Prior Events
November 2025
An Incredible Night for Innovation at UNF
What a fantastic event we had at UNF — truly an incredible night for innovation in the City of Jacksonville.
Silicon-Beach Pitch Event at the University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business was nothing short of inspiring, and I’m filled with gratitude for everyone who made it such a success.
A Powerhouse Panel
To our outstanding panelists — Julie Merten, Wendi Burkhardt, Sierra Calhoun-Pollard, Ph.D., Summer Vyne, Nicole Bradberry, and the full advisory team — thank you for the wisdom, candor, and encouragement you brought to the room. Your insights are shaping the next generation of founders in our community.
Thank You to Our Hosts
First, a massive thank-you to The University of North Florida, Coggin College of Business, and MedNexus, and to Albert Loh, Martin Luytjes, and Caleb Garrett for your continued support and gracious hospitality.
Your partnership makes these gatherings possible, and we’re deeply appreciative.
Momentum Is Building
With more than 100 people in the room and many more joining via Zoom, the energy was electric. We continue to hear from investors and community members that the quality of pitches keeps rising with every event.
Several attendees even shared how valuable Wendi Burkhardt’s breakdown of funding stages was — many said they snapped photos of her slide so they could keep studying it later.
It was a night of innovation, curiosity, and shared learning.
Hearing that both high school and college students attended — and that some are now writing papers about the pitches and the event — is incredibly encouraging.
A special thanks to the parents who brought students and to the young attendees who asked such thoughtful questions.
Celebrating Our Founders
And to the courageous innovators who took the stage to share their vision, passion, and plans — Ariana Smetana, Dasha Tyshlek, Jessica Queen, Tim Conway, Ph.D., Wesley Farriss, Ph.D., Jacob L. Baumler, Natalie Mitchell, Ph.D., and Don Smith — thank you.
It takes real bravery to stand before a large audience and pitch your idea, and each of you delivered with clarity and heart.
Standout Results
After consolidating feedback from our panel, here were the evening’s highlights:
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🏆 Best Pitch & Most Investable Today: ChewDoo
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🥈 Second Place: OMEDUS
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🥉 Third Place: CoachAir Aviation Intelligence
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⭐ Honorable Mention: Foresea (foresea.world)
How We Grow Jacksonville’s Capital
I was asked recently: “How does Jacksonville attract more angel investors and more capital?”
The answer is simple: more innovators standing up and presenting.
That’s how we build a powerful innovation community. Some of those community members are already here. Others are on their way — because they’ll hear what’s happening in Jacksonville and want to be part of it.
To everyone who showed up, supported the founders, asked questions, shared feedback, or sat in the audience eager to learn: thank you. You are helping build something special.
We can’t wait for our next Silicon Beach Pitch Event in January, with another in February due to growing demand.
EnterCircle 2025 at The Link, as Silicon Beach founder Jason Engelhardt explained, through his career trajectory, not to be afraid of doing business in multiple industries, as long as you are ready to face the challenges. He showed how one can be successful in various sectors by following simple rules: building connections, building relationships, being curious, and accepting failures without giving up.
October 2025
Silicon Beach - Gainesville Edition
Silicon Beach Invited to Speak at The University of Florida
BOARD OF ADVISORS - JAX
Silicon Beach was honored to be part of this fantastic event and to share the stage with such an inspiring group of innovators, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.
A huge thank you to Matthew Chang and the entire BA.X team for hosting an unforgettable experience here in Jacksonville.
The energy, collaboration, and forward-thinking spirit in the room were incredible — a true reflection of what makes this community so special.
Grateful for the opportunity to connect, learn, and contribute to conversations shaping the future of business, innovation, and leadership
September 2025
🚀 Silicon Beach at UNF: A Night to Remember
Last night’s Silicon Beach Pitch Event at the University of North Florida was nothing short of amazing. Huge thanks to the UNF Coggin College of Business for hosting, and to the students and community who showed up to champion innovation and entrepreneurship in Jacksonville.
💡 Founders Who Pitched
We had eight outstanding founders share their vision:
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Spatially Health
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NextSat
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Roll & Glow
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CoachAir
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PackageJS
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VisionCore
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McFlamingo’s (local restaurateur + founder)
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Motos.Chat — a surprise last-minute entry from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 🌎
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🏆 Judge Highlights
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VisionCore – Immediately Investable
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NextSat – Potential Unicorn
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Motos.Chat – Potential for Immediate Impact
📊 Event Snapshot
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120+ in person, 40+ on Zoom
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“Ask the Angel” with Michael Maszy (Band of Angels) sparked a strong founder–investor Q&A
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Big applause for Steven Bowers, Silicon Beach alum, for winning the Jax Tech Fest disruptIT Jacksonville Venture Competition (JVC)
Even after the program ended, dozens stayed to network and keep building—exactly what this community is about.
