How Ambition Accelerated Is Connecting 19 South Florida Innovators to Florida's Economic Future

Florida has spent years attracting entrepreneurs, investors, and established companies with its business-friendly environment, expanding talent pool, and growing technology ecosystem. But attracting businesses is only part of the equation. The next challenge is helping those businesses grow, compete, and establish lasting roots in the state.

That is the vision behind Ambition Accelerated, a statewide accelerator initiative led by the Florida Council of 100 and its Foundation, alongside corporate and economic development partners.

On October 13, 2026, the initiative announced the kickoff of four industry-focused accelerator cohorts featuring 46 early-stage technology companies, including 19 startups from South Florida.

The eight-week program connects participating founders with more than 75 CEOs and business leaders, providing access to industry expertise, prospective customers, and strategic relationships that can help accelerate growth.

For South Florida, the announcement represents an opportunity to strengthen the region's position as a hub for technology innovation while building stronger connections between emerging companies and established industries.

“Florida’s next chapter will be defined by the companies we help build here,” said Mike Simas, President and CEO of the Florida Council of 100. “Through Beyond Sunshine, we identified where Florida can lead. Ambition Accelerated puts that strategy to work, mobilizing our business community to help founders win customers, attract investment and build companies that strengthen Florida’s economy for the long term.”

From Regional Initiative to Statewide Accelerator

Ambition Accelerated builds on the Gold Coast Tech Accelerator, launched in 2025 with programs focused on financial technology and dual-use and defense innovation.

The initiative has since expanded into a statewide platform organized around four industries considered important to Florida's economic future:

• FinTech - West Palm Beach: Financial services, payment technologies, financial accessibility, and emerging financial infrastructure.

• Dual-Use & Defense Technology - Miami: Technologies supporting national security, defense, critical infrastructure, and commercial applications.

• HealthTech - Tampa Bay: Healthcare delivery, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health.

• Resilience - Babcock Ranch, Southwest Florida: Technologies addressing infrastructure, energy, environmental challenges, and disaster preparedness.

Each accelerator is located within a region offering relevant industry expertise and resources, creating opportunities for participating companies to engage with organizations that understand their markets. The program also provides executive coaching through Tampa-based Embarc Collective, with participating founders receiving additional resources and support beyond the eight-week accelerator.

Founding platform partners include Related Ross and eMerge Americas, with additional support from Truist, GuideWell, Tampa General Hospital, and Babcock Ranch.

“Florida’s business leaders have the relationships and experience to help promising companies take their next major step,” said Eric Silagy, Chair of the Florida Council of 100 Foundation and Vice Chairman of Related Ross. “This expansion puts that leadership to work across the state, investing in the companies and economic opportunities that will shape Florida’s future.”

For the 19 South Florida companies selected, that commitment represents an opportunity to engage with experienced executives and industry partners as they work to bring their innovations to market

Meet the 19 South Florida Startups Selected for Ambition Accelerated

The South Florida companies selected for the 2026 program represent a diverse cross-section of emerging technologies, from financial services and artificial intelligence to defense systems, medical innovation, and infrastructure resilience.

FinTech | West Palm Beach Accelerator

Nine South Florida companies were selected for the FinTech cohort.

1. AHG Pay (West Palm Beach) | Founder: Drew Brasiel - A payment processing and business growth solutions provider serving businesses that may face challenges obtaining services through traditional payment processors.

2. DubPay (Miami / Brazil) | Founder: Mauricio Seixas - A financial technology company providing secure payment processing infrastructure, digital transactions, and cross-border payment solutions.

3. MicroFinance Pro (West Palm Beach) | Founder: Lionel Aluka - A financial inclusion platform connecting underserved communities, local lending institutions, and international capital providers through digital financial services.

4. Movik (Miami) | Founder: Tomas Shuk - An AI-powered platform helping transportation and freight businesses manage operations, financial services, and access to working capital.

5. PayFlex (Miami / Uruguay)  Founder: Fausto Friedrich - A financial wellness platform offering earned-wage access and AI-powered financial guidance to support frontline workers.

6. Payslice (Miami) | Founder: Brian Gerrard - A financial technology platform enabling payroll providers and fintech companies to offer earned-wage access across currencies, including stablecoins.

7. RangersAI (Boca Raton) | Founder: Ayelet Biger-Levin - An AI-powered scam prevention platform helping financial institutions protect customers through real-time guidance, education, and fraud awareness.

