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10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: Bluelabs raises $7M, plus news from Betr, INmune Bio, I Squared Capital, OpenEvidence, Simpro Group, Endeavor Miami, Spearmint Energy, Titan America’s innovation hub & more

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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1

Blulabs’ $7M raise will support AI-powered supply chain platform

Blulabs, a global supply chain and manufacturing company serving airlines, distributors, hospitality groups, retailers, and Fortune 500 customers, has raised a $7 million investment at $160 million pre-money and will support the company’s continued expansion of its global supply chain platform, technology infrastructure, and customer service capabilities. The funding was led by Lodestone Capital.

A portion of the capital will be used to accelerate the development of Blulabs’ proprietary AI-enabled supply chain intelligence platform designed to improve visibility across purchase orders, production schedules, freight routing, inventory planning, and customer commitments. The company operates across 10 countries and 4 continents, providing customers with sourcing, manufacturing, freight coordination, inventory planning, and supply chain execution.

“We have spent years building a supply chain platform for customers who cannot afford disruption,” said Remy Garson, Co-CEO of Blulabs. “Our role is to be the partner behind the scenes making sure products arrive, costs are managed, and customers can continue operating without interruption. The world is becoming more complex, not less, and we believe companies need partners who can combine global reach, execution discipline, and constant adaptability.”

“The last several years have shown that supply chain resilience is no longer a nice-to-have. For many large enterprises, it is mission-critical,” adds Will Tenenbaum, founder and CEO of Lodestone Capital.

2

Key acquisition to help Betr expand into prediction markets

Betr, the Miami-based startup behind the world’s first real money gaming super app, announced it has acquired Ascent Capital Management. With that move, Betr has secured National Futures Association (NFA) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) registration to advance the launch of prediction markets within the Betr super app.

Through the acquisition, Betr becomes a CFTC-registered introducing broker, allowing Betr to accelerate the company’s plans to launch prediction markets powered by Polymarket directly within the Betr super app. Starting later this year, Betr plans to make event contracts across sports, politics, culture, and more available to its over 1 million paying users.

Betr CEO and co-founder Joey Levey said prediction markets represent one of the most exciting evolutions in interactive entertainment and financial technology.  “Since starting Betr, we have built our business entirely around serving the modern sports fan at scale. This acquisition is another step toward our vision of creating the first true nationwide real-money gaming app. By securing IB registration through the acquisition of an established broker, we can now focus entirely on launching a seamless, compliant prediction markets experience powered by Polymarket. Our users will soon be able to engage with Picks, Sportsbook, Casino, Arcade, and Predictions all within a single integrated ecosystem,” Levy said in a statement.

3

INmune Bio’s Alzheimer’s drug gets fast tracked

Boca Raton-based INmune Bio received a “Fast Track” designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for XPro, a therapeutic agent to treat Alzheimer’s in patients with biomarkers of neuroinflammation. INmune Bio CEO David Moss called the designation is a “transformative milestone” for the company. “This recognition underscores the urgent need for innovative treatments that address the underlying neuroinflammation associated with early Alzheimer’s. We believe XPro™ has the potential to significantly alter the trajectory of this devastating disease, and we look forward to working more closely with the FDA to bring this therapy to patients as efficiently as possible,” he said in a statement.

Fast Track designation is intended to facilitate development and expedite review of drugs that treat serious conditions and have potential to address an unmet medical need. Inflammation in the brain is now recognized as an independent, early driver of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease, and no approved therapy targets these inflammatory pathways. XPro selectively neutralizes soluble tumor necrosis factor, which can cause inflammation.

 INmune Bio completed a phase 2 clinical trial for XPro that showed the treatment had cognitive, behavioral and biological benefits for patients with inflammation. An integrated Phase 2b/3 trial will follow.

At least 7.4 million Americans age 65 or older are now living with Alzheimer’s dementia,  according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s statistics.

4

I Squared Capital to invest up to $1B in data centers

Miami private equity firm I Squared Capital has entered into an agreement to buy 10 data centers from Cogen Fiber, a subsidiary of Cogent Communications Holdings, for $225 million in cash.

