The story of Miami’s tech scene is often told through the lens of founders and venture funds. Less visible – but just as influential – are the family offices quietly shaping how capital flows into the region. One of them is ZFO, the Zittman family office, which has been steadily backing funds and startups across South Florida.
It helps that Mark Zittman is a South Florida native. “I moved down to Hallandale when I was about five years old, around 1970. Later my family moved to Kendall, first by Dadeland and then to Snapper Village near 117th and Sunset. I went to the University of Florida until 1987, and during that time my mother moved to South Beach and started a modeling business, which I helped her run,” he told Refresh Miami.
That personal connection to the region gives context to why ZFO is so engaged with the local ecosystem. And for Joe Roos, the firm’s chief investment officer, South Florida has become an increasingly compelling base. After two decades in private equity and venture capital, Roos relocated to Florida in 2013. What began as a temporary move quickly became permanent once he saw how strong the region was for both business and family life.
Today, ZFO invests across themes it believes will define the next decade: longevity and biotech, psychedelics for mental health, crypto and blockchain, AI, humanoid robotics, and even sustainable development in Costa Rica.
“We seek to identify durable competitive themes that we think will persist over the next decade, some of which may benefit from regulatory arbitrage opportunities and can push humanity forward,” Roos said.
Unlike traditional venture funds, he added, family offices like ZFO can provide patient capital without the constraints of LP mandates or rigid timelines – a structural advantage that often makes them attractive partners for founders.
Miami, Roos noted, has become an increasingly important part of ZFO’s strategy. Roos highlighted local players who’ve built the foundation for growth – the Medina family, TJ at eMerge Americas – and cited ZFO’s own investments in 776, FitMatch, Maestro, and Terran Orbital. “It’s an incredible ecosystem,” he said. “Capital has grown, talent has grown, and there’s a lot of excitement.”
Still, he cautioned against thinking Miami has already “arrived.” For the ecosystem to move from promising to permanent, Roos believes it needs deeper roots: more late-stage capital, more liquidity events, and more global attention.
“If we want to become Silicon Valley or Wall Street South, we need groups like Citadel and a16z to set up real offices here, not just satellites,” he said. Coverage from national media outlets would also help, adding weight to the message that “Miami is here to stay.”
For founders, family offices can be valuable partners, but they require a different approach than VCs. Roos urged entrepreneurs to start the relationship long before a funding request.
“Fundraising begins months, if not years, before the ask,” he said. His advice: build credibility in your vertical, establish thought leadership, and cultivate warm introductions through events and networks. “When you’re a credible voice, the capital conversation is much easier.” That guidance is especially relevant as more family offices bypass traditional funds to invest directly in startups.
Looking ahead, Roos was bullish on vertical AI, humanoid robotics, novel therapeutics, and space, while wary of the hype around large language models. “You’re not going to make money allocating to another LLM or an AI wrapper,” he said. “The transformation will come from targeted applications with real-world impact.”
Taken together, Zittman’s personal ties and Roos’s investment perspective show how family offices bring both roots and reach to Miami’s tech ecosystem. Their message is clear: momentum matters, but permanence will decide whether Miami matures into a true global hub.
READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:
- VCs share the realities behind the term sheet
- What SaaS Ventures’ Collin Gutman sees in Miami’s startup scene
- From napkin to $250M, Boldstart Ventures doubles down on backing AI founders from day zero
- Roo Capital is bringing private equity rigor to early-stage venture
- Blumberg Capital is bullish on #MiamiTech: Q&A with founder David Blumberg
- Koywe’s answer to slow international payments started with a lifelong friendship - September 9, 2026
- Split Pay raises $125M to give your paycheck better timing - September 9, 2026
- PRIMA raises $5M to turn hot tables into a referral business - September 4, 2026