Subscribe
Menu Icon
Refresh Miami Logo
Search Icon
Sign Up Sign In

6+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News from Magic Leap, Seaworthy Collective, Innovative Solutions, coworking/coliving trends & more

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
PinLinkedIn

1

Magic Leap, Google announce AR partnership

Alphabet’s Google and South Florida-based augmented reality startup Magic Leap are forming a strategic technology partnership and working on building immersive experiences that blend the physical and digital worlds.

The announcement adds to signals that Google may be plotting a return to the market for augmented and virtual reality technologies (remember Google Glass?) that it so far has largely yielded to rivals Meta and Apple, Reuters reported. Magic Leap and Google both declined to say whether the partnership was expected to yield a consumer AR device, according to Reuters.

In a post on X, Magic Leap CEO Ross Rosenberg said the alliance brings together Magic Leap’s AR expertise and optics leadership together with Google’s technology platforms to collaborate on Extended Reality (XR) solutions and experiences. “Today AR is leveraged by companies to train employees, create spatial consumer experiences, envision and design new buildings and augment medical teams with better ways to visualize patient care. But the transformative potential of AR is endless and this partnership will help to expand immersive experiences, bring more utility and broaden the reach of AR.”

Founded in 2010 by Rony Abovitz, Magic Leap has been an early pioneer in AR technology. Its Magic Leap 2 features patented optics with a light-weight ergonomic design, and runs customized apps with one of the highest compute performance capabilities of any standalone AR device on the market. Google has been an investor since 2014 in Magic Leap, which is now majority owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Read more about its latest partnership with Google. here.

2

Seaworthy Collective wins grant, announces new platform and more

Daniel Kleinman, CEO of Seaworthy Collective, shared several announcements during the Miami-based nonprofit BlueTech entrepreneur support organization’s Spring 2024 Startup Studio Showcase event.

  • Seaworthy Collective won a Phase 1 grant from  NOAA’s Ocean-Based Climate Resilience Accelerators program, and applying for Phase 2, competing to earn $15 million in additional funding.
  • Seaworthy also announced its new platform called The Shoreline for supporting and educating BlueTech entrepreneurs, made possible with the support of the US Small Business Administration’s 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The Shoreline launches in August 2024, and pre-registrations are now open.
  • Seaworthy also announced the June launch for the new Miami Dade College Sea Change Maker Fellowship, which will provide at least four students with hands-on education and experience in ocean and climate impact innovation. Find more information on the fellowship here.  

Seven startups from Cohort 4 presented at the showcase event. Applications are now being accepted for Cohort 5.  Interested startups can apply here.

READ MORE: Seaworthy Collective charting new waters in BlueTech, from Miami to the seven seas

3

Tech company opens Boca HQ, to bring 100 jobs

Software company Innovative Solutions has opened a headquarters in Boca Raton. According to the Palm Beach Post, the move is part of an expanding collaboration with IBM, which once commanded a vast campus in Boca. Innovative Solutions is expected to bring up to 100 new jobs to the area by 2026, the report said.

Stay ahead of Miami Tech

Join 16,000+ founders, investors, and tech professionals.

Check your inbox for a confirmation email.

Innovative Solutions, founded in 1989, helps small businesses tap into cloud storage technology to grow and manage their businesses. Innovative Solutions also has offices in Henrietta, New York, and Austin, Texas.

Other large companies headquartered in Boca Raton include Tyco, Office Depot, ADT Security Services, The GEO Group and CareersUSA. Read more here.

4

Coworking in the Miami suburbs has a growth spurt

In 2024, the Miami metro area saw a 9% increase in suburban coworking spaces, significantly outpacing the 1% national growth. Despite losing three centrally located spaces, Miami expanded its overall number of flex spaces, reflecting the broader shift toward suburban areas, according to the Coworking Suburbs Report.

The number of suburban coworking spaces grew to 144 in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area, compared to 132 spaces in 2023. Leading the pack was Boca Raton, with 20 coworking spaces (same as Alexandria, VA) – one more space compared to 2023. Also high on the list was Coral Gables  with 17 coworking spaces, up one from 2023,  and Doral, with its 10 flex spaces, two more compared to 2023. This year, Doral replaced Aventura in the annual ranking, since the latter dropped 3 coworking spaces year-over-year.

