10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from Getlabs, Blue Frontier, Social Mobile, Zulu Pods, Florida Venture Forum, Thoma Bravo, MIA, MoonPay & more

1 Getlabs names CEO. Let’s meet her.

Getlabs, the Miami-based leading platform for at-home diagnostics, announced that Claire Hough will be CEO, bringing over two decades of executive leadership experience to guide the company’s strategic vision and growth.

Hough was formerly the company’s chief product and technology officer at Getlabs, where she led the product, design, and engineering teams while managing day-to-day technology operations and overseeing strategy, security, and service delivery. Her technical leadership was instrumental in scaling numerous Silicon Valley companies, including Carbon Health, Udemy, Netscape, Napster, and Nextag. Hough has also mentored many emerging tech leaders through programs including Plato, Persistence, and First Round Capital. She is an LP with Operator Collective.

“Claire is uniquely qualified to lead Getlabs into its next phase of success,” said Demetri Karagas, CEO of Thirty Madison and independent board member of Getlabs. “Her blend of strategic vision, operational rigor, and deep technical expertise will be critical as we expand access to life-saving diagnostics nationwide.”

Going forward, Hough will focus on guiding Getlabs in deepening partnerships across healthcare and across the nation, enhancing the patient experience, and scaling new solutions in at-home diagnostics, the company said.

2 Blue Frontier to pilot with CBRE client

Blue Frontier, the Boca Raton startup making AC far more efficient, is partnering with CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate company, to install its system at one of their client’s buildings. It is part of Blue Frontier’s continuous partnership with Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Blue Frontier, under the guidance of CEO Daniel Betts, is revolutionizing the way we cool our buildings. Its proprietary system that enables users to separately control temperature and humidity, resulting in a system that is twice as efficient as conventional AC. Blue Frontier raised a strategic funding round of $16.9 million from a large corporation last year, in addition to the $20 million Series A led by Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures in 2022, Refresh Miami reported.

CBRE received $150,000 to install and test Blue Frontier*’s rooftop HVAC system on a Delaware property. NREL researchers will be measuring the real-world performance of its HVAC system, including its breakthrough efficiency and comfort benefits.

“We continue to demonstrate results — in the field, at scale, with the most respected names in the industry,” the company said in its LinkedIn announcement. “We’re deploying now, and we’re ready to bring this technology to buildings that need it most.”

3 Social Mobile seeks to make key acquisition

Social Mobile has signed a letter to acquire San Diego-based Sonim Technologies for up to $20 million. The deal, subject to regulatory approval, includes $5 million tied to future revenue targets and is expected to close in Q4.

Social Mobile designs and builds custom Android devices for businesses under their own brand names. The Hollywood based company serves clients in healthcare, logistics, retail, and other sectors. Sonim makes rugged phones and mobile devices used by first responders, government agencies, and industries that need durable equipment, and these products will be added to Social Mobile’s offerings after the acquisition closes.

Social Mobile has offices in China and India. The company currently manufactures in China but is moving more production to Taiwan, Mexico, and the United States. Social Mobile employs about 100 people.

Social Mobile CEO Robert Morcos said: “We see tremendous synergies with this acquisition. Sonim is a perfect addition to our enterprise portfolio, offering rugged and innovative mobile solutions that complement our mission. Together, we share a culture of innovation and aligned goals, which will allow us to better serve our global clients.”

4 Zulu Pods, FireCodes AI win big at Florida Venture Forum conference

Two South Florida startups brought home runner-up prizes at Florida Venture Forum’s Early Stage Venture Conference in Orlando.

The conference featured 29 selected companies from a highly competitive pool of applicants across the state. A panel of judges representing Space Florida and Florida Venture Forum evaluated each company based on innovation, market opportunity, and alignment with Florida’s targeted high-growth sectors, including aerospace, defense, and emerging technologies. Six companies were chosen to receive a combined total of $150,000 in Space Florida investment to help accelerate their growth and commercialization efforts.

From South Florida, Zulu Pods of Coral Springs, was a 1^st runner-up, taking home $20,000. Zulu Pods is a defense and aerospace company pioneering next-generation components and subsystems. Founded in 2020 by former Pratt & Whitney engineers, they created the world’s first self-contained lubrication unit—the ZPod—which integrates the reservoir, pump, and nozzle into a single lightweight package. Their products to date reduce complexity, weight, and maintenance demands, making them ideal for attritable jet engines, UAVs, rotorcraft, and fleet sustainment. [Read more about Zulu Pods here and here.]

A big winner in the Collegiate Award contest was FireCodes AI, representing Florida Atlantic University and takinghome $5,000. FireCodes AI is an AI-powered tool for fire protection specialists to navigate state-adopted fire codes with ease.

5 Thoma Bravo raises $34.4B for its funds

Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm based in Miami, nnounced the completion of fundraising for its buyout funds totaling more than $34.4 billion in fund commitments: Thoma Bravo Fund XVI, a $24.3 billion fund, Thoma Bravo Discover Fund V, an $8.1 billion fund, and as previously announced the firm’s first dedicated Europe Fund, with approximately €1.8 billion in capital commitments. Each fund significantly exceeded its target.

Orlando Bravo, a Founder and Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo, said: “This fundraise is a testament to the strong relationships we’ve built with our investors over many years and reflects their belief in our ability to drive meaningful results. Their support will enable us to continue delivering on the strategy we have executed for more than two decades – pursuing leading software companies and deploying our strategic and operational expertise to drive innovation and profitable growth.”

