Finalists Named for 2025 CodeLaunch World Championship at Gilley’s Dallas » Dallas Innovates

Plano-based CodeLaunch has announced the six finalists who’ll be competing at the 2025 CodeLaunch World Championship Nov. 12 at Gilley’s Dallas—including a Dallas-based startup and one from Meridian, Texas. The other four startup finalists are based in Canada, Mexico, Florida, and California.

CodeLaunch is a global tech startup accelerator which presents live “venturetainment” experiences like the one coming to Gilley’s. Similar to a “Shark Tank” competition for startups, next week’s event is the culmination of four previous CodeLaunch competitions held earlier this year across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. Winners from the previous competitions will showcase their solutions and compete for $50,000 in funding in front of a live audience, judges, and angel investors.

Founded in 2013 by Jason W. Taylor, CodeLaunch has been at the forefront of fostering startup growth by merging seed accelerator competition with a unique approach that features a blend of live music, comedy, panels, and networking.

A Dallas-based startup and another Texas company not far from Dallas are represented in the finalists.

CodeLaunch said it provides a way for angel investors and venture capital funds to discover emerging technology-based startups seeking to receive a funding series or investment. CodeLaunch said it curates thousands of applicants every year and only the “venturable” and technically viable startups make it into the Finalist round. Prize money is awarded to the audience winner and the judging panel’s winner.

CodeLaunch said the event is dubbed the “Greatest Startup Show on Earth,” Doors open at 3:30pm and at 5 p.m., rapper and startup hypeman “RajNATION”or Rajiv Nathan will perform.

At 6 p.m., the main event begins.

CodeLaunch finalists

Here are details about the six finalists, per CodeLaunch:

KAVODAX

Canada 2025 Champion
Founder: Gharsa Amin
Region: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Industry: Blockchain / Fintech
Improving Dev Team Partner: VanSquad
What They Do: Revolutionizing cross-border payments by making them faster, more affordable, and accessible to everyone. Their mission is to break down financial barriers and connect people globally through innovative blockchain technology.
Stage: Pre-Seed
Raised: 100K CAD
CodeLaunch Raise Terms: Raising 750K SAFE, at 10M valuation
“CodeLaunch has changed our lives forever,” Amin said in a statement. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity—it’s a huge win, but also a big responsibility as we head to the World Championship in Dallas this November. As a woman founder in blockchain, building something inclusive and community-first, I’m confident we’re going to crush it. This is just the beginning.”

ABRAZO SEGURO

LATAM 2025 Champion
Founder: Derian Jiménez
Region: Yurécuaro, México
Industry: Health Tech / IoT
Improving Dev Team Partner: BugBusters
What They Do: A patent-pending sensory stimulation vest for children with autism, designed to improve well-being, focus, and provide calm during challenging moments. Unlike other products, it can be used daily at home, in schools, or therapy centers, without limiting the child’s mobility, making it a truly practical and supportive accessory.
Stage: Pre-Seed
Raised: $0
“Winning CodeLaunch LATAM means everything to us,” Mejía said in a statement. “We started Abrazo Seguro to make a real difference for families, and this victory shows that innovation with heart matters. Now we’re ready to take this mission global.”

WELL WATER FINDERS

USA 2025 Finalist
Founders: Andrew Vandekop
Region: Meridian, Texas, USA
Industry: AgriTech
Improving Dev Team Partner: OH/IO
What They Do: Well Water Finders provides highly accurate groundwater surveys using patented electromagnetic technology, helping landowners and developers avoid costly dry holes. Beyond individual surveys, the company is building a proprietary water-intelligence platform that aggregates real-time groundwater data to guide smarter resource management and policy decisions. This evolving platform positions Well Water Finders at the forefront of sustainable water technology and global aquifer intelligence.
Stage: Pre-Seed
Raised: $268,000
Revenue: $315,000
CodeLaunch Raise Terms: Raising $500K at $8M post-money valuation
“At Well Water Finders, we’re tackling one of the world’s most critical challenges—access to water—and CodeLaunch has become the launchpad to scale that impact,” Vandekop said.

HEIA JOBS

USA 2025 Finalist
Founder: Fernando Ponce
Region: Weston, Florida
Industry: HR Tech / AI
Improving Dev Team Partner: Huskers
What They Do: THEIA Jobs is a hiring automation platform built to reduce time-to-hire and remove redundant candidate interviews. Its Interview Smart Agent (ISA) runs interviews around the clock, scoring and ranking candidates automatically. Hiring managers receive live scorecards to make faster, data-driven decisions. The platform streamlines recruitment from first touch to final shortlist, delivering pre-assessed talent by the start of the day.
Stage: Pre-Seed
Raised: $0
“CodeLaunch helped us focus on what truly matters—solving problems for people, not chasing vanity metrics,”  Ponce said.

LIFESPARK LABS

USA 2025 Finalist
Founder: Amber Trivedi
Region: San Diego, California
Industry: Future of Work / AI
Improving Dev Team Partner: What We Do
What They Do: LifeSpark Labs is like LinkedIn meets Pokémon Go – a game that helps Gen Z discover who they are, grow real-world skills, and build a future they’ll love. Powered by patent-pending AI and designed by game and behavioral science experts, it turns growth into data that stands out to schools and employers. 89% of players recommend it. Available to everyone in January, free at select colleges and workforce programs.
Stage: Pre-Seed
Raised: $78,000
CodeLaunch Raise Terms: Raising a $1 million pre-seed round on a SAFE at an $8 million cap. Seeking early interest conversations with mission-aligned investors who believe in category-defining, socially impactful deep tech.
“CodeLaunch has been a catalyst—sharpening our story, pressure-testing our product, and preparing us for the next level,” Trivedi said.

CAPTION.FYI

USA 2025 Finalist
Founder: Andrew Lin
Region: Dallas
Industry: Legal Tech / AI
Improving Dev Team Partner: BlueHack
What they do: Everyone is focused on AGI or super intelligence, but there is a lot of VERY important work to be done right now in empowering smart humans to be more effective. Caption makes humans more dangerous; it doesn’t ask software to think for us.
Stage: Pre Seed
Raised: $100,000
CodeLaunch Raise Terms: 50,000 SAFE at 3 million cap
“Everyone talks about AI content; few focus on accessibility. CodeLaunch helped us bring inclusion to the center of the conversation,” Lin said.

The judges

CodeLaunch said three familiar faces from across its ecosystem will join founder Taylor to help crown this year’s world champion. The judges are:

:: Esther Cho, Founder of Superluckeee, a trading education community offering live trading sessions, weekly market reviews, step-by-step training, and classes on technical and fundamentals analysis. She’ll judge with a builder’s eye for clarity, signal, and execution under pressure.

:: Raheel S. Malik, FirstGen Agency. Former CodeLaunch Emcee (Hall of Fame) and Program Alum. Through FirstGen Agency, he helps founders shape authentic brands and messaging. He knows this stage, the pacing, and what reads with a real audience.

:: Mark Clayton, Founder of LIVV Headphones and former NFL wide receiver. Clayton is the first professional athlete to join the CodeLaunch judges’ table, bringing the mindset of elite competition into the startup arena. His path from the field to hardware founder gives him a unique view on leadership, pressure, and performance.

Ticket info for the CodeLaunch World Championship event can be found here. 

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