{"id":37252,"date":"2025-11-06T00:11:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T00:11:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/37252\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T00:11:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T00:11:14","slug":"finalists-named-for-2025-codelaunch-world-championship-at-gilleys-dallas-dallas-innovates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/37252\/","title":{"rendered":"Finalists Named for 2025 CodeLaunch World Championship at Gilley’s\u00a0Dallas \u00bb Dallas Innovates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plano-based CodeLaunch has announced the six finalists who\u2019ll be competing at the 2025 CodeLaunch World Championship Nov. 12 at Gilley\u2019s Dallas\u2014including a Dallas-based startup and one from Meridian, Texas. The other four startup finalists are based in Canada, Mexico, Florida, and California.<\/p>\n

CodeLaunch is a global tech startup accelerator which presents live \u201cventuretainment\u201d experiences like the one coming to Gilley\u2019s. Similar to a \u201cShark Tank\u201d competition for startups, next week\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A Dallas-based startup and another Texas company not far from Dallas are represented in the finalists.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cventurable\u201d and technically viable startups make it into the Finalist round. Prize money is awarded to the audience winner and the judging panel\u2019s winner.<\/p>\n

CodeLaunch said the event is dubbed the \u201cGreatest Startup Show on Earth,\u201d Doors open at 3:30pm and at 5 p.m., rapper and startup hypeman \u201cRajNATION\u201dor Rajiv Nathan will perform.<\/p>\n

At 6 p.m., the main event begins.<\/p>\n

CodeLaunch finalists<\/p>\n

Here are details about the six finalists, per CodeLaunch:<\/p>\n

KAVODAX<\/p>\n

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
\u201cCodeLaunch has changed our lives forever,\u201d Amin said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for this opportunity\u2014it\u2019s 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\u2019m confident we\u2019re going to crush it. This is just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

ABRAZO SEGURO<\/p>\n

LATAM 2025 Champion
Founder: Derian Jim\u00e9nez
Region: Yur\u00e9cuaro, M\u00e9xico
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\u2019s mobility, making it a truly practical and supportive accessory.
Stage: Pre-Seed
Raised: $0
\u201cWinning CodeLaunch LATAM means everything to us,\u201d Mej\u00eda said in a statement. \u201cWe started Abrazo Seguro to make a real difference for families, and this victory shows that innovation with heart matters. Now we\u2019re ready to take this mission global.\u201d<\/p>\n

WELL WATER FINDERS<\/p>\n

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
\u201cAt Well Water Finders, we\u2019re tackling one of the world\u2019s most critical challenges\u2014access to water\u2014and CodeLaunch has become the launchpad to scale that impact,\u201d Vandekop said.<\/p>\n

HEIA JOBS<\/p>\n

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
\u201cCodeLaunch helped us focus on what truly matters\u2014solving problems for people, not chasing vanity metrics,\u201d\u00a0 Ponce said.<\/p>\n

LIFESPARK LABS<\/p>\n

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 Pok\u00e9mon Go \u2013 a game that helps Gen Z discover who they are, grow real-world skills, and build a future they\u2019ll 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.
\u201cCodeLaunch has been a catalyst\u2014sharpening our story, pressure-testing our product, and preparing us for the next level,\u201d Trivedi said.<\/p>\n

CAPTION.FYI<\/p>\n

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\u2019t ask software to think for us.
Stage: Pre Seed
Raised: $100,000
CodeLaunch Raise Terms: 50,000 SAFE at 3 million cap
\u201cEveryone talks about AI content; few focus on accessibility. CodeLaunch helped us bring inclusion to the center of the conversation,\u201d Lin said.<\/p>\n

The judges<\/p>\n

CodeLaunch said three familiar faces from across its ecosystem will join founder Taylor to help crown this year\u2019s world champion. The judges are:<\/p>\n

:: 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\u2019ll judge with a builder\u2019s eye for clarity, signal, and execution under pressure.<\/p>\n

:: 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.<\/p>\n

:: Mark Clayton, Founder of LIVV Headphones and former NFL wide receiver. Clayton is the first professional athlete to join the CodeLaunch judges\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Ticket info for the CodeLaunch World Championship event can be found here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss what\u2019s next. Subscribe\u00a0to\u00a0Dallas\u00a0Innovates.<\/p>\n

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\t\"nominate<\/a><\/p>\n

D CEO and Dallas Innovates have expanded The Innovation Awards 2026 with more individual and company categories this year. Now is your chance to be part of the region\u2019s defining recognition for innovators.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plano-based CodeLaunch has announced the six finalists who\u2019ll be competing at the 2025 CodeLaunch World Championship Nov. 12…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[23398,23399,18790,23400,23401,12063,23402,23403,2277,23404,1468,160,162,161,6661,17354,464,23405,23406],"class_list":{"0":"post-37252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plano","8":"tag-abrazo-seguro","9":"tag-accelerator","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-caption-fyi","12":"tag-codelaunch","13":"tag-gilleys-dallas","14":"tag-heia-jobs","15":"tag-kavodax","16":"tag-latin-america","17":"tag-lifespark-labs","18":"tag-mexico","19":"tag-plano","20":"tag-plano-headlines","21":"tag-plano-news","22":"tag-shark-tank","23":"tag-startup","24":"tag-united-states","25":"tag-venturetainment","26":"tag-well-water-finders"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}