Hatch Pitch Announces TiE Hatch Pitch 2026 Finalists
HOUSTON, Texas - October 20, 2026 - Hatch Pitch, in partnership with TiE Houston, TiE Dallas, and TiE Austin, launches the first TiE Hatch Pitch competition for startups at TiEcon Texas 2026, “The future runs on automation.”
10 startups from around the world have been chosen to pitch their automation solution for a chance to win TiE Hatch Pitch 2026!
On October 28, 2026, these 10 startups will compete head-to-head for a chance to become the first winner at TiEcon Texas 2026, the premier two-day entrepreneurship and innovation conference.
The audience includes venture capitalists, angel investors, corporate senior executives and technology professionals. Winners are selected by a large panel of judges, including investors and executives.
The startups are currently participating in a tailored proprietary coaching program, developed by Hatch Pitch. Since 2012, alumni of Hatch Pitch’s coaching programs have gone on to raise over $20B in funding and exits.
This is a must attend event for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone interested in automation. Register below to attend.
The 2026 TiE Hatch Pitch Finalists:
Arrow Analytics (College Station, TX) - Creates products to detect, measure, and count carry-on baggage during the boarding process, monitoring overhead-bin capacity and identifying oversized bags in real time. By providing data and actionable insights, Arrow Analytics aims to reduce boarding delays, improve operational efficiency, and create a smoother passenger experience.
BiaTech (Houston, TX) - Brings engineering intelligence to industrial operations through BiaSense, its AI platform that connects live operating data, engineering physics, and digital twins. Through Ask Bia, teams can ask questions in plain English, understand equipment behavior, and evaluate practical next steps with supporting evidence. Designed for facilities, drilling operations, and asset integrity, BiaSense works alongside existing systems to help operators improve production, strengthen reliability, reduce downtime, and use resources more efficiently. BiaTech makes specialized engineering knowledge more accessible at the moment decisions matter, while keeping people in control.
ByteTrail (Dallas, TX) - Keeps the devices that run critical infrastructure secure and up to date. Power grids. Water systems. Factories. Hospitals. They all depend on connected devices in the field, far from the people who manage them. Updates are slow manual work that too often never happens. The tools that could help were built for laptops and data centers. Not for the edge. ByteTrail closes that gap. It finds what software runs on each device. It fixes weaknesses without disrupting operations. It proves every action with a tamper-evident record regulators can trust.
FocisAI (Houston, TX) - The spatial asset intelligence layer for industrial facilities. We turn LiDAR, laser scans, and 360° imagery into structured, searchable information about what assets exist, where they are, how they connect, and what condition they are in. By transforming reality-capture data into operational intelligence, FocisAI helps industrial teams improve inspection, maintenance, engineering, and asset management while connecting physical facilities to the software, robotics, and AI systems that depend on accurate real-world data.
HXP Labs (Houston, TX) - Pioneering a new category of industrial software: Decision Execution Systems (DES) that elevate Human Experience at their core—driving the evolution from Industry 4.0’s cyber-physical systems to a future defined by Agentic AI and hyper-automation of Industry 5.0. Our platform bridges the long-standing gap between engineering design and frontline execution by transforming static engineering documents, procedures, and enterprise data into intelligent, AI-guided workflows that empower frontline workers at the point of execution.
IronLattice (Houston, TX) - A deep tech startup building Gator Memory™, a nonvolatile memory architecture designed for the AI era. As AI workloads outgrow today's memory, data centers and defense systems need a better way to store and move data. Spun out of Rice University, our capacitor free memory cell runs in existing logic fabs and uses industry standard packaging, giving us a capital efficient path to manufacturing at scale. Built on domestically sourced materials free of conflict minerals and rare earths, IronLattice is helping build the memory that powers human potential.
MbeleMed (Dallas, TX) - The first AI-enabled platform to make preventive cardiac screening actionable at population scale. Starting with high-risk seniors and expectant mothers, we use health data and predictive analytics to identify those most likely to have hidden cardiac risk, then coordinate remote monitoring, physician review, and follow-up. Our model ties payment to meaningful findings, not screening volume: health plans pay when monitoring uncovers physician-confirmed risk worth acting on. If monitoring finds nothing actionable, there is no MbeleMed fee, allowing partners to screen intelligently, direct resources to those who need them most, and intervene before risk becomes a costly emergency.
Saro Robotics (Oslo, Norway) - Operators spend millions on scaffolding and rope access just to reach insulated pipe for corrosion inspection. Saro's climbing robots carry trusted sensors to that pipe without scaffolding, so inspection companies cover more of the plant for the same budget and catch corrosion before it forces an unplanned shutdown.
Sonify (Houston, TX) - Blocks noise before it reaches you. The Sonify Shield uses AI to turn the surfaces of a room, the walls, windows, and ceilings noise comes through, into sound shields that automatically block all types of noise, from traffic and footsteps to noisy neighbors and barking dogs, at the point it enters. It installs in minutes with nothing permanent, so it works in any home, including rentals.
The Yummy Box (Houston, TX) - AI-powered pickup infrastructure that standardizes the final 10 feet of restaurant fulfillment. Built around patented software and workflow logic, it automates pickup for direct customers and third-party delivery services including Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. At flagship partner Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston, the platform has facilitated 33,000+ pickups and demonstrated more than $219,000 in save-and-recover value across retained margins, labor efficiency, and shrinkage reduction. Its customizable, modular hardware uses interchangeable components and low-power architecture, creating scalable infrastructure for modern off-premise operations.
The finalists will each have 3 minutes to pitch their startup before fielding questions from our on-stage panel of judges. Then our scoring judges (in-person and online) will select the winners. The entire audience also gets to weigh in with ranking the startups to select the crowd favorite.
TiE Hatch Pitch - YOU BE THE JUDGE!
TiE Hatch Pitch is just around the corner. Now is the time to cement your plans to attend this automation all-star event.
To attend TiE Hatch Pitch: Register for TiEcon Texas 2026 (tap the button below) and attend any sessions you like on October 28th and October 29th. On October 28th, be sure to tune in to TiE Hatch Pitch between 2:30pm and 5:30pm for the pitches. Join the chat with our judges on the YouTube link. Then fill your scoresheet to pick the winners. We announce the winners at 5:30pm US Central Time.
About Hatch Pitch
Hatch Pitch is a founder-first startup showcase and coaching platform producing livestreamed hybrid pitch competitions, virtual and in-person coaching programs, and community events. Its model pairs expert coaching with a polished stage experience, helping founders sharpen their pitch and connect with the investors, partners, and ecosystem builders who move startups forward. Over its 14 years of coaching, participants have gone on to raise over $20B in funding and exits.
About TiE Houston
TiE Houston is the Houston chapter of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), a global nonprofit entrepreneurship network spanning 66 locations across 5 continents. TiE Houston connects founders, investors, and industry leaders through programs, mentorship, and events that strengthen the Texas innovation ecosystem.
Ready, Set, Hatch!