On December 12, the City of Irvine hosted the SBDC LaunchPad 2025 Demo Day and Pitch Competition, highlighting the impact of targeted startup support on business growth and long-term economic opportunity. Presented in partnership with Octane OC and the Orange County Inland Empire Small Business Development Center (OCIE SBDC), the Demo Day reflected the City’s ongoing commitment to strengthening Irvine’s innovation economy and supporting companies positioned for scalable growth.
“Irvine’s long-term economic competitiveness depends on our ability to support innovation at every stage,” said Karin Koch, the City’s Director of Economic Development. “Through strategic partnerships like those that made this event possible, we’re creating pathways for entrepreneurs to turn ideas into companies, attract investment, and build the next generation of high-impact businesses right here in Irvine.”
That commitment was on full display at the event, which featured 10 early-stage startups, five competing in the MedTech track and five in the Technology track. Each company delivered a live pitch before an audience of investors, entrepreneurs, and regional innovation stakeholders, showcasing solutions with strong commercialization potential.
At the conclusion of the competition, two Irvine-based companies, Lidavex Inc. and Summit Technology Laboratory (STL), were named winners in their respective categories. Each company was awarded $5,000 in non-dilutive funding, providing flexible capital to advance product development, pursue customers, and support early hiring and business expansion.
Lidavex Inc. is a maternal health technology company using LiDAR-based, clinical-grade labor monitoring to improve safety and equity for mothers in high-risk and underserved communities.
"The availability of local resources such as hospitals for partnerships, acceleration programs, as well as an abundance of MedTech conferences and events have significantly impacted our growth and helped us achieve key milestones to this day," said Kamola Mirjalilova, Founder and CEO of Lidavex Inc.
STL, a pioneer in immersive display technology, develops software that transforms any surface, such as walls, domes, or stretched fabric, into seamless, headset-free displays for cutting-edge training, simulation, and entertainment experiences across government and commercial sectors.
“The local ecosystem has been instrumental in helping me refine a professional investor deck and in opening doors to investors and prospective customers both within Orange County and far beyond," said Dr. Aditi Majumder, Founder and CEO of Summit Technology Laboratory.
Beyond individual company success, the event underscored the broader economic value of Irvine’s innovation ecosystem.
“Through our partnership with the SBDC, we’ve been able to build an accelerator model in Orange County that consistently helps founders secure capital and scale their companies, with many choosing Irvine because of the City’s strong support network, access to funding, and connectivity across Southern California,” said Bill Carpou, CEO of Octane.
By aligning public-sector leadership, nonprofit partners, investors, and startups, the City is accelerating the development of high-growth companies that contribute to regional competitiveness, workforce development, and long-term economic resilience.
The SBDC LaunchPad 2025 Demo Day and Pitch Competition is part of a broader and growing set of initiatives through which the City is investing in innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunity. As Irvine continues to expand its portfolio of programs, partnerships, and platforms that support founders at every stage, events like this signal what’s ahead — more pathways to commercialization, more connections to capital, and more opportunities for emerging companies to grow and succeed in Irvine.