A yellow and orange lightning bolt with black outline inside a circle of text that reads 'Lightning Round Pitch Competition'.

Where you prove your startup is the next big thing.

get in front of real investors, compete for funding & fast-track opportunities

lightning round iv

[ DATE ] april 17, 2025

 [ format]  virtual

This is your chance to stand out, secure funding, and scale fast.

Pegasus and Innovent Capital join forces to bring a powerhouse network of top angel investors, VCs, and industry leaders looking for the next breakout startup.

Get exposure, funding, and traction by pitching in front of decision-makers who don’t just watch - they invest!

Winners get fast-tracked to Pegasus’ Accelerate Due Diligence round, unlocking real capital and strategic growth opportunities. 

Black silhouette of a winged horse or Pegasus.
Black and white abstract logo with concentric circles and the text "INNOVENT CAPITAL GROUP" beneath it.
Logo of S&A M LLP featuring the names Styubb's Alderton & Markles, LLP with dark blue text and a series of four blue shades in square blocks.

Meet the Judges

  • A woman with long dark hair, wearing a blue blazer and white shirt, smiling in front of a split yellow and white background.

    Jesse Draper

    Founding Partner, Halogen Ventures

    Jesse backs early-stage consumer tech companies led by women. As 4th generation VC and the first solo female GP in LA, her 75+ portfolio includes The Skimm, Babylist, and ThirdLove. She’s the Emmy-nominated creator of The Valley Girl Show, host of MOMumental Podcast, and a vocal advocate for women in tech. Named one of Inc.’s Female Founders and one of Business Insider’s top early-stage female investors, Jesse is also a Kauffman Fellow and sits on several boards, driving impact through innovation, advocacy, and unapologetic leadership.

  • Portrait of a man with glasses, wearing a suit and tie, against a yellow and white background.

    Dr. Min-Yi Shih

    Chair of Due Diligence Committee, TCA LA

    Dr. Min-Yi Shih is a seasoned technologist and business leader with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and an EMBA from UCLA Anderson. He’s held executive roles across R&D, defense, medtech, and communications, with expertise spanning AI, optoelectronics, AR/VR, and renewable energy. Known for turning innovation into commercialization, he has secured significant non-dilutive funding and led high-impact ventures. Dr. Shih currently chairs the Due Diligence Committee at TCA LA.

  • A woman with dark wavy hair smiling, wearing a beige blazer over a floral blouse, against a yellow background.

    Carmen Palafox

    Managing Partner, 2045 Ventures

    As the Founder and Managing Partner at 2045 Ventures, Carmen invests in early-stage tech startups across climate, fintech, health, SaaS, and consumer. A former VP at Dimensional Fund Advisors, she brings 20+ years of finance expertise and has been recognized by the NVCA, Venture Forward, and LA Magazine as a top voice in VC. Carmen also teaches venture capital at USC Marshall and holds degrees from Berkeley-Haas, USF, and USC.

  • A man wearing glasses, a white shirt, a blue tie, and a gray vest, smiling in front of a yellow background.

    Brian Ray

    Chief AI Officer, Eviden

    Brian leads global AI strategy and innovation. With a background spanning Deloitte, Oracle, and real-time AI systems, Brian brings deep expertise in ML, cloud, and full-stack development. He’s a Google Developer Advisory Board member and speaker at Google Next, Caltech, and AILA. Known for his engaging talks on GenAI, Responsible AI, and the real-world cost of ML, Brian blends technical mastery with practical insights that move the needle.

RSVP

  • Capital & Network: With a combined investor base spanning hundreds of accredited angels and early-stage VCs, we provide startups direct access to decision-makers who write checks.

  • Accelerated Growth: Pegasus has helped startups achieve 1,253% MRR growth, while Innovent Capital specializes in backing disruptive early-stage companies that transform industries through technology. Together, we don’t just invest—we help founders execute and scale.

  • Proven Path to Success: Startups that stand out in this competition don’t just win a pitch event—they gain a fast track to Pegasus’ Accelerate Due Diligence round, positioning them for serious investment and long-term support.

Why pArticipate?

competition overview

  • Open to early-stage tech startups solving real problems with scalable, venture-backable solutions.

  • Applications will be narrowed down to the top 5 finalists based on (a) clear and growing market opportunity for their solution; (b) strong early-traction signals; and (c) founders’ domain expertise and execution ability.

  • Founders will have 5 minute to pitch over Zoom, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A.

    Judges evaluation criteria:

    (1) Pitch Clarity: can the founder clearly communicate the vision, problem and solution;
    (2) Investor Readiness: Is this startup at stage where investors would seriously consider funding?
    (3) Potential Impact & Scalability: Can this become a category-defining company?

  • The winning startup is fast-tracked to Pegasus’ Accelerate Due Diligence round, giving them direct access to potential investment, mentorship, and our national investor network.

    Besides also receiving $1M in exclusive perks package, and being spotlighted in our monthly investor and LP newsletter and social media channels.

  • These are the five best companies I've seen in the last two years. I would take them all into diligence.

    Pasadena EC Member

past rounds winners

A graphic logo with a pill bottle showing a red prescription symbol and the word 'Post' with a right arrow indicating medication or pharmacy delivery.
Realtor.com logo with the word 'RealtKey' and an upward arrow incorporated into the text
Stiiira logo on a purple background.

Current & Previous Participating Firms

  • Crosscut Ventures
  • Hawke Ventures logo with a red falcon icon and black and red text.
  • Black lightning bolt symbol with a circle at the top and an arrow at the bottom, representing electricity or power.
  • Mucker Capital logo with text
  • Verizon Ventures logo with red text on a black background.
  • Black background with the word 'Precelerator' in white, modern font, and a circular, technical diagram resembling a spinner or radar to the right of the text.
  • Logo with the words 'Plug and Play' in bold black letters, with 'AND' in red and green, and 'A' in blue.
  • Logo of Protea Labs featuring a pink protea flower above the company name in pink text.
  • Graycroft logo in black text with a stylized 'G'
  • Logo for SOCIAL STARTS featuring a geometric icon and text
  • A logo featuring a hexagon outline with a barcode and the numbers 10110 inside, and the text "TenOneTen" below.
  • Logo of Tech Stars with a green star, blue mountains, and gray text reading 'techstars'.
  • Sway Ventures logo with black and gray text.
  • Logo for Founders Boost, a global tech startup pre-accelerator, featuring a stylized microscope with an orange rocket flame, and text in white and orange on a gray background.
  • Synchronization logo with yellow bars and the word 'synchrony'
  • Close-up view of the word 'GRID10' with large black and gray letters on a white background.
  • Silhouette of the Los Angeles city skyline in gray tones against a dark, honeycomb-patterned background with the text 'Los Angeles Venture Partners' below.
  • Pasadena Angels logo with tagline 'It's more than the money' and TCA Venture Group logo with the text 'A Member of the TCA Network'.
  • TCA Venture Group logo with stylized leaf design and company name
  • Logo for Meda Angels featuring a blue 'M' and 'A' with a human figure and medical imagery, along with text about physician and scientist founding and TCA Venture Group membership.