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Innovation Ignited: Meet the CodeLaunch Houston Finalists Taking Center Stage!

By Shelby Sansone January 31, 2024

CodeLaunch, the famously energetic startup conference and traveling accelerator event from the U.S. produced by Improving, is back in Houston for its third annual competition on February 28th! CodeLaunch is set to elevate and magnify the voices of six emerging startups when they compete on stage LIVE at the Bayou Music Center and you can get your tickets NOW!

Matt Bonasera and Sanalife E360 celebrate after winning CodeLaunch HOU 2023

CodeLaunch drives early-stage startups to succeed using our unique spin on the seed accelerator model. It’s a combination of a seed accelerator competition, a tech tradeshow, a startup conference, and a rowdy networking event. The touring competition has given more than $1.6M of in-kind services to its finalists and overall winners since it started a decade ago. CodeLaunch has helped launch noteworthy startups like CharaChorder, ProsRent, StyleRow, KidStrong, Autix, Evva Health, and more since its inception and last year named Sanalife E360 the best startup in Houston at CodeLaunch HOU 2023

Over the past years, CodeLaunch has proven to be a transformative force, not just for the startups that participate, but for the entire innovation ecosystem in Houston. I am thrilled at the potential for CodeLaunch to further amplify this growth, bringing new ideas to fruition and fostering an environment where creativity and technology thrive

Devlin Liles, Improving CCO and Houston President

CodeLaunch HOU 2024 PCL Hackathon Teams 

Six professional IT consulting companies have signed on to be a part of CodeLaunch HOU 2024! Each company has created professional hackathon teams that will work with one of the finalists to ensure their technical products are accelerated before the final showcase event.

These teams work on their startup’s products free of charge. While they’re competing against other IT consulting brands during CodeLaunch, they are also working together under one mission: to make startup founders’ dreams come true!

Blue People proudly sponsors CodeLaunch for the fifth time, and each time brings a unique adventure. What captivates us most is witnessing the influx of fresh ideas and energetic entrepreneurs, passionately pursuing the realization of their dreams by launching their innovative products or concepts.

Javier Carro, Blue People Chief Talent Acquisition Officer
PCL logo

All of our powerhouse CodeLaunch HOU 2024 hackathon sponsors are returning after triumphant debut competitions. Leaders within Softeq, Honeycomb Software, and BJSS tell us they happily share their expertise to not only help startups but also to reach other individuals and networks within the tech and startup sectors.

We’re problem solvers used to working with resource constraints and demanding timelines. Our developers love participating in the CodeLaunch competition, and it aligns ideally with the Softeq Venture Fund and Softeq Venture Studio accelerator focused on early-stage startups.

Chris Howard, Softeq CEO

We’re super excited about startups coming here to Houston from different cities, so sponsoring CodeLaunch once again was an obvious choice. For us at Honeycomb Software, this event isn’t a regular event – it’s like the coolest spot where all the innovative and collaborative comes together. It’s way more than just a chance for our hackathon team to have fun for a bit. It’s about meeting people who change and improve the tech landscape in their own unique way as E360 did in 2023. 

Alex Semeniuk, Honeycomb Software CEO

The BJSS Houston team first participated as a hackathon team in 2023 and the interest to join came directly from our developers. Collectively, we look forward to participating because we’ll enable the success of one of the participating startups by pulling together our teams’ skills on a project that we will deliver with great quality and attention to detail.  It’s very rewarding for us to share our expertise in this way.

Lilia Cooper, BJSS Principal Consultant

Driven by the remarkable rewards and exponential growth they have seen through the supportive CodeLaunch community, Contollo has pledged to sponsor every hackathon event in 2024.

CodeLaunch events have evolved into a thriving ecosystem where early-stage contenders transform into industry leaders. From securing investments to achieving product-market fit, our community has witnessed remarkable growth. Our participation has not only created key long-term partnerships and relationships that have led to our robust growth here at Contollo but also invaluable learning experiences from industry experts. 

Isaac Carter, Contollo Founder and Chief Technologist

Meet the Finalists

Ready to meet your finalists who will compete for the CodeLaunch trophies? The following six startups (left) have advanced as Finalists to CodeLaunch HOU 2024, along with their professional hackathon sponsors (right)! 

