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6+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from Blackstone Launchpad, Strive305, Black Ambition, Togal AI, Picsart, Social Mobile & more

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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1

MDC, FIU and FIU get grants to establish Blackstone LaunchPad programs on their campuses

Miami Dade College, Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University have each been awarded grants from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to establish the Blackstone LaunchPad  program on their campuses. In total, five Florida Universities, including Florida State University and Florida A&M in Tallahassee, received funding as part of Blackstone Foundation’s $5 million commitment over three years to expand access in the Sunshine State to higher-ed institutions that have a majority underrepresented population or are serving under-resourced communities.

Miami Dade College has already begun using resources from Blackstone LaunchPad to create a new satellite space for The Idea Center at MDC West Campus in Doral, which will be inaugurated next spring. Blackstone LaunchPad also provides students access to competitions, funding and mentorship to take their ideas into the development stage.

“Miami’s growing entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem calls for transformational investment in the home-grown talent who will fuel that growth,” said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega of the $500,000 grant that the college received from Blackstone Charitable Foundation. “Miami Dade College has a long track-record of enabling entrepreneurship in this community through The Idea Center and this partnership with Blackstone LaunchPad will allow us to further expand our entrepreneurial skills-building across the College.”

 Florida International University has also received a $500,000 grant. Blackstone LaunchPad at FIU, will be housed at the Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center at FIU Business, and will collaborate with the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU Business, the  StartUp FIU entrepreneurship incubator and the Business Innovation & Technology Clinic under FIU Law, the College of Engineering and Computing and College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts.
 
Blackstone LaunchPad at FIU will boost venture coaching for FIU’s student entrepreneurs and create a new FIU student pitch competition linked to LaunchPad’s national pitch competition.  William Hardin, dean of FIU Business, said, “This grant will enable us to strengthen our commitment to provide our students with the tools they need to assess new enterprise opportunities and start new ventures.”

2

Miami-Dade County launches Strive305, a virtual incubator

This week, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava  announced the launch of Strive305, a free virtual small business incubator that is a collaboration between the county and area partners Florida International University’s StartUP FIU, Micro Business Catalyst, BizHack and Femcity.

Strive305 will help some 70,000 small and micro businesses with educational resources, starting with four classes about topics ranging from marketing to learning QuickBooks software. A master marketing course will be released in January in English, Spanish and Creole. The incubator will provide access to resources in venture capital, training and technical assistance, and finding affordable workspace, among other areas.

“I affirm that we are the most creative and innovative place on the planet,” she said of Miami-Dade during a launch ceremony at the county’s main library. “We’re going to have a full library of entrepreneurial resources on demand on any device.”

For more information, entrepreneurs can visit the website here 

3

Black Ambition winners from the 305 and 954

When Black Ambition founder Pharrell Williams and CEO Felecia Hatcher announced the winners of the 2022 Black Ambition competition, several South Florida founders were on the receiving end of prizes.

“In the two years of Black Ambition, this will mark us at $6 million dollars that we’ve invested in Black, Latinx and HBCU [entrepreneurs],” said Hatcher.

The Black Ambition $1 million Grand Prize winner was Philadelphia startup Pound Cake Cosmetics, a Black and Latinx-owned cosmetics company that is revolutionizing the way color is made for darker skin. Yet, she was not the only winner, because Black Ambition awarded over $2.5 million in additional prizes – and  South Florida companies were among the winners.

Winning prizes worth $15,000 to $100,000 were these South Florida companies:

  • KAZMALEJE: Founded by LaToya Stippup and her two sisters, the company is on a mission to help their customers experience better wash days by designing innovative hair tools and accessories.
  • JACQ’S Skincare: Founded by Barbara Jacques, Jacq’s is a vegan and sustainable skincare line created for women of color by women of color.
  • Pressy: Founded by Erdina Francillonl Pressy is a bookings platform for people pressed for time finding help with small but special events.

