Show notes
8 founders. One bracket. $25,000 on the line. Welcome to Tweener Madness 2026, the high-stakes startup competition where North Carolina’s most promising companies go head-to-head.In this Round 1 matchup, Utilyst and BeneDoc step into the arena to pitch their businesses to a panel of experienced investors. Each founder has one shot to make their case, answer tough questions, and prove they deserve to advance.One moves on. One goes home.🧠 What you’ll see in this episode: A power infrastructure startup tackling knowledge loss in utilities A healthtech company rethinking regulatory workflows with AI Live investor Q&A and real-time feedback Behind-the-scenes judge deliberation (what actually matters in a pitch) 👇 Featuring the Round 1 Selection Committee: Jan Davis - RTP Angel Fund / Triangle Angel Partners Robbie Hardy - Accel Ventures Jen Summe - Primordial Ventures 👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship⏱️ Timestamps00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness 00:45 — Meet the Selection Committee 03:05 — Format + What’s new this year 05:05 — Matchup Intro: Utilyst vs. BeneDoc 05:35 — Utilyst Pitch 10:30 — Utilyst Q&A with Judges 20:40 — BeneDoc Pitch 26:15 — BeneDoc Q&A with Judges 40:00 — Judges Deliberation Begins 41:10 — Feedback on Utilyst 43:10 — Feedback on BeneDoc 46:20 — Pitch Lessons + What stood out 49:05 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)🎯 About Tweener MadnessTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.--- Tweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.We couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: Platinum: NC IDEA: https://ncidea.orgGold Sponsors: - Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs - EisnerAmpner: https://www.eisneramper.com - Robinson Bradshaw: https://www.robinsonbradshaw.com Silver Sponsors: - Automated Consulting Group: https://automated.co ------Triangle Tweener Talks is sponsored by:Atomic Object: https://atomicobject.com/