The deal, which includes 259,000-square-feet of space across Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Baltimore, Houston, Nashville and Stockton, California, is part of I Squared Capital’s plan to invest up to $1 billion in acquisitions and capital improvement to build and expand U.S. data centers designed to support AI technology.

“Location, power, and connectivity are the three variables that determine a data center’s long-term value, and these facilities have all three in markets where new supply is severely constrained. As AI moves from the training phase — where models are built — to the inference phase, where they are used by people and businesses every day, demand for high-density, low-latency facilities like these will only grow,” said Gautam Bhandari, I Squared’s co-founder and managing partner. “This transaction is consistent with I Squared’s disciplined approach to building infrastructure platforms from the ground up by acquiring strategically located assets and investing the capital and operational expertise needed to unlock their full potential.”

5

OpenEvidence releases Voice Mode

OpenEvidence, the most widely used medical AI platform among U.S. physicians, launched Voice Mode, the first native speech-to-speech medical AI interface. With Voice Mode, The Miami-based AI company becomes the first multimodal medical AI offering a hands-free way for clinicians to ask questions aloud, and hear cited answers read back, on the same peer-reviewed evidence base. The feature is live in the OpenEvidence web and mobile apps and is free for all users.

“There are two sides to building a medical AI —  the intelligence and the interface. We’ve spent years on the intelligence. With Voice Mode, we’re advancing the interface to match the everyday reality of practicing medicine,” said Daniel Nadler, Founder and CEO of OpenEvidence.

OpenEvidence now fields more than a million clinical questions a day. Voice opens that flow to the moments when those clinicians are not at a screen. Voice answers are shorter and shaped for listening; the references and the full written form remain in the conversation, so the verification standard is the same as it has always been.

6

Simpro Group launches AI platform for trades, announces CTO

Simpro Group, the global leader in AI-first software for the trades, recently launched Lightning, an AI-native operating platform built to transform how field service trade businesses run and grow. Simpro Group’s Lightning rolls out simultaneously across three of the company’s field service management solutions – Simpro Lightning (Australia, New Zealand, North America, UK), AroFlo Lightning (Australia and New Zealand) and BigChange Lightning (UK and Europe).

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“Trade businesses have always needed a trainer, a job-prep coordinator, a documentation specialist and a customer success lead. Most can’t justify the headcount, certainly not within their already tight profit constraints. Lightning gives them that team, and we’re just getting started. Soon, we’ll have a customer service representative, a procurement manager, a people/workforce assistant and dozens of other agents supplementing the field service workforce,” said CEO Fred Voccola.

Simpro Group also recently announced the appointment of Salman Bhatti as Chief Technology Officer. He will oversee all technology and engineering functions across the company globally, championing an AI-first approach to build scalable, intelligent field service management solutions that drive operational excellence for customers worldwide.

Bhatti brings over 20 years of experience in software engineering and cloud architecture. Before joining Simpro, Bhatti served as Vice President of Engineering at Vertex, where he led the engineering organization to build massive scale enterprise cloud solutions. He also held VP-level engineering roles at UKG, a South Florida based HCM leader, and Citrix, where he drove cloud transformation, improved operational efficiency at scale and led multinational engineering organizations. Bhatti  holds a Master of Science in Management of Technology from the University of Miami  and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Florida International University. He has also been an adjunct professor at FIU.

7

Félix  and Skyloom named Endeavor Outliers; Gail founders named Endeavor Entrepreneurs

Two companies from the Endeavor Miami network – Félix and Skyloom – have been named to the 2026 Endeavor Outliers cohort, an honor reserved for the top-performing entrepreneurs across Endeavor’s global network spanning more than 50 markets. Collectively, the 2026 Outliers cohort has raised $31 billion in the past three years, including 92 unicorns, five decacorns, 30 exits, and 10 publicly listed companies.

Co-founded by Manuel Godoy and Bernardo García, Félix is redefining cross-border money movement for Latino communities through blockchain-powered remittances embedded seamlessly into familiar platforms like WhatsApp. The platform has enabled $6 billion in remittances while serving over a million users, proving that financial innovation can also be intuitive, accessible, and human-centered.

