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Relaunching The LAB Miami, a venture community and startup clubhouse in Wynwood built for…
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Elevating AI with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation): Beyond Pre-Trained Models
Elevating AI with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation): Beyond Pre-Trained Models
Introduction I aim to introduce an intriguing concept in the AI space, made accessible to all with OpenAI's November…
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Ayal Stern reposted thisAyal Stern reposted thisWhen I became a venture investor in Tel Aviv back in 2016, most Israeli startups followed the same basic recipe. Raise initial capital. Set up R&D in Tel Aviv. Relocate to California ASAP to raise, hire, and sell. In 2026, that recipe no longer holds for every company. Building in AI, infra or compute? The Bay Area is still where everything happens, and nothing comes close. But if you're working on anything else, California shouldn't be your default. Working on financial services? Go to New York. Software or healthcare services? Consider Boston. Defense, entertainment, or crypto? Miami can be an excellent choice. Of the three, Miami is where I see the most momentum. Aleph is already invested there (shoutout Reeco!) and we're looking to deploy more. That was the focus last night at Miami Tech Gateway, sponsored by Microsoft, where I joined my friends Ayal Stern, Itay Rand (10D), and Daniel Ziv (Glilot Capital) on the investor panel. Plenty of Miami folks were in the crowd, many of whom flew in this week to vote. Israeli builders expanding to the U.S., which city are you setting up in? Why?
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Ayal Stern reacted on thisAyal Stern reacted on thisMiami’s tech community is growing, and so is JBN Tech! 🚀 We’re bringing together founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and tech leaders for a morning of high-level conversations, new connections, and real opportunities. Join us for the JBN Tech Networking Breakfast, featuring Ayal Stern and Ben Milshtein, as we explore entrepreneurship, innovation, and the future of technology. Whether you’re building a company, investing in the next big idea, or looking to connect with ambitious people in Miami’s tech scene, this is a room you’ll want to be in. 🎟️ Limited spots available. Register today! https://luma.com/614wkl4v #JBNMiami #JBNTech #MiamiTech #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Innovation
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Ayal Stern shared thisWhenever ☁️ Pipe Martina or Google taps us on the shoulder, were all in. And theres nothing quite like Google DeepMind showing up, bringing its engineers into the room, and engaging directly with Miamis builders. This is exactly the kind of connection we want to see more of. Miami's tech ecosystem wont reach its full potential by building in isolation. We need our engineering community deeply connected to the people building the worlds most important platforms. So happy to collaberate w/ Superteam USA & DeepStation! Looking forward to an awesome night of AI, demos, and some serious technical conversations this Thursday. Lets keep building Miami into a city that the worlds top engineering teams cant ignore.Ayal Stern shared thisCalling all Miami devs, founders, and thinkers! 🌴💻🦩 Come join Google DeepMind for a fun night full of AI on Thursday, Nov 5th at The Dock! Expect a gemini-packed night with back-to-back lightning demos from Thor Schaeff (Gemini Audio) and Dmitry Lyalin (Google AI Studio), swag, food & drinks, and good vibes! Huge shoutout to our community partners The LAB Miami, DeepStation, and Superteam for teaming to make this happen! Come hang out, see what's new, and connect with the Miami AI community! RSVP: https://lnkd.in/eMsppdch Miguel Suárez Jacqueline Ojeda Jason Scott Dmitry Lyalin Thor Schaeff
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Ayal Stern shared thisIf you're in Israel, join us this Sunday for the Israel Tech Week kickoff with Microsoft for Startups! 🚨 Teaser Alert: We just confirmed Dror Davidoff, who recently joined Team8 as Managing Partner, for a fireside chat! Joining our VC panel also, Tomer Diari from Aleph, Daniel Ziv from Glilot Capital, and Rotem (Yehuda) Kakon from Stratos Ventures & Itay Rand from 10D 🔥 Come get a front-row seat to hear directly from some of Israels top VC's and our partners!Ayal Stern shared thisMiami Tech Gateway is back for its third year. 🌎 Join us in Tel Aviv for an evening bringing together founders, investors, technology leaders, and ecosystem partners for meaningful conversations and connections. Hear from Meital Shamia and other leaders on U.S. market opportunities, investment, strategic partnerships, and cross-border growth, while connecting the Israeli and U.S. tech ecosystems. 📅 October 25 | 4:30 PM 📍 Tel Aviv 🎟️ Space is limited and attendance is subject to approval. RSVP here: https://msft.it/6045avVkU
