{"id":414123,"date":"2026-09-29T22:16:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T22:16:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/414123\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T22:16:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T22:16:10","slug":"path-intelligence-takes-top-prize-at-sparc-ignite-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/414123\/","title":{"rendered":"Path Intelligence takes top prize at SPARC Ignite 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nate Robert-Eze, founder of Miami-based Path Intelligence,\u00a0 has a simple strategy when preparing for a pitch competition: Do it 100 times.<\/p>\n

He takes that approach seriously enough that he built his own tool to record his pitches, track how often he practices and evaluate each attempt. That preparation paid off Saturday, when Path Intelligence won this year\u2019s SPARC Ignite competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Robert-Eze will now head to the Startup World Cup Global Competition in San Francisco, where he will represent South Florida and compete for a $1 million investment prize. If he takes home the prize, Robert-Eze said he plans to use the funding to grow Path Intelligence\u2019s team and expand its go-to-market efforts with real estate developers.<\/p>\n

Path Intelligence<\/a> is building an AI sales agent for real estate developers that combines 3D virtual experiences with conversational AI. The technology tracks how prospective buyers interact with a property and the questions they ask, giving sales teams more context when following up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe like to say we turn the first call to make it feel like the fifth call,\u201d Robert-Eze said.<\/p>\n

Robert-Eze was one of 40 founders from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties who took the stage at Converge Miami, each given three minutes and no slides to make their case to a panel of judges.<\/p>\n

Hilmon Sorey, co-founder of The Source, said this year\u2019s applicant pool continued to grow more diverse, while the companies themselves showed more traction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year the applicants and finalists had momentum; measurable traction in the form of users, customers, or revenue,\u201d Sorey said.<\/p>\n

Meet the Finalists<\/p>\n

Rounding out the top three were Wink Biotherapeutics<\/a>, which is developing RNA-based therapeutics targeting Type 1 diabetes and solid tumors, and Immuniscan,<\/a> a platform that uses microchip technology to verify animal identity and health information for travel.<\/p>\n

\u2713<\/p>\n

Check your inbox for a confirmation email.<\/p>\n

Meagan Williams, vice president on JPMorgan\u2019s Innovation Economy Technology Growth Banking team and a SPARC judge for the second year, said she was particularly struck by founders building companies in industries already well established in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese founders aren\u2019t just building great companies, they\u2019re building in areas that play to South Florida\u2019s existing strengths while also pushing those industries forward,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

Seven other startups advanced to the final round:<\/p>\n

Early Intervention Systems Inc<\/a>: An AI-powered communication and compliance platform for senior living and health care teams.<\/p>\n

VIMEDRA<\/a>:<\/a> An AI-powered health care platform that helps care teams automate patient outreach and connect patients with health and social services.<\/p>\n

QuiqPix<\/a>: An on-demand platform that matches businesses with vetted local creators for photo, video and social media content.<\/p>\n

parAiLegal Code-Blue<\/a>:<\/a> A legal technology platform offering guidance and incident documentation for high-stakes encounters.<\/p>\n

CarResQ<\/a>: A vehicle recovery and repair platform connecting drivers with roadside assistance, mechanics and recovery services.<\/p>\n

SenType<\/a>:<\/a> A market intelligence platform that helps investors understand how news and events could affect their portfolios.<\/p>\n

FindTribe LLC<\/a>: A location-sharing app designed to help groups stay connected at crowded events, including when cellular service is limited.<\/p>\n

Beyond the Competition<\/p>\n

Ryan Pruitt, managing director at Ocean Azul Partners, said this year\u2019s pitches offered a broader look at where South Florida\u2019s startup ecosystem stands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s pitches told me South Florida has graduated from hype to growth,\u201d Pruitt said. \u201cThe next test is depth: more repeat founders, more local follow-on capital, and more companies choosing to scale here rather than just start here. Based on what we saw, we\u2019re heading in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The support for founders will extend beyond the competition, with 10 founders joining FUEL, SPARC\u2019s six-month fellowship program focused on go-to-market support, mentorship and connections to investors and strategic partners. All 40 founders who competed will also receive a free coworking membership at The Hub @ Office Logic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Networking at Converge Miami before the SPARC Ignite competition Sarurday night.<\/p>\n

Pictured at the top of this post: Top Row: (L)\u00a0Zakiyya White, Nate Robert-Eze (winner), Hilmon Sorey. Bottom Row: Kevin Cadette, Meagan Williams, Sonja Markova, Alejandra Slatapolsky, Ryan Pruitt.<\/p>\n

READ MORE ON REFRESH MIAMI:<\/p>\n

\"Anayansy<\/a> <\/p>\n

I am a University of Florida graduate and Miami native who is passionate about writing stories that highlight Miami’s thriving tech ecosystem. I especially enjoy writing stories about technologies creating a social impact, digital assets, and EdTech. Have a story to share? Contact me via Twitter @anathemarketer or
anayansy@yansymedia.com.<\/p>\n

\"Anayansy<\/a>Latest posts by Anayansy Hernandez (see all<\/a>) \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nate Robert-Eze, founder of Miami-based Path Intelligence,\u00a0 has a simple strategy when preparing for a pitch competition: Do…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414124,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-414123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}