Orlando’s innovation economy works because our capabilities don’t stay in their lanes. The engineers writing code for Army maritime trainers are the same ones modeling orbital mechanics for Blue Origin. The students broadcasting esports to 100,000 viewers are learning the same real-time 3D pipeline that powers surgical simulators. That’s not coincidence, that’s ecosystem design.
Let me walk you through how this week’s news actually connects, and you’ll see why protecting what we’ve built here matters more than ever.
The Simulation Engine that Powers Everything
The Army and Navy just committed to a joint maritime training platform in Orlando, consolidating their simulation systems to save $10M and accelerate upgrades starting in FY2026. But here’s what that headline misses: those Maritime System Integration Labs and Navigation trainers aren’t built in isolation. The engineers creating these systems move fluidly between defense contracts at PEO-STRI, spacecraft modeling at Blue Origin, and game engine development at EA Tiburon.
Speaking of Blue Origin… NASA just selected them as one of only six companies nationwide to study orbital transfer vehicles. Their Merritt Island team will be working on the Blue Ring platform and New Glenn upper stage. The core competencies in modeling, simulation, and training used by defense contractors for flight systems are directly transferable to maritime platforms. While the operational domain shifts from the air to the sea, the underlying engineering disciplines, such as physics-based modeling, real-time simulation architectures, sensor and control system integration, and human–machine interface design remain consistent.
This brings us to the August 28 community briefing about protecting PEO-STRI. The Pentagon’s considering downgrading and relocating this command that anchors our $6B+ modeling and simulation ecosystem. Lose this, and you don’t just lose defense contracts. You lose the talent interchange that makes Full Sail students capable of running professional Madden broadcasts with the same tools used in military training systems. You lose the cross-pollination that lets someone go from designing theme park rides to building surgical simulators to training warfighters, often in the same career.
Full Sail just locked in their second year hosting the Madden NFL Championship Series, with four major tournaments running through January and a $150,000 prize pool. Last year, 90+ students got hands-on broadcast production experience reaching nearly 100,000 peak viewers.
And speaking of broadcast, if you’re gearing up for the NFL regular season, you might already be tuned into the work of Daniel Dopp, a Full Sail Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting alum, co-host of ESPN’s The Fantasy Show and podcast producer for Fantasy Focus Football.
That same competitive energy was here this week when the U.S. Air Force Gaming World Championship teams visited UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy and EA’s studios, a perfect snapshot of esports, simulation, and defense innovation overlapping in one place.
Meanwhile, at Tech Grove, the Army’s hosting monthly technical exchanges where PEO-STRI engineers and project managers meet directly with industry partners. These aren’t typical contractor meetings. These are the sessions where a company building VR medical trainers discovers their tech could solve an Army modernization challenge, or where a gaming studio realizes their engine could power the next generation of flight simulators.
From Research Lab to Market Reality
UCF’s CREOL has been advancing photonics for 35 years, and with the U.S. photonics market projected to hit $189B by 2032, their high-power laser innovations touch everything. The same lasers guide spacecraft, protect soldiers, and enable precision surgery. One lab, three industries, countless applications. That’s not diversification, that’s multiplication.
This research-to-market pathway is exactly what Innventure showcased with PureCycle Technologies’ $1B+ IPO. They’re presenting their Orlando-built commercialization model at global conferences now, showing how to turn corporate R&D into scalable ventures.
Look at CCIWADR, straight out of UCF’s incubation program, now deploying environmental sensors and digital twin modeling to tackle pollution in Lake Cane. The geospatial mapping and simulation tech they’re using? It evolved from defense applications. The same digital twin concepts that model watersheds also model battlefields and surgical procedures.
Even Altaport’s new self-check-in system for transient aircraft operations builds on this foundation. Automating airport operations requires the same systems thinking and simulation expertise that our aerospace and defense contractors have been perfecting for decades. It’s laying groundwork for advanced air mobility, another sector where Orlando’s simulation DNA gives us an edge. It should be no surporse that Altaport’s CEO is a former Lillium executive and the former City of Orlando Director of Innovation.
Senator Ashley Moody’s legislative win securing tax-exempt financing for spaceports opens new funding pathways not just for launch providers, but for the entire supply chain of simulation firms, advanced manufacturers, and support services that enable space operations.
