Doors open. Coffee is hot. Conversations start here. This is your first window to connect with fellow founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders before the day kicks off. Don't be the one who shows up at 9:29.

Dan Roselli didn't follow the conventional path to venture. He left corporate America, bet on himself, and built RevTech Labs into one of the Southeast's most recognized fintech ecosystems — all while raising a family and figuring it out as he went.

In this fireside chat with Launchpad's Blake Blakeborough, Dan gets candid about what it actually takes to make the leap: the timing that's never quite right, the family dynamics that don't get talked about enough, and why waiting for permission to take risk is the surest way to stay stuck. If you're a founder still waiting for the stars to align, this one's for you.

Beyond the Glass Screen: How Women Are Driving Technology Forward
The heartbeat of a female technology ecosystem lives in the founders and investors.  Our first panel highlights founders and investors from the Southeast who have lived the challenges of building from an idea to mentoring and investing in the ideas of others. 

In our second panel, we explore the question: who will support my idea in South Carolina?  While that question may not be asked out loud, it is something founders wonder as they begin their entrepreneurial journey here.  Good news!  South Carolina has many options and opportunities for support from how to build your idea into a company to how to get funding and be seen by potential investors.

This isn't a passive lunch break — it's structured connection time. Bring your appetite and your pitch and grab a seat next to someone new.

Riverside Chat - Building a top ranked entrepreneur ecosystem in a HURRY
A moderated riverside chat about the SIX things the Network for Entrepreneurs in Wilmington has done to build a top ranked entrepreneur ecosystem since 2013. Wilmington NC is now a top 15 tech hub in the South. Moderated by Blake Blakeborough.

While the main stage drives the day, magic often happens in hallways and breakout rooms. Two focused breakout sessions give attendees a chance to go deeper on topics that matter most to founders and the people who back them — smaller rooms, sharper conversations, no filler.

Meet the founders. Hear the pitches that didn't make the main stage. Browse the companies coming out of South Carolina's most active startup pipeline and find out what they're building — and why it matters.

Where to go from here
Before Taylor takes the helm as emcee of the afternoon's live pitch competition, he'll sit down with Launchpad's Blake Abercrombie for a conversation about servant leadership, ecosystem building, and what it actually looks like to pour into others — especially those who've already given so much. It's a session about mission-driven work, the intersection of military discipline and founder mindset, and why the best leaders build tables instead of climbing them.

Fifteen South Carolina startups. One stage. Live pitches in front of investors, mentors, and hundreds of peers. This is not a pitch competition where everyone gets a ribbon — this is high-stakes, high-energy, real-deal dealmaking in front of a room that's paying attention.