MIAMI — Startups across the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area raised at least $832 million across 100 deals in the second quarter of 2026, according to PitchBook data reported by Refresh Miami — bringing South Florida’s first-half venture total to nearly $2 billion.
The second-quarter figure follows a $1.1 billion first quarter spread across 111 deals. At the halfway mark, the region is pacing to meet or exceed the $4.13 billion local startups attracted in all of 2025.
South Florida also held its ground nationally. The metro tied Austin for fifth place in the country by venture deal count in the second quarter and ranked ninth by dollars invested, with an average deal size of $8.3 million.
Medtech, Fintech and AI Lead the Board
The quarter’s biggest checks were spread across sectors. Fort Lauderdale immunotherapy company Syncromune led the way with a $145 million round, followed by Miami-based Karta at $140 million and Hydra Host at $100 million. Miami’s EB5 United raised $60.3 million, Aventura-based Flex pulled in $50.1 million, and Miami startups Canals ($35 million), FundKite ($31.4 million) and Haro Ross ($30 million) rounded out the top of the list alongside Fort Lauderdale’s Upside ($20 million).
Hydra Host’s raise underscored the region’s growing AI-infrastructure footprint. The Miami company, which runs a marketplace connecting owners of GPU computing power with customers who need it and helps independent data centers monetize unused AI server capacity, raised its $100 million at a valuation approaching $800 million, with backers including Nvidia, ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Kindred Ventures, Magnetar and Flume Ventures. Founded in 2021 to serve crypto miners, the company is now deployed across roughly 50 data centers worldwide and has been named an official Nvidia Cloud Partner.
Sector momentum has shifted through the year. Medtech accounted for some of the region’s largest rounds early in 2026, per Refresh Miami’s reporting, while fintech and artificial intelligence gained prominence in the second quarter — mirroring a national environment in which AI companies and megadeals have absorbed the bulk of venture dollars.
The numbers land as Miami’s tech ecosystem matures beyond its pandemic-era migration story. The first-half total keeps South Florida among the country’s most active startup regions, spanning crypto and fintech to healthtech, climate tech and consumer software — and gives local founders a credible answer to the perennial question of whether the Miami tech boom would outlast the hype cycle that started it.
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