South Florida startups raised $4.13 billion across 376 deals in 2025 — a 23% jump in total capital on roughly flat deal count. That math means one thing: average round sizes are growing. The median deal increased from $3.1 million to $4.2 million, reflecting a startup ecosystem that's graduated from seed-stage experimentation to legitimate growth-stage activity.
Five years ago South Florida was a $940 million market. The 340% growth since 2020 isn't driven by one sector or one city — it's a broad-based buildout across climate tech, fintech, healthcare AI, and enterprise software, spread across Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Broward counties. The Wall Street South migration brought financial firms; now the startup ecosystem is building on top of that capital base.
Data from Crunchbase, PitchBook, and SEC filings for deals with at least one South Florida-headquartered company. Some deal values are estimated from public reporting.
The biggest raises of 2025-2026
South Florida's largest rounds reveal the region's sectoral strengths: energy, healthcare AI, and enterprise software — not the consumer social or crypto categories that defined the 2021 Miami hype cycle.
| Company | Amount | Sector | City | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Origis Energy | $900M | Clean energy | Miami | Solar development + storage; one of the largest SoFl raises ever |
| Spearmint Energy | $325M | Battery storage | West Palm Beach | Grid-scale battery infrastructure |
| OpenEvidence | $250M | Healthcare AI | Miami | Clinical decision support powered by AI; rapid scale |
| Kaseya | $200M+ | IT management | Miami | MSP software platform; rumored $20B+ valuation |
| NUVVE | $175M | CleanTech / V2G | Fort Lauderdale | Vehicle-to-grid technology |
| Papa | $150M | Health tech | Miami | Elder care platform; "family-on-demand" model |
| Boatsetter | $100M | Marketplace | Fort Lauderdale | Boat rental marketplace; iconic SoFl vertical |
| Caribu | $60M | EdTech | Coral Gables | Interactive reading/learning platform for kids |
Sources: Crunchbase, TechCrunch, local reporting, SEC filings. Some figures are rounded estimates from multiple reports.
The most active investors
South Florida's investor landscape has matured beyond the "Miami-curious national VC" phase. Local firms now lead early-stage rounds, while national firms increasingly maintain permanent SoFl presence.
| Firm | Focus | Stage | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starwood Capital | Real estate tech, hospitality | Growth | Miami Beach |
| SoftBank LatAm | Cross-border, fintech | Series A-C | Miami |
| H.I.G. Capital | Growth equity, buyouts | Growth | Miami (HQ) |
| Fuel Venture Capital | Enterprise SaaS, fintech | Series A | Miami |
| Las Olas VC | Broad early-stage | Seed-A | Fort Lauderdale |
| 500 Global | Broad early-stage | Pre-seed/Seed | Miami office |
| Rokk3r | Venture studio model | Seed | Miami |
| Founders Fund | Deep tech, AI, defense | Series A-C | Miami (Brickell) |
The family office ecosystem adds another layer: offices like Bess Ventures, Raptor Group, and Talisman Capital increasingly participate in early rounds, especially in fintech and proptech where they have operational expertise. For a full directory of South Florida investors, see our Miami VC Firms tracker.
Accelerators, events, and infrastructure
South Florida's startup infrastructure has expanded rapidly:
Accelerators: 500 Global Miami, Wyncode Academy (now part of BrainStation), CIC Miami (co-working + accelerator), The Idea Center at MDC (Miami Dade College), FAU Tech Runway (Boca Raton), and the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. Palm Beach Atlantic University's entrepreneurship program is producing a pipeline of local founders.
Events: eMerge Americas (largest SoFl tech conference, 15K+ attendees), Miami Tech Week (annual January gathering), Palm Beach Tech Association events, SFTA Innovation Awards, and an increasing number of sector-specific conferences in fintech, climate, and healthcare AI.
LatAm bridge: Miami's geographic position and cultural connections make it the natural entry point for Latin American startups raising US capital. SoftBank's $5B LatAm fund and $100M Miami Innovation Fund are anchored here specifically for cross-border deal flow. This LatAm bridge is a structural advantage that no other US tech hub can replicate.
Bottom line: South Florida raised $4.13 billion in 2025 — a 340% increase from 2020. The growth is real, broad-based, and accelerating. The region's advantages are structural: zero state income tax attracting capital (see our Wall Street South tracker), Latin American connectivity, a maturing local investor base, and an increasingly dense talent pool drawn by lifestyle and the financial firm migration. The 2021 "Miami is the new Silicon Valley" narrative was premature. But $4 billion a year, 376 deals, and a median round size growing 35% YoY isn't a narrative — it's an ecosystem. Track every deal on our South Florida Funding Tracker.
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