8. Stingray Technology Solutions (Delray Beach) | Founder: Liam Lafferty - A technology company developing Nexus, an AI-native integration platform designed to accelerate the development of targeted business software.

9. Wamy AI (Miami) | Founder: Edgar Harutyunyan - An AI-powered insurance claims analysis platform helping property and casualty insurance professionals evaluate claims, manage deadlines, and identify potential exposure.

Dual-Use & Defense Technology — Miami Accelerator

Four South Florida companies were selected for the Dual-Use & Defense Technology cohort.

10. ARSOFT US (Miami) | Founder: Aidan DeLellis - An extended reality company developing immersive training, augmented reality, and digital twin solutions for industrial, defense, and healthcare applications.

11. Earendel (Aventura) | Founder: Ryan Conlan - An energy autonomy platform developing intelligent power management and unmanned energy solutions for defense operations and other mission-critical environments.

12. Reef Arches (West Palm Beach) | Founder: Nick Bourdon - A coastal technology company developing infrastructure designed to protect shorelines, reduce erosion, and support marine habitat restoration.

13. Supply Veins (Miami) | Founder: Charles Masters Rodriguez - An AI-native procurement and supply chain platform helping manufacturers improve supplier communications, automate workflows, and strengthen supply chain resilience.

HealthTech — Tampa Bay Accelerator

Three South Florida companies were selected for the HealthTech cohort.

14. AVENTUSOFT (Boca Raton) | Founder: Kaustubh Kale - A medical technology company developing noninvasive cardiac monitoring and AI-powered patient intelligence solutions for heart failure management.

15. Poiesis Medical (Jupiter) | Founder: Gregory Wiita - A life sciences company advancing non-antibiotic bladder health technology designed to address bacterial burden and biofilm formation.

16. SisaTech AI (Miami) | Founder: Krishan Punia - A healthcare AI company developing technology that organizes fragmented medical records into comprehensive patient timelines to support clinical decision-making.

Resilience — Southwest Florida Accelerator

Three South Florida companies were identified among the selected Resilience participants.

17. Just Cool It (Miami) | Founder: Tim Sperry - A building technology company combining advanced cooling coatings and AI-powered property intelligence to reduce heat exposure and extend infrastructure life.

18. Sealor (Sunny Isles Beach) | Founder: Alexander Suma - A materials innovation company developing nature-inspired technologies designed to strengthen and protect coastal infrastructure.

19. WildlifeOS / CrocAlarm (Miami / Babcock Ranch) | Founder: Rodolfo Saccoman - An AI-powered wildlife detection platform developing early-warning technology to identify alligators and crocodiles in waterways and improve public safety.

Beyond the Accelerator: Turning Innovation Into Economic Impact

The selection of 19 South Florida startups highlights the region's increasingly diverse innovation economy, spanning financial technology, defense, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure resilience. From West Palm Beach's expanding financial services sector to Miami's emerging defense technologies and the region's growing healthcare and resilience industries, these companies reflect both South Florida's economic strengths and its potential to develop solutions with national and global applications.

But developing innovative technology is only part of building a successful company. For many early-stage startups, securing customers, navigating complex procurement processes, attracting investment, and gaining access to corporate decision-makers can present significant barriers to growth. By connecting entrepreneurs with established business leaders, Ambition Accelerated aims to bridge that gap, creating opportunities for commercial partnerships, industry collaboration, and market expansion.

The potential benefits extend beyond the startups themselves. Established businesses gain exposure to emerging technologies and fresh approaches to industry challenges, while the broader region stands to benefit from new investment, job creation, and economic diversification.

Ultimately, the true measure of Ambition Accelerated's success will not be the number of companies selected, but what those companies accomplish after the program concludes. Will they secure customers and commercial contracts? Attract investment? Create jobs and expand their operations in Florida? And will the relationships formed during the accelerator translate into lasting business opportunities?

For South Florida, the opportunity is significant. The region has demonstrated its ability to attract entrepreneurial talent and foster innovation. The next step is ensuring that promising ideas become sustainable businesses that contribute to the state's long-term economic growth.

The real story isn't simply which startups were selected. It's what happens when entrepreneurial ambition meets the relationships, resources, and opportunities needed to turn innovation into lasting economic impact.

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