Celebrating New Hampshire Innovation: Thank You to Launch NH, Leader Bank, GrowthCraft, and the 2026 Pitch Finalists
New Hampshire’s startup community continues to grow, and the 2026 Launch NH Pitch Event was another opportunity to celebrate the founders, ideas, and entrepreneurial spirit helping move that growth forward.
On October 13, 2026, entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and members of the startup community gathered at BNH Stage in Concord, New Hampshire, for the 2026 Launch NH Pitch Event, powered by Leader Bank and GrowthCraft.
The event brought together 10 promising startups to present their businesses, demonstrate their ideas, share their funding needs, and receive feedback from the entrepreneurial and investment community. More than a pitch competition, it was an opportunity to connect founders with the people, resources, and relationships that can help turn promising ideas into successful businesses.
Congratulations to all 10 finalists, with special recognition for our top three winners: FIRST Communities, GyroGel, and SkipItTech Inc.
Thank You to the Organizations Making It Possible
A successful startup ecosystem does not happen by accident. It takes organizations willing to invest their time, resources, experience, and relationships in the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Thank You, Launch NH
Launch NH deserves tremendous credit for creating opportunities for New Hampshire entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses, connect with potential investors, and receive valuable feedback.
Pitch events give founders something especially important during the early stages of building a company: the opportunity to explain their vision, test their message, answer difficult questions, and learn from people who understand the challenges of growing a business.
By bringing founders and the broader entrepreneurial community together, Launch NH continues to help strengthen New Hampshire’s innovation ecosystem.
Learn more at Launch NH.
Thank You, Leader Bank
Thank you to Leader Bank for supporting the event and helping connect emerging companies with potential investors and business leaders.
Access to capital is an important part of building a company, but relationships matter just as much. Connecting founders with investors who understand their markets and ambitions can help create opportunities that extend well beyond a single pitch.
Leader Bank’s involvement helps extend the value of the competition beyond the event itself, creating opportunities for founders to develop relationships with potential supporters and investors.
Thank You, GrowthCraft
GrowthCraft is proud to support early-stage founders as they navigate the difficult work of building a business.
A compelling idea is an important starting point, but successful entrepreneurship requires much more. Founders must validate their markets, understand their customers, develop sound financial plans, establish effective operations, protect their businesses, and create a practical roadmap for growth.
Through its founder community, educational workshops, advisor support, peer masterminds, and accountability resources, GrowthCraft helps entrepreneurs make progress on these challenges.
We believe founders should have access to practical guidance and a supportive community without necessarily giving up equity or committing to a traditional accelerator program.
Supporting the Launch NH Pitch Event is one way GrowthCraft contributes to a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem, where founders can learn from one another, develop their businesses, and build relationships that continue long after the presentations end.
Learn more at GrowthCraft.org.
Congratulations to the Top Three Winners
Every finalist deserves recognition for stepping forward, presenting an idea, and putting their work in front of an audience. This year’s top three companies stood out in the competition.
1. FIRST Communities
Founder: Jamie
Congratulations to Jamie and FIRST Communities for earning a place among the competition’s top three winners.
The company represents one of the entrepreneurial teams working to develop an idea into a business with the potential to serve a market need. The pitch event provided an opportunity to introduce its vision, receive feedback, and build connections that may help support its next stage of development.
We look forward to seeing how Jamie and the FIRST Communities team continue to develop the business and pursue their goals.
2. GyroGel
Founder: Peter
GyroGel is developing an innovative approach to jawbone and facial reconstruction. Its technology combines 3D-printed bioceramics with a biodegradable gel-based material designed to support natural bone regrowth. The goal is to improve reconstructive options for patients, including those who require jaw reconstruction following cancer treatment.
The company’s work illustrates how research and engineering can lead to new approaches to important medical challenges. Moving innovations like this from research into clinical use requires continued development, validation, and collaboration across scientific, medical, and business communities.
Congratulations to Peter and the GyroGel team on their top-three finish and their continued work advancing this promising technology.
Learn more at www.gyrogel.com.
3. SkipItTech Inc.
Founder: Emily
Congratulations to Emily and SkipItTech Inc. for earning a top-three position.
The Launch NH Pitch Event offered SkipItTech an opportunity to present its business, communicate its value proposition, and connect with people who may help the company move forward.
For an early-stage company, recognition in a pitch competition can be an important milestone. It can help build visibility, open conversations with potential partners and investors, and provide momentum as the team works to develop and grow its business.
We congratulate Emily and the SkipItTech team and look forward to following their progress.
Learn more at www.skipit.tech.
Recognizing All 10 Finalists
The strength of a pitch competition is not measured only by its winners. Every participating company brings a different perspective, a different problem to solve, and a different entrepreneurial journey.
We congratulate all 10 finalists for sharing their work and contributing to this year’s event.