The Talent Pipeline That Feeds Itself
AdventHealth just put $1M into the Orlando Science Center for STEM programs and mobile labs. What a stunning example of talent pipeline investment. Those kids exploring interactive exhibits today become the engineers toggling between medical device design, aerospace systems, and gaming engines tomorrow.
UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy tells this story perfectly. Since 2005, FIEA has produced 940+ graduates now working at 250+ companies globally. Started through a partnership between UCF, the City of Orlando, and EA, it sits in Creative Village right across from EA Tiburon’s studio. Cohort 21 just presented their capstone games after 16 months of industry-modeled training. But FIEA grads don’t just make games, they’re building military trainers, medical simulations, and the XR experiences defining the next generation of human-computer interaction.
When the Air Force’s esports world championship teams visited UCF this week, touring FIEA and EA’s studios, they weren’t just seeing gaming facilities. They were experiencing the convergence point where competitive gaming, military training simulation, and interactive entertainment share the same tools, talent, and techniques.
The Unreal Orlando Chapter’s XR Game Jam pitch day on August 29 at ORRA continues this theme. The developers presenting aren’t just video game creators, they’re the same people building architectural visualizations, military training scenarios, and medical procedure simulations. The Unreal Engine doesn’t care if you’re designing a game level or a surgical training environment and neither does our talent pool.
Capital Follows Capability
OneRail’s $42M Series C isn’t just about last-mile logistics, it’s about Orlando having the AI, IoT, and transportation modeling expertise to compete globally in supply chain innovation. They’re scaling here because the talent they need already exists, trained in simulation and systems thinking.
Sentry Technology Solutions hitting nearly 500% growth (ranked #857 on Inc. 5000) happened because they could expand from local IT support to multi-state enterprise clients without leaving Orlando’s talent pool. Twentytwo & brand’s 298% growth in cleantech marketing (their second consecutive Inc. 5000) shows how our creative and technical capabilities blend to serve emerging industries.
Siemens Energy posting record €14.4B orders with expanding margins matters because their Orlando innovation center drives hydrogen infrastructure and grid technologies. The engineers here working on decarbonization solutions come from the same programs producing our aerospace and defense talent.
Even Simform choosing Orlando as their U.S. delivery hub for AI-integrated mobile apps makes sense in this context. They’re here because we have the enterprise software expertise, the simulation background to understand complex systems, and the creative tech community to build compelling user experiences.
The Leadership Network Making it Happen
This year’s 34 Most Influential Leaders in Central Florida tells the connection story through people. Jason Souza at Alluvionic, Rob Long at Space Florida, Sal Rehmetullah at Worth AI, Katherine Kennedy at Microsoft, they’re not operating in parallel industries. They’re in the same rooms, on the same boards, pulling talent from the same universities.
At the Florida Chamber’s Technology & Innovation Summit, these leaders laid out the plan to move Florida from 4th to 3rd in tech jobs by 2030. The strategy isn’t about picking winning sectors it’s about strengthening the university-industry partnerships and R&D commercialization pathways that let innovation flow between industries. When Corridor CEO Paul Sohl, Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly, and investor Cathie Wood share a stage, they’re designing systems, not silos.
Our partner and friend Marco Santana, the founder of Orlando Tech News is marking five years of commitment to Orlando’s tech ecdosyustem with expanded coverage and a new podcast because independent journalism helps us see these connections. Founded in 2020 and supported by UCF’s incubation program, OTN is broadening to highlight the tech angles in every industry. That’s the right lens because in Orlando, every industry has become a tech industry.
Even Beep in Lake Nona is hosting transportation engineers at their headquarters to showcase autonomous shuttles with the City of Orlando isn’t just about mobility, it’s about how our simulation expertise enables us to model, test, and deploy autonomous systems faster than regions without our capabilities.
This is How Ecosystems Compound
What you’re seeing this week is about multiplication. Every win strengthens multiple sectors simultaneously. The Army-Navy partnership doesn’t just save $10M; it attracts more simulation companies, which need more UCF grads, which strengthens the talent pipeline for Blue Origin, which validates the ecosystem for investors, which funds the next OneRail or PureCycle.
When you protect PEO-STRI, you’re not just protecting defense jobs. You’re protecting the talent circulation that makes Full Sail students world-class, that makes our startups scalable, that makes NASA choose our companies for the future of spaceflight.
