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.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Florida is primed for growth and it\u2019s where financial innovation meets entrepreneurial energy,\u201d said Burke Purcell, founder and CEO of LoanBud. \u201cBy establishing operations here, we\u2019re tapping into a strong base of loan officers, credit analysts, and loan document specialists who know the market. Combined with Randy\u2019s leadership on the ground, this office will help us grow and scale faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company, which also has an office in Orangeburg, SC, plans to hire<\/a> locally for financial operations roles, including credit analysts, loan document specialists and loan officers.<\/p>\n 2<\/p>\n NextEra, Google Cloud to develop data centers<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0 financial details of the partnership, the South Florida Business Journal reported<\/a>. NextEra Energy already has about 3.5 gigawatts in operation or contracted with Google, according to company figures.<\/p>\n \u201cOur partnership with Google exemplifies this\u00a0very singular moment when energy and technology are becoming inextricably intertwined,\u201d said NextEra Energy chairman and CEO\u00a0John Ketchum, in a statement. \u201cTogether, we intend to build data center capacity and energy infrastructure at scale, advance cutting-edge technology and reimagine how energy companies operate.\u201d<\/p>\n Next year, NextEra Energy will also incorporate Google\u2019s AI capabilities in its field operations, grid management efforts and forecasting and power flow models, which is expected to control costs. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Quantum Florida kicks off<\/p>\n A week after the federal government unveiled the\u00a0Genesis Mission<\/a>, a sweeping national initiative to accelerate science and innovation through quantum technologies and next generation advanced computing, leaders from Florida\u2019s technology and venture sectors today announced the formation\u00a0Florida Quantum. This new statewide initiative aims to organize, attract, and accelerate quantum innovation across Florida.<\/p>\n The Florida Quantum initiative is co-led by Matt Cimaglia, founder & managing partner of\u00a0Quantum Coast Capital<\/a>, and Tony Jimenez, managing partner of\u00a0Medina Ventures<\/a>, in collaboration with the\u00a0Florida Alliance for Quantum Technology<\/a>\u00a0(FAQT),\u00a0eMerge Americas<\/a> and\u00a0FloridaCommerce<\/a>. Quantum Florida will connect private industry, and government to strengthen Florida\u2019s 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\u2019s technology investment portfolio within this rapidly emerging ecosystem. The launch builds on the momentum of the third\u00a0Quantum Beach<\/a>\u00a0held this past October, a gathering that convened leading quantum companies, investors, researchers, and policymakers, signaling that Florida\u2019s quantum activity is evolving from scattered events into a coordinated statewide movement.<\/p>\n \u201cFlorida has long been a launchpad for technological revolutions from the early days of computing to the modern aerospace era,\u201d\u00a0Cimaglia said.\u00a0\u201cWith quantum, we\u2019re organizing early to ensure Florida doesn\u2019t just participate, we lead. This initiative will serve as a catalyst for collaboration, capital, and talent across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Quantum aims to connect universities, investors and leading quantum companies with federal and private partners to foster investment and \u00a0workforce 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\u201312 exposure to foundational quantum concepts, to prepare for long-term demand, all in its mission to attract leading quantum companies and expand Florida\u2019s role in the national quantum economy.<\/p>\n 4<\/p>\n More robots hit the streets<\/p>\n 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 .<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cSouth Florida has proven to be an incredible market for autonomous delivery,\u201d said Serve co-founder and CEO Ali Kashani, in a statement. \u201cBuilding 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.\u201d<\/p>\n No doubt, you\u2019ve seen food-delivering robots around. Besides Serve Rotbotics, other brands roaming around Brickell, Wynwood and beyond include Coco Robotics, Cartken and Tiny Mile.<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Gold Coast Tech Accelerator wraps up inaugural cohorts<\/p>\n The Gold Coast Tech Accelerator Program<\/a>, 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.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBy bringing Southeast Florida\u2019s strengths together, we are empowering entrepreneurs to innovate, attract investment, and drive the next chapter of Florida\u2019s economic growth,\u201d\u00a0said Mike Simas, president & CEO of The Florida Council of 100, noting that Florida has posted the nation\u2019s second-highest finance and insurance GDP growth over the past\u00a0five\u00a0years, outpacing New York and California.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, and Farview.\u00a0 The FinTech cohort included: Retrievables<\/a>, Grove, SyncData.ai<\/a>, Preventor, RiskRator, Cypator, Maestro, Clox AI, Delfi, and Eyeclone.<\/p>\n The 2026 accelerator program has not been announced yet, but sign up for updates here.<\/a><\/p>\n 6<\/p>\n Seaworthy Collective applications open<\/p>\n Seaworthy Collective<\/a> announced that applications for Cohort 7 of its flagship Startup Program, The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator are now open.