IdeaFest
Register for the 11th IdeaFest Business Pitch Competition on April 8, 2026!
10th Annual IdeaFest Winners
IdeaFest is a Business Pitch Competition where 20 finalists pitch their startup idea to a panel of judges and a live audience. The top three competitors will be awarded $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place and $2,000 for third place. We are pleased to announce that this year's event will be at 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co. in Danville, Virginia. The IdeaFest competition exposes The Launch Place’s services and funds to start-up companies that are ready to establish or seeking early stage capital.
The Launch Place (TLP) is a lead venture development organization in Southern Virginia and in the Research Triangle, North Carolina. The company's mission is to retain, recruit and develop emerging and serial entrepreneurs in the region. The Launch Place provides seed stage equity investments, business consulting, mentoring/training/coaching services, and office space to its portfolio companies. TLP helps businesses with their business planning, funding, launching and growing needs. The Launch Place’s Seed Fund invests in innovative start-up opportunities.
IdeaFest is open to the public and there is no charge to attend, but registration is required. Click below to save your seat!
Meet the 2026 IdeaFest Finalists
PixFixerAI – Willem Craun
The Horse Concierge – Lacey Gotshall
HostHustle Ecosystem – Prashant Kumar
Squirrel Fitness – Tyler Benedict
TrukFoo – Jerome Patrick Jr.
PriceHive – Correne Friesen
drvynX – Bongani Mwonzora and Michael Florentin
Veluz – Alejandra Trochez and Dolce Guadarrama
FlightSuite – Fitzgerald Light
Archibald – Stephen Bell
Shape Tomorrow - Laura Craniey
Code 4 Technology – Jay Whitt
Einra – Jamie Swann, MSN, RN
Kinwise – Lydia Kumar
Ascend – Walker Ferguson, Maximus Maldonado, Hampton Tanner
Kovoco Inc. – Carlos Chacon
Tessefi – Dr. Meme Keelen
Iguana Cyber – Parker Garrison
Vision Logic – Dr. Nathanael Miller
MyoInsight – Brian Spencer
Meet the IdeaFest Judges
- Judge: Jan L. Davis, Retired CEO, ShopperTrak RCT Corp.; Investor, RTP Angel Fund; Professor of the Practice, Kenan-Flagler
- Judge: Dr. Gary Evans, Axcel Innovation CEO; The Launch Place Board Chair
- Judge and Keynote: Pat Gouhin, CAE, Angel Capital Association CEO
- Judge: Marty Kaszubowski, Technology Mentor, Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program (ICAP), Virginia Small Business Development Center Network, George Mason University; The Launch Place Board Member
- Judge: Nick Mirra, Principal, Emerging Growth Practice Vice Chair, Woods Rogers
- Judge: Ed Pettiss, Start-up Mentor/Coach, former Chair of The Launch Place Seed Fund Advisory Board. Helps founders as part of entrepreneurial support groups and university teaching programs
Master of Ceremonies
Mark Friedman, President and Co-founder of RTP Capital Associates; CEO of Lakeview Business Advisory; The Launch Place Board Member
Keynote Speaker
Patrick Gouhin, CAE
CEO, Angel Capital Association
Patrick Gouhin is presently serving in his seventh year as the CEO of the Angel Capital Association. ACA is a professional society for accredited angel investors, North America's most prolific early-stage investment class. ACA represents 15,000+ member accredited angel investors, 250 angel groups, accredited platforms and family offices and more than 30,000 entrepreneurial companies that are in ACA member investment portfolios. Before joining ACA, Mr. Gouhin spent 12 years as the Executive Director and CEO of the International Society of Automation (ISA) and then 15 years with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). During his tenure at ISA he provided leadership toward the creation of many new initiatives and companies. At AIAA, Mr. Gouhin served as the Chief Operating Officer whereby his leadership contributions resulted in significant revenue growth and the successful management of 300+ project teams through development and delivery of multiple products and services.
Mr. Gouhin also served as the first Vice President of Operations and Technology Transfer for the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) at Langley Research Center. This was a start-up resulting from $69 million government contract award to build a world-class research and education institute. Mr. Gouhin has experience in corporate divestitures and acquisitions, business construction and relocation, strategic standardization management, business planning, project management, process mapping and reengineering, and serving as a company wide change agent. He has served on the board of directors of multiple non-profits including the Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE) where he is a past president.
He has a bachelor of science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from The Ohio State University and a master’s in engineering management from George Washington University. He has also completed the executive development program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and the advanced management college of Stanford University. Mr. Gouhin is a Certified Association Executive or CAE.
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