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7 South Florida startups to take the stage at the Florida Early Stage Venture Conference

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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Florida Venture Forum, Florida’s largest statewide support organization for investors and entrepreneurs, today announced that 37 companies were selected to present at its 2024 Florida Early Stage Venture Conference June 4-5 at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando. This is a record number of startups, and includes university level teams. All but one of the startups are based in Florida.  

In addition to the main early-stage track, the Florida Early Stage Venture Conference will also feature the Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition, with 10 colleges and universities participating this year, and the Space Florida AeroTech Summit, featuring presentations and programming relevant to aerospace and related technologies.

“By having three tracks for presenting companies, we are able to showcase those innovative aerospace technology focused companies along with a separate track for innovative early stage companies more broadly, all this with truly innovative collegiate companies. There will be something engaging for all early stage investors,” said Ben Patz, managing partner at DeepWork Capital and conference selection chair.

In total, $300,000 in prizes and investments is up for grabs. The Accelerating Innovation Award, with a prize of $75,000 from Space Florida, is open to companies with a focus in the aerospace and related industries. The $50,000 Grand Prize, from Florida Power & Light, is open to the presenting startups of any sector, as are the two Runners Up who will receive $20,000 each from Florida Power & Light and Space Florida. Two winners in the Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition will recieve $5,000 each from Florida Power & Light and Space Florida. In addition, the Orlando-based venture firm DeepWork Capital will make a minimum $125,000 equity investment in one of the winning companies.

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Here are the startups that will be representing South Florida (descriptions provided by Florida Venture Forum):

  • Algas Organics, Miami.  Algas Organics addresses the deforestation and sustainability challenges faced by packaging, paper, and pulp companies by replacing traditional deforestation-derived wood-based fiber with a novel, cost-effective seaweed-based solution. Their low-cost seaweed-based pulp fiber can be blended with wood pulp to produce paper and packaging whilst reducing deforestation.
  • Cuemby, Boca Raton.  Cuemby is an ecosystem that simplifies the deployment of applications on the cloud. Their AI-powered platform is designed to enhance developers’ productivity, supply robust security, and ensure cost efficiency. They are a community that empowers developers worldwide with innovative tools and services.
  • HelixVM, Boca Raton. HelixVM has built a software platform that dramatically increases physician productivity while increasing patient access. There are two go-to-market strategies- the first being the “Uber of Healthcare,” known as the HelixVM Marketplace. The HelixVM Marketplace provides rapid health care, often without a video visit, to patients across the US. As patients enjoy health care at any time, physicians appreciate significant income opportunity. In 2024, HelixVM will introduce the second strategy, leveraging its platform and marketplace expertise to extend these dramatic productivity enhancements into physician practices.
  • Woof, Miami and Rio de Janeiro. Woof is a pet id that provides a system of records (SaaS) to enterprises (business and governments) that can benefit from pet data as a tool to drive engagement, human-pet wellness, and mental health, while reducing pet parenting costs and complexities.

AeroTech Conference:

  • eJet Aerospace, Miami Lakes.  eJet Aerospace is making electric aviation a reality providing safer, faster, and more cost-effective travel. With over 24 years of research and development, they have patented the first c old jet propulsion system technology known asSMAPAD®, which has been internationally recognized as the best technology patented from Latin America by The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Statewide Collegiate Startup Competition:

  • Biominer, representing the University of Miami
  • NanoSense, representing Florida Atlantic University

For a full list of the startups presenting, go here. For more information on the conference and to register, go here.

In February, Florida Venture Forum held its signature annual gathering, the Florida Venture Capital Conference, in Miami with a record crowd and 50 companies presenting to investors.

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Nancy Dahlberg
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