Warning: we’ll have lions at our events this year. Hungry investors are waiting for modern-day Daniels. $1,500,000.00 are on the table. Who will be brave enough to pitch?
Pitch submission opens on December 1. If you complete the application process and get approved by our investors, you will receive $500.
Once you’re approved, our investors need your P&L statements and balance sheets from the last two years. If everything looks good, you can go on stage on March 2. Negotiations and deals are made on stage.
We’re looking for Adventist startups with impact. Each pitch gets evaluated on four levels.
Once you’ve registered, you can look for accommodations nearby Southern Adventist University. We’ve listed the most convenient options for you at the bottom of this page.
Starting the day with prayer. Location to be confirmed.
Klinger Lurentt has learned from the best marketing experts worldwide. He’s sharing his favorite key takeaways.
Annette Thurmon has a passion for simple country living. With AzureFarm, she inspires and educates over 100,000 people on social media every day.
Ruben Dias has a entrepreneurial track record of planning, creating and managing dozens of business ventures in several countries. His long-time passion for aviation came to a new level when he started to develop a global brand launch and sales & marketing strategies for Hill Helicopters and the HX50, a luxury private helicopter.
What’s the most effective way to spread an idea today? Back in Martin Luther’s day, it was probably a book. But what about in 2023, where global companies are influencing our daily habits like never before? Jesse Zwiker explains.
How do I start a business from scratch? Can I do it without any money from investors? And how do I transition from my “side hustle” to a real business? Join Seth Hill, GW Chew, Jesse Zwiker, Alejandra Restrepo and others and get your questions answered.
Daniel Bruneau and Jesse Zwiker share what Adventist business owners can do to intentionally spread the gospel and surprise their customers with a beautiful demonstration of Christ-like selflessness.
How do we deal with failure in business? Can we avoid it? If so, how? This panel discussion will inspire you to “fail forward”.
10 “early stage” startups will pitch their ideas to investors and the audience. Listen to new and innovative business models and get inspired!
Sidney Sweet is the owner of Sweet Dried Fruits, Inc. His company became the largest distributor of raisins worldwide. But he had been busy with other business strategies before meeting Jesus. Learn why and how God helped him smuggle hash.
The startup life can be exhausting. Long hours, sleepless nights and no time for family and friends — right?! Annette and Jared Thurmon share their story.
David Grabiner shares his story of how he grew up as a missionary kid in Africa. Simple and humble duties prepared him for greater responsibilities as an Adventist entrepreneur with his real estate company Lubono Capital.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, 360 video and other inventions don’t have to be used for selfish and destructive purposes only. Daryl Gungadoo currently leads the Adventist Review Media Lab and will explain how we can use these things for God’s glory.
with GW Chew
The exhibit hall is open for attendees to explore and connect with others.
Location will be announced soon.
Continue the discussion on faith and entrepreneurship with fellow attendees.
with David Asscherick
Many Christians over the centuries have been perplexed and irritated regarding this subject. What does the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy say about money and wealth?
with Jesse Zwiker
The pioneers and founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church lived a life of sacrifice and devotion, serving others. But many of us don’t know that they had an entrepreneurial side, a spirit of invention and innovation.
There are regions in this world where we can’t share God’s love. Evangelism is prohibited by law. But through business ventures, many souls have heard about the gospel and accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. Learn more about how our church is using business as mission and how you can get involved.
10 startups will pitch in front of a judging panel of experienced investors and entrepreneurs. Listen to their pitches and the Q&A after each presentation. The panel will choose three winners. The most promising startup will receive $5,000 and 12 month of business coaching (worth $7,000). Numerous other prizes will be given away as well!
After the Lion’s Den is over, attendees will have another opportunity to visit various booths and get in touch with other business owners. Doors are closing at 10:15PM.
We will share with all investors how you can get more involved in forwarding God’s cause through Adventist entrepreneurship. But this meeting isn’t limited to investors only — if you’re interested in investing into startups or if you own a business worth investing into, feel free to join us. We will discuss future plans and strategies. The meeting will probably end around 12PM.
Are you looking for accommodation? The following hotels are located a short distance from campus and offer a discount to those visiting Southern. Please note that you have to call them and mention that you would like the “Southern Adventist University Discount.” The hotels might only give this discount to a limited amount of people. Southern Adventist University and Hyve have no control over when the discount is available, but we recommend that you try and give them a call.
