2026 Pitch to the Pack: Event Program

FARGO

PITCH TO THE PACK

Textile Entrepreneur Pitch Event WELLS

OPENING AND REMARKS

Jeremy Wall '14 Co-Founder and CEO, GoalMakers

Jeremy Wall is an entrepreneur whose first business spun out of his senior thesis at the Wilson College of Textiles. After he exited that business, he co-founded a new business teaching the fundamentals of business leadership called GoalMakers.

David Hinks Dean, Wilson College of Textiles

David Hinks, dean since 2016, is a distinguished textile chemist and scholar with more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and extensive leadership in academic and industry partnerships.

Kevin Howell Chancellor, North Carolina State University

Kevin Howell became NC State’s 15th chancellor in 2025, leading North Carolina’s largest university and strengthening its role as a top public research institution.

Clarence McDonald

Market Executive Piedmont Triad and Western North Carolina, Wells Fargo

Clarence McDonald brings 28 years of risk management and sales experience with Wells Fargo and currently leads Commercial Banking teams in the Piedmont Triad and Western North Carolina, serving companies typically between $5 million and $2 billion in revenue.

INTRODUCTION AND MEET THE JUDGES

Wells Fargo Pitch to the Pack, celebrating its second year, is a competition sponsored by Wells Fargo that supports textile-focused entrepreneurs driving innovation in North Carolina and across the U S textile industry through cuttingedge technology, sustainability and consumer-focused solutions

This year, 44 entrepreneurs registered and completed a training process to prepare impactful pitches for the preliminary round A group of prestigious judges reviewed and evaluated the pitches, narrowing the pool to 10 finalists.

Today, these finalists will present their business pitches in a five-minute presentation, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer session with the judges.

DAY-OF JUDGES

Evaluate finalists’ presentations to determine the winners

Andy Albright ‘86

President and CEO, National Agents Alliance Corporate

Molly Hemstreet Executive Co-Director, The Industrial Commons

Prashant Prabhu, Ph.D. ’77, ’79

Clemson University

INTRODUCTION AND MEET THE JUDGES

PRELIMINARY JUDGES

Reviewed initial pitch submissions to select the finalists

AGENDA

2:00 p.m. Registration

2:25 p.m. Opening

Jeremy Wall ‘14 Co-Founder and CEO, GoalMakers

2:30 p.m. Welcome

David Hinks Dean, Wilson College of Textiles

2:35 p.m. Remarks

Kevin Howell Chancellor, North Carolina State University

2:40 p.m. Remarks

Clarence McDonald

Market Executive Piedmont Triad and Western North Carolina, Wells Fargo

2:45 p.m. Finalists’ Presentations

3:45 p.m. Break

3:55 p.m. Finalists’ Presentations

4:55 p.m. Light Refreshments and Judges’ Deliberations

5:20 p.m. Awards Ceremony and On-Stage Photos

5:40 p.m. Closing Remarks

David Hinks and Clarence McDonald

AWARDS

A total of 13 awards will be presented: 8 based on judges’ scores and 5 selected by audience vote. The Andrews Launch Accelerator and First Flight Venture Center Coworking Membership awards will be granted to the highest-ranking eligible teams. Audience Choice Awards will be awarded to teams outside of the Top 5

CASH PRIZE

1st Place

$10,000 2nd Place

$8,000 3rd Place

$6,500 4th Place

$5,500 5th Place

$4,000

JUDGED AWARDS

ANDREWS LAUNCH ACCELERATOR AWARD

Two spots, each $10,000 value

Eligibility: The two highest-ranking teams that have at least one co-founding member who is either a current NC State undergraduate or graduate student, or who graduated from NC State within the past five years, are eligible to receive this award

FIRST FLIGHT VENTURE CENTER ‘FIRST CLASS’ COWORKING MEMBERSHIP

One spot, $2,500 value

Eligibility: The highest-ranking team local to the RDU area will be eligible to receive this prize. The cash prize for each award is $1,000.

