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By Nikki Cabus

Mark Cuban & Anthropocene Ventures Back Climate-Tech Startup, Kind Designs

Read Time 4 Minutes

Renowned entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban, alongside early stage climate tech VC firm Anthropocene Ventures, has joined Kind Designs’ seed round.

The investment marks a significant milestone for the female-founded climate and construction tech startup, which has experienced exponential growth since its launch in June 2023. The new capital enables Kind Designs to triple production capacity and expand its team to meet explosive demand for its Living Seawalls™.

Major coastal cities in the United States, including Miami, New York City, and San Francisco, are at imminent risk from rising sea-levels with local and federal government agencies expecting to spend nearly $400B in seawall construction efforts.

According to FloodList.com, the study, titled High Tide Tax: The Price to Protect Coastal Communities from Rising Seas, reveals that “Florida will be by far the most heavily impacted state in such events, with projected costs of over $70 billion across the state, with 23 counties facing at least $1 billion in seawall expenses alone.”

As a result, the United States could be on track to destroy over 50,000 miles of marine habitat by 2040.

Kind Designs addresses this concern.  The company is a climate-tech startup addressing rising sea-levels by revolutionizing the outdated and traditionally toxic seawall construction industry. Through its use of sustainable materials, and patent-pending 3D printing technology, Kind Designs is producing the world’s first 3D-printed Living Seawalls™️. The Living Seawalls protect coastal communities from floods and storm surges, while creating marine habitats, sequestering carbon and collecting essential water quality data.

Unlike traditional seawalls, which are typically flat, Living Seawalls incorporate biomimicry design principles and function as artificial reefs. The Living Seawalls also sequester carbon and collect essential water data. Kind’s innovative approach to seawall construction cuts production time by 95% and has zero green premium, making it both a sustainable and economical solution to at-risk communities.

“The investment decision was swift and resolute,” comments Anthropocene Ventures’ Managing Partner, Matthew McGraw.

Anthropocene Ventures is a global, early-stage VC firm investing in founders that leverage exponential technologies & hard science to make humanity more resilient. Kind Designs was the perfect for for the VC firm.

“Kind Designs surpasses our criteria with its immediate real-world application, clear business model, path to revenue, and the merging of nature’s smarts through biomimicry with 3D printing technology. Yet, what truly solidified our commitment is the performance of the founder, Anya. In a brief span, she has demonstrated exceptional execution.”

Earlier this summer, The Florida Venture Forum and co-host, Space Florida, hosted the 2023 Aerospace + EmergingTech Forum awarding over $200,000 in cash and VC investment. Kind Designs won first place taking home $40,000. In addition to the cash prizes awarded, DeepWork Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Orlando, announced they will invest $100,000 in Kind Designs.

Soon after, GOVO Venture Partners, along with M4 Investing and the Florida Opportunity Fund, announced the decision to co-lead the $5M seed investment round in Miami-based Kind Designs.

In under five months, Kind Designs launched its warehouse, became fully operational and achieved revenue by starting to deliver the first Living Seawall panels in November 2023. The company plans to triple its production capacity by February 2024, with its recent purchase of two additional printing robots, showcasing the widespread demand for its pioneering products.

This month, Kind Designs also reached a workforce milestone, hiring its tenth full-time employee, a testament to its commitment to creating meaningful job opportunities in tech and fostering local talent in Miami. Other hires joining Kind’s founder and CEO, Anya Freeman, include Leandro Fernandez as Lead Structural Engineer and Jeremy Morris as Chief Operating Officer. Morris previously held roles at The Boring Company and Icon.

“Having investors with a global reach, like Mark Cuban and Anthro Ventures on our team is a huge vote of confidence in our mission to regenerate marine ecosystems and protect coastal communities,” shared Anya Freeman, Kind Designs’ Founder and CEO.

“With their strategic backing, we are positioned to propel Kind Designs into a massive global business, while simultaneously making an immense environmental impact. Together, we’re putting economical and environmentally beneficial coastal resilience on the map.”

Looking ahead, Kind Designs plans to further disrupt the coastal construction industry by working with government agencies to offer Living Seawall tax incentives on the county, state and federal levels. This program will be similar to incentives already in place such as solar energy and EV tax credits. Kind Designs’ Living Seawalls check several boxes by merging the structural integrity of traditional seawalls with a sustainable design that nurtures marine life and is more cost effective for coastal communities.

As Kind Designs continues to grow and innovate, this strategic investment will play a pivotal role in advancing its mission to protect coastal communities and marine life globally. Mark Cuban and Anthropocene Ventures join an impressive list of supporters within Kind Design’s $5M seed round.

