that it raised an investment round led by existing investor Bettor Capital. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
The capital will fast‑track Miami-based Xpoint’s R&D roadmap and expand its product and engineering teams, the company said. XPoint’s platform aims to combine fast, accurate precision geofencing with advanced fraud detection to stop spoofing, block unauthorized wagers, and surface suspicious activity in real time, helping operators launch and scale confidently in online real-money gaming markets.
Xpoint reports that its recent momentum includes active and pending deployments with leading brands such as bet365 and PrizePicks in North America, with more to be announced soon. It is also live with clients in Brazil and the UAE, including the UAE Lottery and Play971, the first regulated online gaming and sports betting entity in the region. “We’re scaling up our teams to ship a wave of new capabilities that help operators defeat location spoofing, streamline compliance, and convert more good users—without compromising on precision, scale, or speed,” said Xpoint CEO Manu Gambhir.
6
ACE Padel to open Coconut Grove location
ACE Padel, a sports brand for the U.S. padel market, announced its first club in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, set to open in the first half of 2026. The club will be developed together with real estate development firm Aventura Asset Management, and it will mark the debut of a national expansion that includes confirmed developments in Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles.
The new Coconut Grove club will feature five outdoor courts – four of which will be covered by a 32-foot canopy for optimal play – developed in partnership with Mejor Set, a leader in premium padel court construction. These will be the first fully hurricane-proof and permitted padel courts in the City of Miami.
“Padel is more than a sport – it’s a movement built on energy, connection, and creativity,” says Elliot Carnello, co-founder and CEO of ACE Padel. “We’re crafting clubs that go beyond performance – cinematic environments where people meet, exchange ideas, and recharge.”
7
Boats Group secures growth investment
Miami-based Boats Group, a global provider of online marketplaces for boats and yachts, announced a strategic growth investment from General Atlantic and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. As part of the transaction, funds advised by existing investor Permira have partially realized their investment in Boats Group and will retain a significant minority shareholding. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Led by CEO Patric Kolek, Boats Group operates marketplaces including Boat Trader, YachtWorld, and boats.com. In recent years, Boats Group has invested in products and technology that make discovering and buying a boat easy, while helping sellers succeed.
8
Pillar Security launches new AI product
Pillar Security, a Miami-based AI security startup, recently launched RedGraph, which it says is a first-of-its-kind product that maps AI agent attack surfaces. RedGraph enables security teams to discover and validate real exploits in their AI systems continuously, resulting in an innovative combination of AI security and attack surface management, the company said in its news release.
“Most AI security testing happens in a vacuum,” said Dor Sarig, CEO & co-founder of Pillar Security. “Teams test the model but miss the system. RedGraph changes this by taking the attacker’s perspective – it thinks like a hacker, maps the entire attack surface, and validates every finding with a real exploit. This gives security teams what they actually need: proven risks they can immediately fix.”
Pillar Security was founded in 2023. RedGraph is already in use by Fortune 500 companies and other enterprises, the startup reports.
PLUS
Opportunity knocks
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 – Catch up!
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.
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) 8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: Togal.AI plans hiring spree in 2026, plus news from Vitalis Ventures, PairSoft, Space Florida, Xpoint, Pillar Security, ACE Padel, Boats Group & more – December 23, 2025 Beycome secures $2.5M in seed funding to expand AI-powered real estate platform – December 19, 2025 Boatsetter and Getmyboat merge. Both rental platforms will continue business as usual for now – December 18, 2025