• Ready for an AI taxi to do the I-4 driving for you? It should be possible next year.

• Orlando International Airport tests biometric facial recognition technology. Here’s the goal

• Laser Photonics to Supply Robotic CleanTech to AI Data Center Infrastructure Equipment Manufacturer

• Laser Photonics secures high six-figure order for AI data center equipment

• Florida lawmakers ready for data centers amid growth of AI and other technology

• Luminar Technologies Signs Executive Retention Agreements

• Finexio and RipplePoint Launch Integrated AP Automation for Hospitality

• ancora Software Announces Strategic Partnership with Kash Tech LLC, Expanding AP Automation to Odoo Customers

• EA College Football 26 Patch Targets Gameplay and Coaching Systems

• Guide to Universal Orlando’s new digital Attractions Assistance Pass (AAP)

Founders, VCs & Ecosystem Growth: The Infrastructure is Ready for Scale 

You know what VCs look for? A committed government and academic base willing to spend real capital on physical and human infrastructure. And you know what we have? A committed government and academic base willing to spend real capital on physical and human infrastructure.  

So here’s where we are: Central Florida firms are positioned to compete for a roughly $150B+ Golden Dome infrastructure project. That’s “billion” with a “B,” as in “maybe we should pay attention to this.” Meanwhile, some successful UCF grads are actually staying in Orlando to scale their companies instead of fleeing to San Francisco the second they get traction. And we’re building a 1.5 million square foot DeLand Tech Park because apparently, we’ve decided our physical infrastructure should finally match our ambition.  

All of which raises an important question: If the infrastructure is ready and the talent is staying, what exactly is our excuse going to be when we’re still ranked 29th next year? 

• Central Florida firms are in prime position to benefit from President Trump’s $150B Golden Dome project.

• DeLand Tech Park could bring 1.5M square feet of industrial space to Central Florida

• First-Generation UCF Grad Leverages AI to Boost Nonprofits’ Impact

• Orange County expects new small business enterprise program to start in new year

• Jad Chahoud: Honored to Join Orlando Health Cancer Institute as Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer

• Sarasota-based TENEX.AI to open office in Europe following additional Series A investment

• MacKenzie Scott is trying to close the DEI gap in higher ed, with $155 million in donations this week alone

Dual-Use Tech & The Talent Arbitrage 

Let me say this slowly for the people in the back who track SBIR/STTR deadlines: The defense sector is not your enemy. It’s a customer. A non-dilutive, high-value customer that just publicly announced it wants Commercial Off-The-Shelf software while SBIR authority is paused.  

Here’s the reality check: SBIR/STTR programs lapsed September 30, 2025, no new solicitations until Congress reauthorizes. But the Army’s “capability-centric” shift didn’t pause. They want modular, agile, COTS-style software right now. You know, the exact thing you’re already building for commercial clients.  

DoD’s official word during this freeze? “Use this time to strengthen your pipeline, assess capability alignment with Department needs, refine customer relationships, and stay engaged.” And here’s Orlando’s kicker: UCF’s Research Park Partnership III puts university R&D shoulder-to-shoulder with military Program Executive Offices.  

When SBIRs reopen (likely via FY26 NDAA), solicitations “will move quickly.” The companies already mapping solutions to capability gaps, building PM relationships, and writing white papers? They’ll submit it first. With better positioning. Stronger stories.  

Translation: Stop waiting for topics. Start dual-use arbitrage today. Because Phase I funding follows proven relationships, not cold proposals. 

