Five Startups to Watch in 2017

According to local experts, the following companies are startups to watch in 2017:

Magic Leap: An innovative technology company that has raised $1.4 billion from big-name investors including Google and Alibaba, and hired more than 450 employees in Dania Beach and Plantation, its new headquarters. The company could launch its first product in 2017.

JetSmarter: A worldwide private-jet connection service headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. In December, the company announced it had raised $105 million from investors that include rapper Jay-Z; the Royal Saudi Family; an Abu Dhabi-based growth equity fund, private jet operator JetEdge; KZ Capital, a London-based venture capital firm; and a Qatar-based private equity fund. Total financing so far is $157 million. The company is expanding it shuttle service between key cities.

Vigilant Biosciences: A Fort Lauderdale company that has developed tests that aid in the early detection of oral cancer. The company raised $5 million in 2016, and a total $12.5 million since the company was founded in 2011. Vigilant recently began shipping its first product.

CareCloud: A Miami company that provides a cloudbased platform to manage a health business. CareCloud raised $32 million in 2016 and a total of $102 million since it was founded in 2009. The company is planning to rapidly scale its clinical and financial platform in 2017.

Modernizing Medicine: An electronic medical record and data company in Boca Raton that raised $38 million a year ago, and $87 million in total. Management said it plans to continue improving efficiencies and outcomes for physicians and patients alike.

SUSAN STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Matthew Kim, CEO of Vigilant Biosciences in Fort Lauderdale and his company’s oral cancer test kit, inspired by his family’s history of cancer.