Cenfluence

🎉 Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the Florida High Tech Corridor and Cenfluence team! 🎉

This semester, we're excited to welcome three talented UCF students who bring a diverse mix of engineering, data science, design, storytelling, and community engagement expertise to our team. As they begin their journey with us, they'll be supporting initiatives that connect innovators, strengthen industry partnerships, and help grow Central Florida's technology ecosystem.

🚀 Jacobo Karduss Deus
An Aerospace Engineering student at the University of Central Florida, Jacobo combines technical excellence with entrepreneurial thinking. As project lead for UCF's AIAA quadcopter UAV initiative, he has experience in mechanical design, autonomous systems, and advanced engineering technologies. Beyond engineering, his marketing and communications experience gives him a unique perspective on connecting innovation with impact. We're excited to have Jacobo bring his creativity, technical skills, and collaborative spirit to our team.

📊 Natiana Urdaneta
Natiana is a Data Science student at UCF with a passion for using data and technology to solve real-world challenges. Originally from Venezuela, she is driven by curiosity, analytics, and continuous learning. Her interest in business intelligence, emerging technologies, and data-driven decision-making aligns perfectly with our mission of supporting innovation throughout the region. We look forward to the insights and fresh perspective she'll bring to the team.

🎨 Lexine Lewis
With a background rooted in design, storytelling, leadership, and service, Lexine brings a people-centered approach to innovation and community building. Her passion for supporting underrepresented and underserved communities reflects the collaborative spirit that drives our work every day. Through her creativity, communication skills, and commitment to making a difference, Lexine will help us continue building meaningful connections across our ecosystem.

At Cenfluence and the Florida High Tech Corridor, we believe investing in the next generation of talent is essential to strengthening Florida's innovation economy. We can't wait to see the impact these students will make while gaining hands-on experience supporting entrepreneurs, researchers, startups, and industry leaders across our region.

Welcome to the team, Jacobo, Natiana, and Lexine! We’re excited to have you with us. 🌟

The power of innovation lies within you! Join Cenfluence and unlock your full potential. Connect with other innovators, gain valuable insights, and access resources that will fuel your journey to success.

https://cenfluence.com/join

Big wins for Florida innovation. 🚀🏆

Last week, our team was proud to attend and support the 2026 Florida Early Stage Venture Conference, joining founders, investors, ecosystem partners, and innovation leaders from across the state for two days of networking, learning, and startup pitches.

We were especially excited to cheer on six Cenfluence companies that were selected to pitch at one of Florida’s premier venture capital conferences:

🔹 Aloft Biotechnologies

🔹 Depth AI

🔹 E&P Technologies

🔹 Imaginostics

🔹 KeeperSpace

🔹 Ziptek LLC

Representing industries ranging from life sciences and AI to advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies, these companies showcased the incredible innovation being developed across our region.

And the results were outstanding.

🎉 Congratulations to Aloft Biotechnologies and E&P Technologies, both of which were named winners of the conference’s top prize, receiving the $50,000 Accelerating Innovation Award through the Space Florida investment competition.

To see two Cenfluence companies take home the conference’s largest awards is a testament not only to their groundbreaking technologies and leadership, but also to the strength of Florida’s growing innovation ecosystem.

Throughout the event, we were proud to be on-site connecting with founders, investors, partners, and supporters while celebrating the achievements of our companies. Events like this create critical opportunities for startups to gain visibility, build strategic relationships, and access the resources needed to scale.

Congratulations to all of the companies that pitched, the Florida Venture Forum team, Space Florida, and the many partners helping make Florida one of the best places in the country to build and grow a technology company.

The future is bright, and our companies are helping lead the way. 🌎✨

🌟 Welcome to the Cenfluence Community! 🌟

We’re excited to officially welcome 12 new companies to our growing innovation clusters at Cenfluence:

🔹Cart IoT

🔹Megneon

🔹Oxford Family farms

🔹Depth AI

🔹Eii Emotional Intelligence Institute

🔹Care Shift

🔹Ending Tremor Project

🔹Cymbiose AI

🔹ALMA my friend, LLC

🔹Enetic LLC

🔹Layman

🔹Vetavize

At Cenfluence, we foster collaboration, growth, and innovation, and we can’t wait to see how these incredible companies contribute to our ecosystem!

Join us in giving them a warm welcome! 🎉

This month’s Cenfluence Resource Spotlight is on Florida Venture Forum — a driving force behind Florida’s startup, investment, and innovation ecosystem. 🚀

For years, Florida Venture Forum has helped connect founders with investors, strategic partners, and growth opportunities while creating spaces where high-growth companies can gain visibility and accelerate their next stage of growth. Their conferences and programs continue to play a major role in strengthening Florida’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and supporting innovation statewide.

