NC Tweener Talks

8 founders. One bracket. $25,000 on the line. Welcome to Tweener Madness 2026, the high-stakes startup competition where North Carolina’s most promising companies go head-to-head. In this Round 1 matchup, Utilyst and BeneDoc step into the arena to pitch their businesses to a panel of experienced investors. Each founder has one shot to make their case, answer tough questions, and prove they deserve...

This episode kicks off Season 2 of Tweener Madness and sets the stage for what’s ahead. You’ll get: The evolution of Tweener (from list → fund → statewide platform) Why this competition exists (and why founders love it) How the bracket works What judges are actually looking for And of course… the reveal of all 8 competing companies This isn’t just a competition. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at ho...

What does a go-to-market engineer actually do, and why is this role suddenly showing up everywhere? In this episode, we unpack one of the fastest-evolving roles in modern startups. Evan shares how he went from using ChatGPT as a college student and new BDR to helping build AI-powered systems inside one of the Triangle’s best-known software companies. The conversation covers how AI is changing outb...

This episode is a special one. We’re replaying NC IDEA’s Ecosysteming Podcast  episode featuring Scot and Robbie following the announcement of the new North Carolina Tweener Fund, powered by NC IDEA. ( Check out the announcement. )  The conversation covers the “why” behind the partnership, how the Tweener model works, why statewide startup data matters, how founders can connect with the fund, and...

In this episode, we unpack how a college capstone project turned into a scalable system for custom-fit 3D-printed bracing, moving from “hours in CAD” to minutes with automated design templates. We get into the origin story, the technology moat, go-to-market evolution, fundraising, and the founder mindset required to stay in the game. Highlights covered How PROTECT3D started with a custom brace for...

This episode is a big one. There’s a lot of noise right now around AI, venture, and whether SaaS is fundamentally broken. Public markets are re-rating software companies. Seed rounds are shifting. Pricing models are changing. And founders are asking the same question: “Are we toast?” Joe Mancini from Front Porch is in a unique position to answer that. His firm sits inside dozens of funds and start...

We started the Tweener List in 2015 with the idea of local founders paying it forward to help amplify and support our local startup ecosystem. Based on the popularity of that list and a grassroots effort to innovate a new way to help fund and support local founders, in 2022 we started the Tweener Fund. That’s good, but it’s not enough. We’re always asking the community of founders we support - wha...

In this episode of Triangle Tweener Talks, we unpack what it really takes to go from professor to CEO, how InsightFinder built trust in a skeptical enterprise market, and where LLMs help (and don’t ) when you’re dealing with machine telemetry data. They also explore multi-agent workflows, “composite AI,” practical enterprise adoption hurdles, and Helen’s advice for students navigating an AI-shaped...

In Part 1 of this conversation on Triangle Tweener Talks, we walked through how David built Offline over 13 years, three companies, multiple pivots, and a subscription model that finally worked. In Part 2, we shift gears. This episode is about leverage. David breaks down how he went from running a ~34-person team to operating a multi-city business with ~2.5 people, not by cutting corners, but by r...

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In this episode, we focus on Offline’s origin story and business evolution, not AI (yet). Highlights from Part 1 Offline has effectively been three different companies under one brand Early versions tried to reinvent Meetup, and failed A city-guide app reached ~3M people/month but couldn’t monetize Consumer businesses can look successful while quietly bre...

Part 2 picks up where the origin story ends, and where the real work begins. Tony breaks down the three phases of Phononic: proving the science, surviving productization, and ultimately finding the market where solid-state cooling wasn’t just better, but mission-critical. It’s a candid look at why deep-tech companies require patience, capital discipline, and brutal focus to survive. This is the ep...

In this episode (Part 1), we cover the origin story.  Tony walks through the decisions, failures, and inflection points that led to Phononic’s founding: leaving the Northeast for graduate school at USC, working on applied energy systems at JPL during the Mars rover era, and learning painful but formative lessons from a university spin-out that didn’t work. Then comes the moment you can’t script. I...