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Ayal Stern shared thisSome names carry a lot of weight in the programming world, even if they're not widely recognized outside of it. John De Goes is one of them 🔥 As the creator of ZIO, he helped shape modern functional programming, becoming one of the most influential open source architects in the Scala ecosystem. His work has also influenced newer frameworks like Effect in TypeScript. On November 9, he will be at The LAB Miami to talk about harnessing AI models with Effect TS. A rare opportunity to hear from someone who has helped shape how developers think about building reliable software. Looking forward to this one.Ayal Stern shared this🚀 Excited to announce John De Goes as our main speaker for Effect Miami #3! It’s a real honor to welcome John, one of the most influential voices in modern functional programming. Creator of ZIO, founder of Ziverge, and Golem Cloud, his work has helped shape how we think about building reliable, composable software. 🎤 “Harnessing AI Models with Effect TS” I’m particularly excited to hear John’s perspective on using Effect to build the next generation of AI-powered applications. An incredible opportunity for the Miami developer community to learn from and connect with someone who has contributed so much to our ecosystem! 📅 November 9, 2026 📍 The LAB Miami, Wynwood - The LAB Miami 🎟️ RSVP: [https://luma.com/0yaas5h2] Organized by Semantiv AI Effect | TypeScript for the AI Era #EffectMiami #EffectTS #TypeScript #AI #FunctionalProgramming #ZIO #Ziverge
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Ayal Stern reposted thisAyal Stern reposted thisLast week, I hosted 18 founders, operators and investors at one long table at Mother Wolf in Miami. Co-hosted with the great Ayal Stern founder of The LAB Miami The range in that room: A frontier AI lab founder, Data center power, AI tax payments, radiology, salon and spa software, kids' social, construction AI, obesity biotech. Two founders who had already exited. One high schooler building continual-learning AI. What I shared and learned during the dinner: 1. Models are commoditizing. Intelligence gains are flattening and open-weight models now handle most knowledge work. The value is moving to the arms and legs, plugging AI into ERPs, logistics and the other systems of record where the work actually lives. 2. Everyone is watching chip supply. The room's view was that power is the real ceiling. Some data center sites are waiting until 2030 or later for grid connection, so builders are generating behind the meter instead. 3. Nobody wants to buy "AI." Main Street and healthcare buyers are allergic to the word, so you sell the outcome instead. The teams doing that are pulling software margins out of what used to be a services business. 4. Your data is the only moat left. Sovereign and private AI came up more than I expected, always for the same reason: the big labs already have everything else. 5. On jobs, the table mostly landed on Jevons. Cheaper work creates more demand, spreadsheets didn't kill finance, and radiologists are in shortage right now. The pain is the transition, and it falls hardest on 45 to 60 year olds. Then we got to Miami, and I'll put my own name on these. CMU putting a $2B campus here is the strongest signal this city has had. It's also necessary and not sufficient. Uber bought CMU's self-driving talent and moved it to Palo Alto, and an institution has never guaranteed the companies stay. Early-stage money is everywhere in South Florida. The gap is Series B and C, the institutional capital that builds a 300 to 600 person company here instead of relocating it. There's serious BD, sales and product talent in Florida that nobody is calling. And put your logo on a real office. Too many Miami founders are hiding in their estates. 85+ licenses and $1.3B ARR mean nothing to a founder who can't find you in their own city, which is exactly why Airwallex wants a branded presence here. This is why I run dinners instead of panels. Hard rules, no pitching, real disagreement, and everyone leaves with something. Thank you for coming and for being honest: Justin Dangel, Solon Angel, Peter Yared, Leah Cohen-Shohet, Elan Adler 🩻, Zak Ringelstein, Hassan Yasin, Adrian Salamunovic, Matias Umaschi, Yadin Arnon , Amit Jolly, Daniel Minkowitz, Mikhail Naumov, Aboud Jardaneh, Brandon Turp and Jaco Lumbreras. And to Ayal Stern and The LAB Miami for building the room with me. If you're building something global and you want a seat at the next one, DM me.
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Ayal Stern shared thisMiami has no shortage of ambitious founders and big ideas. What we need more of are spaces where those ideas can be openly challenged and different perspectives can come together. The LAB Miami's recent founder dinner with Airwallex, Michael Morgenstern and a great group of founders was a reminder of just that. AI is reshaping everything from infrastructure and capital markets to how we work, and Miami has an opportunity to play a meaningful role in whats next. Candid conversations (some spicier than others) and a room full of people thinking deeply about the future.