The investment firm has invested in more than 535 software companies, and today its software portfolio includes over 75 companies that generate approximately $30 billion of annual revenue and employ over 93,000 staff globally.

6 MIA offers tech for the vision-impaired

Miami International Airport has partnered with Baltimore-based software company ReBokeh Vision Technologies to launch free, unlimited access to ReBokeh’s empowerment-driven assistive technology software for low-vision users. With this partnership, MIA becomes the first airport to offer ReBokeh’s sole-source technology. The Rebokeh app is available for Apple users.

ReBokeh’s technology works by allowing users to leverage the live camera feed from their mobile devices with overlayed, customized filters that adjust aspects like contrast, color hue, zoom, and lighting to meet the needs of low-vision users. ReBokeh AI, a new feature, also offers the opportunity for lengthened interactions with ReBokeh’s custom-built AI tool. Users can ask ReBokeh AI personalized questions like what’s around them and what they’re seeing.

Low-vision travelers can leverage ReBokeh at MIA in countless ways: reading navigational signs and gate information, clarifying arrival and departure monitors, or finding their favorite restaurant, shop, or lounge. ReBokeh AI also works in multiple languages and will default to whichever language is selected in the user’s general mobile device settings, allowing ReBokeh AI to work as a translation tool for signage, information, and visual surroundings.

7 MoonPay secures New York BitLicense, now covers 50 states

MoonPay has officially secured its BitLicense and Money Transmitter Licenses from the New York State Department of Financial Services, enabling the company to serve customers directly in all 50 states.

The green light from New York’s top financial regulator is a milestone for the crypto payments firm, placing it among a short list of heavy-hitting BitLicense holders, including PayPal, Coinbase, Robinhood, and Circle. The BitLicense remains one of the toughest regulatory approvals to obtain in crypto.

8 UKG acquires Shiftboard

UKG, the Weston-based provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions, has acquried Shiftboard, a Seattle-based employee scheduling software platform for mission critical operations in the oil and gas, energy, and manufacturing industries. Trusted by BASF, Bridgestone, Daisy Brand, Shell and over 500 more organizations, AI-first Shiftboard helps organizations solve their complex workforce scheduling challenges, such as aligning their labor strategy with production demand, supporting compliance with union regulations, and ensuring 24/7 operational continuity, while also enhancing frontline employee engagement and job satisfaction.

“Shiftboard’s industry-leading employee scheduling engine has been a game changer, unlocking new levels of efficiency, flexibility, productivity, and employee engagement in sectors defined by rapidly changing production demands,” said Rachel Barger, president, go-to-market at UKG.

9 Miami tops for women-owned small businesses

An analysis from LegalZoom reveals that Florida has the highest rate of women-owned small businesses relative to its population, with 5.77 per 100 residents, and Miami ranks #1 in the U.S. for the highest concentration of women-owned small businesses, with 8.85 per 100 residents. This positions Miami as a national leader in female entrepreneurship and a vibrant hub for small business innovation.

The report also found that Florida overall ranks high in multiple categories, showing strong state-level support for women entrepreneurs. While the South leads in the number of women-owned businesses, but Miami stands out even within the region. In the US, women-owned businesses generate over $2 trillion in revenue and support 10.9 million jobs. Find the report here.

10 Jobs, jobs, jobs

Avidxchange – Business Insights Developer II
Avidxchange – Sr Platform Engineer
Betr – Community Programmer
Betr – Retention Coordinator
Boats Group – Product Manager
Kaseya – Special Project Group Manager
Millennium Management – Compliance Analyst
Rails – Sr Product Designer
Royal Caribbean Group – Influencer Marketing Account Executive
Royal Caribbean Group – International CRM Lead

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

PLUS

Opportunity knocks

SPARC South Florida (Startup Pitch Accelerator Regional Competition) is accepting applications to compete for a $1 million prize in the Startup World Cup Global Pitch Competition and receive broad exposure for your startup, plus access to coaching and mentorship. Apply by July 1 here.
Seaworthy Collective, a Miami-based non-profit BlueTech (ocean innovation) entrepreneur support organization and community, has opened applications for Cohort 6 of its updated flagship Startup Program, The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator. Learn more and apply here by June 26.
LAB Ventures will once again host a annual Startup Showcase on Day One of its Blueprint conference and is looking uncover the most interesting early-stage proptech startups who are revolutionizing the real estate & construction sectors, and to bring them to the Blueprint stage on Sept. 16th. Find out more and apply here by July 31.
Endeavor Miami is accepting applications for its next ScaleUp Program. Apply for the ScaleUp program here. Apply here by August 22 for the EndeavorLab Women Founders cohort.
The Cade Prize for Inventivity, named after Dr. Robert Cade, lead inventor behind Gatorade, celebrates inventors and entrepreneurs, who, through an innovative invention, demonstrate a creative approach to addressing problems in their field of expertise. Each year, Cade Prize winners receive over $100,000 in cash prizes and legal services with no strings attached. Find out more and apply here by July 10.
The Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program’s Facilitated Growth Cohort at Florida International University offers training to help you grow and expand your business. You are not required to have any employees but should have a business generating revenue. You will create a Business Model Canvas with mentorship and will determine if your business is validated/marketable and if it is scalable/expandable. Find out more and apply here.

ICYMI

Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at [email protected] 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. Thank you for supporting Refresh Miami.

Author
Recent Posts

Nancy Dahlberg

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 protected]. Thanks for reading!

Latest posts by Nancy Dahlberg (see all)