👀 Did you blink? Because Florida sure didn’t. While Tallahassee teams are charging ahead at the NWFL Regional Championship, a South Florida founder is making waves with a reticle that reacts faster than the human eye. From hard hits on the field to blink-and-you-miss-it innovation, it’s all about speed, focus, and staying sharp.
Quick Summary
In this 557th edition, for local & state tech:
Event Recap: TLH Teams Advancing at the NWFL Championship
FL Tech: Reticle That Reacts Faster Than You Can Blink
Featured: CityClips | Fun Facts
FL Tech Events
TALENT
ADVANCE TO STATES
Image Source: TallyRobotics
🎉 Tallahassee LEGO League Teams Headed to State | TallyRobotics
Congratulations to our local LEGO League teams who competed at the NWFL Regional Championship—multiple Tallahassee teams are advancing to the State Championship!
Here are the highlights worth celebrating:
🤖 Gorillabots took home 1st Place – Robot Design, impressing judges with their engineering skills and innovative approach.
💡 Chicken Wing Chargers won 1st Place – Innovation Project, highlighting creative problem-solving and real-world impact.
🌟 Amazons dominated with 1st Place Champions and 2nd Place – Robot Performance, a huge win for the team.
🏅 Girl Scouts Elephant Seals earned 2nd Place – Core Values, showing outstanding teamwork, inclusion, and Gracious Professionalism.
🚀 Robonauts secured 3rd Place Champions and 3rd Place – Robot Performance, proving consistency and strong robot execution.
What’s next?
All advancing teams are gearing up for the LEGO League State Championship happening next month. That means another month of meetings, practice runs, robot tweaks, and teamwork as they prepare to represent Tallahassee on the state stage.
FL TECH
BLINK-FAST
Image Source: Refresh Miami
🔍 A South Floridian Startup Redefines Aim | Refresh Miami
Boca Raton founder Matthew Pohl came up with the concept while reading about transparent lenses used in early AR glasses. Thinking of arcade shooters with a perfectly placed aiming dot, he asked a simple question: why can’t a real-world reticle move naturally with a person’s head and firearm?
That curiosity became Future Optek, a lean startup of about five people. Pohl applied lessons from two earlier ventures—a Bitcoin mining business and a consumer product company—to build a more focused and scalable hardware model.
The system uses two IMUs—one on the firearm and one on the glasses—to create a reticle that shifts in real time. With a response time of about one millisecond, the movement is imperceptible. There’s no laser, no camera, and no signal emission, keeping the user undetectable.
The prototype has reached TRL-7, with early demonstrations in operational settings. Pohl says the company has already received acquisition interest, support from a major optics manufacturer, and is in talks with defense organizations.
Future Optek plans to launch first with civilian firearm enthusiasts and law enforcement before expanding to military ground units. The company is currently raising its next round while finalizing the product and preparing for field deployment.
FEATURED
Image Source: JH Creative
CityClips | Fun Facts
🗞️ First Issue Published: Our inaugural issue launched July 25, 2023, kicking off our mission to share local, business, tech, and insight-driven stories that matter.
🎥 First CityClips Live: Aired July 5, 2023, exploring how to build an email newsletter business. Fun fact: Julia first shared her vision during a coffee/mentor session with Ali, co-founder—this episode brought it to life.
🎥 First CityClips Livestream Guest: Kristina McAlpin, owner of Top Shelf Events, joined Episode 24 of CityClips Live, which aired on Jan. 10, 2024.
🔍 Discover local tech, business, and events—all in one CityClips subscription.
STEM EVENTS
Image Source: Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee
Wednesday, Jan. 28
Challenger 40th Anniversary | Wednesday, Jan. 28 | The Challenger Learning Center, 200 S. Duval St. | Free | Learn More
Thursday, Jan. 29
Staying Sharp and Connected: What Science Says About Aging Well | Thursday, Jan. 29 | 10 AM | Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. | Learn More
Tuesday, Feb. 3
NSF I-Corps: Expert Panel by IGNITE Tallahassee | Tuesday, Feb. 3 | 2 PM | Chemical Sciences Laboratory, 102 Varsity Way, 1003 Auditorium | Register
Wednesday, Feb. 11
2026 Business of Healthcare Summit by FSU Health | Wednesday, Feb. 11 | Learn More
Registration is open until Feb. 6 | Register
Virtual Tickets: $100
Regular Tickets: $200
FL Events
Wednesday, Jan. 28
Thomasville - Thomas County Chamber of Commerce | Wednesday, Jan. 28 | 8:30 AM | Thomasville Chamber of Commerce 401 S. Broad St. | Learn More
Thursday, Jan. 29
Unlocking the Code of Life: A Conversation on the Promises of Biotechnology | Thursday, Jan. 29 | 5:30 PM | Live Oak Pavilion, Student Union, Florida Atlantic University | Free | Learn More
Tuesday, Feb. 3
South Miami Tech Tuesdays – presented by Purple Horizons | Tuesday, Feb. 3 | 6 PM | Bougainvillea’s Old Florida Tavern, 7221 SW. 58th Ave.,S. Miami | Free | Learn More
Friday, Feb. 6
2026 APIC South Florida Conference | Friday, Feb. 6 | 8:30 AM | Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood | APIC Members – $135.23, Non-members – $161.90, Student – $81.88 | Learn More
Image Source: JH Creative
Tune in for our 106th episode tomorrow on LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube, powered by JH Creative. We are excited to have Luca Conner, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Pack’n. Got questions? Join us Live!
- Team CityClips ([email protected])
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