This is what a connected innovation economy looks like research to market, students to founders, defense to space to healthcare to entertainment. turning over and over, each revolution stronger than the last.
The question isn’t whether you’re part of this ecosystem. If you’re reading this, you already are. The question is: where are you going to plug in next?
Join the conversation: Share this newsletter with someone who needs to see these connections. Orlando’s innovation story is best told by those living it.
Protect what we’ve built: August 28 community briefing on PEO-STRI. Be there.
Sponsor this work: Every story we tell reinforces the truth Orlando’s innovation economy isn’t just growing. It’s compounding. That’s the work we’re doing at Innovate Orlando, telling the stories of our thought leaders to get everyone’s attention, connecting our region’s players to more collective impact, and creating tools that help our ecosystem work smarter.
This is what an innovation economy looks like when it’s by design, not by accident. Protect it. Fuel it. And make sure the rest of the world knows it runs through Orlando.
If you want to be part of that momentum or learn how your company can become a sponsor, reach out to me directly at sheena@innovateorlando.io
— Sheena
CEO, Innovate Orlando
The Week Ahead
- Florida SBDC Network’s Small Business Success Summit – Aug 18–19, Tampa, FL
- Orlandopreneur’s Meetup – community connections for local founders
- 1 Million Cups at Tech Hub Orlando – weekly pitch + feedback for entrepreneurs
- Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship Webinar – How to Build a Scalable Revenue Engine with Gretchen Mall
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National Defense, Space, and Strategic Industries
- Army and Navy Launch Joint Simulation Initiative in Orlando to Enhance Maritime Readiness and Save $10M Through Shared Training Environment
Beginning in FY2026, the partnership will integrate the Army’s Maritime System Integration Lab with the Navy’s Navigation, Seamanship, and Ship Handling Trainer portfolio, creating a unified software platform for Soldiers and Sailors. The initiative aims to eliminate redundancies, reduce infrastructure costs, and accelerate simulator upgrades, reinforcing Orlando’s role as a joint training hub and supporting the Army’s Maritime and Intermodal Training Department at Fort Eustis.
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- Blue Origin Selected for NASA Orbital Transfer Vehicle Studies, Elevating Merritt Island’s Role in Florida’s Applied Engineering Economy
NASA has chosen Blue Origin of Merritt Island, among six companies nationwide to conduct studies on orbital transfer vehicles such as the Blue Ring space platform and a New Glenn upper stage, advancing Central Florida’s prominence in spaceflight and hybrid propulsion innovation.
🔗Read more
- Your Voice Needed: Community Briefing to Protect Orlando’s $6B+ Modeling, Simulation & Training Hub
On Aug. 28, regional leaders will address the Pentagon’s proposal to downgrade and relocate PEO-STRI, a Department of Defense command anchoring a $6B+ ecosystem where engineers move between defense, entertainment, aerospace, and medical tech sectors. As reported by Orlando Tech News in May, the city’s defense leaders have already mobilized to safeguard this asset, which trains warfighters worldwide and underpins Central Florida’s cross-industry engineering talent flow. This briefing will outline coordinated strategies to ensure it remains in Florida.
🔗Read more
- Senator Ashley Moody Secures Tax-Exempt Financing Authority for Spaceports
The legislative win opens new funding pathways for Central Florida’s launch providers, simulation firms, and advanced manufacturers, strengthening the region’s competitive position in the national space economy.
🔗Read more
- Central Florida Tech Grove Hosts Army PALT and Technical Exchange, Connecting PEO STRI Engineers, Project Managers, and Industry to Advance Army Modernization Priorities
The monthly session, co-led by PEO STRI and Army Contracting Command Orlando, provided program updates, addressed industry questions, and reinforced collaboration between military and local defense stakeholders as part of the Army’s continuous transformation efforts.
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Energy, Cleantech, and Advanced Manufacturing
- Orlando’s Twentytwo & brand Earns Second Consecutive Inc. 5000 Ranking with 298% Three-Year Growth as a Cleantech Marketing Leader
Twentytwo & brand, a full-service cleantech marketing agency based in Orlando, posts 298% growth and makes the Inc. 5000 list again, also placing among the top 150 in Florida and in its industry category, underscoring Orlando’s role in driving sustainability-focused creative industries.
