Two Miami AI Startups Raised $11.5 Million to Run Small Business Back Offices

MIAMI — Two Miami-linked startups have raised a combined $11.5 million this month on the same bet: that small businesses will pay for artificial-intelligence software that does the work of a back-office employee, not another dashboard to learn.

BOB, a Miami fintech, announced a $5.5 million seed round on Oct. 23. Dapta, founded in Miami and also operating in Scottsdale, Arizona, announced a $6 million seed round on Oct. 13. Both are aimed at the owners of contractors, clinics, law firms and other local service companies, a customer base that has long been underserved by enterprise software.

BOB: An AI Finance Employee

According to a company press release, BOB AI Holdings Corp. raised its seed round in a deal led by Mischief, the venture firm founded by Plaid co-founder Zach Perret. Peter Thiel invested, and Codie Sanchez, Mark Pincus and Karman Ventures participated, along with other investors and operators.

BOB says its product handles bookkeeping, invoicing, payments and cash flow for small business owners through channels they already use, including WhatsApp, text messages, Slack and Microsoft Teams. BOB describes itself as a financial technology startup.

Refresh Miami reported that BOB is focused on Main Street service businesses such as roofing contractors, restaurants and local services firms. The company launched a private beta in September, and about 500 businesses have signed up. BOB is currently free for them, CEO Adam Wininger told the outlet, adding that the company is being selective about whom it takes on.

Wininger described the pitch to Refresh Miami this way: BOB is meant to feel like “an employee that’s joining your company that happens to offer banking services.” The company will use the new money to expand the product, scale customer onboarding and hire in Miami. Refresh Miami reported that BOB has 10 people, all based in the Miami area, which the company requires, and that its office is in Sunset Harbor.

Dapta: AI Agents That Answer the Phone

Dapta’s round was led by Chingona Ventures, according to 22Miami’s report on the company’s announcement. Crew Capital, Broom Ventures and Cometa VC participated, along with earlier investors 500 Global and Fen Ventures.

Its product, called Dapti, is designed to answer incoming inquiries, qualify prospective customers and book appointments. The company lists financial-services firms, home-service providers, law firms and insurance brokers among its customers. 22Miami, citing Refresh Miami, reported that Dapta has about 90 South Florida customers and that Florida is its largest U.S. market. Founder Nicolás Rojas started the company after moving to Miami.

The company grew out of a change in direction, from no-code tools for technical teams toward products small-business owners can set up without technical expertise. Dapta says the funding will go toward product development, broader agent capabilities, customer acquisition, team growth and expansion across the United States and Latin America. Its announcement gave no rollout deadline.

What It Means for Miami Founders

The two rounds point to a pattern worth watching. Investors are backing software that acts, rather than software that advises. A bookkeeping agent that sends the invoice, or a sales agent that books the appointment, replaces a task instead of just helping with it.

For Miami founders, there are a few practical takeaways:

• Response time is the product. Both companies are built around the idea that a small business loses money when an inquiry sits unanswered or an invoice goes out late. If your own business takes calls, texts and direct messages across several channels, that is the gap these tools target.
• Miami is a launchpad for Latin America. Dapta says it plans to expand across the U.S. and Latin America, and BOB’s tools run on WhatsApp, a channel widely used across the region.
• Both are early. BOB is in a private beta with a limited, free customer base. Dapta’s expansion plans have no stated timeline. Founders considering either should treat them as promising, not proven, and ask about data handling and what happens when the software makes a mistake.

Neither company has said what it will charge at scale. BOB is free to its beta users for now.

The money also adds to a busy month for Miami’s venture scene. Miami’s AI founders have been announcing rounds at a steady clip, and more of them are choosing to hire locally. BOB’s requirement that its whole team live in the Miami area is one example.

We will report on both companies as they release product and customer updates.

Sources: PR Newswire, Oct. 23, 2026; Refresh Miami, Oct. 22, 2026; 22Miami, Oct. 14, 2026.