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Mana Tech announces Tech Cities of America Summit Dec. 3-4
Mana tech, a Miami-based global business and innovation hub, announced this week the Tech Cities of the Americas, a new alliance of cities from across the region that aims to strengthen local innovation ecosystems and connect their companies with investment, partnerships, and new markets.
In collaboration with former Quito Mayor Mauricio Rodas, Mana Tech’s TCA will officially launch in Miami during the first Tech Cities of the Americas Mayors’ Summit on December 3-4, 2026. Mana Tech says the gathering will focus on a central question: How can cities across the Americas build a stronger regional innovation ecosystem and give their startups a platform to compete and grow internationally?
“The Americas have extraordinary cities, entrepreneurs, companies and capital, but too often they operate within separate networks,” said Charly Esnal, CEO of Mana Tech. “TCA is about creating the infrastructure for those networks to connect. Miami is uniquely positioned to be that meeting point, and the Summit in December is where we begin turning those connections into partnerships, investment opportunities and projects that can continue long after the event ends.”
Over two days of programming, mayors, city officials and leaders of innovation ecosystems across Latin America and the Caribbean will take part in city showcases, investor conversations, curated matchmaking and working sessions focused on moving opportunities toward execution, according to Mana Tech. A working session on December 4 will bring together participating mayors and their technical teams to refine shared priorities and help shape the alliance’s work following the summit. Find out more here.
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To prepare a quantum workforce, FAU & D-Wave reel in NIST funding
Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science has received a $200,000 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through its Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development.
The program will help FAU build the quantum cybersecurity workforce across Palm Beach and Broward counties and the Treasure Coast counties of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River, FAU reports. The project will prepare students and professionals for emerging cybersecurity challenges associated with quantum computing and power systems infrastructure through hands-on training, curriculum development and career pathways. FAU is leading this project with D-Wave Quantum alongside other partners including InfraGard South Florida Members Alliance; the School District of Palm Beach County; Broward County Public Schools; and FAU’s Alexander D. Henderson University School.
FAU is one of nine organizations in eight states selected for the NIST program. The project also comes at a pivotal time for FAU and the state of Florida because FAU will be the first university in Florida to publicly host a dedicated 4,400+ annealing quantum computer through its partnership with D-Wave.
“As quantum computing moves from research laboratories into real-world applications, developing a workforce that understands both the opportunities and cybersecurity implications of these technologies is essential. By combining D-Wave’s powerful quantum technologies with FAU’s academic strengths and regional partnerships, this program will help create a pipeline of talent equipped to address the challenges and opportunities of the quantum era,” said Allison Schwartz, senior vice president of global government relations and public affairs at D-Wave, in a statement. Read more here.
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3 more startups join Global Ventures
Global Ventures, the international soft-landing and second-stage incubator located at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, announced three new companies have joined. “Global Ventures has become a recognized front door to the United States for international technology companies,” said Andrew Duffell, the research park’s president.
The companies are:
- BANKIRR — short for Bank Interest Rate Research — is an FAU Tech Runway graduate now entering its second-stage. Its platform offers homebuyers and investors to upload a mortgage loan estimate and receive a competing offer within one business day from over 40 participating lenders.
- Novprox is a nutrition technology company developing affordable, shelf-stable therapeutic nutrition products using advanced food systems and climate-resilient ingredients. The company was founded by an FAU alumnus and an adjunct faculty member from the University of Maryland, building on a past history of innovation in Jamaica.
- Vesica Pulse Sensing was founded by a 25-year former leader within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in cardiology and other therapeutic areas. The company is developing technology in the urology space.
In addition, Global Ventures highlighted the recent expansions of two of its members:
- CloudLabs, a Colombian educational technology company, tripled its presence in Global Ventures with a new immersive experience space that connects learning with Industry 4.0. The space combines physical equipment, IoT technology, and virtual reality to connect education with real-world industrial applications and workforce skills.
- Standard Space Antennas, originally from Argentina develops flight-proven antenna technologies for the emerging space economy and satellite constellations. As it expands U.S. sales and hiring, the company has increased its footprint at Global Ventures with a full operational lab and additional space.
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HighPost Capital expands in space, defense and cybersecurity
HighPost Capital, a West Palm Beach-based private investment firm co-fouded by Mark Bezos, recently announced the formation of HighPost Aerospace, Defense, and Cybersecurity, an investment vertical established to invest in high-quality businesses that serve aerospace, defense, cybersecurity, and government missions.
In connection with the launch of the new vertical, HighPost assembled a team of investment professionals and operators with deep experience across the aerospace, defense, government, intelligence, national security, and critical infrastructure sectors. David Walsh, an experienced aerospace & defense investor, who was previously the Managing Partner of FON Advisors and a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, will lead the platform at HighPost. Earlier in his career, Walsh founded Prescient Edge, an intelligence services company.
HighPost intends to pursue middle-market buyouts and late-stage investments in fast-growing, critical businesses that are meeting the evolving needs of these sectors, while evaluating select opportunities across the broader aerospace, defense, and cybersecurity sectors, including in larger companies.
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PlanHub taps new CEO
West Palm Beach-based construction technology company PlanHub recently tapped Nicholas Daniel as its new CEO. He joins after more than a decade at Etsy, where he was most recently chief product officer, the South Florida Business Journal reported. Etsy facilitates more than $11 billion in annual transactions.
