Under bright stage lights in the heart of DFW, eight startup founders from the US, Canada, and Mexico stand on the CodeLaunch 2024 World Championship stage, waiting to find out if their lives are about to change. This isn’t Shark Tank, but the stakes are just as high. Standing in front of over 550 people, more than 50 investors, and a livestream audience across North America, these founders have a chance to win up to $50K in capital deployed by the CodeLaunch and Improving Fuel Fund.
This is CodeLaunch’s inaugural final competition. CodeLaunch brought together two startups from each of the preceeding events in Houston, Minneapolis, Toronto, and Guadalajara. The CodeLaunch selection committee invited the champions of the regional events and a hand-picked finalists to compete for not only funding, but glory.
However, the World Championship didn’t start with the finalists on stage. The night before the competition, the World Championship Investor & Finalists Reception kicked off festivities at the Hall Arts Hotel, one of Craig Hall’s signature hotel properties. This exclusive event was attended by over 50 investors, some of whom had flown in from various parts of the US and other countries, and the finalists who were set to compete the next day.
As a special opportunity for investors, CodeLaunch also invited Power Tee CFO Bill Friday to deliver his fundraising pitch for the investors. Power Tee is a late-stage venture with millions in revenue and a $50 million valuation. Under twinkling Christmas lights and views of the Arts District of Downtown Dallas, many, many of the finalists had the chance to meet for the first time before competing against each other the next night. There was a mix of long-time CodeLaunch supporters and new ones, enjoying each other’s company, making connections, and gearing up for the big show ahead.
The following day, finalists walked into Gilley’s Dallas with fierce determination in their eyes as they prepared for competition day. The finalists included Houston event winner SeekerPitch, Houston finalist Endora, Judges Choice and Overall Minneapolis winner VSOD.io, Minneapolis finalist Welcome Innovations, Inc., Canada winner Materia Bioworks, Canada Judges Choice winner Lodestone, Mexico winner FIZI, and Mexico finalist AlterGard.
These startups were competing not just for prominence, but for substantial capital prizes from the CodeLaunch and Improving Fuel Fund. The stakes were high, with the CodeLaunch judges awarding $10K, investors who were in attendance $15K, and the audience deciding the overall champion with a $25K prize.
And with that in mind, it was time for the night to begin.
The event started with a short production by Charachorder, a startup that began its journey at CodeLaunch in 2019 and has since become a profitable venture. The presentation, coined “ChorderCon”, was a launching pad for multiple Charachorder products. Founder and CEO Riley Keen revealed the Charachorder 2, Charachorder Zero, and the first-ever Master Forge. They also announced the upcoming Charachorder Build Kit, allowing customers to build their own Charachorder keyboard. Riley also discussed their upcoming Reg CF.
With drinks in hand and business cards in pockets, audience members settled in their seats for the main show. Raheel Malik, the emcee, opened his 15th show as the host, welcoming speakers from Improving, the parent company of CodeLaunch since their acquisition in 2019. Then, CodeLaunch President and Founder Jason W. Taylor delivered his keynote speech, explaining the mission of CodeLaunch: to provide early-stage startups with education and free software development, inspired by Conscious Capitalism.
Speaking of Conscious Capitalism, that is when Conscious Capitalism CEO Timothy Henry and Dallas Conscious Capitalism Local Chapter President Brian Wing were introduced and spoke about the organization’s mission to be a powerful force for good, reshaping the purpose, practice, and perception of capitalism.
The competition was structured in a bracket format, with finalists going against the same cohort members they had competed with in regional events. Each finalist delivered a 3 ½ minute pitch followed by a 45-second pre-recorded product demo. The room was filled with audience members, and watch parties were held across the US, Canada, and Mexico Improving offices, allowing remote viewers to vote using the Protexting platform.
Only four startups advanced to the final championship round: Materia Bioworks, Endora, VSOD.io, and FIZI prepared to try and win it all.