We’re also excited to share that the Cenfluence team will be attending the upcoming Florida Early Stage Venture Conference next week in Orlando, one of the state’s leading gatherings for startups, venture investors, and ecosystem leaders. The event brings together founders, investors, educational sessions, and networking opportunities designed to help early-stage companies grow and scale.

Be sure to stop by the Cenfluence table and connect with our team. We’d love to meet fellow founders, innovators, investors, and ecosystem partners helping shape the future of Florida innovation. 🌎✨

This month’s Cenfluence Company Spotlight is on PICadvanced, an innovative company advancing the future of telecommunications, semiconductors, and integrated photonics right here in Florida. 🚀

As demand for faster, smarter, and more connected technologies continues to grow, PICadvanced is helping drive the next generation of innovation through cutting-edge optical and photonic technologies that have the potential to transform how industries communicate, process data, and scale emerging technologies.

From semiconductor innovation to high-speed connectivity solutions, the company represents the kind of deep-tech leadership strengthening Central Florida’s position as a growing hub for advanced technology and innovation-driven industries.

At Cenfluence, we’re proud to spotlight the companies, founders, and innovators building technologies that not only shape industries — but also contribute to the long-term growth and competitiveness of our regional economy.

Join us in celebrating PICadvanced and the incredible work they’re doing to help power the future of technology. 🌎✨

Big ideas need places to grow. Today, the Space Coast gained another one. 🚀

Cenfluence was proud to attend the ribbon cutting for Groundswell’s new Concept Lab in Melbourne, Florida alongside the Space Coast Chamber of Commerce, founders, innovators, ecosystem leaders, and community partners all committed to strengthening the region’s innovation economy.

Spaces like this matter. They create the environment where entrepreneurs can test ideas, build connections, access support, and turn early-stage concepts into scalable companies that drive long-term regional impact.

Congratulations to the Groundswell team, their first cohort, and everyone helping shape the next chapter of the Space Coast startup ecosystem. We’re excited to see the ideas, companies, and collaborations that grow from this community.

Florida’s innovation momentum continues to build — one founder, one partnership, and one bold idea at a time. 🌎✨

Florida’s veteran-led innovation ecosystem was on full display at the Veteran Business Summit last week, bringing together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors, and ecosystem partners focused on advancing veteran entrepreneurship and business growth across the state.

Cenfluence and the Florida High Tech Corridor were proud to be part of the conversation through the participation of our Chief Strategy Officer, Andrea Wesser-Brawner, who joined the Veteran Innovation Panel alongside several outstanding Cenfluence cluster members:

• Matthew Hogan, Founder & CEO of M3D Technologies

• Anthony Rivera, CEO & Founder of Vetavize

• Suzanne (Plantec) Short, PMP, COO of Catania Product Development

•John C. Lee, CEO & Founder of AMROK

The discussion highlighted how veteran founders are driving innovation across industries while building companies that create real impact in Florida’s growing high-tech economy.

We were also excited to have our Chief Operating Officer, Jack Henkel, contribute his insights during another panel session at the event, continuing important conversations around innovation, collaboration, and ecosystem growth.

Events like these reinforce the strength of Florida’s veteran entrepreneur community and the importance of building connections between startups, industry, and strategic partners to support long-term growth and commercialization.

Innovation, investment, and collaboration took center stage this week at MedTech World North America in West Palm Beach, where leaders across the global healthcare and MedTech ecosystem came together to explore the future of medical innovation. From conversations around AI-powered healthcare solutions and diagnostics to investor engagement and commercialization strategies, the event highlighted the growing momentum of Florida’s life sciences sector.

Cenfluence was proud to be part of the conversation through our Life Sciences Cluster Manager, Adriana Carreño, who attended alongside innovators, investors, and healthcare leaders from around the world.

A special congratulations to our cluster member Imaginostics for taking the stage during the startup pitch competition and showcasing their groundbreaking work to an international audience of industry experts and investors. Events like these create meaningful opportunities for Central Florida companies to gain visibility, build strategic connections, and accelerate innovation in healthcare.

The future of MedTech is being shaped through collaboration, and we’re excited to see our region continue to play a role in that growth.

Last week, the Cenfluence team attended LATAM Trade Central Florida, where business leaders, international representatives, and innovators came together to strengthen trade relationships and collaboration opportunities across the Americas. The event created valuable space for conversations around global partnerships, market expansion, and the growing role of innovation in international business.

It was great to see Cenfluence cluster members SmartTracker solutions for Health & Human services, Spot - Social Fitness App, and Alicia Diagnostics Inc. participating in the event and representing the strength of Central Florida’s startup ecosystem.

Throughout the day, our team had the opportunity to meet with representatives from multiple countries and engage in discussions focused on entrepreneurship, emerging technologies, and cross-border collaboration that can help support the growth of companies across our region.

Events like this continue to highlight the importance of building strong international connections that open new opportunities for Florida’s innovation ecosystem.