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- Siemens Energy Posts Record €14.4B Orders and Expands Margins, With Orlando Innovation Center Driving Hydrogen Infrastructure, Grid Technologies, and Decarbonization Solutions
The company’s local engineering hub plays a key role in delivering next-generation energy systems, positioning Orlando as a contributor to global clean energy transition strategies
🔗Read more
- Innventure Showcases Orlando-Built Commercialization Model Behind PureCycle’s $1B+ IPO
The innovation investment firm will share how its approach turns corporate R&D into market-ready technology, drawing on the success of Orlando-based PureCycle Technologies, at upcoming global conferences. The model highlights Central Florida’s role in translating lab breakthroughs into scalable, investable ventures.
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Tech, Innovation, and AI-Driven Solutions
- OneRail Expands Leadership Team Following $42M Series C to Accelerate Growth and Global Reach
Headquartered in Orlando, the logistics tech company will use its latest capital infusion to scale sales, enhance product innovation, and compete globally for enterprise supply chain talent. The move positions OneRail as a major player in the last-mile delivery space, tapping into Orlando’s growing bench in AI, IoT, and transportation logistics.
🔗Read more
- Simform’s Orlando Office Serves as a U.S. Delivery Hub for Custom Mobile and AI-Integrated App Solutions
As part of Florida’s expanding digital innovation ecosystem, the company delivers enterprise-grade software solutions from its local base, contributing to Orlando’s reputation for high-value tech development.
🔗Read more
- Orlando-Based Altaport Pilots Self-Check-In to Automate Airport Transient Operations
The new system aims to boost cost recovery, operational efficiency, and pilot experience, laying groundwork for advanced air mobility adoption. The launch adds to Central Florida’s momentum in aerospace systems, aviation software, and intelligent transportation solutions.
🔗Read more
- U.S. Photonics Market Projected to Reach $189B by 2032, With UCF’s CREOL Extending Orlando’s 35-Year Legacy in High-Power Lasers
The Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers continues to lead innovations in defense, aerospace, and medical applications, sustaining Orlando’s role as a national photonics hub.
🔗Read more
- UCF Incubation Program Startup CCIWADR Deploys Sensors, Geospatial Mapping, and Digital Twin Modeling to Address Lake Cane Pollution
The environmental engineering initiative leverages Orlando’s deep bench in sensors, modeling, and simulation to tackle water quality challenges in the Shingle Creek watershed.
🔗Read more
Higher Ed, Talent Pipelines, and Leadership
- New Leaders in Higher Ed, Innovation, and Autonomous Mobility Share Strategies for Navigating Enrollment Declines, AI Disruption, and Regulatory Barriers
Orlando Business Journal’s “New & Noteworthy” Q3 spotlight features leaders from Rollins College, UCF’s Innovation District, and Beep, reflecting cross-sector approaches to education innovation, workforce adaptation, and transportation technology integration in Central Florida.
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- Central Florida’s 34 Most Influential Leaders Named, Including Executives Advancing Space Exploration, Artificial Intelligence, Enterprise Software, Infrastructure, and the Experience Economy
This year’s honorees include Jason Souza of Alluvionic, Rob Long of Space Florida, Jason Eichenholz of Jonathan’s Landing, Sal Rehmetullah of Worth AI, Karen Irwin of Universal Orlando Resort, Eric Jiminez of Ardmore Roderick, and Katherine Kennedy of Microsoft.
🔗Read more
- Florida Chamber’s Technology & Innovation Summit Highlights State’s Push to Climb in National Tech Rankings, Address Gaps in R&D and Venture Funding, and Strengthen University Industry Partnerships
With Florida aiming to move from fourth to third in tech jobs by 2030, speakers including Corridor CEO Paul A. Sohl, FIU COO Elizabeth Bejar, Embarc Collective CEO Tim R. Holcomb, and GuardianSat CEO Chris Rohe emphasized the need to move more R&D to market through collaboration, while Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly and investor Cathie Wood joined university leaders to outline a vision for positioning Florida as a global innovation hub.
