Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps Look to Build South Florida’s Next Generation of Tech Talent

The Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp is returning to South Florida this fall with its largest regional footprint yet.

Launched nationally in Dallas, Texas, in 2019, the free program provides high school students with hands-on exposure to artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. South Florida hosted its first Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps in 2022, with programs in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Five years later, the program has expanded to four South Florida locations: Miami, Boca Raton, Loxahatchee and Palm Beach Gardens. The expansion is particularly significant for Palm Beach County, which will host three of the four South Florida programs in Fall 2026, substantially increasing access for students throughout the county.

The South Florida programs are supported by partners throughout the region's technology and education ecosystem. The 2026 partnerships include Miami Dade College, Cox Science Center and Aquarium, and Palm Beach State College with local corporate partners and technology professionals contributing to the student experience.

High school students in grades 9–12 are eligible to apply, and no previous computer science, coding or artificial intelligence experience is required.

Students receive exposure to areas including artificial intelligence, generative AI, emerging technologies, applied AI ethics, entrepreneurship and career opportunities. They also work with industry mentors to develop capstone projects that put what they learn into practice.

The goal goes beyond teaching students how to use today's AI tools. The program is designed to help young people understand how artificial intelligence works, how it is being applied across industries and how they might participate in the rapidly changing economy it is helping create.

From Two South Florida Camps to Four

The program's growth in South Florida can be traced back to 2022, when local technology ecosystem leaders began advocating for the region to become part of the Mark Cuban Foundation's national AI Bootcamp initiative.

Among the local leaders advocating for the program’s arrival was Nikki Cabus, then CEO of what was, at the time, the leading regional nonprofit technology association, who encouraged the Foundation to establish not just one, but multiple South Florida locations.

Cabus and the organization helped connect the Mark Cuban Foundation with local partners, including Florida Power & Light and Miami-Dade College. Those relationships helped lead to the launch of the first two South Florida bootcamps in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

But the initial vision was larger than hosting a single program.

Cabus believed South Florida's rapidly growing technology ecosystem could support multiple bootcamps and that making the program available in different communities would create greater access for students across the region.

"When we first started discussing bringing the AI Bootcamps to South Florida, there was some uncertainty about whether the region could fill multiple locations. But I was working with this ecosystem every day and seeing the growth firsthand. I knew the demand was here. More importantly, I knew the opportunity was here. If we could bring these programs closer to students across South Florida, I believed they would show up." 

The first South Florida programs launched in 2022 in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. The initiative subsequently expanded to Broward County with support from The ODP Corporation and the Alan Levan Center of Innovation, creating programming across all three major South Florida counties.

"Seeing the program enter its fifth year in South Florida with four locations is incredibly meaningful. The goal was never simply to fill a classroom. It was about making sure students growing up here could see themselves as part of the technology economy being built around them” shared Cabus.

The growth also illustrates a larger philosophy behind regional technology ecosystem development: attracting companies and investment is only one part of building a sustainable technology economy. Communities must simultaneously develop the people who will eventually work for, build and lead those companies. 

Palm Beach County Emerges as a Center for AI Talent Development

Perhaps the most notable development in 2026 is the program's expansion within Palm Beach County. Three of this year's four South Florida bootcamps will take place in Boca Raton, Loxahatchee and Palm Beach Gardens. The geographic distribution is important.

Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens have established business, technology and innovation communities, while the Loxahatchee location extends access farther west into Palm Beach County. That expansion helps bring AI education closer to students who may not have convenient access to technology programs traditionally concentrated along South Florida's eastern urban corridor.

It also comes as Palm Beach County experiences increasing activity around artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other advanced technologies such as ModMed’s advancements in AI-powered healthcare technology to D-Wave Quantum’s expansion into Boca Raton and partnership with Florida Atlantic University, demonstrate the growing demand for AI and emerging technology talent within Palm Beach County itself.

Companies and institutions throughout the county are investing in emerging technologies while universities, colleges and workforce organizations are simultaneously developing new programs to prepare students and workers for the skills those industries will require.

That creates an important economic development question for the region: Can South Florida develop enough homegrown talent to support the technology economy it is working so hard to build?

Programs such as the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp provide an opportunity to begin developing that pipeline years before students enter the full-time workforce. But expanding access also means bringing those opportunities closer to where students live, particularly in a county as geographically large and diverse as Palm Beach County.

“Opportunities for students aren’t always equal depending on where they live, so expanding to three locations in Palm Beach County allows us to give more students access to the emerging technologies and AI that are changing our world,” said Mark Howard of the PBC STEM Ecosystem. “Just as important is the opportunity for students to connect with local STEM professionals as mentors. Sometimes all it takes is one opportunity, one interaction or one introduction to a STEM program for a student to see themselves in a STEM career. That’s how we change lives while building and connecting the next generation of Palm Beach County’s STEM ecosystem.” 

The PBC STEM Ecosystem is a collective impact initiative financially supported by the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, but Howard emphasized that programs like the AI Bootcamp depend on a much broader network of partners, local STEM professionals and community members who contribute their time, expertise and resources. 

Building South Florida's Future Tech Workforce

South Florida's technology ecosystem has changed considerably since the first local Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps were held in 2022. At the same time, artificial intelligence has evolved from a specialized technology discipline into a tool transforming nearly every major industry.

Students explore applications of AI across business, health care, computer science, arts, sports and science, skills that increasingly intersect with major South Florida industries including financial services, cybersecurity, health care, logistics, hospitality, marketing and professional services. That makes early AI literacy valuable even for students who may never pursue a traditional computer science career.

Mentorship and exposure to local career pathways are equally important components of the program. Industry professionals help guide students through the curriculum and capstone projects, giving participants an opportunity to meet AI engineers, entrepreneurs, cybersecurity professionals and business leaders while exploring how technology can solve real-world problems.

In a previous Wall Street Journal interview, Mark Cuban described AI as a technological shift unlike those that came before it.

"I saw the impact of PCs. Then I saw the impact of local area networks. Then I saw the impact of wide area networks. Then I saw the impact of the Internet. Then I saw the impact of mobile. Then I saw the impact of wireless. Now I'm seeing the impact of artificial intelligence. And it dwarfs any of those things."

Cuban also pointed to expanding access to opportunity as one of his goals: "One of my goals is to really go out and find the superstars. There are so many there that are under-appreciated and don't have access to resources."

For South Florida, creating those connections among students, educators, mentors and businesses can help the region develop and retain homegrown talent while building the workforce and entrepreneurs needed to support its future innovation economy.

Five Years Later, A Vision Validated

The growth of the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp offers a useful case study in how national technology programs can take root and expand within a regional ecosystem.

For Nikki Cabus, who now leads Studio Solian and continues working with organizations throughout South Florida's business and technology ecosystem, the expansion represents something larger than the growth of a single program.

"Five years ago, we were trying to convince people that South Florida could support multiple AI bootcamps. Today, we're talking about three locations in Palm Beach County alone.” said Cabus. To me, that's what ecosystem building is about. You create the connections, open the doors and give people access to opportunities, and then you watch what the community does with them." 

The students entering this year's bootcamps were in elementary or middle school when the first South Florida programs launched in 2022. Some may become software developers. Others may become entrepreneurs, physicians, financial professionals, cybersecurity leaders, scientists, marketers or educators who simply understand how to use AI effectively in their fields.

The technology itself will almost certainly look different by the time they enter the workforce. Giving them the skills, exposure, mentors and confidence to adapt to that change may ultimately be the program's most important contribution to South Florida's future innovation economy.

What to Know Before Applying

The 2026 Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamps are open to high school students in grades 9–12. No previous coding, computer science or AI experience is required. Students must reside in the county associated with the bootcamp location for which they are applying. The South Florida programs will be held on October 31, November 7 and November 14, 2026. The application deadline is September 30, 2026. Students and families can apply directly through the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp website.

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