Startup Showdown Awards $60,000 to N.C. Founders
SBCN Startup Showdown awards $60,000 to Rinse-A-Poo, Victorious Wellness and The Gilded Lantern in North Carolina.
The North Carolina Small Business Center Network has named Rinse-A-Poo, Victorious Wellness and The Gilded Lantern as winners of its inaugural Startup Showdown, awarding $60,000 in unrestricted startup funding. Rinse-A-Poo founder Dan Spangler took first place and $30,000, while Victorious Wellness received $20,000 and The Gilded Lantern received $10,000. The statewide accelerator drew more than 300 applicants, with 17 finalists completing training, coaching and a pitch competition. The program operates through the North Carolina Community College System’s 58 Small Business Centers, serving founders across all 100 counties.
Three Businesses Receive Funding
Dan Spangler, founder of Rinse-A-Poo, received support through the Coastal Carolina Community College Small Business Center. His business is working to move a product for kennel and daycare operators from prototype to production.
“The Startup Showdown was worth every hour I put into it. The coaching sharpened my pitch, but the real value was the 'room.' Between the instructors and the other cohort members, I got asked questions that made my product better,” said Spangler. “Taking first place means more than the check, though the check matters. That funding gets Rinse-A-Poo from prototype to production, into the hands of the kennel and daycare operators who have been asking when they can buy one.”
“I ran a pet resort for 14 years and built this because I lived the problem. At Rinse-A-Poo, we take care of the dirty work.”
Victoria Gadbois of Victorious Wellness won second place. Supported by the Wilkes Community College Small Business Center, Gadbois is building a women’s wellness concept combining personalized care, restoration, education and connection in one setting.
Third-place winner Phil McNutt of The Gilded Lantern Co. received support through the Montgomery Community College Small Business Center. The business is developing a mobile mystery adventure experience for team-building and shared activities at businesses, organizations and communities.
Training and Public Voting
Finalists completed the REAL Entrepreneurship® Pitch It! course, led by local community college leaders, and were assessed on several business criteria. The competition also included a “Shark Tank”-style Pitch Day, followed by a YouTube public voting period from Sept. 1 through Sept. 15.
The finalist pitch videos received more than 41,000 views and 9,300 votes. Before the competition began, the network provided 1,050 hours of pre-application counseling and technical assistance to applicants.
Statewide Small Business Support
The winners were announced at an invite-only awards celebration in Raleigh on Sept. 17. The Startup Showdown was funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation.
“Entrepreneurs are driving innovation and economic growth in communities across North Carolina, and we're proud to support programs that help turn promising ideas into thriving businesses. The Startup Showdown is creating new opportunities for founders to access capital, guidance and networks that can help accelerate their success and strengthen local economies.”
The SBCN offers entrepreneurs ongoing counseling, training and resources through Small Business Centers statewide. Its wider economic development division also oversees NCEdge, ApprenticeshipNC and N.C. BioNetwork.
Building on the First Cohort
The first Startup Showdown took founders from business training to a funding pitch, and the winners are now moving into their next stages.
“We're proud to support these entrepreneurs as they take their next steps, and we're excited to build on this model in the years ahead. The Startup Showdown has demonstrated what's possible when we bring together the statewide reach of our Small Business Centers with training, counseling, mentorship and resources that help entrepreneurs turn ideas into sustainable businesses and create economic opportunity in their communities.”
From an announcement by North Carolina Community College System.
