Flywheel Conference 2026: Meet the 6 Investment Finalists

The Flywheel Angel Network announces the six companies selected to compete live during the Early-Stage Investment Competition at the Flywheel Investment Conference, taking place May 19 to May 21 in Wenatchee. These finalists are vying for more than $200,000 in angel investment awards and prizes.

This year’s six finalists come from communities across Washington state

From Seattle and Spokane to West Richland and Wenatchee, underscoring the statewide reach of innovation and entrepreneurship. Each company is addressing tangible challenges with practical solutions, including wildfire response, healthcare access, supply chain resilience, drug development, real estate efficiency, and AI visibility for businesses. Together, the finalists illustrate how Washington entrepreneurs are developing ideas that not only compete statewide but also create meaningful impact in our local communities.

Meet the Top Six Finalists

BOVI.TECH - Spokane, WA
Founders: Lucas Buckland and Connor Buckland

BOVI’s HERO (Human Enabled Remote Operation) systems combine bolt-on remote operation and intelligent AI safety to create a powerful AI Flywheel for wildfire applications. The technology transforms existing mulchers, fireline construction equipment, and fast-response ground platforms into secure, remotely operated intelligent assets. Operating in smoke, steep terrain, and low-visibility conditions where classical autonomy struggles, BOVI trains advanced AI directly from expert human operational data. Each mission spins the AI Flywheel, continuously improving safety and semi-autonomous augmentation. This empowers a single Hero Operator to achieve superhuman levels of awareness, endurance, and scale across vegetation management, fireline construction, and search-and-rescue missions. Learn more at www.bovi.tech.

Optimly - Seattle, WA

Founder: Apurva Luty

Optimly is the AI brand intelligence platform for the post-search internet. As consumers shift from Google to ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for research and recommendations, brands lose visibility into how AI describes them — and 59.8% of the time, AI gets it wrong. Optimly solves this with the AI Brand Directory (10K+ verified profiles), BrandVault (brand-attested ground truth), and Scout (an MCP server live in Anthropic's Connectors Directory that serves verified brand data to AI agents at point-of-recommendation). Customers, including Hal9, have seen 16x growth in AI-referred traffic and a 217% improvement in accuracy in 60 days. Learn more at www.optimly.ai.

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Precision Quantomics, Inc - Spokane, WA

Founders: Chandi Bandarannayaka and Bhagwat Prasad

Precision Quantomics is developing a smarter approach to drug development to help address the nearly 90% failure rate across drug candidates. Using an integrated in silico and advanced lab tools platform, the company delivers insights that help biopharma teams make better decisions earlier in development. Its capabilities span quantitative proteomics, biological reagents, and predictive in vitro testing to improve confidence in safety, metabolism, and translational relevance before costly late-stage setbacks occur. By combining computational and experimental strengths, Precision Quantomics aims to reduce time, cost, and risk while improving the likelihood of clinical success. Learn more at www.precisionquantomics.com.

Reclaim Metals Inc. - West Richland, WA

Founders: Mert Efe and Yazdan Jamshidi

Reclaim Metals Inc. is a clean-technology startup revolutionizing the aluminum supply chain through AI-powered optical sorting. Every year, the U.S. exports 2 million tons of scrap—a $2.3 billion lost opportunity—because sorting is inadequate. Our patent-pending "chemical fingerprinting" makes invisible alloy signatures visible to standard optical cameras, allowing our deep-learning models to sort scrap at industrial speeds with over 90% purity. We empower domestic recyclers with a $0.60/lb value lift, transforming low-grade waste into high-value manufacturing feedstock. By keeping these resources onshore, we strengthen American manufacturing, reduce carbon emissions by 95%, and secure a more resilient domestic economy. Learn more at www.reclaim-metals.com.

Remmie Health - Seattle, WA

Founder: Jane Zhang

Remmie Health is transforming ENT care through a smarter, more accessible approach. By combining the Remmie 4 digital otoscope with an advanced telehealth platform, it enables fast, accurate remote diagnoses in both real-time and asynchronous formats, from anywhere. The solution supports early detection of conditions like ear infections, helping reduce unnecessary emergency visits and lower healthcare costs. With continuous monitoring and seamless access to care, patient outcomes improve alongside greater convenience, while a scalable ecosystem expands access and streamlines care delivery. Learn more at www.remmiehealth.com.