We were thrilled and honored to have Silicon Beach participate in the Orlando Magic Venture Challenge, with the semi-final round hosted at the University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business.
Huge congratulations to Sydney Bryant, Emily Guenter, and Janelly Ceopa, who won the UNF Blackstone Launchpad/Orlando Magic Innovation Challenge and took 3rd place in the State Finals, while working directly with Magic management to elevate fan experiences.
This achievement is a standout example of the hands-on, experiential learning that defines the Blackstone Launchpad, Coggin College of Business, and UNF.
Sydney Bryant, Emily Guenter, and Janelly Ceopa
We’re honored to be nominated for the PS27 Ventures Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder of the Year Award.
It’s been an incredible journey working with founders, innovators, and community leaders across Florida—especially through Silicon-Beach.ai—to help startups grow and bring their visions to life.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who’s collaborated, shared ideas, and helped build a stronger innovation community here in Jacksonville and beyond.
A huge thank you to PS27 Ventures for the recognition—and best of luck to all the amazing finalists! This nomination only strengthens our commitment to supporting and growing this vibrant ecosystem.
August 2025
During the recent disruptIT Conference and Jacksonville Venture Competition (JVC) Competition, Suture Shield—a Silicon Beach alum—secured a $1 million term sheet for their breakthrough medical device, which supports robotic surgery.
Equally exciting, another Silicon Beach alum, SparrowPay Inc., an innovative payment platform we’ve been working closely with, is now negotiating funding terms with an investment syndicate.
Dr. Bowers & Matt Chang
Congratulations Dr. Bowers
Wendi Burkhardt & Jason Engelhardt
June 2025
Last night was LEGEND—wait for it—DARY.
The Silicon-Beach.ai Pitch Event at the University of North Florida’s Coggin College of Business brought the heat, the hustle, and a whole lot of future-shaping ideas.
Huge high-five and tailored suit-level thanks to:
👔 Martin Luytjes & Caleb Garrett – UNF Coggin School of Business
💼 Stephen Strum, MBA ~Financial Advisor~ – Northwestern Mutual
🌆 Carlton Lamar Robinson, DBA – JAX Chamber
🚀 Dave Eyerly, Stephanie Marquardt & Matisse VerDuyn – AcceleratePV
🏛️ Gregory Grant – City of Jacksonville, JSEB
Your support helped turn this into a true celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship.
We had 8 stellar presenters from Poland to Chicago to Tampa. Then—plot twist—Dr. Steve Bowers showed up post-surgery (yes, after operating on someone!) to share an incredible update on his robotic surgery safety solution—total boss move.
🎤 Despite some early tech gremlins with Zoom and AV, over 100 guests in-person and 30+ on Zoom stuck it out and brought the energy. And get this—after the pitches, I had family offices, angels, and investors from San Francisco, D.C., and NYC pulling me aside to say, "Jacksonville’s onto something big."
The Top 4 (because it was just too close to call 3):
🥇 Actual HealthCare Solutions – “Most investable now” with immediate real-world impact
🥈 Permit Rockstar – Clear pitch, confident answers, total mastery of their space
🥉 SparrowPay Inc. – Real-time payment disruption we’ve all been waiting for
🏅 BestDefense, Inc. – Cybersecurity for the giants, solving problems before they hit the news
Bonus nod to Robocor – no direct ask, but gave us all a thrilling glimpse into what’s coming next in robotics.
A sincere THANK YOU to every founder who pitched, every attendee who stayed, and every person who asked the kind of thoughtful questions that show this community is serious.
We’re just getting started.
Let’s keep building something awesome right here in Jacksonville—and beyond.
April - 2025
It’s been a busy and exciting time at Silicon Beach!
We have been working diligently with our clients—securing new distribution partnerships, expanding customer relationships, and negotiating strategic development deals.
This week, we’re proud to be presenting at HITLAB (Health Innovation Technology Lab) in New York City, where innovation and impact take center stage.
We're also actively supporting seed funding closings for multiple startups, including several standout firms that pitched at our April Silicon Beach event.
On the sales front, our national team continues to deliver by connecting our clients with new growth opportunities—offering a cost-effective, performance-driven model that scales without the burden of fixed costs.
Looking ahead:
📍 June 17 – Our next Silicon Beach event is set for the University of North Florida in City of Jacksonville
📍 August 28 – Stay tuned… we’re nearly ready to announce an incredible location!
If you’re building something great and want to pitch in June, now’s the time—reach out directly and we’ll get you on the agenda.