\u00a0 The deadline to apply is Wednesday, Jan. 28th, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. This is a result of Seaworthy\u2019s expanded role in its $14 million NOAA partnership, The Continuum<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBy aligning directly with the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Initiative, we are giving founders a clear focus and immediate relevance. This program isn\u2019t just mentorship; it\u2019s 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,\u201d said Tamara Kahn Zissman, Director of Founder Success at Seaworthy Collective.<\/p>\n In addition to the launch of the cohort 7 application, Seaworthy has also released its\u00a0 5 Year Impact Report, available here.<\/a><\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Economic development boards head to NYC<\/p>\n \u00a0The\u00a0Business Development Board of Palm Beach County<\/a>,\u00a0Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance<\/a>, and the\u00a0Miami-Dade Beacon Council<\/a>\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n The delegation\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n A designated \u2018mega-region\u2019 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSouth 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,\u201d said\u00a0Bob Swindell, president & CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. \u201cFurther 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.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n 8<\/p>\n Vultr, AMD to launch AI supercluster<\/p>\n To advance and scale AI workloads worldwide, Vultr, the South Florida-based cloud infrastructure company, recently announced \u00a0that it \u00a0will 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cHelios\u201d rack-scale infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cAs demand for AI infrastructure continues to accelerate, Vultr is committed to delivering hyperscale capacity with speed and global reach,\u201d said J.J. Kardwell, CEO of Vultr. \u201cBy investing in the development of racked GPU capacity at scale, we\u2019re enabling enterprises to push the boundaries of what\u2019s possible with AI and bring next-generation applications to market faster.\u201d<\/p>\n PLUS<\/p>\n Opportunity knocks<\/p>\n eMerge Americas\u00a0will 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.\u00a0Apply here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Applications are now open until December 12\u00a0for the\u00a0Venture Miami Scholarship Fund, which helps City of Miami residents gain access to high-wage, high-demand careers through professional training and credentialing programs. Currently,\u00a0three accredited programs\u00a0are 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.\u00a0Learn more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apply to catapult your startup at the\u00a02026\u00a0eMerge\u00a0Americas\u00a0Conference + Expo\u00a0April 23\u201324 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.\u00a0Learn more and apply by Jan. 16.<\/a><\/p>\n Looking to raise capital? Apply now to present in front of an audience of investors at\u00a0the Florida Venture Forum\u2019s\u00a02026 Florida Venture Capital Conference\u00a0Feb. 23\u201325\u00a0at the\u00a0Loews Coral Gables.\u00a0Apply here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Miami\u00a0Dade Innovation Authority (MDIA)\u00a0has launched its seventh public innovation challenge and it is\u00a0 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\u00a0Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management.\u00a0Apply here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0SMB 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.\u00a0Apply here by Jan. 16.<\/a><\/p>\n Israeli founders can showcase their startup, product, or breakthrough solution to global investors, partners and media at\u00a0Israel Tech Week Miami 2026\u00a0next April.\u00a0Apply now on the website here.<\/a><\/p>\n ICYMI<\/p>\n Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0and follow her on X @ndahlberg and\u00a0on LinkedIn<\/a>.\u00a0Subscribe to Refresh Miami\u2019s free weekly newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0featuring startup news, tech job opportunities and events.\u00a0<\/p>\n ![\"Nancy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/60b7851ea3a84-bpfull.jpg\")
<\/a> 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\u00a0protected]<\/a>. Thanks for reading! <\/a>Latest posts by Nancy Dahlberg (see all<\/a>)\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News about data centers, LoanBud, Quantum Florida, delivery robots, Gold Coast Tech Accelerator, Seaworthy Collective, Vultr & more<\/a> – December 10, 2025\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnti Fund closes $30M Fund I, adds Logan Paul as general partner<\/a> – December 5, 2025\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTech Basel Miami AI Summit delivers a peek into the future and strategies to ride the wave<\/a> – December 4, 2025\t\t\t\t \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1 LoanBud opens Southeast hub in Fort Lauderdale LoanBud, a New York City-based \u00a0fintech\u00a0marketplace that connects entrepreneurs to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":{"0":"post-78837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hialeah","8":"tag-hialeah","9":"tag-hialeah-headlines","10":"tag-hialeah-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78837","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=78837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}