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!

In this episode of the Miami Tech Pod, we sit down with Bruno Faviero, founder of Magna, the “Carta for crypto tokens,” to unpack how he built critical infrastructure for the web3 economy and navigated a rollercoaster journey from early traction through the crypto crash to a successful acquisition by Kraken / Payward. This conversation goes deep on building in emerging markets, scaling too fast, and what founders actually get wrong when raising capital.

We cover:

• How Magna became the system of record for token ownership—and why tokens could replace equity
• The brutal reality of building through the Terra/Luna and FTX crashes
• Lessons from raising too much capital too early (and the cost of overhiring)
• Tactical advice on negotiating with VCs — and avoiding getting taken advantage of
• Why being a founder might be overrated (and when it’s actually worth it)
• What Miami still needs to become a true global crypto hub

If you’re building, fundraising, or thinking about starting something in today’s market, this episode is packed with hard-earned lessons. Tune in to hear the full story.

In this episode of the Miami Tech Pod, Maria sits down with Elan Adler, founder of OneImaging, a fast-growing Miami startup on a mission to bring transparency, choice, and cost efficiency to one of the most opaque parts of healthcare: medical imaging.

Elan breaks down how the current system works (and why most people don’t realize they can choose where to get imaging done), how employers—not insurance companies—often bear the real cost, and why introducing marketplace dynamics could dramatically reduce healthcare spending.

They also cover:

• Why 35% of people delay or skip care due to cost
• How faster access to imaging can directly impact health outcomes
• The surprising way insurance works (and who actually pays)
• OneImaging’s rapid growth to millions of covered lives
• Lessons from raising $31M in 6 weeks and why fundraising is just sales
• Why Miami is becoming a serious hub for healthcare innovation

If you’ve ever wondered why healthcare feels so confusing—or how startups are reshaping it—this episode is for you.

A single “no” can end a career plan or it can light the fuse. Our first guest post-relaunch is a Miami native and co-founder of Material who proves what persistence looks like: he gets shut down at Honda, quits days later, sells nearly everything he owns, moves to the UK, and fights through sponsorship rejections until Mercedes Formula One finally says yes.

We unpack what it’s actually like to design at the highest level and why elite motorsport engineering culture feels so different from the rest of industry. From rear wings to gearboxes, he shares how fast you’re expected to become an expert, what seven world championships teach you about process and pressure, and how COVID ultimately pulls him back home. Then we shift to Rivian, where remote teams, rapid hiring, and thin infrastructure create a different kind of anxiety that many startup builders will recognize.

The conversation turns into hard tech and the future of energy storage. Material is developing a multimaterial 3D printer that can print batteries in any size and shape, not just a cylinder or pouch. We dig into conformal batteries, pack-level energy density, drone battery packs for defense applications, wearables and smart glasses, and why the “manufacturing layer” of batteries may be the biggest untapped lever. We also talk funding, including a $7.1M seed round and Air Force SBIR work, plus the very specific engineers they’re hiring to build a “factory in a box.”

Subscribe for more Miami founder stories, share this with an engineer or investor, and leave a review if you want more hard tech conversations like this.

Listen to the latest episode of The Miami Tech Pod with Bianca Padilla, CEO and Cofounder of Carewell. Hear:

• Bianca’s Miami story
• What led her to start Carewell
• The challenges & opportunities in the elder care market
• The road to raising a $24.7M Series B
• Why Miami is a great place for healthtech companies

Find Bianca on X:
https://x.com/biancapadilla

Follow the Hosts:
Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

A BIG THANK YOU to this episode's sponsor, Zendesk!
Zendesk is currently offering Miami Tech startups 6 months of their software FOR FREE! Learn more by clicking here.

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Listen in to our interview with Emil Michael, former Chief Business Officer at Uber and current Chairman & CEO of DPCM Capital.
Topics on deck:
Lifelong leadership lessons
Building teams that love you
Scaling and taking big bets
How he ended up in Miami
What Miami companies he's excited about!

Find Emil on X
https://twitter.com/emilmichael

Follow the Hosts:

Brian Breslin @BrianBreslin
Maria Derchi @MariaDerchi

If Interested in being on the podcast please email: Miamitechpod@gmail.com

Please Like + Subscribe + Rate + Review!

#miamitech #miamitechpod #crypto #nft #technology #startup