The Big Launch Challenge - Meet the Competitors & Judges!

October 9, 2024

The 12th Annual Big Launch Challenge Business Pitch Competition - October 17, 2024

BLC Logo

The Big Launch Challenge, a competition targeting the best startups in the country, is a unique opportunity to see 10 leading early stage companies (listed below) compete for $15,000 in prize money from The Launch Place. Over the past eleven years of hosting this competition, The Launch Place has awarded over $200,000 to 21 companies.

The BLC is open to the public and there is no charge to attend the competition. To register for the Bill and Ann Payne ACA Angel University courses, click here. Community members of all ages and professions are invited to attend to learn about The Launch Place's startup development resources, to network with a wide range of business professionals and investors and to explore entrepreneurship as a career option.

The Big Launch Challenge is a live event that will be held at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Durham, North Carolina. Registration is required to attend.

Register Now

Meet The BLC Finalists!

Fafabiotic: Dr. Farzaneh Rezaei, Founder and CEO

Citrus Oncology: Afreen Shariff, MD, Co-founder

3D Orthobiologic Solutions: Dr. R. Prakash Kolli, CEO and Co-founder

Linshom Medical, Inc.: Richard Hughen, CEO

InviteJet: Brian Watson, Co-founder

LLAMAWOOD, Inc..: Hunter Guerin, Founder and CEO

Data Company One: Simon Glossop, CEO

EqualityMD, Inc.: Justin Ayars, Founder and CEO

BabyBumps: Victoria Fritz, MD, Founder

Theralinq: Brennan Barber, Co-founder and CEO

Meet The BLC Judges and Master of Ceremonies

Patrick Gouhin

Keynote Speaker

Patrick Gouhin, CAE

CEO, Angel Capital Association

Patrick Gouhin is presently serving in his fourth 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.

For additional information, contact Varun Sadana at vsadana@thelaunchplace.org. 

 

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors: