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When the Rise of the Rest bus rolls into Miami, these 8 startups will pitch for a $100K investment

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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By Nancy Dahlberg
When Revolution’s big red bus rolls in for its Miami tour stop May 2, eight South Florida startups will compete for a $100K investment from the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund.
But before we tell you who the eight finalists are, let us tell you there will be a free public event, where you can cheer on the startups, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 2 at the Citadel. Registration for the event is required because space is limited: Register here.
Miami’s event will also include a fireside chat with AOL co-founder and Revolution CEO and Chairman Steve Case and author of Be Fearless and CEO of the Case Foundation Jean Case on their shared mission to invest in startups across America.
The five-day Rise of the Rest bus tour, a movement that highlights startup success outside of Silicon Valley, will visit Orlando, Tampa Bay, Miami and the Space Coast. The tour will end the week with a visit to Puerto Rico.
[READ MORE ABOUT RISE OF THE REST’S FLORIDA TOUR HERE]
Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund is an early stage venture fund backed by Eric Schmidt, Jeff Bezos, Henry Kravis, Howard Schultz, Meg Whitman, Jim Breyer, John Doerr and others.
And now, drum roll please …
Miami’s pitch competition attracted 142 entries, a strong showing among Rise of the Rest cities. Who will pitch Steve Case?
Congratulations to the eight finalists from South Florida. Here they are:

  1. Caribshopper | Caribshopper is a marketplace that enables the Caribbean consumer to shop their favorite US retailers. CEO and founder: Kadion Preston
  2. Deepblocks | Deepblocks is an artificial intelligence company that provides tools to optimize real estate development. CEO and co-founder: Olivia Ramos
  3. DermaSensor | DermaSensor enables healthcare professionals to efficiently check for skin cancer by leveraging cutting-edge spectroscopy and machine learning technologies. CEO: Cody Simmons
  4. EPICA | EPICA is a platform powered by machine learning algorithms that consolidates, predicts and, activates businesses’ data. CEO and co-founder: Hernan Rodriguez
  5. Imalac, Inc. | Imalac improves the efficiency of a breast pump and helps women meet and exceed their breastfeeding goals. Co-founders: Noreen Gordon Sablotsky, Rachel Sablotsky Kish
  6. Luxe Fête Social | Luxe Fête Social is a dinner party in a box rental service secured effortlessly through an e-commerce platform. CEO and founder: Nathalie Cadet James
  7. OBE Power Networks, LLC | OBE Power Networks provides smart and universal electric vehicle charging with zero upfront and operational costs. Managing Directors: Luis E. Paul, Alejandro Burgana 
  8. Xendoo | Xendoo is a cloud-based, flat-rate, monthly subscription providing bookkeeping and accounting to SMBs with less than 20 employees. Co-founders: Lillian Roberts, Steven Gelley

 

 

“The diversity of the companies ultimately selected – who are tackling everything from women’s health to the future of real estate development to small business financial services – is a great illustration of how diverse and robust the Miami startup ecosystem is,” said Anna Mason, partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. “I am excited to spend more time with these entrepreneurs and see them pitch and make Miami proud on Thursday, May 2.” 

Read about the finalists from Tampa Bay, Orlando, the Space Coast and Puerto Rico on ROTR’s blog here.
Follow @ndahlberg on Twitter and email her at [email protected].

Nancy Dahlberg
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