To learn more about Kind Designs, visit https://www.kinddesigns.com/

By Nikki Cabus

FAU Tech Runway announces the 16 startups of cohort 12

Read Time 3 Minutes

FAU Tech Runway® recently announced the 16 companies accepted to participate in the 12th cohort of its Venture Program.

FAU Tech Runway is a South Florida public-private partnership that serves as a hub to accelerate technology development and incubate startup companies. The Venture Program provides the most promising startups and talented entrepreneurs in South Florida with an opportunity to join a year-long program that offers resources from FAU’s Innovation and Business Development pipeline, entrepreneurial instruction, structured team-based mentoring, networking, marketing and capital-raising assistance, co-working space, events, intern support, and other vital programs.

Companies accepted into the Venture Program must have strategic alignment with FAU’s research focus areas, including drone technologies; educational technologies; environmental science; marine science; ocean engineering; neuroscience; healthy aging; big data analytics; artificial intelligence; machine learning; cyber security; sensing; and smart systems.

The 16 companies in Venture Class 12 are:

  • Clinical Fitness provides a safe environment where clients can be guided and educated by medical professionals in the proper use of gym equipment.
  • DashOne is a developing wearable tech that empowers athletes to improve their form and performance in real time through reinforcement cues and in-depth analytics.
  • DealHero, LLC is a web platform designed to connect military, veterans and first responders with businesses that support them by offering deals and discounts on their products and services.
  • Glowby Lightbulbs are patent-pending, long-lasting, rechargeable lightbulbs for places where running wiring is impossible or impractical. Install lighting fixtures anywhere and have easy, instant light that can last years before requiring a recharge.
  • Housing Nonprofit is a platform connecting renters with housing grants to purchase a home. Their technology analyzes the requirements for all incentives to buy a house and allow users to check eligibility for all programs via a single form.
  • HUMM STAFFING is an app platform that connects healthcare professionals with hospital shift work.
  • Integral Vista Solutions is a company that provides innovative technological solutions to improve the efficiency and profitability of residential service companies.
  • Kastaco connects talent such as models, actors, voice-over artists, singers and musicians with valuable opportunities.
  • MM COMMUNICA INC is a digital public relations firm dedicated to helping small businesses and personal brands improve their reputation and authority online.
  • Printed Patio uses concrete 3D printing to generate bespoke landscape and architectural features.
  • Puttrax 360 is golf’s first AR gaming and training experience for putting, where computer vision technology automatically tracks and scores every putt.
  • RideGuide is an app that provides a highly customized library to educate drivers on the proper use and operation of features and technology in their cars using videos, searchable manuals and how-to guides.
  • SecureTec ID is a software mobile application that uses biometric data gathered from contactless fingerprints for the community and policing. It also provides identification and additional intel, utilizing numerous databases, to promote and encourage safety.
  • Telly College LLC empowers students to maximize their college experience, by use of daily on- and off-campus events with voting and attendance stats.
  • Therapy in a Click aims to establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uplifts mental health care accessibility by offering free virtual therapy sessions with licensed mental health professionals to high school students within Palm Beach County.
  • Wisp Energy LLC (WE) will employ a proprietary Dual Axis Wind Turbine (DAWT) using advanced AI and ML to improve wind turbine performance, adding variables to the wind interaction and yielding improvements of more than 30 percent in efficiency and/or ROI.

Venture Class 12 participants join a robust community of fellow entrepreneurs, mentors, investors, instructors and top-level support professionals.

FAU Tech Runway® is a public-private partnership formed to incubate and accelerate early-stage technology-based companies, under the purview of FAU’s Division of Research . Applications for the next cycle of the Venture Program will open in Fall 2023.

For more information on FAU Tech Runway® Venture Program, visit https://www.fau.edu/techrunway/tech-runway-venture-program/

By Nikki Cabus

Miami-based Atomic Venture announces new $320 million fund and addition of 3rd GP

Read Time 3 Minutes

Atomic Ventures, a Miami-based VC firm just announced that they have raised their 4th and largest fund to date at $320 million.

The fund will be used to found new startups the firm will create and further fund existing portfolio companies. The last fund raise of $260 million back in 2021, created more than a dozen new companies with several of them right here in South Florida. The recent fund brings Atomic to over $750 million in total assets in management, the largest venture studio fund in the technology industry.

Atomic does things a little differently than most VCs, They only writes checks to startups it spins up itself. The firms is said to have a list of hundreds of ideas in which they find co-founders for and then invest in. Atomic brings ideas, capital, resources, and talent together—partnering with co-founders to build the best ideas into great companies. They found AND fund companies.

