Refresh Miami

Big Miami fintech move: Jay Heller, a longtime Nasdaq operator, is now CEO of Miami-based K Lab.

He spent 18 years at Nasdaq working on 3,000+ public listings, and now he is taking that market-structure mindset into institutional payments.

K Lab’s K Rails sits above existing systems to validate transactions, the kind of infrastructure you only think about when something goes wrong.

https://refreshmiami.com/news/nasdaqs-ipo-whisperer-is-betting-his-next-chapter-on-fixing-institutional-payments/

Florida is leaning in on founder growth, Ambition Accelerated applications are now open for the 2026 cohorts.

The statewide program is built for startups in fintech, healthtech, dual-use and defense, and resilience, with a focus on direct access to enterprise customers and strategic partners.

If you are scaling from South Florida, this is a strong signal that the state wants you to grow here.

https://refreshmiami.com/news/ambition-accelerated-applications-now-open-to-help-startups-scale-in-fintech-healthtech-defense-and-resilience/

Most banks still force founders into two worlds: personal wealth here, business banking there. Miami-based Flex is building around the reality that entrepreneurs live in both every day.

Flex just announced a $70M Series B1, only seven months after a $60M round.

South Florida fintech keeps stacking real funding milestones, and this one is worth watching for how it could change the founder banking experience.

https://refreshmiami.com/news/flex-lands-another-70m-as-it-bets-the-future-of-banking-belongs-to-business-owners-not-businesses/