Episodes

As AI-generated content floods the internet, one question is becoming increasingly important: How do we know what's real? In this episode of Miami Tech Pod, I sit down with Zach Meltzer, Founder & CEO of VeryAI, a Miami-based startup building technology that helps prove you're a real human online using nothing more than a scan of your palm. Zach shares how his experience scaling Galxe to more than 32 million users exposed a growing problem with bots, fake accounts, and digital identity—an...

A Top VC’s Brutally Honest Advice for Founders (And Why Miami’s Just Getting Started) Should founders raise venture capital? What actually makes someone fundable? And what does a top investor really look for in a founder? In this episode of the Miami Tech Pod, Maria sits down with Ed Sim, founder of Boldstart Ventures and one of the most respected seed investors in tech, to unpack what separates great founders from everyone else — and why the future of AI (and Miami) is moving faster than mos...

Seawalls haven’t changed in over 100 years… until now. In this episode, Anya Freeman shares how she left a legal career to build Kind Designs, a Miami-based startup using 3D printing to reinvent coastal infrastructure—making seawalls cheaper, stronger, and alive. We get into: - Why traditional seawalls are failing (and costing homeowners $300K+) - How “living seawalls” repair themselves and improve water quality - The unexpected path from lawyer → climate tech founder- How she navigated one of the toughest permitting environments in the country- What it takes to scale a hard tech startup with a 10-person team

In this episode of the Miami Tech Pod, we sit down with Bruno Faviero, founder of Magna, the “Carta for crypto tokens,” to unpack how he built critical infrastructure for the web3 economy and navigated a rollercoaster journey from early traction through the crypto crash to a successful acquisition by Kraken / Payward. This conversation goes deep on building in emerging markets, scaling too fast, and what founders actually get wrong when raising capital. We cover: How Magna became the system of r...

In this episode of the Miami Tech Pod, Maria sits down with Elan Adler, founder of OneImaging, a fast-growing Miami startup on a mission to bring transparency, choice, and cost efficiency to one of the most opaque parts of healthcare: medical imaging. Elan breaks down how the current system works (and why most people don’t realize they can choose where to get imaging done), how employers—not insurance companies—often bear the real cost, and why introducing marketplace dynamics could dramatically...

A single “no” can end a career plan or it can light the fuse. Our first guest post-relaunch is a Miami native and co-founder of Material who proves what persistence looks like: he gets shut down at Honda, quits days later, sells nearly everything he owns, moves to the UK, and fights through sponsorship rejections until Mercedes Formula One finally says yes.We unpack what it’s actually like to design at the highest level and why elite motorsport engineering culture feels so different from the rest of industry. From rear wings to gearboxes, he shares how fast you’re expected to become an expert, what seven world championships teach you about process and pressure, and how COVID ultimately pulls him back home. Then we shift to Rivian, where remote teams, rapid hiring, and thin infrastructure create a different kind of anxiety that many startup builders will recognize.The conversation turns into hard tech and the future of energy storage. Material is developing a multimaterial 3D p…

Listen to the latest episode of The Miami Tech Pod with Bianca Padilla, CEO and Cofounder of Carewell. Hear: Bianca’s Miami story What led her to start Carewell The challenges & opportunities in the elder care market The road to raising a $24.7M Series B Why Miami is a great place for healthtech companies Find Bianca on X: https://x.com/biancapadilla Follow the Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi A BIG THANK YOU to this episode's sponsor, Zendesk! Zendesk is currently of...