SeekerPitch is a new talent acquisition software and job board breathing new life into today’s hiring experience by leveraging short-form video on all sides of the hiring process. At the end of the day, SeekerPitch strives to increase transparency in the hiring process and create more authentic connections and hires. SeekerPitch offers a dynamic platform where talent meets opportunity, and where the future of hiring is not just envisioned but realized.

Ryan Reisner, SeekerPitch Founder

Deciding to play full out when iSHIFTx was accepted to CodeLaunch forced me to to accelerate a lot of things that had been dreams and visions, into action and now results. The homework and teamwork literally made my dream work, and its impact goes far beyond the competition. 

Landi Spearman, iSHIFTx Founder

CodeLaunch has helped us fine tune our process and continue to advance the mission of Athletic Estate. We’re in it to win it. Let’s go win CodeLaunch Houston and beyond!!! Game On!

Jonathan Hoeflinger, Athletic Estate Founder

Glydr is challenging the conventional notion that video games can only be played with hands and fingers. This is because Glydr’s innovative device allows players to also use their feet, which is a departure from the traditional hand-held controllers, keyboards, and mice. CodeLaunch has helped us refine our message and introduced us to a community of partners that support emerging innovative new companies.

Rick Tett, Glydr Founder

Allonge redefines the U.S. mortgage market through the innovative utilization of blockchain technology to tokenize “scratch and dent” mortgages. This groundbreaking strategy enhances liquidity, transparency, and accessibility in a $25 billion niche market, effectively addressing the gap in secondary mortgage liquidity. It offers a scalable, compliant, and secure investment opportunity, attracting investors looking to capitalize on the growing convergence of fintech and real estate.

Marc Hernandez, Allonge Financial Founder

Endora‘s magic grabs the photos from your phone and creates personalized casual mobile games with your memories. Research tells us that routinely reflecting on your memories sparks a host of mental health benefits. Our mission is to help our users unlock those benefits by making reflection as fun and easy as playing their favorite mobile games. . We are very excited about what participating in CodeLaunch Houston could mean for Endora!

Kitty Bogle Sherman, Endora Technologies, Inc. Founder

From Finalist to Services Sponsor: UnicornForms Shines

Unicorn Forms founder, Patrick Waldo, competing on stage at CodeLaunch Atlanta 2023.

UnicornForms has signed on to be a new CodeLaunch sponsor. Founder Patrick Waldo competed in CodeLaunch ATL 2023, and now he wants to help other finalists with their documentation needs. UnicornForms will provide CodeLaunch HOU 2024 finalists with free electronic signatures, offering white-labeled certificate authority.

Houston is our hometown, so we wanted to come back and be a part of the Houston competition and support the CodeLaunch community. The process really helps startups with their pitches and it’s phenomenal to see how finalists can sharpen their messages and value proposition.

Patrick Waldo, UnicornForms Founder

H-Town Roundup + CodeLaunch Partnership 

CodeLaunch is partnering with Houston Exponential once again to headline the H-Town Roundup as the featured event. We’re thrilled to collaborate with this event series, aiming to unite like-minded individuals within the startup and technology fields. H-Town Roundup serves as the intersection where tech, innovation, and impact meet. Feel free to sign up for more information on the upcoming events hosted here

Houston Exponential is elated to collaborate for another year of innovation alongside CodeLaunch for the Greater Houston startup community. In our second year of partnership, it is an amazing opportunity and contest for entrepreneurs, where CodeLaunch becomes the catalyst for dreams taking flight.  It was tremendous, but not at all surprising to find out that last year’s local Houston winner, not only conquered our vibrant city and region but also claimed victory on the national stage. Together, Houston Exponential and CodeLaunch are not just fostering ideas; we’re igniting success stories that resonate far beyond our thriving community. 

Natara Branch, H-Town Round Up CEO 

Join Us at CodeLaunch HOU 2024! 

CodeLaunch HOU 2024 will be held at the Bayou Music Center on February 28th from 4 pm to 9 pm! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Media, Exhibit, and Sponsorship Inquiries  

You and your brand are invited to CodeLaunch. There is still time for your brand to align with CodeLaunch and Conscious Capitalism. Parties interested in exhibit space, media, and sponsorship may contact Jason W. Taylor

Global Community Partners