{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"NC Tweener Talks","title":"Tweener Madness: The Fabulous 4 Begins with Utilyst VS HAM. Two Different Paths to Scale","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/8a07e820\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2604,"description":"We’re down to the Fabulous 4. Four startups. Two matchups. One step closer to the $25K investment from the NC Tweener Fund.\nThis is where things shift. The ideas are sharper. The stakes are higher. And every decision starts to look a lot more like a real investment call.\nUtilyst is building deep infrastructure software for utilities. HAM is building lightweight AI tooling for developers. One is grounded in physical systems and regulation. The other is riding the fastest-moving wave in tech. Two B2B plays. Two completely different paths to scale.\n\n🧠 What you’ll see in this episode:\n AI cost is becoming a real problem → efficiency is the next wave \nClear problem vs. massive market defined the matchup \nInvestors want dollar impact, not just features \nSpeed + scale potential won this round\n\n👇 Featuring the Exceptional 8 Selection Committee:\nZakiya Alta Lee-Hill (Principal, IDEA Fund partners)\nGreg Boone (CEO of Walk West)\nCarly Connell (Principal at BCVP)\n\n👉 Subscribe for more episodes as we move through the bracket\n👉 Follow along as we go from the Exceptional 8 → Fantastic 4 → Championship\n⏱️ Timestamps\n 00:00 — Welcome to Tweener Madness\n 00:45 — Fabulous 4 Intro: Utilist vs. HAM\n 08:10 — Utilist Pitch\n 13:00 — Utilist Q&A\n 23:05 — HAM Pitch\n 26:00 — HAM Q&A\n 33:00 — Judges Feedback Begins\n 33:10 — Feedback on Utilist\n 35:00 — Feedback on HAM\n 39:30 — Final Decision (Winner Revealed)\n🎯 About Tweener Madness\nTweener Madness is run by the NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA and showcases top startups from across North Carolina. The winner receives a $25,000 investment and statewide exposure.\n--- \nTweener Madness is hosted by Scot Wingo, run by NC Tweener Fund, Powered by NC IDEA, and brought to life by Walk West, who leads production and podcast creation.\nWe couldn’t share posts like this without our amazing sponsors: \nPlatinum: \nNC IDEA: https://ncidea.org\nGold Sponsors: \n- Balentine: https://www.balentine.com/triangle-entrepreneurs \n- EisnerAmpner:...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UEzoK7N1siD9YRaSVBWfZ8B3suSS2aonEIZ5NwBH1Gs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80NjBh/YWVhZTA4ZTUyY2Fl/MDdhNzQwZWFhNDI4/MDc3Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}