Valleys Innovation Council, an affiliate of Verge, in partnership with The Launch Place, the Appalachian Council for Innovation and Blue Ridge PBS are coming together to expand the PitchPlus program to company founders seeking education, technical assistance and mentoring with respect to financing the growth of their high growth potential startup companies.  

The Launch Place received 92 applications for its 10th Annual Big Launch Challenge Pitch Competition from various start-up companies ranging form femtech to AI assisted gene therapy. The top 10 competitors took the stage and presented their innovative business ideas at the NC Biotechnology Center on Thursday, November 17.

Andrew shares advice about founder persistence and the early grind at LiRA. He tells the story of how he leveraged outside resources, including pitch competitions, such as The Launch Place's Big Launch Challenge, to drive his early growth and professional network-building.