Our Story

How it all started: Back in September 2016, Tom Wallace, Marc Blumenthal, and Kevin Adamek, seasoned angel investors and founders with several successful exits behind them, saw potential in Florida Funders. It was a fledgling early-stage investment firm needing a boost, so they jumped in, took over, and kicked things off!

‍Dreaming big for Florida: Tom, Marc, and others had this long-held vision for Florida to be a tech hub, not just about beaches and oranges. They knew getting early-stage capital to startups was critical and the missing piece.

‍The problem: Talented Florida founders often had to leave to find funding in places like San Francisco or Boston. They wanted to change that and keep the best and brightest here in Florida.

‍Florida Funders' original mission: Getting Florida's high net worth investors and family offices to invest in local tech startups could be a game-changer.

‍Key players: Together with key partners Saxon Baum, a previous young tech founder, and Michael Kadow, who had an extensive background in finance and compliance, they laid the foundation for a new kind of firm combining network, distribution, and community.

‍Where they are now: Florida Funders started as a crowdfunding platform but has blown up. We have an investor network of over 2,000 accredited investors, multiple venture capital funds, and have invested over $300M into early-stage tech startups.

‍Big Impact: Florida Funders is Florida’s most connected VC firm, with connections to major markets beyond the state and region.

‍Still true to the mission: We’re still all about finding, funding, and helping build awesome tech companies.

‍Why it matters: We believe tech and innovation are the future, and that building great companies results in high-paying jobs, opportunities for young people, a smarter workforce, and wealth creation for our founders and investors.

Why FLF

Network
We are Florida’s most connected VC firm.FLF’s structured network spans advisory boards, founder circles, and direct introductions to customers and later-stage investors. We have the deepest relationships in Florida and the reach to connect our founders to customers, capital, and major markets like Silicon Valley and New York. When our founders win, our investors do too.

Distribution
FLF is a built-in growth engine for the companies we back.Through our media-driven venture platform, we amplify founder stories and give them immediate visibility across an engaged, growing audience of customers, talent, and follow-on investors. More traction for our companies means stronger outcomes across the portfolio.

Community
Showing up, sharing knowledge, and forging relationships that last.

FLF is built on human connection and trust. From our annual summit to founder and investor gatherings, our community shows up in person, consistently, to share knowledge, ideas, and personal connections. And when you work with FLF, you work with our team directly. Our deep relationships drive proven results.