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Vote using the QR code below. Voting will begin at the conclusion of all presentations.

MEET THE FINALISTS

Nicelle Technologies

Up Until 5

Verdia Diagnostics

Rysa Ruth

Stitching the Future of Women’s Sports

Nicelle Technologies

Nicelle Technologies: The AcrylFLOW process was designed to replace the current process for turning polyacrylonitrile, PAN, into acrylic fibers (i.e. synthetic wool) and various grades of carbon fiber, which are used in lightweight composites. The patent-pending technology improves upon current PAN fibers by addressing the environmental challenges and health hazards that are posed by the current process.

Notes:

Somni is a sleep-tech startup looking to revolutionize the way that humans sleep by manipulating users' physical environments to maximize sleep quality and comfort with the use of a smart sleep mask paired with intelligent thermoregulating sleeves. We look forward to giving our users the confidence and energy to tackle anything in their day

Notes:

Verdia Diagnostics

Verdia Diagnostics is developing sensors for early crop disease detection for farmers and growers. They have developed a plant-wearable sensor that flags early disease warning signs before visible symptoms appear. Up to 40% of food crops are lost each year due to pests and diseases, which translates to over $20B in losses in the U.S. Implementation of their sensors that deliver early warning notifications to growers will increase agricultural yields, improve grower margins and ultimately increase agricultural sustainability.

Notes:

Introducing Up Until 5, the start-up of an apparel brand catered for proportionate short statured females (adult women at a height of 5'0" or below) who aren't currently accurately represented in the United States apparel market.

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Ruck Sox

Since WWII, the military and its equipment have changed dramatically, except for the standard issue cotton socks. Well, we like to say cotton is rotten. Here at Ruck Sox, we've created The First Performance Rucking Sock™. Made entirely in the Carolinas, our proprietary blend of merino wool yarn helps eliminate blisters and hot spots while rucking. We're a disabled veteran-owned business, led by a UNC-Chapel Hill MBA and NC State Master of Textiles candidate. So far, we've done over $148k in revenue since starting in May of 2023.

Notes:

Stitching the Future of Women’s Sports

Rysa Ruth rysaruth@gmail com

Stitching the Future of Women's Sports designs and sells digital knitting patterns inspired by women’s sports team jerseys, allowing fans to create their own handmade pieces that celebrate their favorite teams. A large part of the brand is built through social media, where I share the knitting process, connect with fans and gift finished jerseys to professional athletes. This storytelling has helped build a vibrant community around women’s sports and fiber art. I plan to expand by creating tutorial videos and, eventually, launching a line of finished garments.

Notes:

The Vetband

The Vetband is a veterinary medical device designed to secure esophagostomy tubes safely and comfortably. Made of soft, stretchy material, it slides easily over the pet’s head with no connectors. It completely covers and protects the tube from dislodgment while allowing freedom of motion and airflow for healthier skin. It’s easier to wash, more durable and more comfortable for the pet and easier to use for the owner than the products on the market today. It is also multifunctional, as it can be used to hold any medical device to the neck, such as oxygen lines and other feeding devices. Notes:

Hone is a hormone-safe fashion brand creating refined, natural-fiber clothing with discreet nursing access for modern mothers, blending wellness and design to restore confidence and ease in postpartum life.

The Lainey Volz Button Cup Shirt

Button-up shirts are meant to do one thing: button up. Yet so many women with a larger bust have been told to use a safety pin or stitch the button placket in place. It's 2026 and different sizes deserve to be the product, not the modification! My product, the Lainey Volz "button-cup shirt", is a button-up shirt specifically designed for women with a D-cup and up!

Notes:

Campus Closet

Campus Closet is a campus-based clothing rental platform designed to make trendy, affordable fashion more accessible to college students while promoting sustainability. The concept builds on my experience running a successful Instagram-based rental business and expands it into a scalable, app-based model tailored to individual universities. Campus Closet allows students to rent, lend and clean out their wardrobes, creating a circular fashion economy on campus while reducing fast fashion consumption.

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