By Krysten Brenlla
For Pam Miniati and Rafeket Bachur-Phillips, building an accelerator to help startups come to Florida once felt like a distant dream. But in 2016, with support from the state, the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA) was born.
Miniati and Phillips were part of the inaugural team and since 2020 serve as co-executive directors of FIBA, an economic development organization based in Tampa that connects Israeli technology companies with U.S. markets, partners, and investors.
“The reason we focus on Israel is because it’s the Startup Nation, and so much innovation comes from them,” Phillips told Refresh Miami. “When you see these small tech companies coming to a new market in Florida, growing, and scaling, they’re making a big difference to the local economy.”
Through their efforts, Miniati and Phillips have supported more than 90 Israeli companies that have collectively raised more than $1 billion in investments. Of those, 34 have already expanded their operations to the Sunshine State.
And, 18 of those companies are now located in the Miami area, bringing 85 high-wage jobs with them.
“In South Florida, we have a diverse group of companies – we’ve seen interest in energy, hospitality, healthcare, agriculture, cybersecurity, and more,” Phillips said. “They all really love Miami – the city is set up to be a great place for Israeli tech companies to relocate and grow in a welcoming business community.”
With relocation comes opportunity, with most jobs focusing on sales and business development. And, most of the companies are looking for Miami locals who know and understand the South Florida community.
“We will always advocate for feet on the ground,” Miniati said. “We always try to advise companies to hire someone who not only knows the industry, but also the area and its contacts. We’re all about hiring local – that’s where you’ll find the most qualified people.”
With the impact on the local economy, and the technology they’re creating, it’s clear Israeli companies are making a difference. But, why South Florida?
Israel’s thriving tech scene makes it a hotbed for innovation, and South Florida’s strategic location, business-friendly environment, and diverse workforce offers the perfect gateway to the U.S. and Latin American markets.
That’s why Apollo Power, an Israeli solar energy company dedicated to innovating solar solutions through technology — such as installing solar panels on trucks and buses — chose Miami as the site to launch its U.S. operations just one year ago.
“We understood that Florida is becoming the most important state in this country, and Miami is becoming the most important area for companies that want to penetrate the U.S. market,” said Noam Mulla, general manager of Apollo Power. “Miami is a gateway to the U.S. and Latin America, and it’s very easy for Israeli companies to communicate back home. It’s an area that we saw a lot of growth in.”
Since expanding to Miami in 2024, Apollo Power has worked on new, innovative projects, has participated in the eMerge America’s Conference in downtown Miami and the Realcomm Commercial Real Estate Conference and Expo in Tampa, and has built a robust network of distributors, investors, and developers.
“FIBA’s network and the events they host can introduce you and your company to so many people and opportunities,” Mulla said. “It takes time to build your company, but in 2024, we were able to build a good infrastructure for growth.”
With a strong foundation in place, Apollo aims to increase sales by several million dollars in 2025, Mulla said. “We are finalizing several agreements in the next couple of months and currently starting to recruit a full team.”
As Israeli companies continue to make their mark across South Florida, there’s much to be excited about for those looking to expand into the U.S. At the same time, local businesses have plenty to learn from the cutting-edge tech innovations happening around the world.
“The biggest call to action is, if you are a business that is open to solving a problem with technology, and you want amazing Israeli technology, reach out to us,” Miniati said.
In addition to Apollo Power, the other Israeli companies that expanded or relocated to Miami with assistance from FIBA are:
- Aeye Health: The only FDA-approved diabetic eye exam using artificial intelligence.
- Aura Air: Its air management system eliminates harmful particles while providing data and recommendations.
- BioBeat: A monitoring and data collection tool using AI to collect millions of data-points per patient.
- Carteav: An alternative for safe, driverless rides within designated areas.
- Cecilia AI: The first interactive bartender.
- Como: A data-driven customer engagement and loyalty solution for retail businesses.
- Creednz: Offers real-time access to enriched transaction data through APIs for informed payment decisions.
- Cympire: A cybersecurity training platform.
- ECOncrete: Its patented technology helps build stronger, greener marine infrastructure.
- Envonics: A system that continuously monitors, learns, and gets smarter to provide predictive analysis for farming.
- IDE: A water treatment and desalination solution for municipal and industrial customers.
- ITC: Provides AI-powered end-to-end traffic control and management solutions to help policymakers.
- Mobi: Offers smart cities a SaaS solution addressing traffic congestion.
- MRGN: An AI-powered app that can help restaurant groups and investors manage their operations by identifying areas of over spending, under performance, and growth potential.
- Tabit: A cloud-based mobile-first restaurant operating system designed to enhance efficiency and profitability for full-service restaurants.
- Vicarius: Offers a platform called vRx that helps businesses protect their systems by identifying and fixing software vulnerabilities using automation and advanced tools.
- Xtend Robotics: Offers intelligent autonomous robots that address the specific needs of each industry and sector.
Photo at top of this post: FIBA organizes networking events around the state to showcase tech founders from Israel. Here, Sivan Tehila, CEO and founder of Onyxia, addresses a FIBA cybersecurity event held in Miami on Sept. 9, 2024 at the offices of Holland & Knight.
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