Rural startups from across the country, including Capacity from St. Johnsbury, VT, to compete at one-of-a-kind pitch event at Dartmouth University
Hartland, VT – On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, the Center on Rural Innovation, in partnership with the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth, will host the fifth annual Small Towns, Big Ideas pitch event. This unique competition will bring together top tech startups from rural communities across the nation to compete in person for a $10,000 prize.
Small Towns, Big Ideas provides a platform for rural tech startups to pitch investors while fostering networking and collaboration between rural entrepreneurs, investors, and the broader community. It also serves as a vital mechanism for driving economic growth and bringing national attention to rural communities.
This year’s start-up participants represent an impressive range of geography and ideas:
● Authsnap, Inc. (Marquette, MI) — An AI-powered SaaS that automates insurance denial appeals, cutting hospital admin time from hours to minutes.
● Capacity (Northeast Kingdom, VT) — Delivering ICU-level respiratory monitoring through an intelligent wireless wearable for real time care.
● Ludare (Portsmouth, OH) — An indie focused game subscription service enabling developers to validate games early in development.
● RespexTech (Shenandoah Valley, VA) — An AI communication platform that doesn’t just facilitate conversations—it measures them to help build respect.
● WholeNote™ (Paducha, KY) — A platform that enables independent musicians to manage rights, royalties, and promotion in one place.
The competition will be judged by a panel of distinguished investors with deep experience in venture capital.
● Jay Bockhaus is the Chief Investment Officer for the CORI Innovation Fund, which identifies, funds, and supports the best and most innovative rural tech entrepreneurs to enhance economic growth and tech job creation in small communities across the U.S.
● Janice St. Onge is the President of the Flexible Capital Fund, L3C (“Flex Fund”). Named among the 25 Transformative Funds of 2021, the Flex Fund is a mission-based investment fund providing flexible capital in the form of revenue-based financing to New England’s food system, forestry, and clean tech businesses. Janice brings economic and business development as well as financial expertise to the panel, having served in the technology, financial services, higher education, and state government sectors.
● Matt Rightmire is a venture partner with Building Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in companies that are reshaping the way we design, build, operate, and experience our built environment. Matt has been working with early-stage companies as an investor or an active part of the management team for more than 30 years.
Event Details: Date: Wednesday, November 5, 2025 Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET (Free reception to follow) Location: Hanover Inn Dartmouth, Two East Wheelock Street, Hanover, NH
The event is open to the public and free to attend. Please contact Emily Wood if you are interested in attending.
Hanover Inn Dartmouth
Hanover, NH
United States