Meal time is networking time! We’re offering five meals throughout the event: Friday lunch and supper, Sabbath lunch and supper to go, as well as Sunday breakfast. All meals are included at a reduced price in our Networking Package for $176.50. Alternatively, you can just buy our networking lunch meal on Sabbath for $29. If you don’t want to network, you can visit various restaurants nearby or eat at the cafeteria on campus. The cafeteria accepts credit cards.
If you would like to pitch your startup at our event, you need to register as a business owner. We will then send you more information on how to prepare your slide deck and do a successful pitch. If you don’t have a business (yet), feel free to just register as an attendee. All are welcome!
Adventist startups have time until February 10 to submit their pitch deck. Our team will then review all entries and notify you if you were selected to pitch at the event. Due to the limited time we have, we only allow 10 “early stage” startups to pitch on Friday afternoon and 10 “mature” startups to pitch on Saturday night. You will be notified a few days before the event starts.
At the event, we will have two pitch competitions, one for early startups and one for more mature ones. If you have been selected for the “early stage” pitch competition, you will get 2 minutes to present your concept, followed by 1 minute of Q&A. If you have been selected for the Lion’s Den on Saturday night (more advanced startups with more revenue), you will get 3 minutes to pitch and 3 minutes of Q&A. Please contact us if you have any questions about the pitch competition. We want you to be well prepared.
Meal cards are available from February 15 until February 28. Please use this link here to buy your meal card in advance! We will then give you the card upon check in when you arrive at the event.
Yes, you can. Use this link to submit your pitch and share as much as you can with us, so investors really understand your idea, your concept and your future plans!
After you’ve completed the pitch competition form, you’re invited to share a short video with us so that we can get to know you and your startup. This is not mandatory, but highly recommended if you want to make sure to get selected for our pitch competition. Here are the details. Please click on this link to upload your video.
Video Length:
– 5 minutes of presenting, all videos will be cut after 5m00s.
Video Format:
– Video resolution: 1080p or higher and 24fps or higher.
– We need to see your face and part of your body. No camera movements and no switching angles.
– No b-roll, no stock footage and no other video footage besides your power point presentation and your face.
– Your attire should be casual business.
– No background noise and no accompanying music.
– The title of your video needs to be your business name or your personal name. For example: Margaret.mp4 or CafeStems.mp4
If you want to add your slide deck to your video and display the slides in the video, you can do that.
Absolutely! After having registered as a business owner, you will receive a free resources package from us with templates and a video on how to pitch your startup. We highly recommend that you go through these materials and prepare your slide deck accordingly.
We are also hosting Hyve’s Startup Factory, a weekly group call on ZOOM for all business owners who need help with their pitch deck. Click on this link to register for the weekly meetings (every Tuesday at 2PM EST).
Services and Resources
About Hyve
Have you ever gone to an event and met this one, incredible person that made you think, “wow, the whole trip was more than worth it — just to meet this person!” Well, this year, we’ve designed the entire event in a way so you can experience these kinds of providential moments, but exponentially.
Connect with the right people during breakfast, lunch, and dinner and advance your business, ministry, or career.
With the Networking Package ($176.50), you will get access to ALL networking sessions, ALL meals, and our special breakout session on Sunday morning with investment opportunities, conversations about AI, and much more.
Thursday 5:30 PM — Finger Food — “Speed Dating” Networking
Friday 12:00 PM — Luncheon — Industry-based Networking
Friday 5:30 PM — Dinner — General Networking
Sabbath 12:00 PM — Luncheon — Missional Networking
Sabbath 5:30 PM — Dinner — General Networking
Sunday 9:00 AM — Breakfast — Interest-based Networking
Sunday 10:30 AM — Topical Networking
We will give you a 10×10 exhibit space and provide a table and two chairs. The exhibit hall is located right at the entrance of the gymnasium, the same location where the main stage is. If you have specific questions and/or need electricity, please contact us at hello(at) hyveinternational.org.
FRIDAY 3/1
8AM – 11AM set up time
11AM – 3PM
5:30PM-7:30PM
9PM-10PM
SATURDAY 3/2
2PM – 4PM
5:30PM – 7:30PM
9PM – 10PM