• I/ITSEC NEWS: Army Simulation, Training Shifts Acquisition Strategy in Light of Reforms

• Army shakeup will supercharge simulation, training and network ops: STRI chief

• BAE Systems launches OneArc defense training and simulation unit

• Kratos Defense (KTOS) Expands with New Engine Overhaul Facility

• I/ITSEC NEWS: F-35 Program Office Fielding New Simulators for Mission Training

• I/ITSEC NEWS: NATO Needs to Speak One Data Language

• Air Force, Space Force leaders discuss modernizing acquisition and training at I/ITSEC 2025

• Defense Health Agency showcase highlights AI solutions for combat casualty care

• STARCOM emphasizes importance of partnerships at I/ITSEC 2025

• 3D Perception Launches WarpCore Display Software

• Carolina Cruz-Neira opens UCF’s AI for disaster management Advanced Study Institute with keynote on emergency preparedness

• Army Drone Team Pilots Showcase Speed, Skill in National Competition

Space Coast & The Talent Engine 

Space exploration is now industrial. Which is a sentence that sounds boring until you realize what it actually means: high-demand, high-wage jobs that we desperately need to fill with locally educated talent before another state poaches them.  

SpaceX just earned approval to bring Starship to Florida’s Space Coast, which is a massive infrastructure win that will create jobs. Good jobs. The kind of jobs where people can afford housing and don’t have to work three gigs to survive. Meanwhile, Embry-Riddle is seeing record student research participation, and foreign investment is flowing into hybrid-electric aviation.  

So, here’s the test: Can we actually keep up the high-wage talent we’re producing, or are we just an expensive training program for California and Texas? Because if it’s the latter, we should probably rebrand as “Orlando: The Best Pipeline You’ve Never Heard Of.” 

• SpaceX earns approval to bring Starship megarocket to Florida’s Space Coast

• SpaceX launches classified mission from Florida’s Space Coast

• SpaceX successfully launches U.S. security satellite into orbit

• Aura Aero opens two Florida production sites

• Embry‑Riddle Sees Record Student Participation at Fall 2025 Research Symposium

• University of Central Florida excels in research and student success

• UCF Graduates Prove to Be STEM Talent Real-World Needs

YOUR OPPORTUNITY: INNOVATE ORLANDO TECH SUMMIT & COMMUNITY AWARDS 

 Let’s be clear about what this is. This is not some booth in a hotel ballroom where you hand out stress balls and collect business cards from people who will never call you. This is the marquee event for Central Florida’s tech ecosystem on February 20, 2026, at the Dr. Phillips Center. 

 If you want to be taken seriously as a player in this market, this is where you show up. Not because it’s nice. Because it’s strategic. 

Here are a few sponsorships available:  

Speaker & Sponsor Happy Hour: You own the room. Naming rights. Three minutes to speak. Six VIP passes.  

 Expo Hall Sponsor: You own the networking hub. Best location. Five VIP passes including pre-event access.  

 Awards Sponsors: Mainstage speaking role. Four VIP passes.  

 Expo Booths: Table, two chairs, two people.  

Look, if you’re sitting this out while your competitors are on stage handing out awards, that’s a choice. Just make sure it’s an intentional one. 

Register Now

Sponsor – Reach out: sheena@innovateorlando.io 

WHAT’S NEXT: ECOSYSTEM CONNECT (DEC 15 – DEC 19)  

We build the ecosystem by showing up. Here are the opportunities to connect and collaborate this week: 

 Mon, Dec 15: OrlandoPreneur Monthly Startup Happy Hour (Founder Networking, holiday vibes)  

 Tue, Dec 16: Health2Tech Orlando (Digital health meetup/kickoff)  

 Wed, Dec 17: ODevs Ignite the Holidays (Dev talks + improv karaoke)  

 Thu, Dec 18: FaithTech Orlando December Meetup (Community Tech) 

A FINAL WORD & YOUR CALL TO ACTION 

The signal is strong. We’re a national leader in tech job creation. We have AI mobility, simulation COTS, and Space Coast infrastructure. We have everything we need to jump from 29th to the top 15 nationally. 

 Everything, that is, except proof that we can execute. 

 So, here’s your challenge this week, and I’m serious about this: Take the COTS solution you’re already building for a commercial client and write one single page on how it solves a military capability gap. One page. Find the dual-use hook. Because the market is literally asking you to prove your value, and at this point, the only thing stopping you is you. 

Now go execute. 

— Sheena 
CEO, Innovate Orlando