A fast-growing AI startup has made the Miami area its permanent home.
Comp AI, an AI-native compliance and security platform for software companies, announced Friday that it has opened its new headquarters in Aventura and plans to hire about 20 employees over the next 100 days, further expanding its current South Florida workforce of seven employees, and then continuing to grow the team from there.
The company, founded in 2025, currently has 23 employees globally and expects to grow to about 50 by the end of this year. Hiring in Miami will focus on product, engineering, marketing and growth, finance, and operations, Comp AI co-founder and COO Claudio Fuentes shared with Refresh Miami.
Comp AI develops AI-powered software that helps startups and growth-stage companies automate security and compliance requirements, replacing manual, point-in-time audits with continuous monitoring and AI-assisted workflows. Asked about the company’s growth, Fuentes replied: “zero to 900 customers and zero to over $7 million ARR in the last 14 months – one of the fastest-growing companies in the country.”
Although Comp AI was founded in New York, the startup relocated to South Florida in February, operating temporarily from Industrious in Aventura while building out its permanent offices in the Aventura View office building. CEO and co-founder Lewis Carhart is expected to relocate to the area within the next couple of months, joining both Claudio Fuentes and co-founder and CTO Mariano Fuentes, who have already made the move.
[Pictured above: Comp AI co-founders, left to right, CTO Mariano Fuentes; CEO Lewis Carhart; and COO Claudio Fuentes.]
Comp AI joins a growing list of technology companies – from Palantir and Google to a dozens of venture-backed startups – that have relocated or expanded in South Florida in recent years, even as the pace of new company relocations has slowed from the pandemic-era boom. The region continues to attract AI, fintech, cybersecurity, and enterprise software companies looking to tap into the area’s growing tech talent pool and business-friendly environment. Indeed, in just the last 12 months, Refresh Miami has reported on 26 companies that have either relocated HQs to South Florida or expanded their local presence.
What factors led to Comp AI’s decision to establish the company’s headquarters in the Miami region?
Two of the company’s three founders grew up in South Florida, and Miami offered advantages beyond hometown ties, Claudio Fuentes shared with Refresh Miami. No surprise: “Florida’s tax environment, lower operating costs, business-friendly climate, and quality of life” all helped tip the scales over the company’s other offices in New York City and Southampton, England, he said.
“Miami has quickly become the center of gravity for Comp AI,” added Carhart, in a statement. “Our largest cluster of employees is here, our hiring focus is here, and this new headquarters gives us a physical home base where we can build, ship, and support customers together in one place.”
The headquarters occupies an entire 6,000-square-foot floor in the Aventura View building. Comp AI is investing about $200,000 to renovate the space.
Designed as a collaboration hub, the office will feature flexible workspaces, meeting areas, and a lounge complete with a racing simulator and LED displays. It will also serve as a gathering place for customers, partners, and employees visiting from the company’s other locations.
“We just bought a humanoid robot who will serve as our receptionist,” Fuentes said. “More on that soon.”
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I am a writer and editor with extensive media experience and a passion for journalism and serving the community. Most of my career has been spent with the Miami Herald in business news, and my expertise is writing about tech and entrepreneurs. I love hosting this blog for Refresh Miami and we aim to be the go-to site for South Florida startup and tech news, features and views. Have news? Contact me at [email protected]. Thanks for reading!