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What to know about Miami startups this week

We recently wrote about how South Florida is developing an extremely robust health tech scene. This week, the region proved it again. First came the news that the guys and gals who created the .co domain name had launched another domain name, .health, that will be open to vetted companies serving up health solutions for patients.

Then came news that Las Olas Venture Capital had invested another half a million dollars in CarePredict, a company developing a life-saving high tech product to track the health of senior citizens. If the region really wants to become known for one thing in tech, the answer seems to be right in front of its face.

Survey: 91 percent of South Florida techies would leave their current jobs

The newly released annual survey from job placement group PROTECH shows 91 percent of South Florida tech talent said they would leave their current employer for a better opportunity. As for why, 45 percent cited “compensation” as the main reason.

The number of employees willing to consider leaving Florida jumped to 57 percent from 43 percent last year, with “limited job market/lack of career advancement” as the top reason, at 51 percent. Cost of living came in at 24 percent, up from 19 percent last year.

“Although salaries continue to increase, the rising costs of real estate directly influence the number of people considering an out-of-state move. Over the years, we’ve seen this number rise and fall in parallel with real estate market swings,” Deborah Vazquez, PROTECH CEO, said in the survey’s press release. [h/t Nancy Dahlberg/The Miami Herald]

Fort Lauderdale health tech startup gets $500,000 from Las Olas Venture Capital

Following an initial $1 million investment, Las Olas Venture Capital announced it was investing an additional $500,000 in CarePredict, a company developing a wearable device to predict health declines in senior citizens based on changes in behavior and activity patterns. CarePredict raised a total of $2.5 million in 2016. [h/t Debora Lima/SFBJ]

A new domain name is born in Miami

The team that launched the .co domain name for web addresses announced the creation of a .health domain name. In this case, .health will only be open to registrants who can pass stringent terms and policies tests, developed with the help of an advisory board – to ensure its integrity. [Miami Herald]

eMerge Americas participants announced

The first wave of startups for this year’s eMerge Americas tech conference have been announced. Among the Miami startups that will take part in the startup showcase competition are cloud-based Mac software experts Addigy, document storage platform DocuVital, and VR company Growpo. eMerge will be held June 12 to 13 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Immigration app wins first place at JusticeHack

An app designed to “help individuals, particularly immigrants, who are fearful of law enforcement to have more productive and meaningful interactions with law enforcement” took first place at the JusticeHack event sponsored by the American Bar Association and held at the University of Miami law school.

The app, called Juvo, was designed by a team that included “concerned community members, lawyers, technologists, a former law enforcement executive, a student in the Miami Gardens Police Explorers program, and three Miami Law students.” It will now compete in the National ABA Conference in August.

Leigh-Ann Buchanan, a UM Law grad and the executive director of Venture Café Miami, hosted the event in collaboration with the New Leaders Council and the Community Justice Project

Miami developer’s texting app added to iPhone app store

ContextIsKey, an app that lets you add emotional context to your texts, has been added to the iPhone app store. Designed by Jordan Shidlofsky, a native of South Florida, the app gives messages context and tone using fonts called SarcasticText℠, MadText℠, HappyText℠, and SadText℠.

Panther launches app

Panther Coffee has launched an app, in partnership with Miami-based food app developers SpeedETab, that will let you order ahead at the Panther location of your choice. The app also allows you to save custom orders and lets you watch your coffee as it’s being made. It’s free and already available in the Apple app store [Miami New Times].

Miami International Airport wins PR award for video promoting app

PR Daily has awarded Miami International Airport’s marketing team first place in its digital video advertisement category.

“The app for Miami International Airport (MIA) is one of the most sophisticated available, taking advantage of beacon, geo-fencing, and Bluetooth technology,” the site said. “The challenge was to let travelers know the app is available.”

The app allows passengers to get the latest info about their flights, navigate the airport, and calculate how long it will take to get to their gate. The video was placed in kiosks around the airport, and downloads of the app increased 15 percent after the video was released.

The production team was led MIA Director of Public & Customer Relations Dickie Davis, Creative Director Richard Etienne, Senior Public Relations & Digital Specialist Jessica Marin, Senior PR & Digital Marketing Specialist Adriana Pastor, and social media manager Cristina Armand.

Wyncode now approved for GI Bill funding

Wynwood coding academy Wyncode announced this week they have been approved to receive funding through the GI Bill to train military veterans in coding — the only coding bootcamp in Florida to have this distinction. Read an interview here with Carlos Ramos, a Wyncode grad and military veteran.

21 Dade and Broward startups are competing in the FedEx Small Business Challenge

The FedEx Small Business Grant challenge offers winners up to $25,000 in funding from the shipping giant. There are 21 different South Florida startups competing. Click on the links for each to vote.

By Rob Wile
Rob Wile, the curator for Startup.Miami, is a writer and entrepreneur living in Miami Beach. He’s a former staff writer for Fusion and Business Insider. His work has also appeared in Slate, Newsweek, Money Magazine and The New Tropic. He writes a newsletter on tech, business, and the South Florida economy called The Heatwave.