1
Welcome to Miami, Larry Page
In a move that is now a secret to no one, Google co-founder Larry Page last year paid $173.4 million for two Coconut Grove waterfront estates, according to the Real Deal Miami, the Wall Street Journal and other reports. Axios Miami reported that Page’s $101.5 million purchase in December of the Banyan Ridge estate was the fourth most expensive home sale in the U.S. last year. Page then bought a $71.9 million estate on Jan. 5.
Page, with an estimated net worth of $276 billion, isn’t the only Silicon Valley billionaire eyeing Miami as California debates a proposed one-time wealth tax on residents with net worths above $1 billion. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is reportedly shopping for a Miami home too. “Pretty much every other day I’m showing property to a client from the San Francisco Bay Area,” Dina Goldentayer of real estate firm Douglas Elliman told the Wall Street Journal.
Of course, the relatively recent billionaire march to Miami isn’t confined to Californians and it started during the pandemic. Citadel’s Ken Griffin moved both his family and his company to the area starting in 2022, and has since donated more than $150 million to healthcare and education causes in South Florida. On stage at the America Business Forum with Francis Suarez in November, Jeff Bezos, who grew up in the Miami area and moved back in 2023 after buying several properties, hinted about even more home town love in the future. And last week, Thiel Capital, the private investment firm founded by Peter Thiel, announced it has opened a new office in Wynwood; Thiel has had a personal residence here since 2020 and opened a local Founders Fund office in 2021. Who’s next?
2
New defense-tech company makes 2 acquisitions
Magnet Defense, a Miami-based developer of fully autonomous national security maritime platforms for fleet operations and missile defense missions, announced two acquisitions this week. Both announcements were brief but expect more Refresh Miami reporting on this new company soon. Magnet Defense, co-founded by Marc Bell who also co-founded Terran Orbital, emerged last month “from two years of quiet development.”
Today, Magnet Defense entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Advanced Technology Group. ATG delivers end-to-end development and integration of advanced command and control and AI capabilities for air, space, maritime, and surface platforms. ATG’s open-architecture AI solutions will be incorporated ito Magnet Defense’s DefendAI battlespace management suite, becoming the brains and backbone behind Magnet Defense’s end-to-end AI-enabled autonomous maritime defense solutions, the company said. ATG’s capabilities will accelerate Magnet Defense’s seamless integration of its platforms into theater and operational battlespace management systems.
And earlier this week, Magnet Defense announced it has completed the acquisition of Metal Shark, a designer and shipbuilder of maritime platforms for defense and law enforcement missions. Metal Shark has more than 20 years of shipbuilding experience and has delivered more than 2,000 vessels worldwide, including hundreds to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and allied military forces, and this acquisition brings AI-enabled unmanned surface vessels (USV) to Magnet Defense’s mission. “Metal Shark’s two shipyards in Louisiana are the hubs from which Magnet Defense will deliver critical capabilities for the U.S. Golden Fleet initiative,” Bell shared on LinkedIn.
3
Florida CEOs more optimistic about 2026 than its peers
Florida CEOs wrapped up 2025 with stronger overall optimism than their national counterparts, according to The Florida Council of 100’s Q4 2025 CEO Economic Outlook Index.
Florida’s overall CEO Economic Outlook Index score increased from 91 in Q3 to 100 in Q4, compared to the national index coming in at 80. Florida’s index rose 9 points quarter-over-quarter, compared to a 4-point increase nationally.
“Florida’s business leaders remain confident in the state’s economic fundamentals as we look ahead to the next six months These numbers show growing optimism when it comes to hiring and sales and steady gains in investment, even amid broader national uncertainty,” said Mike Simas, President & CEO of The Florida Council of 100.
A few interesting details:
- Florida CEOs anticipate solid revenue growth, with 71% expecting sales to increase over the next six months.
- Half (50%) of Florida CEOs expect capital investments to rise, signaling continued commitment to infrastructure, expansion, and innovation.
- More than six in ten Florida CEOs (61%) expect employment levels to increase over the next six months.
Last year, the Florida Council of 100 Foundation joined Related Ross and eMerge Americas in launching the Gold Coast Tech Accelerator, which recently graduated its first cohorts in West Palm Beach and Miami.
4
FII Priority Miami Summit returns in March
Mark your calendars: This week, the FII Institute announced the return of the FII PRIORITY Miami Summit. The 2026 conference – which will be its fourth time in the Miami are – will take place March 25–27. The theme will be “Capital in Motion” as “policymakers, investors and innovators converge to examine how capital, technology, and policy can unlock sustainable and inclusive growth, with the Americas at the center of global transformation,” FII said. Building on momentum from the recent FII PRIORITY Asia Summit in Tokyo, Miami aims to deliver a cross-regional perspective on investment flows, economic resilience, and opportunity creation, organizers said, and serve as the lead up to the 10th edition of FII’s flagship summit in Riyadh in October.
