PADL, the self-service paddleboard rental company, is making waves across Florida. The Key Biscayne-born startup now has more than 50 locations in the Sunshine State and also offers trailbikes and kayaks. Miami-based Gamercraft is a skill-based competitive gaming platform powered by AI and complemented by services designed to improve player performance. The startup’s recent $5 million seed round included the co-founders of Miami-born computer hardware giant Alienware. AI also plays a key role in another South Florida startup, EVQLV, which leverages its proprietary technology to sell antibody sequences to bio and pharmaceutical companies.
These are just three of the 10 Florida-based startups Endeavor Miami announced today would be part of the Fall 2023 Endeavor ScaleUp cohort. “Endeavor ScaleUp represents an exceptional chance for entrepreneurs to harness our extensive global expertise and access a carefully curated suite of resources and services that fuel their growth journey,” says Endeavor Miami Managing Director Claudia Duran.
Eighteen founders from the 10 companies will take part in the Fall 2023 Endeavor ScaleUp cohort, with 70% of the founders identifying as Latinx and 12% as women. Each of these ventures, on average, were established four years ago and operate in varied sectors, including EdTech, Enterprise SaaS, Gaming, and Fintech with a notable concentration in the HealthCare space. All based in Florida, these companies have successfully extended their reach to various countries in LatAm and Europe. Together, they employe 288 288 people, have a combined revenue of nearly $24 million and and have raised more than $37M in external capital. Nearly half of these companies tripled their size within the past year.
Endeavor ScaleUp is open to Florida-based companies that are actively engaged in significant commercialization efforts and are generating $1M to $4M in annual revenue. The chosen companies will participate in a 17-week program comprised of group modules, one-on-one mentorship, peer discussions, office hours on scaling strategies, and access to Endeavor resources and services. Endeavor ScaleUP culminates in a Demo Day where founders will present to the Endeavor community.
Previous cohorts of Endeavor Miami’s cohort-based initiative collectively raised over $200 million in capital and generated more than 1,500 jobs in 2022.
“Endeavor ScaleUp is not just an initiative – it’s a mission. We’re deeply dedicated to addressing the unique challenges that high-growth companies face and providing them with the unwavering support they need to embark on their ambitious scaling journey,” says Rebecca Negro Rocha, head of Cohort Initiatives at Endeavor Miami. “We’re sparking a ripple effect that will create jobs, invigorate the economy, and help shape a brighter, more prosperous future for Florida.”
Meet the Endeavor ScaleUp Fall 2023 Cohort participants (descriptions provided by Endeavor Miami):
Abacus Exchange: Abacus Exchange is a disruptive EdTech startup revolutionizing financial education for Spanish-speaking individuals in the USA and Latin America. Their platform provides accessible, practical, and comprehensive courses that teach users how to navigate the US stock market, build wealth, and invest in their future. Entrepreneurs: Ernesto Yunes, Co-Founder & CEO, Winston Cordero, Co-Founder & COO, Carlos Amec Gutierrez, Co-Founder & CSO, and Jean Vizon, Co-Founder & CPO.
Atlas Space: Atlas Space is an award winning 3D immersive communication and experience infrastructure for enterprises which increase the engagement between their products and customers and reduce marketing operations costs. We have 50+ customers like Vodafone and Pepsi, with a customer range from North America to Europe and MENA. Entrepreneur: Burcin Gurbuz, Co-Founder & CEO, Pinar Oncu, Co-Founder & COO, Burcu Dogru, Co-Founder & VP, and Cigdem Duzgunes, Co-Founder & CDO.
Coco Digital: Coco Digital is an omnichannel system that saves lives by streamlining access processes for healthcare institutions. Entrepreneur: Robert Parada, Co-Founder & CEO, and Jonnathan Pulgarin – Co-Founder & CTO.
Crack the Code: Crack The Code provides live, online, Computer Science classes to Spanish speaking students globally. The company is preparing the digital leaders of the region. Entrepreneur: Maria Velez, Founder & CEO.
EVQLV: EVQLV leverages advances in computation to accelerate the development of antibody-based therapies for biopharma, Entrepreneurs: Andrew Satz, Co-Founder & CEO, and Brett Averso, Co-Founder & CTO.
Felix Pago: Felix is a chat-based platform to enable Latinos in the US to send money abroad. Entrepreneurs: Manuel Godoy, Co-founder & CEO, and Bernardo Garcia, Co-founder & COO.
Gamercraft: Gamercraft is a skill-based competitive gaming platform. They are forming new markets around complex, highly strategic, player-versus-player (PvP) games, offering challenges, competitions, and robust anti-cheat detection to enhance gaming experiences and trust for all players. Entrepreneur: Jose Javier Garcia-Rovira, CEO & Co-founder, and Quentin Rosso, CTO & Co-Founder.
Medzoomer: Medzoomer solves last-mile prescription medication delivery for hospitals, payors, and pharmacies. Since launching in November of 2020, the company has delivered millions of medications to patients across the United States. Entrepreneurs: Marvin Kloss, Co-Founder & CEO, and Dr. Richard Munassi, Co-Founder & CSO.
PADL: PADL provides a seamless experience through self service kayak and paddleboard rentals right from your smartphone. Entrepreneurs: Andres Avello, CEO & CFO, Felipe Jauregui, President & COO, Khalil Khouri, Founding Parter, CPO & Engineer
TeselaGen: TeselaGen is the AI-enabled software company providing an all-in-one platform for seamless, scalable biotech R&D. Entrepreneurs: Eduardo Abeliuk, Co-Founder & CEO, Mike Fero, Co-founder, and Nathan Hillson, Co-founder.
Photo at top of post: From left to right, back row: Burcin Gurbuz, Andrew Satz, Eduardo Abeliuk, Robert Parada, Marvin Kloss, Andres Avello, Khalil Khouri, Jose Javier Garcia-Rovira, Dr. Richard Munassi. Front row: Jean Vizon, Ernesto Yunes, Carlos Amec Gutierrez, Maria Velez, Pinar Oncu, Felipe Jauregui, Manuel Godoy.
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