As AI-generated content floods the internet, one question is becoming increasingly important:

How do we know what's real?

In this episode of Miami Tech Pod, I sit down with Zach Meltzer, Founder & CEO of VeryAI, a Miami-based startup building technology that helps prove you're a real human online using nothing more than a scan of your palm.

Zach shares how his experience scaling Galxe to more than 32 million users exposed a growing problem with bots, fake accounts, and digital identity—and why he believes the internet needs a new layer of trust. We discuss biometrics, AI-generated content, agent verification, startup fundraising, and what it takes to build a deep-tech company from Miami.

We also dive into:

• Why palm biometrics may be more secure than facial recognition
• The future of "Know Your Agent" (KYA)
• How AI is changing trust online
• Raising a $10M seed round led by Polychain Capital
• Why Zach chose to build VeryAI in Miami
• Lessons learned from scaling Galxe and founding a startup

If you've ever wondered what the internet looks like when AI can create convincing humans, voices, and identities at scale, this conversation is for you.

A Top VC’s Brutally Honest Advice for Founders (And Why Miami’s Just Getting Started)

Should founders raise venture capital? What actually makes someone fundable? And what does a top investor really look for in a founder?

In this episode of the Miami Tech Pod, Maria sits down with Ed Sim, founder of Boldstart Ventures and one of the most respected seed investors in tech, to unpack what separates great founders from everyone else — and why the future of AI (and Miami) is moving faster than most people realize.

We cover:

• The founder traits Ed bets on (and the ones he avoids)
• The biggest misconception founders have about raising capital
• Why most people shouldn’t raise venture funding
• What AI changes about startups, work, and investing
• What Miami still needs to attract world class talent

Whether you’re building a startup, raising capital, or betting on Miami tech, this one is full of practical lessons.

Seawalls haven’t changed in over 100 years… until now.

In this episode, Anya Freeman shares how she left a legal career to build Kind Designs, a Miami-based startup using 3D printing to reinvent coastal infrastructure—making seawalls cheaper, stronger, and alive.

We get into:

• Why traditional seawalls are failing (and costing homeowners $300K+)
• How “living seawalls” repair themselves and improve water quality
• The unexpected path from lawyer → climate tech founder
• How she navigated one of the toughest permitting environments in the country
• What it takes to scale a hard tech startup with a 10-person team

A big thanks to our podcast home, The LAB Miami!