Endeavor Miami, is proud to announce the latest participants of Endeavor ScaleUp, a cohort-based initiative for high-growth founders based in Florida. With a practical and tactical methodology, Endeavor ScaleUp provides a small, high-quality community of entrepreneurs with the network and resources to gain clarity on their path to scale.

“Endeavor ScaleUp represents an unparalleled opportunity for ambitious entrepreneurs to tap into our wealth of global expertise and to access a curated suite of resources and services, propelling them towards growth and success.” said Claudia Duran, Managing Director of Endeavor Miami. “We are excited to support this cohort of exceptional Florida-based companies in achieving their scaling goals.”

The latest cohort of Endeavor ScaleUp includes 16 founders leading 10 high-growth companies in Florida, each of which is uniquely positioned to disrupt their respective industry. The cohort represents a diverse group of founders 85% of which are Latinx and 30% women.

The companies were founded, on average, five years ago and operate in verticals such as Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare, Mobility, FinTech, and F&B with the largest concentration in the EdTech and Talent space. Although all companies are based in Florida, they have an expansive footprint in multiple countries spanning LatAm and Europe. Collectively, they employ over 800 people and have raised more than $35M in external capital, which has been deployed effectively as almost half of them have tripled their size over the past year.

What’s more, the founders are well-suited to lead their companies in this new chapter of growth as they have extensive experience in their respective industries, having held C-suite positions and/or having built other ventures within them. With a projected collective revenue of nearly $59M in 2023 and a roadmap to grow at the same pace as last year, this collective of home-grown businesses is poised to make a significant impact in the Florida startup scene and beyond.

Scaling high-growth companies is crucial for the growth of the Miami tech ecosystem. According to a report by Endeavor Insight, high-growth companies in Miami have been responsible for over 70% of job creation since 2012. However, these companies face challenges uniquely related to their rate of growth, such as hiring for scale, building investor relations and joining trusted peer-to-peer networks, with 60% of them closing down at five years of operations.

“Endeavor ScaleUp is designed to address these challenges and provide high-growth companies with the support they need to scale up,” said Rebecca Negro Rocha, who leads Cohort Initiatives at Endeavor Miami. “By helping these companies grow, we can create more job opportunities and drive economic growth in Florida.”

Endeavor ScaleUp is open to Florida-based companies with product-market fit and generating $1M to $4M in annual revenues. The selected companies will undergo 16 weeks of group modules, individual mentorships, peer-to-peer chats, and office hours on scaling up, culminating in a Demo Day where founders will pitch to the Endeavor community for brand exposure, strategic connections, and pitch practice.

Endeavor ScaleUp ingeniously fuses the top features of accelerator programs and membership-based organizations to offer founders a potent, value-driven solution for seamless scaling. The initiative’s cohort-based structure empowers Endeavor to swiftly provide impactful support, while the forum-style peer community cultivates meaningful connections and fosters network expansion among participating entrepreneurs.

Previous cohorts of Endeavor Miami’s cohort-based initiatives have achieved significant success, with alumni companies collectively raising over $200M in capital and creating over 1,500 jobs.

Here is the full list of participants of the Spring 2023 cohort of Endeavor ScaleUp:

Aplós is a non-alcoholic spirit brand, reimagining the cocktail occasion for a new era. Their functional, non-alcoholic spirits deliver an experience, quality, and functional effect on par with the world’s most sophisticated cocktails. All without the regret and negative effects of traditional alcohol. Entrepreneur: David Fudge, Co-Founder & CEO.

Intelligent Observation reduces healthcare acquired infections and their associated costs for healthcare facilities by providing an automated hand hygiene tracking system. Entrepreneur: Seth Freedman, CEO.

Keybe companies experience the next level of smarter, scalable and profitable sales teams, with a Smart Chat, powered by advanced sentiment analysis, artificial intelligence, intuitive suggested interactions and automatic data enrichment. Entrepreneurs: Samuel Urquijo, Co-Founder & CEO, Dani Jokka, Co-Founder & COO, Juan Esteban Rios, Co-Founder & CTO, Caleb Ramos Co-Founder & CSO, and Felipe Arango Co-Founder & CMO.

La Wawa is a mass transit mobility platform that enhances day to day transportation for the commuting population through the deployment of a fixed route urban and extra-urban network in cities, solving the daily mobility needs of businesses and employees. Entrepreneurs: Maria Fernanda Vera, Co-Founder & CEO, Juan José Pocaterra, Co-Founder & President, and Daniel Felipe Cisneros, Co-Founder & Director.

Lazo is a SaaS platform that offers back-office solutions for VC-backed startups. It includes accounting, finance, legal, tax, payroll, and investor relationship management. Lazo technology also gives VCs access to their portfolio information and structured data. Entrepreneurs: Juan Manuel Barrero, Co-Founder & CEO, and Lucas Imai, Co-Founder & CPO.

Papumba is the educational app that is reshaping the way parents and kids engage with technology. Their all-in-one app includes educational books, games, videos, and audio stories. Entrepreneurs: Pablo Capurro, Co-Founder & CSO, and Gonzalo Rodriguez, Co-Founder & CEO.

Santo Dulce is an artisanal churros and ice cream company that highlights the Hispanic heritage of Miami. Their mission is to introduce “a new way” of eating churros, enriching the lives of their community and their employees.  Entrepreneurs: Laura Luque, Co-Founder & CEO, and Yule Nunez, Co-Founder & CMO.

smartBeemo is an online education platform for Latino entrepreneurs that teaches modern day business models and cutting edge entrepreneurial skills. Entrepreneur: Michel Edery, Co-Founder & CEO, Eitan Shoval, Co-Founder & CFO, and Natan Lustgarten, Co-Founder & CXO

VLA is a skill-based, online course platform that develops workforce skills in IT, IT Management, and Languages and connects graduates with jobs through a talent acquisition agency called VLA Jobs, all through low monthly fees starting at $50 a month. Entrepreneurs: Josue Rodriguez, Co-Founder & CEO, and Veronica Vasquez, Co-Founder & COO.

Workana started as a self-service marketplace for independent talents and projects and has pioneered the remote work revolution across Latam. Now, leveraging on an amazing pool of talents, Workana is focusing on matching certified remote Latam devs with the world’s best startups. Entrepreneurs: Tomás O’Farrell, Co-Founder & CEO, and Eliana Bracciaforte, Co-Founder & Head of Talent.