Before the final round began, Jason introduced two special guests, John Clark and Nicholas Powell from Prosrent, who had started their journey on the CodeLaunch stage in 2016. In a fun turn of events, the CodeLaunch team found John’s CodeLaunch pitch video and surprised him by playing a clip for the audience. The Prosrent team also presented CodeLaunch with their first exit check.
The final round was intense, with each finalist given only 30 seconds to win over the audience. The judges posed challenging questions to the finalists that either revealed weaknesses in the startups’ plans or reinforced their viability as solid concepts.
In a dramatic turn of events, the judges’ votes resulted in a tie between FIZI and Endora. But the CodeLaunch team had a plan in place for this, calling up Dallas Improving President David Ohara to break the tie. His vote awarded the $10K prize to… Endora!
And then it was time to find out what startup the investors planned to award. Seated at the front of the show, they got the best view of the show to decide which startup showed the most promise.
Once they decided which startup would make the best investment, investors casted their votes through the ProTexting SMS marketing platform, which is a long-time partner of CodeLaunch. Raheel received their results in his earpiece from Paperlyte, the executive production partner behind the show since 2015. The Investors Choice award was given to Endora, boosting the startup’s total winnings to $25K! Remarkably, these were Endora’s first-ever titles at CodeLaunch. Despite not winning their regional event, the founder duo Coco Harmon and Kitty Bogle Sherman were brought back sheerly because of their determination.
Endora combines wellness and gaming by turning personal memories into interactive, nostalgia-driven games. Their app transforms users’ photos into games like solitaire and trivia, promoting optimism and well-being. The startup was a finalist at CodeLaunch HOU 2024 and worked with Improving’s Professional Coders League members.
And now, we’re back to where we started…
Under dimmed lights, the audience claps and stomps to the rhythm of “We Will Rock You,” creating quite literally a thunderous atmosphere. A countdown blares through the speakers, and time stills as Jason reveals the attendees’ and live streamers’ choice for their 2024 world champion is Toronto’s own MATERIA BIOWORKS!
Materia Bioworks is in the biomaterial industry, building a platform that allows material scientists, product developers, suppliers, and converters to improve and accelerate their development of biomaterial applications. The startup won CodeLaunch Canada, partnering with Contollo during the professional hackathon.
Not only did Materia Bioworks receive $25K in allocated capital, but the founders will also receive donated services from several CodeLaunch sponsors:
- HubSpot: A 12-month package of HubSpot services, valued at $75,000.
- Harmonious: A secure investment platform to enhance operational processes, valued at $40,000.
- Stormbreaker Digital: A full year license to LeadStorm AI and lifetime access to the Pipeline Accelerator masterclass, valued at $6,500.
- Drive Influence: Three leadership group coaching sessions, valued at $4,500.
- Bakertilly: A financial and tax consulting package, valued at $2,500.
- Swyft: A $2,500 1-month PR campaign to help the champion capitalize on their winning moment.
Also present on stage at the finale was Isaac Carter, founder of Contollo. Contollo entered a PCL team at all four events in 2024 and had three of the eight finalists on the World Championship stage. When Materia Bioworks won, that meant Isaac and Contollo had won the 2024 PCL World Championship.
The celebration that followed was a testament to the spirit of CodeLaunch. The audience, including those at Improving watch parties, celebrated the success of both Materia and Endora. The event concluded with an after-party featuring a performance by Rajiv ‘RajNATION‘ Nathan.
It’s safe to say the event blew away new and old supporters alike, ending the 2024 season of CodeLaunch was a resounding success. With five events held in three countries, the average raise from CodeLaunch finalists after they competed was $662K, and the total amount of software development services donated by the CodeLaunch Professional Coder League company partners was $350K.
The 2025 schedule will be announced by January 1st, and it promises to be another groundbreaking year. It’s never too early to get involved with CodeLaunch. Sponsors, cities, and startups are encouraged to contact the CodeLaunch team today to be part of what comes next. CodeLaunch is on the lookout for a new presenting sponsor, as well as additional sponsorships and exhibitors for next year’s events. Elevate your brand by partnering with CodeLaunch and join us in supporting the next wave of innovative startups. Contact CodeLaunch for more information.