“Miami is not just a location, it is a signal,” said Richard Attias, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Acting CEO of FII Institute. “At a moment when capital is being reallocated, re-priced, and re-imagined, FII PRIORITY Miami will move beyond dialogue to action, shaping partnerships, strategies, and decisions that matter.” Further program details and speaker announcements will follow.
5
ServiceNow makes acquisition
ServiceNow, provider of a leading AI platform for enterprise business transformation, entered into an agreement to acquire Armis, a San Francisco-based provider of cyber exposure management and cyber-physical security solutions, for approximately $7.75 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals, and Armis’ team will join ServiceNow.
ServiceNow announced in September the company is expanding into West Palm Beach and will create more than 850 jobs in South Florida over the next five years. The publicly-traded tech giant will be moving into 10 CityPlace, a new development by Related Ross and part of Florida’s Gold Coast Innovation Corridor, ServiceNow and Related Ross announced. The expansion, which will include ServiceNow’s new regional innovation hub and AI Institute, is expected to deliver $1.8 billion in economic impact. “The AI innovation economy has a new epicenter in the Gold Coast of West Palm Beach, Florida,” Bill McDermott, chairman and CEO of ServiceNow said then.
6
Panther Coffee to close its Miami Beach location
Miami-based Panther Coffee, whose Wynwood location has served as a meeting point for Miami tech community since 2010, will close its Miami Beach location on Feb. 28 after 13 years of operation, citing an inability to secure a new lease for its space at Sunset Harbour Shops, 1875 Purdy Ave.
Leticia Pollock, who co-owns the Miami-based specialty coffee roaster with her husband, Joel Pollock, announced the closure in a Dec. 29 Instagram post, writing, “We did not want to leave and we did all we could.”
7
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Now hiring:
Assurant – Lead Software Engineer
Chewy – Analytics Engineer III
Circle – Lead Product Marketing Manager
Circle – Staff Data Scientist
DoorLoop – Implementation Specialist
Extenteam – Strategy & Business Operations Lead
Kaseya – Cloud Engineer
Lennar – Systems Engineer II
Neocis – Sr IT HelpDesk/Network Analyst
RMW Accounting – Head of Practice Operations
Vultr – Jr Infrastructure Production Engineer
Vultr – Sr Business Intelligence Architect
Vultr – VP of Customer Support
Find more jobs on Refresh Miami’s job board here.
8-PLUS
Opportunity knocks
- Seaworthy Collective has opened applications for Cohort 7 of its flagship Startup Program, The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator. The deadline to apply is Jan. 28. More here.
- Apply to catapult your startup at the 2026 eMerge Americas Conference + Expo April 23–24 in Miami, where 100 startups will be selected to learn from class mentors, connect with investors and partners, showcase in front of thousands, and potentially pitch for $125K in funding and prizes in the grand finale. Learn more and apply by Jan. 16.
- Looking to raise capital? Apply now to present in front of an audience of investors at the Florida Venture Forum’s 2026 Florida Venture Capital Conference Feb. 23–25 at the Loews Coral Gables. Apply here.
- The Miami Dade Innovation Authority (MDIA) has launched its seventh public innovation challenge and it is centered on emergency response. MDIA is seeking applications from early-to-growth stage startups with pilot-ready solutions to improve hazard mitigation, incident response, and public outreach and safety coordination for the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management. Apply here.
- The SMB Growth Lab, hosted by eMerge Americas, JPMorganChase + Momentum Miami, empowes Miami-Dade small and mid-sized businesses to embrace digital transformation, strengthen operations, and unlock sustainable growth opportunities. Apply here by Jan. 16.
- Israeli founders can showcase their startup, product, or breakthrough solution to global investors, partners and media at Israel Tech Week Miami 2026 next April. Apply now on the website here.
ICYMI – Catch up!
Have news to report? Email Nancy Dahlberg at [email protected] and follow her on X @ndahlberg and on LinkedIn. Subscribe to Refresh Miami’s free weekly newsletter here featuring startup news, tech job opportunities and events.
- 8+ things to know in #MiamiTech: Yes, the Larry Page news, plus a new defense-tech company is making 2 big moves, and the latest from Florida Council of 100, FII, ServiceNow, Panther Coffee, job opps & more – January 9, 2026
- Biobeat raises a $50M Series B for its US expansion – December 31, 2025
- How Papa is turning companion care into a healthcare must-have – December 30, 2025
