On March 24th, 2022, in Austin, Texas, the first of six regional pitch competitions will commence, launching USAA’s 100th Anniversary Pitch Competition. In Austin, eight companies will compete for $10,000 in prize money and a place on stage at the San Antonio finals. There, they can compete for the grand prize of $100,000!  

Update: Winners Announced!

Kevin Goldstein and Fluid Intelligence beat out 125 other Austin applications to take home the top prize of $10,000 in our first regional pitch competition after a long deliberation process by the judges, who were torn between several top performers. Sergio Rodriguera Jr’s. Straylight Systems took the second prize and $5,000 in prize money. Judges were keen throughout the competition to suggest connections for all the participants, and the crowd seemed eager to connect and do the same. While Fluid Intelligence has a guaranteed seat at the Finals in San Antonio, Tx this November, the other competitors still can earn a wild card spot!

To be accepted and win here is tremendous. The support and encouragement from Bunker Labs and USAA can’t be underestimated. 

Their support in putting together a program like this, an opportunity to pitch to actual potential users, it really is priceless.  – Kevin Goldstein, CEO of Fluid Intelligence

The event also featured a call to action from Bunker Labs’ own Blake Hogan, who set the tone for a collaborative evening where everyone makes potentially game-changing connections regardless of how much prize money they took home. There was also an informative fireside chat featuring Marcus J. Carey, an enterprise architect at cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest and Hans Morris of Fintech VC Nyca Partners.

The Contestants 

Judges will hear business pitches from eight US military Veterans or eligible family members. Each competitor has just five minutes to make their pitch, followed by a five-minute Q&A with the judges.  

Kevin Goldstein  

Military Family Member, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fluid Intelligence

Fluid Intelligence has designed and developed an innovative (patent pending) self-learning, artificial intelligence water flow monitor and control system. The flow monitor and control system automatically monitors for and controls water leaks and line ruptures without the need for distributed sensors. The Fluid Intelligence system is designed for use as part of the growing Internet of Things systems, and is designed for ready implementation with smart-home, smart-business, and wireless communication systems. Learn more about Fluid Intelligence.

Sergio Rodriguera Jr.  

Navy, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Straylight Systems

Straylight Systems is an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) company that automates code and software development to help businesses and engineers instantly get documented, tested, secure, and configurable code. Learn more.

Chasity Wright  

Air Force, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Infiltron Software Suite

My tech background started in the USAF as an aerospace engineer dealing with classified data and devices. I have sat in high-level administrative engineering positions for different industries, from aerospace and defense to logistics, sports and entertainment. I’ve seen the vulnerabilities; from insider threats to adversaries. One of the gifts that I have is vision, so I’m able to see.  At Infiltron we want to leverage our diversity as a team regarding our expertise and ethnic backgrounds to show more innovation and disrupt the current Iot Cybersecurity market solutions. Infiltron will fill the lack of cybersecurity talent with our real time automated solution that acts like a cybersecurity professional. We also want to be at the forefront of mitigation issues for people of color and women concerning facial recognition. Learn more about Infiltron Software Suite.

David Trigg  

Air Force, Chief HomePro, GetHomePro, Inc

My name is David Trigg, and I am your HomePro. I graduated from Texas A&M University in 2015. My wife and I have been Lake Highlands residents for three years and have seen some fantastic homes. I have a passion for a crisp curb appeal and immaculate lawn care, without the stress of working with 10+ service providers.  We believe home ownership shouldn’t become a second job. That’s why we created the all-in-one home services solution. We simplify home ownership by giving our customers one point of contact for everything. A trusted, 24/7 home care concierge that facilitates the sourcing, selection, scheduling, execution, and payment for all services through our verified network of providers. Learn more about Home Pro.

Jonathan Krausche  

Army, Chief Develpment Officer, Petworks

Petworks is a data-driven, pet-centric marketplace platform for today’s pet parents, providing all their pet wellness needs in one place.  As families continue to care for their pets like children and shift to a digitally connected mindset, Petworks provides a single point of access for all pet care through a data driven, pet-centric marketplace platform. Petworks provides businesses with connectivity and functionality to meet these trends. Our platform’s ease of use keeps parent and pros within our ecosystem, and our breadth of categories keeps parents through all life stages. Learn more about Petworks.

Gabriel Cavazos  

Army, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wrexx

Wrexx is a transportation safety firm formed for the purpose of developing an automatic crash and theft response system for application in motorcycles and powersports vehicles. The company’s mission is to reduce the loss of life faced by its customers and increase roadway safety. Wrexx will accomplish this through the sale of its response system and collected data. Learn. more about Wrexx.