🔗Read more
Gaming, Esports, and Creative Tech
- EA Sports and Full Sail University Renew Partnership to Host Madden NFL 26 Championship Series in Orlando, Expanding Prize Pool, Viewership Reach, and Student Production Opportunities
For the second consecutive year, Full Sail’s Winter Park campus will stage four major Madden competitions between September and January, including the $150,000 Last Chance Qualifier. The collaboration builds on Madden’s Orlando development roots and last year’s results, which engaged more than 90 students and graduates in live broadcast and event production roles, attracted nearly 100,000 peak viewers to the finale, and contributed to a scholarship fund for future game industry talent. The series, part of a global esports calendar with millions in prizes, positions Orlando as a repeat destination for top-tier competitive gaming and immersive media production.
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- Unreal Orlando Chapter Hosts Pitch Day on August 29, Showcasing XR Game Jam Teams’ Innovative Projects to Central Florida’s Developer Community
Held at the ORRA facility from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., the event will feature team pitches, creative demos, and networking opportunities for Unreal Engine developers, XR creators, and local tech enthusiasts.
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- UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy Showcases Cohort 21 Capstone Games, Highlighting a Two-Decade Pipeline of Game Development Talent for Orlando’s Creative Tech Economy
Founded in 2005 through a partnership between UCF, the City of Orlando, and Electronic Arts, FIEA has become one of the world’s top-ranked graduate game design programs, producing more than 940 graduates hired by over 250 companies globally. Located in Creative Village alongside EA Tiburon’s Orlando studio, FIEA immerses students in full production cycles that mirror real-world game studios. Cohort 21’s four new capstone games mark the culmination of 16 months of industry-modeled training and reinforce FIEA’s role as a cornerstone of Orlando’s simulation, gaming, and immersive technology sectors. The final presentations have already streamed live, but you can watch the full replay here.
🔗Watch here
- UCF Welcomes U.S. Air Force Force Gaming World Championship Teams, Showcasing Orlando’s Gaming and Innovation Assets
Service members from across the globe, including teams from Japan and Europe, traveled to Patrick Space Force Base for the U.S. Department of the Air Force’s premier esports competition. During their visit to Orlando, Airmen and Guardians toured UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, the top-ranked graduate game development program in the world, and visited Electronic Arts’ Orlando studio located across from FIEA in Creative Village. The experience highlighted Orlando’s growing influence in competitive gaming, interactive entertainment, and creative technology education.
🔗Read more
Community Impact and Business Growth
- AdventHealth for Children Invests $1M in Orlando Science Center to Expand STEM Exhibits, Mobile Labs, and Programs
The funding will scale hands-on STEM learning across Central Florida, adding mobile labs and interactive exhibits designed to inspire future healthcare, engineering, and tech talent. This partnership reinforces the pipeline between Orlando’s K–12 youth engagement and its advanced sectors, from medical simulation to aerospace engineering.
🔗Read more
- Orlando Tech News Marks 5 Years with Expanded Local Coverage, New Navigation, Content Calendar, and Upcoming Podcast to Deepen Independent Reporting on the Region’s Tech Economy
Founded in 2020 and supported by the UCF Business Incubation Program, OTN is broadening its scope to highlight the tech angles in every industry, launching new site features, and building a sustainable model for independent journalism through Patreon and community engagement.
🔗Read more
- Congratulations to Orlando-Based Sentry Technology Solutions, Ranked #857 on the Inc. 5000 with Nearly 500% Growth After Expanding from Local IT Support to Multi-State Franchise and Enterprise Clients
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- Beep Hosts Institute of Transportation Engineers Annual Meeting Attendees at Orlando Headquarters, Showcasing Autonomous Mobility Partnerships with the City of Orlando
Visitors toured Beep’s facility and learned about the company’s work to deploy safe, sustainable autonomous shuttles in Central Florida communities.
🔗Read more
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Member Highlight
SIMETRI, Inc. is a woman- and minority-owned modeling, simulation, and training innovator based in Winter Park, Florida. Since its founding in 2009, SIMETRI has developed cutting-edge medical training solutions ranging from AR-enhanced anatomical models to fully integrated part-task trainers, all designed, prototyped, and manufactured in-house. Under the leadership of President and CEO Angela Alban, SIMETRI brings together multidisciplinary teams; mechanical and software engineers, special effects artists, and medical experts to create immersive tools that prepare military and healthcare professionals for the highest-stakes scenarios. Beyond her technical and entrepreneurial achievements, Angela shares Innovate Orlando’s commitment to community and innovation serving on our board and helping elevate Orlando’s simulation ecosystem.
🔗 Learn more → https://simetri.us/
Innovate Orlando News
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