A packed house of more than 400 people filled the Union Pier Terminal on Saturday for the inaugural Catalyst by Beemok Live Pitch Competition, where 13 startups, ten professional and three student-led, took the stage to pitch their ventures for early-stage investment.
By day’s end, more than $2,625,000 in funding was awarded to founders across the Lowcountry.
What began as a late-night idea while watching Shark Tank turned into a powerful showcase of Charleston’s entrepreneurial talent. “Beemok is all about creating opportunity and bringing people together,” said Ben Navarro, Co-Founder of Beemok Capital. “Today’s event embodied that mission, it was collaboration, energy and belief in what’s possible.”
Funding came from Beemok Capital and InvestSC, with surprise additional investments from Meeting Street Capital and Austin McCombs, both judges for the event. The unexpected contributions drew cheers from the audience and underscored the momentum of the region’s growing innovation ecosystem.
“This is exactly what InvestSC was created to do,” said Will Cruz, Chief Investment Officer of InvestSC. “We’re excited to support these founders as they grow their businesses and build the future of South Carolina’s economy.”
“This changes the trajectory of our business,” said Kerry Brown, Co-Founder of eat G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R., one of the day’s funded companies.
“We’ve been working for years for this,” said Christopher Lenard, Co-Founder of Horse Spot. “This is life-changing for each of us, as well as our company.”
The 13 finalists were selected from a pool of 256 applications representing Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. Their ventures spanned biotechnology, clean energy, food innovation, software, and manufacturing, highlighting the depth and diversity of innovation in the Lowcountry.
The event also featured a fireside chat with Ben Navarro; Tim Spence, CEO, Fifth Third Bank; Bud Watts, Founder, Meeting Street Capital and Austin McCombs, CEO & Founder of Gnosis Freight.
2025 Catalyst Award Recipients
Professional Category
- Torpedo Bio — Dr. Leonardo Ferreira Beemok Capital and InvestSC invested $125,000 each, totaling $250,000.
- eat G.A.N.G.S.T.E.R. — Kerry Brown & Heather McDonough Beemok Capital, InvestSC, and Meeting Street Capital each invested $100,000 for a total of $300,000.
- WODA Bag — Britt Gardner & Erin Jewett Beemok Capital, InvestSC, and Meeting Street Capital each invested $125,000 for a total of $375,000.
- Volare Boats — Matthew Moore & Dustin Tupper Beemok Capital and InvestSC invested $250,000 each, with Meeting Street Capital contributing $100,000 for a total of $600,000, plus a custom boat order for Beemok Hospitality’s new Cooper Hotel, opening Spring 2026.
- Horse Spot — Christopher, Lindsay & Michael Lenard Beemok Capital, InvestSC and Meeting Street Capital each invested $250,000, with an additional $50,000 from Austin McCombs, for a total of $800,000.
Student Category
- Charleston International Music Competition — Leonid & Constantin Matros, Beemok Capital and InvestSC invested $100,000 each, with Meeting Street Capital contributing $50,000 for a total of $250,000
- Clarity — Owen Smith & Will Sadowski, $25,000
- Lowcountry Sourdough CHS — Lincoln & London Orr Miller, $25,000