The Launch Place Holds its 11th IdeaFest Competition
The Launch Place (TLP) received 142 applications for its 11th IdeaFest Pitch Competition from various start-up companies located in the US and abroad. The top competitors took the stage to present their innovative business ideas at 2 Witches Winery and Brewing Company in Danville, VA today.
The competition kicked off at 1:00pm, with a keynote from Angel Capital Association CEO, Patrick Gouhin, CAE.
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.
The winner of this year’s IdeaFest competition was Archibald, who was awarded a $5,000 cash prize. Archibald is a motion engineering company delivering efficient, high-speed precision motion with the Low Motor™, a patented direct-drive servo motor that offers up to 10× faster speed at up to 30% lower power consumption than any other motor available
Second place and a $3,000 cash award went to MyoInsight, an EMG-driven Clinical Intelligence Platform for Outpatient Physical Therapy. Using wireless EMG sensors, game based patient engagement, and clinician decision support analytics, MyoInsight enables therapists to measure muscle activation, monitor exercise quality, and deliver reimbursable remote care. The Horse Concierge took home third place with a $2,000 cash prize. The Horse Concierge is the first platform that helps owners find trusted professionals, keep track of everything happening with their horse, and share that information with the team caring for the horse so they can make better, more informed decisions.
The Launch Place, located in the River District of Danville, assists with business formation, job creation and retention through its business consulting services and investment funding, while having a dual responsibility to recruit and retain entrepreneurs to the Dan River Region. The IdeaFest competition exposes The Launch Place’s services and funds to start-up companies that are ready to launch, or are seeking early stage capital. The Launch Place could potentially invest in the company from its Seed Funds that were established from a grant awarded by the Danville Regional Foundation.
IdeaFest Judges
- Jan L. Davis, Retired CEO, ShopperTrak RCT Corp.; Investor, RTP Angel Fund; Professor of the Practice, Kenan-Flagler
- Dr. Gary Evans, Axcel Innovation CEO; The Launch Place Board Chair
- Pat Gouhin, CAE, Angel Capital Association CEO
- Marty Kaszubowski, Technology Venture Consultant; The Launch Place Board Member
- Nick Mirra, Principal, Emerging Growth Practice Vice Chair, Woods Rogers
- 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
IdeaFest 2026 Finalists
The Horse Concierge: The first platform that helps owners find trusted professionals, keep track of everything happening with their horse, and share that information with the team caring for the horse so they can make better, more informed decisions.
HostHustle Ecosystem:A lean Thort-term Rentals (STR) funnel replacing bloated suites with low-CAC acquisition and high-margin, pay-as-you-grow modular tools.
Squirrel Fitness:Squirrel makes fitness fun…for Everyone! Quick, easy, single-exercise workouts for people who don’t “do” fitness but want to get in shape.
TrukFoo:A real-time platform connecting food trucks, foodies, and event organizers, making it easy to discover local food and experiences in one place.
PriceHive: Transforms the retail supply chain's most expensive manual process - pricing and product coordination across trading partners - into a clean, confirmed, auditable handoff.
drvynX: A productivity platform that pays students to quit doomscrolling and complete verified deep work sessions, aligning incentives to help them reclaim focus and perform at their highest level.
Veluz: An energetic, effervescent pill designed to boost energy while enhancing focus and concentration through the use of L-theanine and lion’s mane.
FlightSuite: A pipeline intelligence system built to help sales teams meet quota. We turn CRM activity into real-time deal insights.
Archibald: A motion engineering company delivering efficient, high-speed precision motion with the Low Motor™, a patented direct-drive servo motor that offers up to 10× faster speed at up to 30% lower power consumption than any other motor available.
Shape Tomorrow:Develops dynamic, human-centered learning experiences that empower young people to become confident, real-world problem solvers.
Code 4 Technology: Enables law enforcement agencies to safely test-fire seized and confiscated firearms on-site to recover intact fired bullets and casings for rapid forensic analysis.
Einra: A real-time risk signal and care coordination layer for Medicaid home-based care so agency nurses and plan care coordinators can see the same emerging risks and act earlier together.
Kinwise: The AI coaching platform that gives every teacher access to evidence-based feedback after every lesson.
Ascend: A mental performance platform that helps athletes build focus, confidence, and competitive readiness through short, structured mental training.
Kovoco Inc.: Kovoco’s mission is to make SQL Server audits effortless and secure.
Tessefi: A medical device innovation company dedicated to inventing and enhancing technologies that transform patient safety and clinical efficiency through real-time monitoring for streamlined care.
Iguana Cyber: Blocks unknown AI-generated exploits that existing cybersecurity products missed.
Vision Logic: An AI-powered cybersecurity monitoring platform called "The Fort" that gives mid-market businesses ($10M–$100M revenue) Fortune 500-level threat detection without sending a byte of data to the cloud.
MyoInsight: An EMG-driven Clinical Intelligence Platform for Outpatient Physical Therapy enabling therapists to measure muscle activation, monitor exercise quality, and deliver reimbursable remote care.
PixFixerAI: PixFixerAI delivers purpose-built AI for disaster recovery, designed for the complex workflows of emergency management programs and supporting the full recovery lifecycle.
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