“I think this is the best time potentially in history to be building a company,” said Jack Abraham, the founder, CEO, and managing partner of Atomic, during their recent 2023 Builders Summit.  He continued, “Historically, the best and biggest companies are built during downturns.”

Abraham discussed the advantages such as less noise, less competition and more available talent. He also highlights the potential for technology to disrupt and innovate every facet of life and how entrepreneurship can address major issues such as healthcare and energy.

He stresses the importance of great talent stating that “the talent availability in tremendous” with tons of talent coming through their doors. So much, that the company is having a hard time processing all the applicants.

Jack moved to Miami in July 2020 for the opportunity to build new startups and has since brought along our General Partner, Chester Ng and COO, Healey Cypher, as well as several other key leaders from the Atomic team and from their broader portfolio of high-growth startups.

Atomic also recently announced the expansion of their team with the addition of  Kristin Schaefer as their third General Partner.

Kristin was previously the CFO at Postmates. She joined as the tenth employee, building out growth, analytics, finance, and, eventually, as CFO, leading the company’s near-IPO process and ultimate acquisition by Uber for $5 billion – with a B. As an angel investor in Postmates, Jack said there would have been no way the company would have become a $1B revenue run-rate company that raised nearly $1B in funding without the support of Kristin.

Before Postmates, Kristin worked at PayPal for David Marcus’s strategy team and Clarium on Peter Thiel’s global macro investment strategy.

Over the past year, Atomic Ventures has grown to a team of over 75 builders, started 16 companies and secured funding to fuel the growth of some of the most exciting and promising startups yet. One of which is based right here in Miami: OpenStore.

Founded in 2021, OpenStore is a way for Shopify entrepreneurs looking to sell their eCommerce businesses quickly and easily in just a matter of days. OpenStore has been able to acquire dozens of businesses representing millions of dollars in deal flow. With their $32 million round in 2022, OpenStore now has total equity funding over $150 million from investors that include Atomic, Founders Fund, General Catalyst and Khosla Ventures.

With the new wave of exciting AI companies, Atomic Ventures also recently welcomed two new fellow entrepreneurs as VPs, Lauren Dickstein and Michael Stenclik, alongside Jordan Kong, Phil Liu, and Sharon Winter.

Click here to learn more about Atomic and what they look for in their co-founders.

By Nikki Cabus

Watson Institute is launching a fully-funded Venture Accelerator program for next-generation entrepreneurs

Read Time 3 Minutes

The Watson Institute is launching a fully-funded Venture Accelerator program for next-generation entrepreneurs with the skills, resources, and experience to scale the impactful ventures they are building. 

Fellows will learn advanced skills in entrepreneurship and leadership, have the opportunity to earn seed funding (up to $6,000), garner experience, and build a global network, as they lay the foundation to empower many more individuals and transform their communities. This program is offered with virtual and in-person components. 

Watson Institute is a place where next generation entrepreneurs and leaders can find their community, discover their calling, and accelerate their careers. They provide the tools, network, mindset, and courage for the next generation to solve the toughest challenges facing the world, launch successful careers, and lead impactful lives.

Watson Institute has locations in Boulder, Colorado, and at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and runs accelerators for leading corporations including Ford Motor Company Fund and Western Union Foundation. They are now building partnerships with innovative corporations and institutions of higher education in the US and globally.

With over 400 scholars and alumni representing almost 70 countries, they have raised over $175 million, created over 1,500 part or full-time jobs, and impacted over 5 million people around the world through initiatives they help lead. Watson Institute Alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship, and six have been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists. Alumni continue their education at Harvard University, Princeton University, and Oxford Saïd’s Business School.

The Watson Institute students “major in their mission” as they obtain a Bachelor of Science in Social Impact and Entrepreneurship from Lynn University. They intern at leading corporations and nonprofits while developing the skills to lead successful careers or even launch their own ventures.

The Watson Institute Venture Accelerator is a 16-week program designed for impact-driven entrepreneurs seeking to elevate their ventures with access to a global network, training designed to strengthen skills, and mentorship with seasoned professionals, venture capitalists, and executives. The program will kick off with an in-person Immersive in Boulder, Colorado from July 20th – July 28th. The remaining 14 weeks is virtual and provides award-winning training, committed mentorship, and a powerful community of peers for next-generation entrepreneurs to advance their impact-focused ventures and lives. The time commitment for the 14 weeks is approximately 6–8 hours per week. This program is designed to complement the entrepreneurs’ existing venture work, allowing them to implement learnings in real-time.

