Florida is known to be a hub for tech enthusiasts and the city’s tech landscape is growing at an exceptional speed. Researches have proven that the state’s IT workforce has increased tremendously with an addition of 480,000 employees and the businesses have secured more than $4 Billion in funding.
With all these exceptional statistics, you must be thinking about the venture capital firms funding these businesses.
Well, we got you!
The following list highlights some of the top-ranked investors in Florida who fund IT startups.
Find out the Top 9 Startup Investors in Florida that invest in IT Startups
| Firm Name | Focused Sectors | Funding Stages | Notable Investments | Total Investments | Investment Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Funders | Technology, Health Sciences, Engineering | Early Stage | Shardone, Simplenight, Simplebet, Shyftoff | 155+ | Up to $20M |
| Arsenal Growth | Software & Services | Growth | Cart.com, Boxc, Second Nature, Thrive Market, Orderbot | 113+ | $100M–$500M |
| Antares Capital Corp | IT, Consumer/Internet, Healthcare, Financial, Technology | Expansion Stage | ISO Group, JRL Systems, Masada Security | 100+ | $500,000–$1M |
| Las Olas VC | B2B Software (Intelligent Enterprise) | Early Stage | Tristar AI, Trajektory | 50+ | $1M–$3M |
| venVelo | Technology, Media, IT | Early Stage | Vigilant Biosciences, KAIROS, Fatt Merchant, Flex Engage | 38+ | Up to $1M |
| Kirenaga Partners | Deep Tech (AI, Robotics, Cleantech, Life Sciences) | Post-Technical Validation/Pre-Commercialization | Plenty, ecoSPEARS | 30+ | Up to $2M |
| Inflextion Partners | IT, Diagnostics, Communication | Seed, Early | CallMiner, RedPath IP, Persystent Software, IZEA | 20+ | $100,000–$1M |
| Cito Ventures | IT, Tech, Healthcare, Consumer Products | Early/Seed | Class Wallet, Open English, OrthoSensor, Nearpod | 20+ | $1M–$5M |
| Merging Traffic | Early-Stage Events | Early Stage | — | — | Event-based investments |
Florida Funders
- Contact:Florida Funders: Overview | LinkedIn
- Website:Florida Funders
- Focused Sectors: Technology, Health Sciences, Engineering
- Funding Stages: Early Stage
- Present in: Florida
- Notable Investments: Shardone, Simplenight, Simplebet, Shyftoff
- Total Investments: 155+
Florida Funders is an investment network that functions as a hybrid between a venture capital firm and an angel investor network.
The network was founded in 2013 by Kathleen Chitester. Florida Funders usually invest in seed-stage startups with a strong focus on IT-related startups. When making the funding, the investors highly focus on the startup's growth potential, targeted market, and founder's experience.
The investment range of Florida Funders can range up to $20M, depending upon the startup.
Arsenal Growth
- Contact: deal@arsenalgrowth.com
- Website: Arsenal Growth – Private Equity Firm
- Focused Sectors: Software & Services
- Funding Stages: Growth
- Present in: US & Canada
- Notable Investments: Cart.com. Boxc. Second Nature. Thrive Market, Orderbot
- Total Investments: 113+
Arsenal Growth operates as a growth equity firm and helps in the expansion of established companies in the IT sector.
The investors from Arsenal Growth prioritize businesses that are capital-efficient and are at the execution stages. They have a strong focus on Series B startups and are actively investing in companies that can at least generate 4-5x ROI within 36 months of investment.
The investment range of Arsenal Growth lies between $100M to $500M.
Antares Capital Corporation
- Website: Antares Capital Corporation
- Focused Sectors: IT, Consumer/ Internet, Healthcare, Financial, Technology, Services
- Funding Stages: Expansion Stage
- Present in: Miami
- Notable Investments: ISO Group, JRL Systems, Inc., Masada Security, Inc.
- Total Investments: 100+
Antares Capital Corporation in Florida specializes in venture capital and private equity investments, focusing on growth-stage companies in Southeast Texas.
The investors from Antares Capital Corporation target companies with established business models and stable cash flows. They do not make a huge number of early-stage investments or fund startups that are led by inexperienced founders.
The investment range of Antares Capital Corporation lies between $500,000 to $1M.
Las Olas VC
- Contact: Contact LOVC (lasolasvc.com)
- Website: Las Olas Venture Capital · LOVC · Helping founders write their story (lasolasvc.com)
- Focused Sectors: B2B Software (Intelligent Enterprise)
- Funding Stages: Early Stage
- Present in: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Notable Investments: Tristar AI and Trajektory
- Total Investments: 50+
Las Olas Venture Capital is a Fort Lauderdale-based venture capital firm established in 2016. They focus on early-stage, B2B software companies with the potential to disrupt and redefine their industries.
Unlike other VC firms in Florida, LOVC goes with a "low-frequency, high-conviction" approach. The investors only fund a few startups they believe in and provide them with in-depth support beyond just capital.
