Florida Funders

Steven Walchek's journey is one you don't want to miss. If you haven't heard the full episode yet, catch it on your favorite podcast streaming service or tap the link in our bio to hear his full story.

Florida Funders has never been just a fund. It's a platform, a distribution channel, a founder network, a community of investors who show up. Our 2026 Venture Summit put that on full display. The portfolio is growing, the attention is earned, and the next chapter is already in motion. Let's go.

FLF (@floridafunders ) Venture Summit 2026 🎥 The speaker lineup featured leaders across venture, technology, and sports investing, including @geoffreywoo , @braxtonberrios , @francissuarez , @melmedina305 , @davidpolitis , @thatbrownsugar , Managing Partner @saxonbaumer , and more alongside founders and investors shaping the next generation of companies across the country. Hosted @themotorenclave in Tampa, the summit brought together hundreds of members of the startup ecosystem for a full day of conversations, insights, and high-signal networking. Panels covered venture market trends, operator-led investing, athlete investors entering the venture space, and how emerging ecosystems like Florida are building long-term innovation economies.

We’re excited to share that Brox AI, a new FLF Fund 3 deal, recently announced a strategic funding round following a year of 10x revenue growth. The enterprise platform has created 60k proprietary digital twins, 1:1 behavior replicas of real people, to stimulate human decision-making with accuracy at a scale that can keep up with the AI era. Each digital twin is constructed from hours of deep interviews and up to 300 pages of personal data data, allowing enterprise companies to run unlimited research scenarios in hours instead of a typical 12-week cycle. Google, JP Morgan Chase, Amazon, and Pfizer are already on the client roster. Pair that with founder @HamishBrox extensive background in building and scaling AI-driven product initiatives and analytics infrastructure, and we’re beyond confident in this company’s vision and execution.

Thanks to all who came out for @EmbarcCollective ’s 2026 Early-Stage Venture Summit last week! It was an honor to be the event’s Presenting Sponsor and witness all the founder pitches, networking moments, and operator insights firsthand. Representing FLF, @Saxonbaumer , @Rachael.ferm , and @ZBrodsky3 each took the stage alongside founders, investors, and leaders from across the state over the two-day event. Embarc put together something special, and we’re grateful for the partnership. The talent in that room and the willingness to share, collaborate, and invest in each other’s success reflects what makes Florida’s startup ecosystem worth betting on.

As a top 25 accounting firm in the U.S. and a top 15 Global Fund Auditor, @CherryBekaert is passionate about empowering organizations through strategic financial guidance and forward-thinking solutions. The firm specializes in working with fast growing companies, partnering with founders and leadership teams to navigate complexity, scale with confidence, and build sustainable momentum. Their advisors deliver industry-aligned tax, assurance, and advisory services tailored to the realities of rapid growth.

As we reflect on the success of the 2026 Early-Stage Venture Summit, we want to extend a sincere thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Florida Funders, for helping make this year’s event possible. Their support was instrumental in bringing together founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders from across Florida for two days of meaningful conversations, strategic connections, and startup momentum. Florida Funders continues to play a major role in strengthening the region’s innovation economy—not only through capital investment, but through the operational expertise, network access, and founder support they provide to early-stage companies navigating critical growth stages. With a focus on high-growth sectors including fintech, AI, digital health, cybersecurity, and the future of work, Florida Funders has become a key force in helping scale the next generation of venture-backed companies in Florida. We’re especially grateful to members of their team who shared their insights throughout the summit: ⭐️ Saxon Baum, Managing Partner ⭐️ Rachel Ferm, Director of Investments ⭐️ Zach Brodsky, Senior Associate of Investments Thank you again to the entire Florida Funders team for your partnership, leadership, and continued commitment to Florida’s startup ecosystem. 🚨Missed this year’s summit? Complete the 2027 Early-Stage Venture Summit Interest Form to be the first to apply for next year’s summit! Link in bio.

Steven Walchek started his first company in college, faxing loan documents by hand. He went on to build and exit a venture-backed fintech alongside his father. Then he started another company to solve a problem inside his own. Most founders look outward for problems to fix. Steven's latest venture, Liminal, came from turning inward. On this week's Skin in the Game, he and @Saxonbaumer dig into that mindset, what enterprise-ready AI infrastructure actually looks like, and why distribution and trust are outpacing the technology itself as competitive advantages. He also makes a case for why right now is one of the best times in history to build. Watch or listen to the full episode - link in bio.