Adam Parker  

Air Force, Chief Data Officer, Round Robin Consulting

Founder Adam Parker, a veteran of the military and a few startup ventures has over 8 years in product design/embedded systems, 3 and a half of those in automotive security for Tier-1 clients. He leans extensively on his contacts into the Texas startup scene as well as his fellow team members, Daniel Cross and Alexandra Frederick.   Embedded engineering is not something many companies need full time. Even when they do, the small field size makes it hard to find and vet candidates. Round Robin Consulting’s specialty is embedded systems. As part of this, we excel at finding and managing talent. As well, a company culture of continuous growth drives team member advancement. Learn more about Round Robin Consulting.

The Judges 

Our judges are have the unenviable task of listening to eight pitches and selecting a winner to take home $10,000 and a spot in the finals, as well as a runner-up, who takes home $5,000.  

Craig Cummings  

General Partner, Moonshots Capital

Craig actively invests in technology start-ups, many of which are founded by military veteran entrepreneurs, through his venture capital firm, Moonshots Capital, which he co-founded with Kelly Perdew.   Craig is the Co-Founder and former Chief Operating Officer of RideScout, a mobile app that showed users how to get from point A to point B by providing real-time ground transportation information. RideScout was acquired by Daimler (maker of Mercedes-Benz) in September 2014.   Before he became an entrepreneur, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency (NSA). Craig deployed to Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command where he earned the Bronze Star. He also served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, NY. Craig received a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was their first Truman Scholar, and he received a Ph.D. in Political Science (minor: Econometrics) from Columbia University in 2005. 

Stacey Nash  

Senior Vice President, Head of Bank Fraud and Central Risk & Operations, USAA

Stacey Nash leads the Enterprise Financial Crimes Management team within the Enterprise Security Group for USAA. In this role, she has accountability for the prevention, detection, investigation, and recovery of member fraud for USAA. Member security and enterprise authentication strategy is also a key accountability of this function.  Prior to joining USAA Stacey was a leader in the Risk organization for Santander in Boston MA. During that time, she established and led the Fraud Risk, Payment System Risk and Sales Practice Risk programs for the bank.  Stacey began her career at TD Bank in Toronto Canada before relocating to Cherry Hill NJ. During her 19 years at TD, she held roles in Contact Center Operations, Product Management, Branch Management, Collections and Recovery, Auto Finance, and Fraud.  Stacey is committed to causes that affect women and children through organizations that provide support for victims of abuse and seek to provide financial education to young adults. 

Debra Dunn  

Senior Vice President, Property Insurance, General Manager USAA Property & Casualty Insurance Group

For over 20 years, Debra has had the privilege to serve our military community and their families at the United Services Automobile Association (USAA). Debra is currently the USAA Property Insurance Senior Vice President and General Manager. She leads a team of talented individuals responsible for personal lines, home, renters, and specialty products including product development and innovation, regional and state management, as well as product performance. Additionally, Debra leads the P&C Women In Leadership advocacy team focused on empowering women at all levels of their professional journey.   Prior to leading Property, Debra was the Senior Financial Officer for USAA’s Property & Casualty Insurance group. She and her team were accountable for financial planning and forecasting, budgeting, operational efficiency, loss reserving, catastrophe financial reporting, and client relationship support.   Debra has also held multiple roles across USAA including Integrated Financial Planning and Forecasting, Enterprise Stress Testing, Rating Agencies process, Staff SFO, and affiliate billing, Investment Company Treasurer/SFO, and Enterprise Underwriting and Pricing. Prior to joining USAA, Debra worked at Price Waterhouse, LLP as a staff auditor.  Debra also serves on the Board of the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) and the MidWest Board for Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF). She is a proud University of Texas at San Antonio graduate, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a Financial and Operations Principal. Outside of work, Debra enjoys downhill skiing, biking, and spending time with family and friends. 

Need Help Honing Your Pitch?

Pitching under ideal circumstances is difficult, but pitching for a competition is even more intense. Take another look at your pitch with Bunker Labs How-To Pitch Your Business blog series! 

Want to Pitch Your Business?

Remember, applications are open for the Washington D.C. Regional Pitch Competition March 21st until April 4th! Apply today, or fill out an interest form for future regional events in Chicago, Seattle, and Charlotte to take your shot at $100,000 in funding!