Being an active venture capital, they also organize many other startup events to boost the startup community and help them find an investor with identical interests.
The investment range of Las Olas Venture Capital firm lies between to $1M to $3M.
venVelo
- Application Form: Application Form for venVelo | Early-Stage Venture Fund in Florida
- Website: Get Started With venVelo | Early-Stage Venture Fund in Florida
- Focused Sectors: Technology, Media, IT
- Funding Stages: Early Stage
- Present in: Florida
- Notable Investments: Vigilant Biosciences, KAIROS, Fatt Merchant, Flex Engage, KNETIK
- Total Investments: 38+
venVelo, established in Winter Park, in 2012, is a venture capital firm and accelerator program dedicated to nurturing early-stage businesses. The network focuses on investing in technology, media, and IT startups with high growth potential.
The network is also known as one of the most active venture capitalists in Florida. venVelo has a strong emphasis on organizing extra startup events to boost the entrepreneurial landscape. They also have an experienced network of mentors who help startups when things aren’t going out in their favor.
The investment range of venVelo can range up to $1M.
Kirenaga Partners
- Connect: Kirenaga | Connect With Us
- Website: Kirenaga | Stay Sharp
- Focused Sectors: Deep Tech (AI, Robotics, Cleantech, Life Sciences)
- Funding Stages: Post-Technical Validation & Pre-Commercialization
- Present in: Florida (Cocoa Beach)
- Notable Investments: Plenty and ecoSPEARS
- Total Investments: 30+
Kirenaga Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm with a mission to bridge the gap between scientific breakthroughs and commercial viability through IT. The network was founded in 2014 by David Scalzo and has invested in many IT businesses.
The team of investors focuses on funding deep tech companies, particularly those leveraging advancements in fields like artificial intelligence, robotics, clean technology, and life sciences.
The investment range of Kirenaga Partners can range up to $2M.
Inflextion Partners
- Website: Inflextion Partners
- Focused Sectors: IT, Diagnostics, Communication
- Funding Stages: Early and Seed
- Present in: Orlando, FL
- Notable Investments: CallMiner, RedPath IP. , Persystent Software, IZEA
- Total Investments: 20+
Operating since 2013, Inflextion Partners is an active seed and early-stage venture capital firm. Located in Orlando, Inflextion Partners prioritizes startups that have high-growth potential and are working on a unique idea.
Like most other VC firms in Florida, the investors from Inflextion Partners prioritize businesses that can make 3-6x profits within the first two years and are solving unique problems. They mostly invest in communication or IT-related startups and often act as a leader or co-leader in the funding process.
The investment range of Inflextion Partners lies between $100,000 to $1M.
Cito Ventures
- Website: Cito Ventures
- Focused Sectors: IT, Tech, Healthcare, Consumer Products
- Funding Stages: Early/Seed
- Present in: Miami
- Notable Investments: Class Wallet, Glammed, AmericanWell, Forte Forever Fit, GotIT, Nearpod, Natel Energy, Open English, OrthoSensor.
- Total Investments: 20+
Cito Ventures operates as a venture capital firm based in Miami, Florida. They focus on providing expertise and capital to early-stage companies and have been operating since 2014.
Led by Brain Canida and Carolina Canida, Cito Ventures prioritizes investing in startups at the inception/seed stage, providing them with funding and much-needed guidance. Some requirements of Cito Ventures is that they invest in businesses that have a:
- Unique Idea That solves problems
- Estimated ROI Above 4X Within First 2 Years of Funding
Moreover, Cito Ventures goes beyond simply providing capital. They have a group of mentors who help startups throughout their early stages and ensure a successful exit.
The investment range of Cito Ventures lies between $1M to $5M.
Merging Traffic
- Website: www.mergingtraffic.com
- Present in: Orlando
- Targeted Events: Startup accelerators, Incubators, Mentorship programs, workshops, and fundraising events
Merging Traffic operates as a unique asset management company with a focus on empowering businesses. The network has been operating for more than a decade and acts as a bridge between investors and founders.
With a strong focus on early-stage startups, Merging Traffic organizes several startup events to help early-stage businesses secure funding from their targetted investors. Although Mergin Traffic itself isn't known for making a huge number of investments, there are some angel investors in the firm who invest in high-growth businesses during these startup events.
Wrap-up:
Done reading the list of the top 9 startup investors in Florida? Well, wait!
Let us conclude this topic with some exceptional tips that will help you pitch to angel investors.
Before appearing for a presentation, always:
- Do your homework and conduct strong research. Tailor your pitch to showcase how your innovative solution aligns with their investment goals.
- Create a compelling narrative that explains the problem you solve, the impact you create, and why you're the perfect team to lead the charge.
- Add numbers with a punch but don't overload them with data. Highlight key financials and projections with clear visuals in your pitch deck.
- Speak with confidence because passion ignites passion. Angels will only listen to your startup idea if they can find you passionate about the idea itself. Show your enthusiasm and be confident about the narrative that can turn your startup into a unicorn.