In Part 2 of the conversation with Brice Englert, we move from origin story to execution and scale. We cover: Pricing without overthinking: how TradePending set pricing before having perfect data Sales-first growth: building an outside sales motion that paid for itself quickly Scaling with discipline: reaching profitability fast and choosing when to reinvest Private equity, from the founder’s seat...

In this episode (Part 1), Brice shares the early story: how the idea formed, how he got the first version built, what the market told him at the beginning, and what he did to push through the inevitable uncertainty that comes with building from scratch. This is the origin story and early foundation of TradePending, before the scaling years. You’ll hear: How Brice got started and why he chose autom...

In this special solo episode of Triangle Tweener Talks, Scot goes beyond the two-part Tweener Times report to walk founders through what the data actually means in practice. This episode exists for one reason: to give Triangle founders clearer goalposts, better context, and fewer surprises when they sit down to raise capital. Tune in to hear: How founders can self-service fundraising expectations...

In Part 2 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore his journey on scaling multiple companies, spinning out new ventures, navigating private equity, and why he never left North Carolina. Tune in to hear: How ReverbNation grew from a side project into a 6M-artist platform The spin-out journey behind Adwerx,...

In Part 1 of this two-part deep dive, Triangle Tweener Talks host Scot Wingo sits down with legendary Triangle founder Mike Doernberg to explore the earliest chapters of his career, from CPA to multi-exit entrepreneur. Mike walks through the founding of Marathon, the rise of early PC-driven consulting, the creation and spinout of SmartPath, raising capital through the old-school angel gauntlets, n...

Mark Flickinger is the COO and General Partner at BIP Ventures, one of the Southeast’s most active venture firms. Based in Atlanta, Mark brings a rare dual perspective, an operator who scaled startups before joining the investing side. Since 2015, he’s helped BIP expand from an Atlanta-centric firm into a major player across the Southeast and Midwest. Every year, BIP Ventures releases its State of...

From the world of tech startups to the high-stakes world of sneakers, Walk West CEO and founder Greg Boone is a serial entrepreneur with a unique journey. With a background in computer science and a history of building and investing in companies, Greg brings a fresh perspective on how to navigate the current "AI tsunami." Tune in to hear: Greg's entrepreneurial journey, from his computer science d...

What happens after you sell a company you helped turn around? For Dr. Doug Kaufman , it’s a story of new ventures and hard-won lessons. In this second part of a two-part series, Doug discusses his time at TransLoc, a mass transit technology company he helped lead to a successful sale to Ford. He shares how he navigated a challenging acquisition process and the importance of a strong, collaborative...

What happens when a classically trained psychologist leaves the world of academia to shift careers? For Dr. Doug Kaufman , it was to become a serial entrepreneur (obviously).  Doug's story is defined by a relentless curiosity about human behavior, a series of successful ventures, and some hard-won lessons in the chaotic world of startups. In this first of a two-part series, Doug recounts his uncon...

From her upbringing in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a career spanning Wall Street, an Ivy League MBA, and the early days of e-commerce, Ricci Wolman’s journey is a all about problem solving, resilience, freedom, and...the paradox of choice?  As the CEO and co-founder of Written Word Media, she has built a bootstrapped and profitable business by solving a problem her own mom faced: book discovery...

What happens when a North Carolina native, seasoned by Silicon Valley and Wall Street, returns home to build a company that marries profit with purpose? For Jason Massey, co-founder and CEO of Ndustrial, it's led to a 14-year journey developing cutting-edge technology that makes industrial facilities more efficient and sustainable. In this episode, Jason shares his unique path, from a childhood in...

In Part 2 of our conversation with Eric Boduch, Pendo co-founder and CEO of Revcast, we explore the world of venture studios. Having left Pendo to pursue his vision of parallel entrepreneurship, Eric shares how his studio, 24 and Up, identifies, builds, and funds new companies. This episode unravels the unique model of a venture studio, differentiating it from accelerators, incubators, and traditi...

From co-founding one of the Triangle's most successful tech companies, Pendo, to quietly building a new venture studio, Eric Boduch has a deep well of entrepreneurial experience. In this first of a two-part series, Eric sits down with Scot to reflect on his journey, the lessons learned from the dot-com bust, and the evolution of product management. Eric gets into his early days, his path to co-fou...