Over the past two days, the conversations, connections, and insights shared made it clear just how strong and collaborative Florida’s early-stage investing and startup community has become. We’re grateful for the time, thoughtfulness, and perspective you brought into the room—your participation is what made this Summit impactful. ➡️Head to the link in our bio to check out the official recap blog A special thank you to our incredible Day 2 speakers, moderators, and panelists for sharing their expertise and perspectives throughout the summit: ⭐️ Elizabeth Nelson, Program Manager, Florida High Tech Corridor at USF ⭐️ J. Alex Kelly, Secretary, Florida Commerce ⭐️ Jess Schultz, Co-Founder & CEO, Amplify Group ⭐️ Kailah Matyas, Talent Strategy Coach, Embarc Collective and Founder & Managing Partner, K & Co Talent ⭐️ Kate Heath, Executive Advisor + Brand & Marketing Strategy Coach, Embarc Collective and SVP Marketing & Communications, Certus Core ⭐️ Ken Hall, Partner, Deepwork Capital ⭐️ Kristen Koenig, B2B Sales Strategy Coach, Embarc Collective and Vice President and General Manager of AI GTM, RingCentral ⭐️ Monique Villa, Managing Partner, Daytrip Ventures ⭐️ Rachel Feinman, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Ventures, and Digital Solutions, TGH Ventures ⭐️ Ryan Schneider, Founder, Thrive25 and Strategy Coach, Embarc Collective ⭐️ Saxon Baum, Managing Partner, FLF ⭐️ Scott Chamberlin, Managing Director, VC Relationships and Customers Bank ⭐️ Zach Brodsky, Senior Associate of Investments, FLF And another huge thank you to our 2026 sponsors for their gracious support! 🚀Presenting Sponsor: Florida Funders 🚀Welcome Reception Sponsor: Hill Ward Henderson 🚀Travel Sponsor: Delta Airlines 🚀Program Sponsors: Fulcrum Equity Partners & Tampa General Hospital Ventures

Today’s lineup at Embarc Collective was packed with exactly what startups need to navigate the current market. . Huge shoutout to the @floridafunders team for putting together an event that truly adds value and tactical advice for the next generation of builders. Who else is in the room today? Let’s connect! #PS27Ventures #StartupGrowth #FloridaEcosystem #TechStartups #TampaFl

We capped off Miami Tech Week with two incredible events: A stunning VIP founders hour event that FLF co-hosted along with @zaidrmn /@flexsuperapp and @Roam , with 100 of the most prestigious founders and investors in Miami, topped with live music. A keynote event at @seia.miami hosted by our partner @zachrubn of @tradedvc alongside @dorsia + @airwallex . Investors, founders, and operators came together to hear Marc Roberts (Open AI seed investor and @11miami owner) share his insights on early-stage investments and entrepreneurship. @saxonbaumer , @rachael.ferm , and marc.blumenthal were the faces of FLF for Tech Week.

Day 1 of the 2026 Early-Stage Venture Summit, Powered by Florida Funders is officially in the books 🚀 Today brought together founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders from across Florida for a full day of meaningful conversations, strategic networking, and founder presentations designed to strengthen the region’s early-stage innovation ecosystem. Now, onto day 2 for more innovation and insight! A huge congratulations to the member companies who took the stage and delivered standout presentations: ⭐️ BiaTech ⭐️ COI Energy ⭐️ Compass Health ⭐️ REHQ We’re also incredibly grateful to Rachel Ferm, Director of Investments, Florida Funders, Jason Swoboda, Director of Innovation, TGH Ventures, and Junior Gaspard, Principal, Fulcrum Equity Partners, for serving as thoughtful contributors throughout the founder presentations and discussions. And thank you to today’s incredible speakers for sharing their expertise and perspectives with our community: ⭐️ Saxon Baum, Managing Partner, FLF ⭐️ Josh Pherigo, Principal Researcher of Market Insights, Silicon Valley Bank ⭐️ Tony DiBenedetto, Founder, Think Big for Kids; Chairman & CEO, Appspace Most importantly, thank you to our sponsors for helping make this summit possible: ⭐️Presenting Sponsor: Florida Funders ⭐️Welcome Reception Sponsor: Hill Ward Henderson ⭐️Travel Sponsor: Delta Airlines ⭐️Program Sponsors:Fulcrum Equity Partners & Tampa General Hospital Ventures