Listen in to our interview with Emil Michael, former Chief Business Officer at Uber and current Chairman & CEO of DPCM Capital. Topics on deck: Lifelong leadership lessons Building teams that love you Scaling and taking big bets How he ended up in Miami What Miami companies he's excited about! Find Emil on X https://twitter.com/emilmichael Follow the Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi If Interested in being on the podcast please email: Miamitechpod@gmail.com Please Like...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Jeremy Wood founder at OpenStore. While working at Google, he watched as companies like Shopify brought small businesses online and was re-energized by the space. When Keith Rabois told me about an idea to maintain founder-created brands while giving the founder liquidity so they can move on, he knew he was onto something big. The goal was to preserve those brands that might otherwise get shut down. They launched less than a year ago and it...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Cary Gahm and Ed Thomas Co-founders of Tempmee. TempMee is a new and easier way to connect Licensed Dental Professionals with Dental Offices in need of temporary help through an on-demand staffing platform. Advanced algorithms match dental professionals with dental offices through a web and mobile platform Topics on Deck: - Raising a $4.1M Seed w/ @floridafunders - Their Amazing Co-founder Chemistry - Revolutionizing The Dental Profession -...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Edrizio De La Cruz. Edrizio is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor and occasional stand up comic :-) He’s a Dominican immigrant who grew up in Harlem. He dropped out of college to work as an aircraft technician to help make ends meet. He ultimately went back to college, worked on Wall Street and earned an MBA from The Wharton School. In 2013, he co-founded Arcus, a fintech company. He worked with an incredible team to build the company ...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Javier Ramirez Lugo of Cuota! Javier is the founder of Cuota which is a company of B2B Sales consultancy, he has helped over 40 venture backed-startups. His B2B Sales experience comes from being a top-performing sales leader at 3 unicorns: Zenefits, Rippling & WeWork. Before tech, his career originated in Wall Street, first as a Credit Analyst then joining the Sales & Trading organization at Goldman Sachs. Javier graduated from Northeastern...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Zaid Rahman Founder/CEO of Flexbase Topics on Deck: - Who Is Zaid Rahman? - Dropping Out Of College For The Thiel Fellowship - Working In A.I. Before It Was Cool - Building a Finance Super App - Investing With 305 Ventures - Biggest Learnings As A Founder - Miami Culture Shock - And More! Follow Zaid on Twitter! @Zaidrmn Learn more about Flexbase: https://www.flexbase.app Follow the Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Maria Derchi @MariaDerc...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Katy Carrigan CEO of Goody. Topics on Deck: - Revolutionizing Gift Giving at Goody - Working out of Pareto Holdings Venture Studio - Miami Over SF - Big Hairy Audacious Goals - If you could send a gift to anyone in the world, who would it be? - & more! Follow Katy on Instagram! @KatyCarrigan Learn more about Goody: https://www.ongoody.com/ Twitter: @goodygifting Instagram: Ongoody Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Maria Derchi ...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Chester Ng General Partner at Atomic. Topics on Deck: - Chester's incredible Entrepreneurial Journey - What is @JoinAtomic - Tips to Evaluate Talent - Atomic's Builders Summit 2023 - Why Miami Drivers are the Worst - & more! Follow the guest: Chester Ng @Chest Learn more about Atomic: https://atomic.vc Follow Atomic on Twitter: @JoinAtomic Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @MariaDerch...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Andrew Parker Founder and CEO of Papa. Topics on Deck: - What is @join_papa - Being a Pal to a Papa - Coming out of Y Combinator - Building in Miami becoming a Super Power - Advice for Founders Raising in Today’s VC Climate - & more! Follow the guest: Andrew Parker @aparkthelark Learn more about Papa: www.papa.com Follow Papa on Twitter: @join_papa Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @M...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Greg Galant CEO and Cofounder of Muck Rack Topics on Deck: - Bootstrapping @muckrack to an $180M Series A - Going Viral With @shortyawards - Will Miami Survive The Crypto Contagion - and more! Follow the guest: Greg Galant @Gregory Learn more about Muck Rack: https://www.muckrack.com Follow Muck Rack on Twitter: @muckrack Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi Will Weinraub @Wi...

This week on The #MiamiTech Podcast the hosts chat with Beatriz Ayala - Founder and CEO of Musicasa. Topics on Deck: - Bea's Incredible Journey As A Founder - Building The First Peer-to-Peer Platform for Live Music - Helping Undiscovered Artists Through Tech - and more! Follow the guest: Beatriz Ayala @beajando_ Learn more about Musicasa: https://www.musicasaa.com Follow Musicasa on Twitter: @musicasalive If interested in investing please email: Beatrizayala@musicasaa.com Follow The Hosts: Bria...

This week on The #MiamiTech Pod the hosts chat with Web3 Investor and Founder of Double Down, Magdalena "Mags" Kala. Topics on Deck: - Raising $30M & Building Double Down in Miami - Web3 Mass Adoption Thru Consumer Culture - Why Utility is Overrated - and more! Follow the guest: Magdalena Kala @magdalenaKala Follow Double Down on Twitter: @doubledownfund Submit your company for review at: Double-Down.com Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @Ma...

This week on The #MiamiTech Pod the hosts chat with Antonio Delgado VP of Innovation & Tech Partnerships at Miami-Dade College Topics on Deck: - Providing The Skills To Thrive in a Tech Ecosystem - Keeping Curriculum’s Relevant with Strategic Partnerships - Raising 15M for #MDCTech Artificial Intelligence Center - Partnering with Refresh Miami on “Good Jobs Challenge” - And more! Follow the guest: Antonio Delgado @Antoniodelgad9 Learn more about the Programs at MDC: MDC TECH: https://www.mdc.edu...

This week on The #MiamiTech Pod the hosts recap the summer in #MiamiTech and what to look forward to in Q4. Topics on Deck: - Cold Crypto Summer - Lux Capital Joins The Miami VC Party - Betr raises $50M led by Florida Funders - Kevin Griffin Backs Up The Brinks Truck in the 305 - Former County Commissioners getting $25k Stipend - and more! Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub Please Like + Subscribe + Ra...

This week on The #MiamiTech Pod the hosts chat #web3 and #NFT's with Ralph Quintero of The Daily Ralpha Topics on Deck: - Filtering Out Noise In The #NFT Space - The Daily rAlpha - Rise Of The ENS Domains - Future Use Cases For NFT’s - & more! Follow The Guest: @RalphQuintero https://twitter.com/RalphQuintero @DailyRalpha https://twitter.com/DailyRalpha Follow The Hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub Please Like +...

This week on The Miami Tech Pod the hosts chat with Kaben Clauson Co-founder of Pigeon Loans Topics on Deck: - What Is Pigeon Loans? - Going Through Y Combinator - Connecting People With #Fintech - The State Of Consumer Debt - Buy Now Pay Later - Importance Of Financial Education - And more! Follow the Guest: @kbclauson https://twitter.com/kbclauson Check out Pigeon Loans: https://www.pigeonloans.io Follow the hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @MariaD...

This week on The Miami Tech Pod the hosts chat with Jake Brukhman CEO of Coinfund. Topics on Deck: - What is Coinfund? - The state of the crypto market - Fortune 100 companies riding the Crypto Train - Wen NFT mass adoption? - CCO’s in NFT’s - Future use cases for NFTS - and more! Follow the hosts: Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin Cesar Fernandez @CFernandezFL Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi Will Weinraub @WillWeinraub Follow the Jake: https://twitter.com/jbrukh Check out Coinfund: https://www.coinfund.io ...