Marcos D. Franceschini and Skyloom are building the infrastructure layer for the future of global connectivity. Through advanced optical communications and laser terminals, the company enables satellites to transmit data at ultra-high speeds, positioning itself as a fast-rising force in the global SpaceTech ecosystem.

In more Endeavor Miami news,  Gail founders Matthew and Michael Vega-Sanz were selected as Endeavor Entrepreneurs. These brothers raised in Miami earned the distinction after a selection process that culminated in a panel review on March 30, 2026, Endeavor Miami said. As Endeavor Entrepreneurs, the Vega-Sanz brothers will gain access to a global network of founders, mentors, and investors, along with strategic support to accelerate Gail’s growth.

Founded in 2024, Gail is a vertical AI platform that enables financial institutions to execute mission-critical functions, from underwriting and claims processing to compliance and financial analysis. The platform is used by trusted by hundreds of organizations across the United States, Latin America, and Europe, including Farmers Insurance, Progressive, Bancolombia, Telefónica, and Stellantis.

“Michael and Matthew represent the kind of founders Endeavor supports: ambitious, execution-driven, and building with global relevance from day one,” said Claudia Duran, Regional Managing Director for North America and Managing Director at Endeavor Miami. “With Gail, they are not only advancing how AI is applied in financial services, but they are also redefining what it means to build a world-class technology company from Miami.”

8

Spearmint Energy secures $450M for Texas facility

Spearmint Energy, an energy company delivering solutions to the power grid through large-scale battery storage, has closed approximately $450 million of financing to support Red Egret,  300-megawatt battery storage facility in Texas City, Texas, capable of delivering backup power when electricity demand spikes. The financing package includes a construction facility, an Investment Tax Credit transfer, and preferred equity.

 “As aging grid infrastructure meets unprecedented growth in electricity demand, this financing supports Spearmint’s ability to increase energy resilience in ERCOT through battery energy storage systems. Through our development of Red Egret, we are working to strengthen reliability and deliver safe, cost-effective power to homes and businesses in Texas City and throughout the Texas Gulf Coast,” said Spearmint’s President and CEO Andrew Waranch.

Spearmint has projects under development throughout the United States. Headquartered in Miami and with an office in Minnesota, Spearment employs more than  60 people.

9

Cement giant to plant ‘innovation hub’ in Wynwood

Titan America, a Norfolk, Va.-based cement producer has selected Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood as the home of its new research and development center in the Wynd28 building, at 128 N.W. 28th St., according to the South Florida Business Journal.

Titan America described the location as a research center for advanced cement and concrete products that could improve delivery times and reduce environmental impacts. “South Florida is one of the nation’s most dynamic construction and technology markets,” a company spokesperson told the Business Journal. “South Florida’s sustained population growth, global connectivity and research institutions make it a natural location for piloting scalable construction solutions.” Read more here.

10

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Chewy – AI Technology II
Chewy – Security Engineer II
Chewy – Staff Systems Engineer
eMed – Client Success Manager
eMed – Data Engineer
Hut 8 – Compliance Administrator
Lennar – Sr Data Quality Engineer
Nubank – AI Native Staff Software Engineer
Payabli – Director of Implementation
Playbypoint – Sr Client Success Manager
Ramp – Mid Market Customer Activation Manager
Vultr – Software Engineer

Find more jobs on Refresh Miami’s job board here.

PLUS

Opportunity knocks

  • Apply to pitch at WHX Miami 2026 in Xcelerate, a global startup competition for healthcare innovators. Finalists will pitch live June 17-19 at WHX at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Learn more here.
  • Seaworthy Collective is accepting applications for The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio Prep Program, a two-month initiative for aspiring founders interested in ocean economy. Find out more and apply here.
  • Applications are now open for the Cade Prize for Inventivity, a national competition awarding over $100K in cash and in-kind support to early-stage inventors and entrepreneurs. The prize backs founders across industries like tech, healthcare, environment, and sports who are building innovative, real-world solutions and need support to move from idea to market. Apply here by July 10.

ICYMI – Catch up!

Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at nancy@refreshmiami.com and follow her on X @ndahlberg and on LinkedIn. Subscribe to Refresh Miami’s free weekly newsletter here featuring startup news, tech job opportunities and events. 

Nancy Dahlberg
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