In 2024, suburban areas accounted for 45% of the total coworking spaces in the U.S., a 1% increase from the previous year. For the second year in a row, Irvine, CA, had the highest number of coworking spaces with 38. In Florida, the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area, St. Petersburg logged 12 coworking spaces. FInd the full report here.

5

At least 4 Miami-Dade WeWorks renew leases

In more coworking news, WeWork confirmed new lease agreements with landlords of four out of its six Miami-Dade locations as it strives to depart Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the South Florida Business Journal reported.

The retained leases are the Brickell City Centre and Wynwood Garage locations in Miami at 78 S.W. 7th St. and 360 N.W. 27th St., respectively, and 2222 Ponce De Leon Blvd. and 255 Giralda Ave. in Coral Gables. Still unconfirmed are WeWork’s 429 Lenox Ave. location in Miami Beach and its 200 S. Biscayne Boulevard branch in the Southeast Financial Center in downtown Miami. (Update: After publication, the Miami Herald reported that 429 Lenox will close but the Southeast Financial location will stay open, leaving five WeWorks in the area.)

With about 600 locations worldwide, WeWork filed for bankruptcy protection in November, and has since declared its intention to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of this month. Read more here.

6

More #MiamiTech news to note

  • Miami-based Related Group and Miami Beach-based W5 Group completed i5 Wynwood, a 217-unit co-living community at 51 N.W. 28th St. in Miami. The fully furnished apartments provide tenants with a private bedroom and bathroom, plus a shared living room, dining room and kitchen, the South Florida Business Journal reported. In other Wynwood news, a 48-story residential tower is headed to this artsy neighborhood and it will be Wynwood’s tallest, according to this report.
  • Satellite maker Terran Orbital added three people to its C-Suite. Peter Krauss joined the Boca Raton-based firm as COO, replacing former Tony Gingiss, who is stepping down. The company also added Adarsh Parekh as CFO and Mathieu Riffel as chief accounting officer. Riffel was previously acting CFO. Founded in 2013 by CEO Marc Bell, Terran Orbital manufactures satellite products for the aerospace and defense industries. It went public in 2021 through a SPAC transaction. Read more in the South Florida Business Journal.
  •  Ubicquia  announced that Manny Miranda, a 40-year utility industry veteran, is joining its board of directors after retiring from four decades of service with the utility. Miranda most recently served as FPL’s Executive Vice President of Power Delivery, managing a $4 billion budget, and and has earned industry-wide recognition for grid-hardening initiatives, having overseen restoration efforts for 47 tropical storms and hurricanes. Ubicquia’s board includes former executives from AT&T, NEST, Charter Communications, NewsCorp and NextEra. Fort Lauderdale-based Ubicquia makes existing critical infrastructure intelligent to reduce energy consumption , increase grid resilience and enhance public safety. Ubicquia’s platform is deployed by more than 800 utilities and cities.

Plus

Opportunity knocks

  • The Source is hosting a regional Startup World Cup in Miami. Through a local DemoDay and Regional Finals in the Magic City, one startup will ultimately advance to the finals in San Francisco to compete for a $1 million investment prize.  Learn more and apply here by June 21.
  • HackinMiami, an AI-focused hackathon, is happening on June 15-16. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding tech enthusiast, HackinMiami is the perfect platform to showcase your skills and connect with like-minded individuals. Register here.
  • As part of its 100 Startup Project Scholarship Program, The Levan Center of Innovation is offering 10 entrepreneurs a one-year membership to the Levan Center of Innovation, thanks to the support of Memorial Healthcare System. Apply here.
  • Mana Tech is accepting applications for its Miami Immersion Program, a program that gives international startup founders on-site experience in Miami. Learn more and apply here. 

ICYMI

Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at nancy@refreshmiami.com and follow her on X @ndahlberg. Subscribe to Refresh Miami’s free weekly newsletter here.  

Nancy Dahlberg
Latest posts by Nancy Dahlberg (see all)