Subi - Wenatchee, WA

Founders: Michelle Schubert and Kristen Thompson

Subi is the transaction genie for real estate professionals, built to simplify and streamline the entire transaction process. Today, millions of deals are managed across fragmented systems, manual workflows, and ongoing compliance risks. Subi replaces that process with a proactive system that executes the work for you—from data entry and document management to task coordination and client communications. Built by experienced operators, Subi saves agents hundreds of hours and reduces operational costs for brokerages, while helping teams stay compliant and close deals more efficiently. Early adoption has validated strong market demand and highlighted the widespread need for a solution like Subi. Learn more at www.oksubi.com.

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Attend Flywheel and Be Part of What’s Next

Flywheel is Washington’s meeting place for entrepreneurs, investors, and community leaders, bringing people together around bold ideas, promising startups, and the connections that fuel innovation. Hundreds of founders, investors, business leaders, and local community members will gather in Wenatchee for this year’s conference. Whether you’re launching your next venture, looking to invest in the future, or curious about the ideas shaping our region and state,

Flywheel is where big ideas take flight. This year’s schedule of events includes:

Día del Fundador Latino (Latino Founder Day) will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Pybus Public Market Event Center. Latino Founder Day is Flywheel’s Spanish-language pre-conference experience, created to offer Latino entrepreneurs a welcoming, relevant, and high-value space to connect, learn, and grow. This event is free to attend, but registration is required.

The inaugural Student Pitch Competition will be hosted on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Pybus Public Market Event Center. The Student Pitch Competition is a live showcase for student-led startups that highlights bold ideas, emerging founders, and future potential. Students representing Central Washington University, the University of Washington, and the Cascade School District will take part. This event is included with an All-Access Flywheel ticket, or individual tickets can be purchased for $29.

The Early-Stage Investment Competition will be held on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Numerica Performing Arts Center. The Early-Stage Investment Competition is where six promising startups take the stage to pitch for a $150,000 investment and other prizes. It is a signature part of Flywheel, giving attendees a front-row seat to bold ideas, high-stakes pitching, and the connections that help companies grow. This event is included with an All-Access Flywheel ticket, or individuals can register for free.

The Awards Party will be hosted on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Pybus Public Market Event Center. The Awards Party is Flywheel’s closing celebration, where attendees come together to recognize the startups, students, and leaders who helped shape the conference, and to announce the winners of the Early-Stage Investment Competition. It is a high-energy way to end the event while celebrating bold ideas, new connections, and what comes next. This event is included with an All-Access Flywheel ticket, or individual tickets can be purchased for $59.

For those looking to get the full Flywheel experience

All-Access tickets include the conference’s major events, as well as additional learning and networking opportunities throughout the week. That includes the Welcome Reception, breakout sessions featuring statewide experts, and Thursday’s lunch and social hour, creating even more space to build relationships, gain insight, and be part of the conversations shaping what’s next. All-Access tickets are available for $289. Registration for All-Access tickets and individual event tickets is available at www.flywheelconference.com/attend.

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About the Flywheel Investment Conference:

The Flywheel Investment Conference is organized by NCW Tech Alliance and hosted in partnership with the Flywheel Angel Network. Held in Wenatchee, WA, the Flywheel Conference features an investment competition, educational speakers, and networking opportunities. Past investment award winners include Cartogram (2018), Agtools (2020), Iasis Molecular Sciences (2021), BrainSpace (2022), ZILA Works (2022), GemaTEG (2023), Gnara (2023), Alphi (2023), Dopl Technologies (2024), OneCourt (2024), and OoNee (2025). Public tickets for the 2026 Flywheel Conference are now available for purchase. For more information about this must-attend event, visit flywheelconference.com.

About NCW Tech Alliance:

Since 1999, NCW Tech Alliance has served as the region’s tech hub, fostering growth and innovation in North Central Washington. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, NCW Tech Alliance brings people and technology resources together to support entrepreneurs, advance STEM education, and promote technology adoption throughout the region. Learn more at ncwtech.org.