Eligible participants will be entrepreneurs leading an early-stage social impact venture with demonstrated impact metrics and traction, those able to commit to the 16-week program including the in-person Immersive in Boulder, Colorado and can be from any geographical location with a preference to applicants from the USA, Brazil, China, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

Learn more and apply here.

By Nikki Cabus

Inaugural Venture Appreciation Night honors South Florida startup ecosystem

Read Time 3 Minutes

Tech Hub’s inaugural ‘Venture Appreciate Night’🚀 was a celebration of all the people who make up our startup community in South Florida!

Founders, funders and friends in the region came together to enjoy a three-course dinner, drinks, great networking and recognition of some of our ecosystem’s players.

For more than the past two decades, South Florida has been on the top of the charts as one of the country’s top places for entrepreneurship activity, but lacked in the funding that followed. That’s beginning to change.

In Q4 of last year, the overall deal flow across the United States including angel and seed, early stage VC, and late-stage VC was the lowest of 2022, according to Q4 2022 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor. PitchBook’s reports states that “the four consecutive quarters of declining deal counts could foreshadow a continued slide in 2023.” But what does it mean when the South Florida region is defying the odds?

Despite the downturn nationally, the Miami Metro region (Miami, Broward Palm Beach) has climbed to one of the top ten venture capital regions in the country. While other major tech hub’s numbers are sinking, South Florida is consistently on the rise and continued to rise in Q4.

  1. Bay Area | 2022 deal count: 3,263 and 2022 deal value: $75.4B
  2. New York | 2022 deal count: 2,323 and 2022 deal value: $31.4B
  3. Los Angeles | 2022 deal count: 1,311 and 2022 deal value: $23.3B
  4. Boston | 2022 deal count: 1,016 and 2022 deal value: $21.4B
  5. Philadelphia | 2022 deal count: 554 and 2022 deal value: $5.6B
  6. Seattle | 2022 deal count: 479 and 2022 deal value: $7.8B
  7. Washington D.C. | 2022 deal count: 443 and 2022 deal value: $4.9B
  8. Miami | 2022 deal count: 423 and 2022 deal value: $5.5B
  9. Austin | 2022 deal count: 416 and 2022 deal value: $4.9B
  10. Chicago | 2022 deal count: 384 and 2022 deal value: $10.2B

This type of progress doesn’t happen overnight. There are thousands of people supporting and helping build our entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem in South Florida. We decided to honor just a few of these founders, funders, and mentors at this year’s inaugural ‘Venture Appreciation Night.’

Here are our honorees:

  • Claudia Duran | Managing Director @ Endeavor Miami
  • Chris Ochner | Co-Founder & Chair @ Modern Trials and CEO @ MindFigure Consulting
  • Darie Dorlus | Founder & CEO @ Synchronized Technologies and Startup Mentor
  • David Hartmann | Founder & CEO @ The SilverLogic and Mentor @ FAU Tech Runway
  • Dr. Kevin Cox | Senior Instructor & Assoc. Director of Adams Center for Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs Xchange Lead Instructor @ FAU, and Associate @ Glades Capital
  • Giovanni Punzo | Founder & CEO @ Streann Media
  • Roxette Irvine | Managing Director @ The LAB Miami, Director of Web3 Global @ Founder Institute, Partner @ 305 Works
  • Steven Edwards | Founder & CEO, Premier Virtual
  • Tahl Milburn | Gentleman Technologist. Thoughtful Investor. Executive Advisor. Tech Hub Ambassador.
  • Todd Albert | Founder & CEO @ Boca Code and Startup Mentor

Tech Hub would like to give a big shoutout to Streann Media for being the presenting sponsor and Gio Punzo for giving a very insightful keynote about his founder journey. From being laughed at, told he was wrong, learning to believe in himself and now building a multi-million dollar business that help other businesses scale.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by South Florida Tech Hub as being an integral part of the start-up ecosystem in South Florida,” said Gio Punzo, CEO of Streann Media.

“We have gone from a start-up to becoming a global company, creating jobs around the world with our technologies that are touching millions of people. The content economy is going through a huge transformation and we are leading the change. We are truly blessed to be where we are.”

Check out some of the event photos below. Thank you to all who came out to celebrate with us!

 

Mark Cuban & Anthropocene Ventures Back Climate-Tech Startup, Kind Designs
FAU Tech Runway announces the 16 startups of cohort 12
Miami-based Atomic Venture announces new $320 million fund and addition of 3rd GP
Watson Institute is launching a fully-funded Venture Accelerator program for next-generation entrepreneurs
Inaugural Venture Appreciation Night honors South Florida startup ecosystem