PlanHub was founded in 2008 and launched its digital preconstruction and bidding platform in 2015. It connects general contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers. It also streamlines the commercial construction bidding process by organizing project leads, documents, and communication.
Last year PlanHub was acquired by private equity firm GrowthCurve Capital for an undisclosed amount. GrowthCurve purchased the business from affiliates of Mainsail Partners and other shareholders. Read more here.
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Calculum makes executive appointment
Miami-based Calculum, developer of an AI-powered supply chain analytics platform, announced the appointment of Jens Holger Noffke as Global Head of Customer Value & Strategy. He joins Calculum after more than two decades at Roche, where he held leadership roles spanning procurement, treasury and IT.
During his international career at Roche, he gained deep operational experience in global cash- and risk management, strategic supplier negotiations and supply chain finance. Roche was one of Calculum’s first enterprise clients, giving Jens direct insight into how the platform supports procurement teams in identifying opportunities, preparing supplier strategies, and turning market intelligence into execution.
In his new role, Noffke will work closely with Calculum’s customers to translate payment terms intelligence into measurable business value. His responsibilities will include supporting customer strategy, guiding procurement and finance teams through their working capital initiatives, and helping organizations strengthen the execution of their payment terms optimization programs.
“Coming directly from the corporate treasury and procurement space, Jens Noffke brings invaluable, real-world perspective on how to optimize working capital. I am confident his vision and deep expertise will accelerate our innovation and help us deliver even greater value to the organizations we serve,” said Oliver Belin, founder and CEO of Calculum.
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Jobs, jobs, jobs
Chewy – Experience Insights Manager
Exowatt – Lead Materials Engineer
Hydra Host – AI Data Center Deployment Manager
Kaseya – Salesforce Product Manager
Lennar – Data Engineer
Payabli – Sr Solutions Engineer
Ramp – Design Systems Lead
Ramp – Sr Global Mobility & Immigration Analyst
Synthbee – FDE Systems Engineer – MedTech
Synthbee – Product Manager
Find more opportunities on Refresh Miami’s job board here.
8-PLUS
Opportunity knocks
- America250, the nonpartisan organization charged by Congress with leading the national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, today announced the return of America’s Startup, an expanded national collegiate competition designed to identify, support, and celebrate the country’s most promising undergraduate entrepreneurs and early-stage innovators. Applications are open August 17 through October 8, 2026, inviting undergraduate students enrolled at accredited U.S. colleges, universities, and trade schools to compete for a share of a $1 million total prize pool — including up to $50,000 in non-dilutive grant funding per team, national mentorship, and a live pitch finale in Washington, D.C. Learn more and apply here.
- Founders who are US veterans are invited to apply to join the virtual NatSec Veteran Pitch Competition by eMerge Americas on November 4. Veteran-led companies with mission-ready critical tech will pitch to a group of defense investors, acquisition experts, and national security leaders. Participants compete for prizes valued at over $20K, including NatSec Demo Day participation, exhibit space + speaking opportunities at eMerge Americas, accelerator fast-tracks and more. Applications close October 10. Apply here.
- eMerge Americas’ SMB Growth Lab, powered by JPMorganChase + Momentum Miami, helps Miami-Dade small and medium-sized businesses embrace digital transformation and unlock sustainable growth. Last year the cohort grew from 30 to 61 SMBs, and the results followed: new customers, new revenue, and connections that are still paying off today. Apply here.
- Are you Miami curious? Maybe you’re ready for more sunshine or tired of state income taxes. Maybe you’re just looking for your next adventure. The challenge usually isn’t the city, it’s figuring out how to make the move make sense – the right role, the right company, the right connections. If you’ve been thinking about Miami, check out moveto.miami, powered by Refresh Miami. We’re here to help.
ICYMI
We’re sure you didn’t miss the huge Carnegie Mellon news drop, but that’s not all that happened in #MiamiTech, including two large fundings!
- Big, big news: It’s a deal, #MiamiTech! Carnegie Mellon to open a Wynwood campus
- Funding news: Jeeves raises $110M to take its stablecoin play global
- doxx.net raises $38M to put AI agents on a shorter leash
- Ecosystem news and startup spotlights: Path Intelligence takes top prize at SPARC Ignite 2026
- Blue Ops to bring maritime defense operations to FAU’s Oceanographic Institute, creating a maritime tech hub
- Israel tech-investment conference reset for Dec. 14 in Miami Beach
- Can Bitcoin solve the broken homebuying math? Milo thinks it can
- Emma Harris’ second act is off the wall
- Togal.AI is building. Lightning Capital is backing it. Both are betting on Miami.
- AI was supposed to kill the call center. Horatio has 3,500 reasons to disagree.
- And much more paywall-free #MiamiTech news here!
Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at nancy@refreshmiami.com and follow her on X @ndahlberg and on LinkedIn. Subscribe to Refresh Miami’s free weekly newsletter here featuring startup news, tech job opportunities and events.
- 8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: Mana Tech to launch Tech Cities of America; FAU reels in quantum grant; plus news from Global Ventures, HighPost Capital, PlanHub, Calculum, job opportunities & more – October 7, 2026
- 10+ things to know in #MiamiTech: News about Ondas, Visium, Misfit Labs, OBE Power, The Xtream Group, Stephen Ross, Blue Frontier, Zeo Scientifix & more – September 27, 2026
- FAU appoints quantum leader, launches quantum certificate course, and more – September 22, 2026
