Southwest Indiana

STARTedUP Challenge 2026: Region One

Eleven student teams from Southwest Indiana will compete for a spot in the Challenge Finals this June. The event will bring together government officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and family members to support and celebrate these young innovators.

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Event address:
Kramer Pavillion at Deaconess
4011 Gateway Blvd #4011
Newburgh, IN 47630

🗓️ April 17, 2026

⏰ 9AM - 1PM CST

📍Kramer Pavillion at Deaconess

Hosted by:

  • Parking Map

  • The Kramer Pavilion is located on the third floor of the Orthopedic and Neuroscience Hospital on the Deaconess Gateway Campus.

    • Crawford

    • Daviess

    • Dubois

    • Gibson

    • Knox

    • Lawrence

    • Martin

    • Monroe

    • Orange

    • Perry

    • Pike

    • Posey

    • Spencer

    • Vanderburgh

    • Warrick

See all 2026 Scholarship Opportunities
See all 2026 Scholarship Opportunities

Meet the Finalists

  • Hephaestus

    Hephaestus is an all-in-one trade business organizer that provides scheduling, accounting, analytics, and appointment management services, as well as a built-in text reminder system that eliminates no-show appointments to streamline management of trade businesses and related services.

    Alex Li, Joseph Arisa & Gavin Dycus
    Signature School Inc
    Website

  • Supp

    Helping businesses solve customer requests quickly, easily and affordably.

    Keats Waller
    Bloomington High School South

    Website

  • Verdant Labs

    Verdant Labs is building Canopy AI, a botanical intelligence platform that combines hardware and software to help plant owners prevent plant damage through early stress detection, proactive recommendations and AI-powered insights to help them better care for their plants.

    Akshath Saravanan
    Signature School Inc
    Website

  • Hand in Hand

    Hand in Hand manufactures artificial, silicone hands with fully flexible fingers and temperature regulation designed especially to have a life-like feel dedicated to providing comfort and warmth to those who are in their final moments.

    Leah Hollinden, Isla Epple & Chloe Lindauer
    Tell City Jr-Sr High School

  • MindGuide

    MindGuide is a student visibility and workflow platform for school counselors that utilizes academic and behavioral data to flag at-risk students early and streamline intervention, enabling more effective and timely support.

    Joseph Quinonez
    Signature School Inc
    Website

  • Focal

    Focal is an all-in-one platform for small businesses that centralizes and automates scheduling, invoicing, and bookkeeping so owners can save time, reduce errors and focus on growing their business.

    Lleyton Peters
    Mount Vernon High School

  • PulmoVOC

    PulmoVOC: Lung Cancer Diagnoses Using Exhaled VOC Data and Machine Learning.

    Jonathan Davis
    Signature School Inc

  • Stone and Flame

    Stone and Flame is a calming, soy-based candle that is hand-crafted with essential oils and embellished with ethically harvested crystals to create a tranquil environment that relieves unwanted stress.

    Paige McCoy & Alyssa Patrick
    Tell City Jr-Sr High School

  • PageMD

    PageMD is an AI-powered medical paging system that eliminates phone bottlenecks in clinics by intelligently handling and routing incoming calls, allowing staff to focus on patient care.

    Seth Donea, Chaz Burkett, & Veronica Rodionova
    Signature School Inc

  • Differently Able INC.

    Differently Able INC. is an non-profit organization that acts as a middle man between families and resources that cares for loved ones with special needs or disabilities.

    Maleah Dearing & Aubree Gogel
    Southridge High School

  • MyJourney

    MyJourney increases accessibility to therapy services by serving as an online supplement containing resources, progress tracking, and file sharing, allowing patients to work with their provider and continue their personalized treatment out-of-session.

    Nicholas Fleming
    Signature School Inc
    Website

  • Check in and take your seat!

  • The audience will be welcomed by the CEO of the STARTedUP Foundation, Don Wettrick.

  • The eleven student teams will pitch their business concepts/ideas. Teams will pitch in the following order:

    1. Hephaestus

    2. Supp

    3. Verdant Labs

    4. Hand in Hand

    5. MindGuide

    6. Focal

    7. PulmoVOC

    8. Stone and Flame

    9. PageMD

    10. Differently Able INC.

    11. MyJourney

  • Food will be provided to the teachers and competitors as the judges deliberate on the pitches. Nearby restaurants and the hospital cafeteria are available for all guests to grab something to eat during this time.

  • The top team will be recognized and invited to participate in the STARTedUP Challenge Finals!

Agenda

Meet the Judges

  • Alex Abbott

    Founder and CEO, Dominion Consulting

  • Courtney Lander

    Foundation Specialist and Community Relations, CenterPoint Energy

  • Logan Jenkins

    Executive Director, Circular Venture Lab

  • Makenzie Hart

    Creator and CEO, Hype Hop Dance Fitness

  • Mary Winstead

    Founder and CEO, Beautiful Edibles