On August 28th, 2024, Virginia Beach became the epicenter of innovation as ten startups battled it out on stage during the Pegasus Tech Ventures Startup World Cup Virginia Regional Finals. These bold founders pitched in front of investors, entrepreneurs, and tech leaders for a chance to represent the Commonwealth on the global stage—and potentially win $1 million in investment.

Whether you were in the audience or cheering from afar, this is your chance to dive back in and explore the big ideas shaping our future. Here’s a replay of all 10 pitches and what makes each startup one to watch. 

And don’t forget to attend this year’s big event, August 21 at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach. The deadline for applications is June 30. Full details here.

VerbaAI 

VerbaAI is on a mission to protect the integrity of information. Their flagship platform, Forentify, is a digital forensics tool built to detect deepfakes and other synthetic media threats using advanced computer vision and audio analysis. With explainable frame-by-frame detection, VerbaAI serves both civilian and government clients — including defense, media, and intelligence organizations — offering clarity in an increasingly manipulated digital world.

Agricision, Inc. 

Woman-owned and farmer-led, Agricision is transforming agriculture with purpose-built drones engineered specifically for the farm. Founder Sheri Neuhofer unveiled their drone and software solutions, including proprietary pest detection and real-time mapping tools that help boost yields, cut waste, and promote sustainable farming practices. Every drone is made in the U.S. with components sourced from allied nations.

DroneUp 

Tom Walker, CEO of DroneUp, took the stage to share how the company is solving last-mile delivery inefficiencies. With a growing national footprint and partnerships across retail and government, DroneUp is building the infrastructure to make drone delivery reliable, fast, and environmentally efficient — setting new standards for logistics and service.

Amruta Inc 

Amruta Inc tackled one of AI’s biggest challenges: trust. Beju Rao presented their explainable AI (XAI) platform, which helps Fortune 500 companies and government agencies understand and deploy machine learning models with confidence. By making AI transparent and accountable, Amruta helps organizations improve deployment rates and maximize return on AI investments.

CXperks formerly Magazine Jukebox – Scott Janney

Scott Janney introduced CXperks, a contactless digital content hub that brings entertainment to waiting rooms, cafes, and hospitality spaces — without the need for app downloads. With games, trivia, magazines, and soon sports, CXperks helps businesses create better customer experiences with a few taps on a phone.

Complify – Miguel Zepeda

Miguel Zepeda delivered a powerful pitch about Complify, a compliance software platform helping financial services firms navigate regulation, avoid costly penalties, and serve underbanked communities. With a focus on equity, inclusion, and evolving industry needs, Complify is building a more accessible and compliant financial ecosystem.

GabbVR – Malcolm Lee

Malcolm Lee wowed the audience with GabbVR, an AR/VR language learning platform designed to help non-native English speakers improve pronunciation, rhythm, and fluency. Powered by AI trained on diverse voices, GabbVR delivers real-time feedback and gamified lessons — offering an affordable alternative to traditional speech therapy. Malcolm closed with part of his pitch in fluent French, showing firsthand how GabbVR is changing the way the world learns language.

M-Con Innovations – Josh King

Josh King introduced MCON, a game-changing mobile gaming controller that has already gone viral thanks to its sleek design and intuitive functionality. Built by gamers for gamers, MCON represents a new frontier in hardware innovation — and the company is poised to disrupt the fast-growing mobile gaming market.

Psionic 

Steve Sandford presented Psionic’s SurePath™ technology — originally developed for NASA — which delivers centimeter-level precision navigation in the most demanding environments. Designed for autonomous vehicles, defense systems, and robotic applications, SurePath is already proving itself in multiple markets and redefining what’s possible in real-time situational awareness.

ivWatch 

Representing Virginia’s strength in medtech, ivWatch delivered a showstopping pitch that earned them the regional championship. Their continuous IV monitoring solution detects complications like infiltration and extravasation before visible signs appear, helping clinicians catch problems early and improve patient outcomes. ivWatch went on to place third globally at the Startup World Cup finale in San Francisco — a proud moment for Virginia’s startup community.

These ten startups didn’t just pitch — they inspired. They showed what’s possible when vision, technology, and grit come together on a stage built for global impact.

Stay tuned as we gear up for the 2025 Startup World Cup Virginia Regional Finals on August 21 in Virginia Beach. Want to pitch, sponsor, or attend? 

Let’s keep building the future, together.