Comprehension Clicker
Founder: Jetrin
Comprehension Clicker is an education technology startup developing a handheld classroom feedback device. Students can signal how well they understand a lesson in real time, giving instructors a better sense of when students need additional explanation or support. Its approach aims to make classroom feedback more immediate and accessible.
Congratulations to Jetrin for bringing this concept to the competition and contributing to the conversation about how technology can support teaching and learning.
Learn more at www.comprehensionclicker.com.
SoCitty
Founder: Holly
SoCitty joined the finalist group with its entrepreneurial vision and the opportunity to introduce its concept to the New Hampshire startup community.
Pitching provides founders with an opportunity to communicate their ideas, receive feedback, and make connections that can help inform the next stage of development.
Congratulations to Holly and the SoCitty team for being among this year’s finalists.
Learn more at www.socitty.ai.
BasiFly
Founder: Mike
BasiFly joined the finalist lineup, contributing another entrepreneurial perspective to a competition designed to showcase emerging companies and help founders connect with potential supporters.
Congratulations to Mike and the BasiFly team for presenting their business and participating in this year’s event.
Learn more at www.basifly.com.
Enabled Therapeutics
Founder: Brett
Enabled Therapeutics was among the 10 finalists presenting its venture. Its participation highlighted the range of ideas and opportunities represented by founders working to bring new solutions to market.
Congratulations to Brett and the Enabled Therapeutics team for sharing their vision and earning a place among this year’s finalists.
Learn more at www.enabledtherapeutics.com.
FlexiGrace Bio
Founder: Arun
FlexiGrace Bio brought its entrepreneurial vision to the finalist group. As with other early-stage ventures, the opportunity to present its concept and connect with experienced business leaders can help inform its next steps.
Congratulations to Arun and the FlexiGrace Bio team for participating in the competition and contributing to New Hampshire’s growing startup community.
Contact: www.flexigrace.bio
Correct’em Corporation
Founders: Rachel and Roy
Correct’em Corporation was one of the 10 startups selected to pitch. The event gave the company an opportunity to share its business proposition, receive feedback, and build relationships within the startup and investment communities.
Congratulations to Rachel and Roy for bringing Correct’em Corporation to the Launch NH Pitch Event and sharing their entrepreneurial vision.
Learn more at www.correctemcorp.com.
ACATbio
Founders: Jennifer and Taylor
ACATbio was among the 10 finalists selected to present at the 2026 Launch NH Pitch Event. The competition gave the team an opportunity to introduce its business, share its vision, and connect with members of the startup and investment communities.
Congratulations to Jennifer and Taylor for bringing ACATbio to the competition and contributing to New Hampshire’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Learn more at www.acatbio.com.
Why Events Like This Matter for Startups
Building a company can be an isolating experience, especially for first-time founders. Entrepreneurs often have to make important decisions about their products, customers, finances, and growth plans while working with limited resources and incomplete information.
Events like the Launch NH Pitch Event help address that challenge by bringing founders into a room with people who can offer different perspectives, ask important questions, and open doors to new opportunities.
A pitch competition also provides a valuable learning experience. Preparing a short presentation forces founders to clarify what problem they solve, who needs their solution, why their approach matters, and what they need to accomplish next.
The questions that follow can be just as valuable as the pitch itself. Feedback may reveal assumptions that need testing, customer segments that deserve more attention, or business milestones that need to be established before pursuing investment.
And while winning is certainly worth celebrating, every founder can leave an event like this with new contacts, new insights, and a clearer understanding of the work ahead.
For early-stage companies, that progress matters.
Helping Founders Turn Ideas Into Businesses
At GrowthCraft, we believe entrepreneurship should not be a journey founders have to navigate alone.
Founders need more than an innovative product or a persuasive pitch deck. They need a practical plan for moving forward, a way to prioritize their limited time and resources, and access to people who can help them work through unfamiliar challenges.
That is why GrowthCraft focuses on helping early-stage founders develop the core elements of a sustainable business, including market validation, business growth, financial structure, and legal protection.
We are pleased to support an event that brings these founders into the spotlight and helps connect them with the broader entrepreneurial community.
Congratulations again to Jamie and FIRST Communities, Peter and GyroGel, and Emily and SkipItTech Inc. on their top-three finishes. And congratulations to Jetrin, Holly, Mike, Brett, Arun, Rachel, Roy, and Danny for sharing their entrepreneurial journeys with the community.
Most importantly, thank you to Launch NH and Leader Bank for helping make this event possible, and to all 10 finalists for contributing their ideas, energy, and ambition.
The next successful company may begin with a conversation, a new connection, or a piece of feedback received at an event like this. We look forward to seeing what these founders build next.
Here’s to the founders who keep building, the organizations that support them, and a stronger future for entrepreneurship in New Hampshire.