Once a year · Global Entrepreneurship Week
Start Here Pitch Competition
Six finalists pitch live to a panel of judges for $10,000, $5,000 or $2,500 — plus a pitch opportunity with the Upper Cumberland Investment Alliance. Anyone can come and watch — it is free, but you do need a ticket.
This year’s finalists
Over 20 startups applied. These are the six. Between now and pitch night they are working with our coaches on the pitch itself — the part finalists tell us afterwards was worth more than the money. Come and watch them.
- 01
Volunteer Bulk Transfer
Mike Taylor
A patented process for shipping, delivering and storing bulk materials. The Hourglass Bulk Delivery System is built to take the wait time, fuel and waste out of bulk delivery.
- 02
Big Knockers
Hannah Fox & Sara Chambers
Software for door-knocking campaigns. It helps political candidates, non-profits and sales teams put a canvassing strategy together and then run it.
- 03
Zipix
Kevin Walls
A dedicated business line that logs every client call and text and turns it into an invoice-ready billing entry. Built for attorneys, consultants and anyone else who bills by the hour and loses the time reconstructing it.
- 04
Maxine
Seaira Ford
A discovery and route-planning app for people who shop yard sales, pop-ups and small retail. It finds who is selling what you are looking for, then builds the day's route around it.
- 05DB
Nickel Pony
Dale Bilbrey
A motion platform that sits under a smart bike trainer and gives an indoor ride the rock and sway of an outdoor one, without the toll on your joints.
- 06
Swipeys
Linc Neal
A line of natural cleaning and sanitizing products — towelettes, hand sanitizer, fruit and vegetable wipes, pet wipes, deodorant and insect repellent — made without the synthetic chemicals the category usually runs on.
What is on the table
- First$10,000
- Second$5,000
- Third$2,500
Every finalist
A pitch to the Upper Cumberland Investment Alliance
Which is the part that can matter more than the check.
Fan favorite · $250
Voted on by the room. Whoever wins the judges over does not necessarily win the audience over.
Run in partnership with Twin Lakes (opens in a new tab), during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Just coming to watch
It is a good night out
Six founders, eight minutes each, real money on the line, in a room on Cedar Avenue. You do not need a business and you do not need an invitation, but you do need a ticket — they are free, and worth getting before the night. Doors open at 5:30pm, pitches start at 6:00pm.
You also get a vote. The Fan favorite award — $250 — is decided by the audience rather than the judges, so turning up is not a spectator sport.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 37 Cedar, 37 N Cedar Ave, Cookeville, TN.
If you are thinking about applying one day, an evening in that room will tell you more than any advice we could give you. And if you are not, it is still a good night out with people who are building something.
Somebody actually wins it
2022$10,000Skip The Line
Mobile merch ordering for live events — turning every phone in the venue into a merch booth, without more staff or longer lines.
Visit Skip The Line (opens in a new tab)
2023$10,000Harmacy Hot Sauce Co.
Handmade hot sauces out of Cookeville, built on fresh ingredients and balanced heat. Went on to win The64's Best Hot Sauce in America.
Visit Harmacy Hot Sauce Co. (opens in a new tab)
2024$10,000Quantum Turf
A SaaS platform using turfgrass algorithms and AI to build tailored lawn care programs from location, soil and weather, so lawn care businesses cut costs and get better results.
- 2025$10,000
Rehabit Health
The Envision Guided Therapy System — insole sensors that help people rebuild movement and reclaim their lives after an injury or a health setback.
Visit Rehabit Health (opens in a new tab)
From past competitions
A year is enough time to become one of the six.
Coaching is free, the bootcamp runs four times a year, and the lunches are every month. Most finalists did not decide to pitch the week before the deadline.