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Ayal Stern shared thisExcited to kickoff Israel Tech Week first launch event with Microsoft for Startups Israel offices. If your in Tel Aviv Lior Halabi & our amazing ITW team Julia Ellis & Molly Lukash together with Meital Shamia for Microsoft would love to say hello. Thank you to our partners & speakers from BDO Israel, Stratos Ventures, 10D, Gornitzky GNY, BIRD Foundation & American Jewish Committee (AJC) 🙏Ayal Stern shared thisIsraeli Innovation Meets U.S. Opportunity. Miami Tech Gateway is Coming to Tel Aviv! On October 25, we’re bringing together Israeli founders, investors, technology leaders, and business executives for Miami Tech Gateway, in collaboration with Microsoft for Startups and Miami_Israel Collective. An evening dedicated to connecting Israeli innovation with opportunities in Miami and across the United States. From entering the U.S. market and accessing capital to building strategic partnerships, we’re creating meaningful connections that help Israeli companies grow internationally. The event also marks the official Israel kickoff of Israel Tech Week 2027, taking place April 4–8 in Miami. 📍 Microsoft, Tel Aviv 📅 October 25, 2026 🕟 Doors open at 4:30 PM Limited space available. Registration is subject to approval. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dSh82K5Y #IsraelTechWeek #MiamiTechGateway BDO Israel | Gornitzky GNY | BIRD Foundation | 10D | Stratos Ventures | American Jewish Committee (AJC) | Miami_Israel Collective | Israel Tech Week
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Ayal Stern shared thisCongrats to Marell E. and the Exceptional Capital team. Incredible work 👏👏👏 From personal experience, I know how seriously this team takes the research and decision-making process, with every detail counting. Looking forward to digging in!Ayal Stern shared thisThe 2026 Exceptional 100 is now live! 🚀 For the third year in a row, we are spotlighting 100 standout engineering and product builders at some of the fastest-growing companies in tech. These are the people architecting high-impact internal infrastructure and shipping key features and products daily. Fun facts: Exceptional has funded 3 founders from prior years, and members of past cohorts have gone on to raise over +$2B in total funding! Beyond the list, the report covers our analysis of what the data shows regarding today's top technical talent: → Geography and education → Roles, skills, and personal attributes that stand out → Emerging trends shaping the talent landscape → How talent is moving between companies, and into founding teams → Talent migration for prior cohorts Huge congratulations to everyone on this year's list! And remember, if you have a high conviction idea, reach out to us any time, we want to be your first supporters! Explore the full list and report: https://lnkd.in/dNeqEPki Thank you also to the Exceptional Capital team and our summer interns who made this happen!
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Ayal Stern liked thisAyal Stern liked thisthis is my nephew. zero AI. 100% genius. happy halloween. congrats to my brother Antonio Medina and his wife Adriana Medina Ruiz for having such beautiful children.
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Ayal Stern liked thisAyal Stern liked this☕️💻 80 people. Laptops open. Nearly three hours of learning, experimenting, and exploring what��s possible with AI. That was the scene at our latest 305 Coffee Seminar: Sip & Script, hosted at The LAB Miami in the heart of Wynwood! A big thank you to Blake Rose, CEO of Kaizen Ventures and a fellow Economic Club of Miami member, for leading a practical workshop that helped our members put AI to work. Much of our time was spent working in ChatGPT and learning how to use AI as a “chief of staff”—helping us organize information, tackle tasks, and work more effectively. We also explored tools like Wispr Flow and other apps that help connect our workflows with ChatGPT. Blake’s leadership last night showed what our Club is all about: convening, connecting, and collaborating. It was exciting to see members from across industries come together, roll up their sleeves, and learn alongside one another. The curiosity and energy in the room were incredible! Thank you as well to Ayal Stern and his team at The LAB Miami for hosting us and sharing a space where founders, technical talent, and startup operators come together to build and connect. We’re grateful for your partnership and for the role you play in Miami’s growing innovation community. The future is being built right here in Miami. 🌴🚀 At the Economic Club of Miami, we don’t just host conversations and listen to ideas. We also help our members get their hands on the latest technology and put it to work as they scale their businesses and become more effective—right here in the heart of one of the world’s great emerging financial capitals. Interested in joining the Club and attending future events like this? Visit https://lnkd.in/e7cuKwQC to learn more. #EconClubMiami #SipAndScript #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #MiamiTech
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Ayal Stern liked thisAyal Stern liked this🙏Proud to see Glilot Capital so well represented in the Miami tech ecosystem! Daniel Ziv took the stage yesterday at Microsoft Tel Aviv for the Miami Tech Gateway event, diving into what U.S. investors are prioritizing right now and how Israeli founders can tap into Miami’s growing capital network. Great kickoff for Israel Tech Week in Miami next April, and an awesome job representing the team, Daniel! 👏 #IsraeliTech #VentureCapital #GlilotCapital #MakeItReal
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Ayal Stern liked thisAyal Stern liked thisWrote an article on how Carnegie Mellon coming to Miami is about far more than just a new campus. There will be a startup ecosystem built around the campus, and it will accelerate the Miami area as the country's next coastal metropolis. https://lnkd.in/ek3j6NbzMiami emerges as America’s next coastal metropolis - Refresh MiamiMiami emerges as America’s next coastal metropolis - Refresh Miami
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Ayal Stern liked thisAyal Stern liked thisMiami’s tech community is growing, and so is JBN Tech! 🚀 We’re bringing together founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and tech leaders for a morning of high-level conversations, new connections, and real opportunities. Join us for the JBN Tech Networking Breakfast, featuring Ayal Stern and Ben Milshtein, as we explore entrepreneurship, innovation, and the future of technology. Whether you’re building a company, investing in the next big idea, or looking to connect with ambitious people in Miami’s tech scene, this is a room you’ll want to be in. 🎟️ Limited spots available. Register today! https://luma.com/614wkl4v #JBNMiami #JBNTech #MiamiTech #Entrepreneurship #Networking #Innovation
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