What’s more, Black Ambition,  in partnership with Billionaire Boys Club, recently held a pitch competition of Miami area digital wearables companies. And the winners were:

  • Thermaband, founded by mother-daughter duo Debbie Dickinson and Markea Dickinson-Frasier, received the grand prize of $10k. it is a smart wearable that provides cooling or warming temperatures for menopausal women.
  • Brandon Chance, CEO of Loan My Sole, received a $7k award. Loan My Sole is a rental community for sneakerheads built on the blockchain.
  • Mya Wright, CEO of Myne Mane, received a $3k award. It is a wearables and streetwear with wearable technology for local urban youth cultures.

4

Proptech Togal.AI wins international pitch competition

After winning Miami’s eMerge Americas Startup competition judged by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, Togal.AI’s team set their sights on going international. 

This week, they traveled from Miami to Dubai to compete in The Big 5 — the world’s largest construction event of more than 38,000 companies from 60 countries. After several rounds of pitching, judges announced that Togal.AI won first place in the Start-Up City Pitch Competition, which featured startups focused on shaping the future of construction. 

“We are proud to show that technology born in Miami can stand out amongst some of the top innovations in the world in the construction space,” Patrick Murphy, Togal.AI Founder and CEO said. 

Togal.AI uses machine learning to automatically estimate construction plans and take-offs — compressing weeks of work into mere seconds. As the first place winner, Togal will receive a $25,000 curated marketing package, have the chance to partner with ALEC Engineering & Contracting for a pilot to expand Togal.AI’s reach, be part of the Startup City Fellowship, and be considered for CESC’s affiliate program, a global incentive to help startups scale their companies.

5

Picsart announces Shopify integration

Picsart, a leading digital creation platform, announced an integration the with Shopify e-commerce platform. Now available in the Shopify App Store, the Picsart AI Photo Editor app includes tools to easily edit and manage assets, underscoring the company’s commitment to give everyday creators, including retailers and small businesses, accessible and professional tools.

“The Picsart app for Shopify is a dramatic expansion into a huge, new category for us,” said Hovhannes Avoyan, Founder & CEO of Picsart. “Shopify has millions of merchants and Picsart’s tools will make it easy for them to visualize and market their products, ultimately enhancing their storefronts and monetization journeys.”

This announcement builds on Picsart’s existing integrations with Discord and Google Drive. It also comes shortly after the company announced new generative AI tools, including an AI Image Generator that is already producing over 1 million images per day, Picsart said.

6

Social Mobile selected for Air Force contract

Social Mobile, a mobility solutions provider specializing in Android Enterprise deployments,  announced that it was selected by the U.S. Air Force to design and build a 5G mobile solution to support the specific needs of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Through the AFWERX Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II contract, Social Mobile will deliver a handheld and chest-mountable device that leverages Android Enterprise and is built to military-grade specifications.  

Social Mobile, headed by founder and CEO Robert Morcos,

was founded in 2011 and is based in Miami.  As part of the contract, Social Mobile’s solution will be considered by other branches of the United States military, including Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. 

PLUS

Opportunity Knocks

  • Florida Venture Forum, Florida’s largest statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs, is calling for growth stage companies to apply to present at the 2023 Florida Venture Capital Conference, taking place at the J.W. Marriott on Brickell Avenue in Miami on February 8-9, 2023. The Conference, now in its 32nd year, attracts 500+ attendees, including 200+ active venture investors. Apply to present here. Final application deadline is Jan. 6.
  • Seaworthy Collective, a Miami-based BlueTech community and venture studio, is opening applications for its flagship Venture Studio program, with cohort 3 launching in March 2023. The venture studio hosts 12-week cohorts that consist of two types of program participants: aspiring founders co-creating new startups and current founders growing existing startups. As the first BlueTech venture studio in the United States, Seaworthy says it works to not only co-create individual solutions, but also build systems of solutions. Current and aspiring founders worldwide are encouraged to apply on the Seaworthy website.

ICYMI

Do you have startup or tech news to share? Follow Nancy Dahlberg at Twitter @ndahlberg and reach her by email at [email protected]

Nancy Dahlberg
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